Ash Wednesday. Today begins Lent, the forty day period leading up to Easter. This season of Lent, as a community, we want to unleash Christ’s love in our communities—where we work, where we live, where we shop, learn, play, drive, eat, and drink. While I eagerly embrace the call to love others, I am generally less than enthusiastic about the call to sacrifice. Yet love and sacrifice always go together. Always. So if we’re to love, that implies a giving away of self—sacrificing time, sacrificing what is comfortable, easy, or safe for the sake of the Gospel.
As we’ve been looking at Philippians, Paul writes of his own sacrifice of suffering, referring to it as pouring himself out as a drink offering. Just as Jewish priests poured wine on the altar of fire as a sacrifice in God’s honor, as an aroma pleasing to the Lord, when we give ourselves away on behalf of others, we are in a sense being poured out as a fragrant offering to God. Paul also reminds us of the way in which Christ, compelled by love and humility, sacrificed on our behalf, becoming a servant and giving his very life. As we follow Lent through Easter, it is a time to remember Christ’s sacrifice, and as his followers, to share in his suffering by pouring ourselves out in love and sacrifice.
Futhermore, Paul writes to his readers to stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the Gospel. In a very real sense, we are warriors of light heading into battle to set souls free from darkness. We are armed with faith, hope, and love. We must stand together as one in spirit and in purpose. With that in mind, let us encourage and support one another here by sharing the ways that we will move forward in love this Lenten season. And let us consider ways that we can gather around each other to contend as one.
If you have not yet, I encourage you to read back over Paul’s powerful words in Philippians 1:27-2:18, and prayerfully ask God to show ways in which you can, in humility, consider others better than yourself. Specifically, during Lent, who will you serve? How will you serve them? And what will you sacrifice in order to serve them?
Please share here what God has put on your heart to commit to during Lent. Whether it be the sacrifice of not taking the best parking spot each day or the sacrifice of fasting and prayer for an unsaved friend—whatever it may be, leave a comment to let us know. You may leave your comment anonymously if you prefer.
Finally, let’s rejoice together at the privilege of sharing in Christ’s suffering!
4 comments:
We decided we were going to sacrifice our after (or during as the case often is) dinner tv time and use that time to go to a different neighbors house each night and as if there was anything we can pray with them about and at the very least speak a blessing over them. However, the reality is with my work schedule, it isn't possible unless we completely sacrifice dinner and we can't do that to the kids. So...we are devoting that time to a family devotion and time to pray for friends and neighbors and we are going to use Saturday and Sunday to visit a neighbors house for prayer.
I will serve: Fusion Church, my nieghbors, and the poor
By: devoting more time to study and prayer for our church, inviting my nieghbors to dinner,and giving money/food to the poor.
I will give up: watching TV (except for time with my wife, etc)and using the internet for entertainment, fasting one meal per week and giving the money/food away, and personal time with my wife to eat with nieghbors.
I will be getting up early to do prayer walks in the morning in my apartment complex to pray for my neighbors and to prepare my heart to love and serve them as opportunities arise throughout the day.
I am praying for others while driving in the car alone. I'm giving up music/radio while driving alone so I can focus on praying.
Post a Comment