Lenten Reflections

“Repent, for the Kingdom of God has come near” (Matthew 4:17) “…repent, and believe the good news” (Mark 1:14)

As Jesus begins his ministry, he calls for repentance, which literally means “a turning.” He invites people to turn toward the ways of God, to believe the good news that God is present among us and that we can change our ways to follow God more fully, to participate in the Kin-dom of God. Jesus’ larger ministry shows us how to repent and embrace the good news.

The season of Lent invites us to continue the journey of repentance, of turning toward the ways of God. It recognizes there are things in our lives that we need to turn from, because they prevent us from following God. Likewise, there are things we can turn toward, to more fully embrace the good news. Here are some ways we might consider turning toward God, to believing more fully the good news of the gospel:

• turn from FEAR to FAITH
• turn from APATHY to ACTION
• turn from ANGER to LOVE
• turn from ISOLATION to CONNECTION
• turn from DIVISION to WORKING TOGETHER
• turn from HATE SPEACH to INCLUSION
• turn from LEGALISM to COMPASSION
• turn from DESPAIR to HOPE

As we continue to travel the Lenten journey, I invite you to think about how you can turn ever more fully toward God, toward love, toward light, toward life. In so doing, may we realize anew the multitude of ways in which God’s Kin-dom truly is in our very midst!

Pastor Allison