Lenten Reflections #2

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“Almighty God,
whose Son fasted forty days in the wilderness,
and was tempted as we are but did not sin,
give us grace to discipline ourselves
in submission to Your Spirit,
that as You know our weakness,
so we may know Your power to save,
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.”
 
This prayer is the Collect (opening prayer) for the first Sunday in Lent from the Book of Alternative Services of the Anglican Church of Canada (page 286). When we prayed this prayer last weekend, the line “so we may know Your power to save” jumped out at me. This is what Lent is about. Knowing God's power to save us from our sin. This has been an encouragement for me this Lent as I've set in place certain disciplines that I believe are in submission to the Spirit and what has been revealed is my weakness. My need of a Saviour. So, if you are finding you are seeing more of the parts of your life and personality that you don't like this Lent, don't get discouraged. This is a great opportunity to get your eyes on Jesus and experience His power to save.
 
How do you do that practically?
 
Paul tells us in Romans 1:16 “I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes...”
 
The gospel – the good news that Jesus died for us and then rose from the dead – is where we find out about God's power to save us. As you approach Easter, spend time thinking about what Jesus has done for you. Preach the gospel to yourself. Let John 3:16 sink into your heart, mind, and life. And if the gospel has become a side bar in your faith, ask the Lord to bring it back to the centre of your faith.
 
Note how the prayer continues “so we may know Your power to save, through Jesus Christ our Lord”. God's power to save is expressed in Jesus. Whatever Lent activities or disciplines you are participating in this year, make sure to be seeking for and interacting with Jesus. It is through Him that you will know God's power to save.

Comments

  1. AnnaMarch 6, 2013 at 11:25 AM

    Thanks for this post, Tracy. I don't have much to add; I really want to just reiterate a couple of the things you say here as I think they are really important for us to hear:
    "Preach the gospel to yourself." May God help us to do this!
    "Whatever Lent activities or disciplines you are participating in this year, make sure to be seeking for and interacting with Jesus." Yes: it is too easy to let the practice distract us from the person who should be at the centre.

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