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.

Buried with Christ in death, joined to him in the waters of baptism, and raised with him to new life every day by default means that we are ‘in the Lord.’ And being joined to God in Christ Jesus means that God’s vision of mercy, justice, and love become our own vision; God’s belief that all people are children of God and therefore worthy of love and respect becomes our belief; God’s act of becoming human, walking and talking with other humans, and ultimately dying in love and rising for them becomes our mission.

Yet it is clear from my own failings, large and small, that I do not actually have God’s vision, beliefs, or capacity for courageous action. It is clear to me that our church, in all its good intentions and attempts to live into God’s command to love God and neighbor, does not always or perfectly fulfill this mission. I believe Martin Luther speaks about this reality of being sinner/saint quite well:

This life therefore is not righteousness, but growth in righteousness,
Not healing but health,
Not being but becoming,
Not rest but exercise.
We are not yet what we shall be, but we are growing toward it,
The process is not yet finished, but it is going on
This is not the end, but it is the road. ~ Martin Luther

It is not finished, but God is with you every step of the way. You are loved. You are light. You are in the Lord.

Prayer

God, help me to see with ready and willing eyes what it is that you see. Help my sight turn into belief, and turn my belief into action, that following your vision for a world of mercy, peace, and love, I might follow where you lead, through the messiness of death, to the everlasting light of your resurrection dawn. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Journal Prompt

We, humans, are constantly casting visions: how we want our life to look in 3, 5, or 20 years. How our companies can impact the world. How our congregation can best live into its mission. Yet how often do we allow God to shift or change that vision? Do we ever stop to wonder if God has something in store that we haven’t even imagined?

This week I invite you to think about your life, your work, or your congregation. How do you listen for God’s vision? How do you know if your current trajectory aligns with that vision? What has felt extra messy or difficult, and might that be God’s Spirit at work?

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Week Four Devotions by Rev. Erika Uthe, uthe@seiasynod.org