Season of Lent…A Season of Reflection and Repentance
This past Wednesday began the season of Lent with a day we know as Ash Wednesday. Admittedly I missed posting a reminder to our email audience on Wednesday, but didn’t want the week to finish without sharing a few thoughts on the beginning of Lent.
Lent is a period of 40 days from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday. The Sundays are not counted in these 40 days, but are meant to be “little Easter’s” that keep the reality and hope of the resurrection in front of us even as we journey with Jesus to the cross.
Lent is not a season mandated in Scripture, but one that Christians for many centuries have found benefit as a season of reflection and repentance. It is a time to review all that Jesus has done for us and a season to reflect on the reality that each of our sins necessitated Jesus’ suffering and death. However, it is not a season of depression, but deep appreciation that “the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6).
Ash Wednesday is the beginning of this season and named such for the tradition of making the sign of the cross on the foreheads of believers who recognize their sin and need for their Savior as well as recognize their mortality and need for a solution for death, both physical and spiritual.
As ashes are imposed on the forehead in the shape of a cross the Scripture from Genesis 3:19 is shared, reminding the consequence of sin is death: “…for dust you are and to dust you will return.”
So we begin the season of Lent with a sobering reminder of the seriousness and consequences of our sin, and are encouraged: 1 John 1:8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
So we begin the season of Lent with a humbling show of love of a Savior who willingly took the burden and guilt of our sin on his own shoulders and faced the wrath of God and the punishment they deserved for each of us. May God truly bless our Lenten journey.
For devotional help and reflection during the season of Lent, here are a few resources:
- A 40 day devotional series entitled: “Moments of Decision” https://forwardinchrist.net/40-days-of-lent/ This devotional series follows the history of Jesus’ final hours from a combination of the four Gospel accounts.
- A brief video explaining the season of Lent: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkqHQGdPwMo
- Since we weren’t able to have an Ash Wednesday service, I invite you to watch from a sister congregation in Lakeville, MN. They are using the same series, “Hands of the Passion,” we are using at Cross & Crown. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4FNAAcHbQg
Apply: Enjoy the season of Lent with intentional time to reflect on your need for a Savior and a realization of the great Savior we have.
Prayer: Jesus thank you for carrying our sin to the cross. Lead me to always show sincere repentance and deep appreciation for all you did for me. AMEN.
Mission-Minded: Have Confidence in the Present
Daily Devotions based the Sermon from February 14, 2021
THIS WEEK: A Mission-Minded Person Has Certainty!
It’s been a challenging week for those of us that live in Texas. Record cold combined with rolling blackouts in homes not built for arctic temps leaves us weary and ready for warmth.
It’s hard when life is disrupted, the things we take for granted are missing, and the norm of our routine is non-existent. We will make it through (I know my friends in the North are rolling their eyes at this, but it’s different when this isn’t the February norm!)
We know this will past. This won’t last forever. By Tuesday of next week, it will seem like a normal early spring day in the mid-60s.
So when life is challenged in the present, what keeps you going?
We rely on our experience of the past. We anticipate the better future. And do what we need to do to get through the day. Really, the only day that matters is TODAY.
We all have known distractions to our day. They get us off task and minimize our productivity. So it is with our life with Christ too. Each day we have an opportunity to live for and follow Jesus. It’s a daily opportunity and challenge. So what keeps us encouraged and energized today?
First – Keep your focus on the future. (See Tuesday’s devotion) Jesus gives us a glimpse of his glory and what is to come.
Second – Remember, you are part of a movement that has existed for millennium (See Wednesday’s Devotion). Others have been through and the Lord has sustained them through the challenges of life and faith.
Finally, third – perhaps remember similar words that the Father spoke for Jesus and the three disciples to hear on the mountain of transfiguration.
At the mountain of transfiguration, Jesus heard the voice of his father say, “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” (Mark 9:7)
Jesus was going to go through dark days with his suffering and death. Peter, James and John were going to go through challenges of watching and following Jesus. They could be encouraged by these words too.
- You are a child of God, adopted into God’s family by faith at your baptism. Jesus was THE Son of God. Each of us is a child of God.
Galatians 3:26 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
2. You are loved. The Father loved his Son Jesus.
John 15:9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.
3. We have trusted words to follow. The Father encouraged the disciples to listen to Jesus. We have these same words to guide us each and every day.
Matthew 7:24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.
Following Jesus is a challenge each day. Knowing we are LOVED, CHILDREN of God with is WORD to listen to each day is what sustains and gives confidence to follow Jesus each and every day.
Apply: What words of Jesus give you hope today?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for affirming us as your loved, children. Sustain us each day with your words to guide us and give us encouragement for each day of following you.
Mission Minded: Certainty from Our Connection to the Past!
Daily Devotions based the Sermon from February 14, 2021
THIS WEEK: A Mission-Minded Person Has Certainty!
Where did you come up with that idea?
I remember hearing someone say, “If you come up with one completely new idea in your lifetime, you are a genius.”
Not sure I qualify…yet! J
New ideas are often met with skepticism, until we understand their history and background.
Christianity can sometimes fall into this category. Individuals like to dismiss the message of Jesus as something “made up” by his disciples or fabricated in the first century. Some like to say it only had relevance for a period of time long ago and is outdated and irrelevant in the present.
So, how can we have any confidence in the faith we have in Jesus as Savior?
Perhaps we can in the same way that Jesus built confidence in Peter, James and John. He drew the connection between his life, ministry and person back to the ministry and message of Moses and the prophets.
Jesus seemed like “something new and different,” but really he was merely a fulfillment of the old and the same thread of history and promises that God had made from the very beginning the Garden of Eden.
Flanked by Moses and Elijah, Jesus discussed with them his upcoming death.
Mark 9:4 And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.
Moses represented all that was written in the first five books of the Old Testament. From Creation, to the promises to Abraham, to the family of Israel to the exodus from Egypt, to the worship habits, and the design and function of the tabernacle – all had a purpose fulfilled in the life, ministry and person of Jesus Christ.
Elijah represented all that the prophets wrote about the coming Messiah. God used these men to call people to repentance, away from false gods, and to faithful following of the Lord and his commands. They would tell of impending punishment, but also promise of restoration to come. Again, all of these messages of the prophets find their fulfillment in Christ.
Jesus wanted Peter, James and John to understand that he was intimately connected to all that Moses and the prophets had written about him. In fact, the purpose of these Scriptures were to testify about him.
Luke 24:44 He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”
The promises and prophesies connected to Jesus have been around for centuries. Jesus wasn’t a fly-by-night rabbi that made a big splash in Jerusalem, he is the Son of God who is and was the one Moses and all the prophets spoke of. This connection to the past gives our faith credibility and certainty in the present.
Some may challenge it is too old to be relevant today. To which I would say, the fact that it has withstood the test of time, persecution and attempts to cancel, gives even greater certainty that what I believe is more credible and certain than ever.
Apply: As you think about the history you know of the Lord and his people, what is one consistent theme or promise you live by that people for centuries have found the same comfort and encouragement?
PRAYER: Lord, thank you for the consistency and connection to the history of the past. We realize it is your story you have unraveled and now connected us to as well. Thank you! AMEN.
Mission Minded: Certainty from a Glimpse of the Future!
Daily Devotions based the Sermon from February 14, 2021
THIS WEEK: A Mission-Minded Person Has Certainty!
One of my favorite trilogies of movies was the “Back to the Future” series starring Michael J. Fox. The second movie in the series took the characters from 1985 to 2015 where there were hovering skateboards, self-tying Nike Shoes and the Chicago Cubs winning the world series (which ironically they did in 2016!)
The fascination was a glimpse into the future. What would happen? What would it be like?
Having a clear vision of the future makes a difference to our effort in the present. All the hard work and effort one undertakes to start a business, build a building, or develop an organization start with a vision of what this could do and be in the future. When times get tough, the vision of what will be keeps energy high and hopes alive.
Jesus knew he and his disciples would be going through a tough period of time. Their image of a Messiah who would be victorious and even perhaps a world leader would be shattered when they see him beaten and hung on a cross. They would find themselves afraid and uncertain of the future as they locked themselves in after the crucifixion.
So Jesus wanted at least the three key leaders of the disciples and the future church to have a glimpse of the future in their minds. So he took them to the mountain of transfiguration and showed them his glory.
Mark 9:2-3 “After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them.”
This glimpse of Jesus’ future would create an image in their mind of something greater and more glorious than the suffering Jesus would go through. Did they fully understand it at the moment? Probably not, but later after his resurrection they would. (Which is probably why they were told not to tell anyone until after Jesus had risen from the dead.)
Jesus wants us to have the same glimpse of what is to come as we go through the challenges and difficulties of life. Satan loves to tempt us to give up our connection to Jesus and being part of his mission, lying to us that it’s too hard, not worth it, or a hopeless cause.
Just the opposite. Jesus wants us to stay encouraged, engaged, and excited about our connection to him and the work he has given us to do. How does he do that? He gives us a glimpse of the future to give us clarity of what is to come. The Apostle Paul captures it in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18:
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
Don’t lose heart. Following Christ is tough, but eternally worth it.
Apply: What changes about your current struggle/challenge if you focus on where Jesus is ultimately leading you versus the challenge you are currently involved in?
Prayer: Lord, help me to keep my eyes fixed on where you are leading me so I don’t give up and get discouraged in the present challenge I face. Especially Lord, don’t let me become discouraged of the mission you have given us to bring the Gospel to the world, even when the work is challenging. AMEN.
Mission Minded: Find Certainty
Daily Devotions based the Sermon from February 14, 2021
THIS WEEK: A Mission-Minded Person Has Certainty!
Certainty.
We all want to have it.
Today in Central Texas we are supposed to have record low temperatures. For the last week or two people have been looking for certainty…
- …what is the weather going to be like?
- …what should I do to protect my pipes?
- … what should I do to protect my car?
- …are the roads ok to drive on?
Certainty. People were looking on Facebook, to friends, to weather people, to friends who have been through cold snaps before. They wanted credible information to act on to navigate record low temps.
Not only in things of weather, but for all aspects of life inside we are yearning for certainty. Certainty comes at a combination of three things:
- Credibility – advice comes from an expert or has expertise.
- Consistency – what is being suggested has worked in the past.
- Capability – what is suggested, can be done.
The same is true for our faith. We want to know our faith is in the right person. We want to know what we believe is true. We want certainty on which our soul can rest.
So does Jesus.
He wants your heart to be certain and has given everything we need to have certainty. This week we will look at the Transfiguration of Jesus, a moment in time where he appears in white brilliance with Moses and Elijah. At first glance a rather peculiar event, but when you take a step back as Peter did, it is an event that gives certainty to every follower of Jesus.
2 Peter 1:16 We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” 18 We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.
19 And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
This week we will unpack from the Transfiguration account in Mark 9, the reasons we have to have absolute certainty our faith is in the right thing and the right person.
Apply: What questions do you have about your faith in Jesus? What would help bring more certainty to your faith? (Email pastor@crossandcrowntx.com to begin a conversation!)
PRAYER: Thank you Lord for giving me everything I need to be certain of my relationship with you. Help me with your Spirit to use all you give to bring complete certainty to every aspect of my faith.