In this season of Lent, I believe many have a similar approach. We know that we are supposed to take time to be with God, to draw close, to recognize our sinfulness so that we might give it to God. Doing this, we prepare ourselves for an extra blessed Easter celebration as we can deeply appreciate Jesus’ work on the cross is (in part) for us! His victory over death assures us of the most wondrous present and future.

However … my experience is that many won’t take the time, because they don’t want to see, or admit, how bad they are - how much they need Jesus. They know that Jesus is the way. They know that Jesus died, and rose, and that there is forgiveness with him. But let’s not get specific, or detailed. Let’s just simply say we are sinners and move on. They don’t feel worthy. And they are not. We are not. No one is. Here it serves us well to remember the concept we were talking about in Wednesday night’s Bible Study - God’s Redeeming Love. We know God loves us. To speak of Redeeming Love is to recognize that God claims us as His own, despite our brokenness. To be redeemed, is to be claimed. God claims us as His own. He does so, knowing full well, better than we know ourselves, how we are broken and what we need. If God knows it anyway, still claims us, and still loves us, it IS okay for us to recognize our true state. It might be a little embarrassing, but it is also affirming - we are broken, needy, sinful - AND GOD STILL LOVES US and wants us for His own. Maybe, recognizing that God loves us anyway, despite our failings, we can muster up a little bit of effort to get straightened out for God, and recognize and appreciate more fully, how deep His love is for us.

There is still time before Holy Week and Easter. Take some time and invite God into the process. Often, we don’t realize how much we are suffering, until we start healing. Grace, Mercy, and Peace, Pastor Blaine