As followers of Jesus how do we make the most of our days? There are so many things we can be doing, and so many things we want to learn, how do we sort among competing priorities? Most of us play a number of different role over the course of our lives: daughter or son, sibling, single person, parent, employee, boss, friend, and so on. One of the most basic roles for a follower of Jesus is often overlooked, and not popular in Western Culture. Yet Jesus modeled it, and Paul prescribed it. What is the value of a "participation trophy"? That is a trophy you or your child receives for being on the team, whether or not she did well, or even whether or not the team did well? Some feel it is important to reward showing up. Others scoff at the thought of the members of a losing team all getting trophies -- what did they earn? Is participation its own reward? Everybody lives by some sort of rules. Some of them are carefully chosen, some we adopt unconsciously. What rules do you live by? Why? It's not hard to see why relationships falter and break apart. There is something in us that keeps us choosing for ourselves over the other person, whether occasionally or habitually. This is true on a personal level, and it is apparent on the world scene, too. It may seem odd, but a deep part of the answer can be found as we enter Lent: confession and repentance and a fresh reliance on God's love. Ash Wednesday developed as a day of penitence to mark the beginning of Lent. It emphasizes a dual encounter: we confront our own mortality and confess our sins before God within the community of faith. Ash Wednesday, as indeed the entire season of Lent, is a time particularly appropriate for new beginnings in the faith, or returning to the Lord. You know what happens when you look through a telescope from the wrong end. The thing you were looking for looks farther away rather than closer. It really defeats the purpose of a telescope. You might find yourself thinking "That thing is too far away, I'll never get there!" Let me suggest to you that in our search for God we so often are looking through the wrong end of the telescope. Join us for worship and see if this week's passage in Colossians doesn't turn things around for you.
With all the busyness and distractions that come at us daily it is easy to get disoriented. Where are we? What are we doing? What are we here for? The Apostle Paul gives strong, encouraging words that reorient us toward a fruitful life.
Have you ever been entrusted with a message to bring to someone? A message that had to get through? Christians are a sent people, sent with a vital message.
Some fractures come from sudden impact, and some come from sustained stresses over time. Our culture is showing so many stress fractures! How do we think about this, and what can we do? Join in worship Sunday as we work this through.
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Pastor MarkPastor Mark loves his wife and grown children, the Word of God, and words. And coffee, chocolate chip cookies, Apple products, small video projects, and the New England Patriots. Archives
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