DAY 13 ( MARCH Consider Sin...)

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1 DAY 13 ( MARCH Consider Sin...) THEME ~ I Can Quit Whenever I Want The grace of the Gospel, which is so hard for the pious to understand, confronts us with the truth and says, You are a sinner, a great, desperate sinner; now come, as the sinner that you are to God who loves you. You do not have to go on lying to yourself and others, as if you were without sin; you can dare to be a sinner. - Dietrich Bonhoeffer SCRIPTURE READING ~ Romans 7:14-15 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. 15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Have you ever tried to change yourself? Why is it such a difficult thing to do? Often, either jokingly or sincerely, we ll say, I can quit any time I want, trying to ease our discomfort with the jarring reality that it s nearly impossible to change ourselves. If we embrace the Christian faith, we know there are actions and attitudes that are contrary to God s law and the way the Bible describes Christian behavior. In our own power, we can t overcome our own sin. In this text, Paul doesn t try to look like he s succeeded in becoming perfect, he doesn t minimize his condition, and he doesn t compare the sin he s still committing to someone else s in an attempt to make himself look less bad. He simply tells it like it is in a way that we can all relate to. So what can we do? We can turn to God, being honest with Him and ourselves about our helplessness. Father, help us to approach you honestly acknowledging our need for you. Remind us that as we submit our will to you, it is you that will initiate a change in our lives. Give us the courage to not hide from you or our faith community in the process. COMFORT FROM THE GOSPEL ~ Hebrews 9:26b-28 Christ has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

2 DAY 14 ( MARCH Consider Sin...) THEME ~ Boundless Hope It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling around with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at sea. We are far too easily pleased. C.S. Lewis SCRIPTURE READING ~ Psalm 51 Have mercy on me,[a] O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. 5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. 6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. 7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. 9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right[b] spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Sin often gets talked about in terms of immoral acts, rather than what it truly is an innate, pervasive condition that is devastating to the core of our identity. What if we thought of sin as a spiritual disability, as something akin to a chronic, terminal disorder? What if we thought of sin as a distorted perception of the world, a view through a shattered lens? As the Psalmist wrestles with his own brokenness, he paints a dire picture of how the broken lens of sin distorts reality. the Psalmist s honest self-examination does not result in despair or resignation, but in the purest form of worship: total vulnerability and honesty before a loving, merciful God. The reality of our forgiveness, through the work of Jesus on the Cross, is good news that cannot be contained. It must be shared. Most merciful Father, I confess that I have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what I have done, and by what I have left undone. I have not loved you with my whole heart. I have not loved my neighbors as I love myself. I beg you to take me back, look beyond my sinful nature, and restore me to what you created me to be. Armed with the knowledge of your love, send me out to tell the world about your unfailing mercy. Because of the work of your Son, Jesus, I know you will do this. Amen. COMFORT FROM THE GOSPEL ~ Hymn by John Stoker Thy mercy, my God, is the theme of my song, The joy of my heart. and the boast of my tongue; Thy free grace alone, from the first to the last, Hath won my affections, and bound my soul fast.

3 DAY 15 ( MARCH Consider Sin...) THEME ~ Fishy Spirituality When we trust in [Christ s] death on our behalf, it takes away fear for ourselves. We know that now even death can't harm us. Tim Keller SCRIPTURE READING ~ Luke 5: 4-10 from The Message When he finished teaching, he said to Simon, Push out into deep water and let your nets out for a catch. 5-7 Simon said, Master, we ve been fishing hard all night and haven t caught even a minnow. But if you say so, I ll let out the nets. It was no sooner said than done a huge haul of fish, straining the nets past capacity. They waved to their partners in the other boat to come help them. They filled both boats, nearly swamping them with the catch Simon Peter, when he saw it, fell to his knees before Jesus. Master, leave. I m a sinner and can t handle this holiness. Leave me to myself. When they pulled in that catch of fish, awe overwhelmed Simon and everyone with him. It was the same with James and John, Zebedee s sons, coworkers with Simon. There are moments in life that show us that God is big, Grace and Hope is real. his text describes one of those moments. It represents each occasion in life where God says to us, Push out in to the deep water Most of us prefer to stay in the shallows, where control is possible. But God says, Trust me. In this passage, Jesus asks Peter to take a risk. Perhaps Lent is the time to examine the areas in which you ve chosen the predictable and manageable path instead of the path of trust. If so, this could be a time God is pushing you out. God of the deep waters, it s difficult to trust when we feel like we ve already tried and tried, and failed repeatedly. Faith seems too risky. Teach my fearful heart to trust, opening my hands up a bit more every day, growing ever more confident in your abundance. In Jesus name, Amen. COMFORT FROM THE GOSPEL ~ Hymn by John Stoker Without Thy sweet mercy I could not live here; Sin would reduce me to utter despair; But, through Thy free goodness, my spirits revive, And He that first made me still keeps me alive.

4 DAY 16 ( MARCH Consider Sin...) THEME ~ The Landscape of Trust Faith is holding on to the faithfulness of God. Faith does not even look at itself. I go further. Faith is never interested in itself and never talks about itself. That to me is a very good test. I always distrust people who talk about their faith. That is the characteristic of the cults. They always direct attention to themselves...you have to be thinking positively. The emphasis is on the self. But faith looks at God, holds on to the faithfulness of God. - Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones SCRIPTURE READING ~ Jeremiah 17:5-8 Thus says the Lord: Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength,[a] whose heart turns away from the Lord. 6 He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. 7 Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. 8 He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit. Lent is a time to reflect on God and those things which hinder our trusting Him. We trust in something. The question is in who or in what are you putting your trust? As the Prophet Jeremiah points out, none of us are free from the ramifications of our choice. As you journey this Lenten season, if you decide to put your trust in God, you might surprised as the landscape changes. God of Plenty, help us take an honest look at our lives and own up to those areas in our lives that we do not trust you. Give us the courage to trust in you and to let go of those things that only keep us thirsty and in unending want. COMFORT FROM THE GOSPEL ~ Hymn by Charlotte Elliot Thou will supply my every need On to the end, whate er befall Through life, in death, eternally Thou art my All Thou art my All

5 DAY 17 ( MARCH Consider Sin...) THEME ~ Free at Last God is more interested in declaring than explaining. Matt Chandler SCRIPTURE READING ~ Romans 3:21-25 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. Paul puts it plainly: we ve all sinned; we re blemished, fallen and incapable of setting things right with God. A quick look at the record of humanity reveals countless examples of deceit, selfishness, and destruction. But fortunately, God doesn t leave us in this pitiable state. Through redemption in Christ, we are justified. What does this mean? Simply put, it means that Christ took our sins upon Himself and gave us His righteousness, restoring our relationship with the Father. He bought our freedom, releasing us from the slavery of our fallen selves. It s a simple, yet profound, transaction. How does this gift of God s grace impact your heart during this season of lent? Blessed Lord, may we rejoice with unfailing hearts in the knowledge that it is by your grace that we may be our true selves, the way you designed us from the beginning. Help us to draw nearer to you, with the full knowledge of our redemption through you and the desire to be more like Christ. COMFORT FROM THE GOSPEL ~ Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

6 DAY 18 (MARCH Consider Sin...) THEME ~ Pivotal Moments In a futile attempt to erase our past, we deprive the community of our healing gift. If we conceal our wounds out of fear and shame, our inner darkness can neither be illuminated nor become a light for others. Brennan Manning SCRIPTURE READING ~ Genesis 2:25; 3: And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LordGod had made. He said to the woman, Did God actually say, You[a] shall not eat of any tree in the garden? 2 And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die. 4 But the serpent said to the woman, You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise,[b] she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. Consider how shame is affecting your life. Now... consider what life would be like without it. Is it possible? There is an antidote. The antidote lies in the person of Jesus Christ. We are faced with pivotal moments everyday. Christ offers relief and it is here for the taking at any given moment. Will you choose shame or grace? God of Grace, none of us are free from shame. We suffer from it daily and desire relief. Give us eyes to see those pivotal moments in our day to day lives. Instead of us filling our time with trying to cover up our shame, help us to accept your healing and relief. Restore our view of reality to reflect your truth. COMFORT FROM THE GOSPEL ~ In the Shadow of the Glorious Cross Sojour Music Your hymn of grace sung over me Abounding forth in glorious streams My thirst is quenched by you my Lord Sustained am I redeemed restored Sustained am I redeemed restored

7 DAY 19 (THIRD LENT SUNDAY) THEME ~ Freedom of the Gospel Are you burning with fever? He is the spring to refresh you. Are you bound down by your sins? He is the liberator. Are you in need of help? He is strength. Are you afraid of death? He is life. Are you longing for heaven? He is the way. Are you fleeing from darkness? He is light. Are you in need of sustenance? He is bread. - St. Ambrose, d.397 SCRIPTURE READING ~ Daniel 9:4-5, 7, 10 "I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love Him and keep His commandments, we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from Your commandments and rules. To You, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame because we have sinned against You and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by walking in His laws, that He set before us by His servants the prophets. Consider how sin has a grip on your heart. Now, consider how Jesus took your sin upon Himself and died for you. O Lord, no day of our lives has passed that has not proved us guilty in Your sight. Forgive us through our only hope, Your perfect Son. Though our unrighteousness weighs us down, Jesus righteousness exalts us to Your throne. All things in us call for rejection: all things in Him plead our acceptance. Though we were guilty, in Christ we are forgiven; Though we were wandering, in Him we are found; Though we have sinned, in Him we are cleansed. Give us perpetual broken-heartedness, and wash us every moment with His renewing grace, as refreshing water in a dry land. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, we pray, AMEN. COMFORT FROM THE GOSPEL ~ Colossians 2: You, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to the cross.