Pastor's Message
February 2012
To the children of God at Emmanuel,
Well, it is just around the corner. Here it comes and the excitement is just beginning. It is almost Lent. What in the world am I getting all excited about as a spiritual leader in the church? Isn’t Lent a serious and rather somber time in the life of a Christian? Aren’t we meant to be a bit droopy in the spirit during Lent? We are, after all, scum-bag sinners.
We should take the Season of Lent seriously. We should also be reflective during its forty days. Greg Weyrauch states in the opening of one of his devotional books for Lent, “Lent is traditionally a time when we Christians take time for a closer look at God and ourselves. Our focus is usually on the life of Jesus and what his life, death, and rising from death mean for us.” It may not be a time to break out in a vaudeville song and dance routine, but it is a time that also seriously holds a carrot of hope before our eyes. Lent is simply a time for us to look more closely at the carrot and be sure we are moving forward as it leads us down the road of faith.
In A Guide to Prayer for All Who Seek God, it says of Lent, “The Season of Lent is like a roller coaster ride with emotions that are down and up again and again as the story of our salvation makes plain our sinful ways and the cost of our redemption. We begin with Ash Wednesday where we roughly bump up against our own mortality. Here we know that sin and death are real, and they are real not just for someone else. Sin and death are real for us.” That is hardly a thought that would cause most of us to sing a joyful song or break into Celtic dance. It is serious stuff.
A Guide to Prayer for All Who Seek God goes on to say, “A season that begins with ashes pressed upon our heads ends with fragrance, sight, and touch of flowers racing through our senses and inviting us to join the triumphant song, ‘Christ the Lord is Risen today!’ Now we know as never before that our mortality will put on immortality. Death and resurrection are now claimed as our own. Fear has given way to inexpressible joy, and doubt has given way to triumphant hope. Christ is risen!”
We need to take Lent seriously. We take it seriously so we may receive the Resurrection of our Lord joyfully. See you on the journey.
One of Christ’s servants,
David Allen Hendricks - Child of God