[re]imagine Lent: 3/13/2023
We encourage you to sign up for the 40-40-40 Lenten Challenge, a challenge with our partner Southeastern Iowa Synod to participate in Lenten practices, including these daily devotions. Just signing up counts as participation! More info here.
“But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.””
Looking back over this week, we’ve asked questions like, “Is God with us or not?” We’ve wondered about where and how God shows up, as we look at sanctuaries that sit emptier than they used to be. We’ve wondered, what is the harvest God has in store for us? With whom can we share the story of Jesus’ selfless love and grace?
Sometimes these reflections start to weigh heavy, especially during Lent as we confess our need for repentance and need for God’s endless forgiveness. But when the world feels heavy, and when we find ourselves faced with difficult realities, where we find a poverty of imagination, when we want to walk away because the answers aren’t easy, this message from Paul reminds us this transformation work is not in vain.
You have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, you share in the glory of God, hope does not disappoint because God’s love has been poured into your heart through the Holy Spirit which has been given to you. This is the promise that comes to you in the living water of baptism, in God’s claim on you, and in the Spirit’s movement in your own life. It is the promise to which we cling, all the way to hell and back, as Jesus raises us all to new life.
Prayer
Oh God, you meet me everywhere in my life. On the road, in my challenges, in my joys, and in all the places I come to worship you. Grant me the imagination to see the ways you are working in the world. Help me encounter those you place in my path, and be open to the Spirit’s leading me to share the saving love I have found in your son, Jesus Christ, who so loves the world that he gave his life to people like me, the woman at the well, and all of your beloved children. Amen.
Journal Prompt
As we reimagine worship and God’s presence in our world this week, reflect on the following:
When have you felt closest to God?
What story do you have of how God’s love or forgiveness has impacted your life? Have you ever shared that story with anyone?
For what are you thankful? In your life? In your church? What do you still hope for? How can you bring all this with you to worship?
Week Three Devotions by Rev. Erika Uthe, uthe@seiasynod.org