In the Lutheran tradition, Lent is a time of reflection and preparation. It emulates the time Jesus spent in the wilderness contemplating his relationship with God and his call to serve God. As we know, Jesus really struggled both physically and emotionally during that time. I cant imagine the anguish he must have endured in those 40 days. We invite you to enter your own metaphorical wilderness during this Lenten season to contemplate your own relationship with and call from God. Spend some time reflecting on who you are and where you are spiritually, emotionally and, yes, even physically. Do you need to work on relationships? Now is the time. Do you need to work on health issues? Now is the time. Do you long to learn more about God? Now is the time. Over the next four weeks, we will offer some thoughts for contemplation that we want you to consider. They wont be daily thoughts -- rather, we want you to think about things more deeply than that. Oh, we know that in our fast-paced world, we dont want to slow down and think we can solve everything with the flip of a switch or by swallowing a pill. We invite you to go deeper -- to enter into prayer and deep contemplation about the thoughts we offer. This week, we suggest you contemplate the first three commandments: 1) I am the Lord your God, you shall have no other Gods before me, 2) Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, and 3) Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. These three commandments set the parameters for our relationship with God. You might say, Im okay here. I dont worship any golden calves. But do you? Be careful here. In our society we are so spoiled by our obscene wealth that we dont even give the power material things have over us a second thought. As a good friend, Wanda Hein, so eloquently stated in her own Facebook post, do I really need 27 pairs of shoes? Wait shoes cant be a god, can they? If you look deeply enough, you will see how even the simplest things can interfere with serving God! Think about that and the other two commandments. Find them in scripture. Whats going on that compels God to issue these commandments. How do these commandments invite us into a deeper more meaningful relationship with God. Youre certainly welcome to post your thoughts here. I will be praying for you this week. See you next time. Peace, Pastor Chuck
Posted on: Fri, 07 Mar 2014 16:33:24 +0000