Saturday, February 23, 2008
From AscensionNYC
Saturday in the Second Week of Lent
by Mark Wood
Psalm 103:1-12
Micah 7:14-15, 18-20
Luke 15:11-32
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all his benefits. (Psalm 103:2)
The Christian life might be described as a constant struggle to remember God's mercy. In Jesus' best story, the younger son was saved "when he came to himself" (Luke 15:17). It isn't that anything changed in his circumstances; he was still sitting among the pigs. But all of a sudden he remembered who he was, the beloved child of a generous father. Notice how quickly this idea inspires him with courage. Stinky and malnourished, he gets up, confident he'll find acceptance at the end of his journey home.
Likewise, the singer of Psalm 103 recalls a time when he was gravely ill. Now that he's well again, he sets down in verse the vulnerability he felt on his sickbed. An astute observer of human nature, he is aware of how quickly we move on to the next crisis without reflecting on the experience of being brought low and then raised up again He pointedly reminds himself to "forget not all God's benefits." He skillfully recalls how God "made his way known to Moses." The Exodus from slavery in Egypt is, for Israel, the ultimate sign of God's ability to bring us out of the depths of despair and discouragement.
In these "last days," Jesus has promised us an even greater deliverance from all that enslaves us, most especially fear of death. We began our Lenten journey with an invitation to remember "that we are dust" (Psalm 103:14). If we go with Jesus during these forty days, he'll show us how low he is willing to descend to prove the power of God's mercy. We need not be afraid to go right down into the tomb with Jesus. It's there in the depths that God's love is most powerful. There in the grave we can say, "I will get up and go to my Father."
Psalm 103:1-12
Micah 7:14-15, 18-20
Luke 15:11-32
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all his benefits. (Psalm 103:2)
The Christian life might be described as a constant struggle to remember God's mercy. In Jesus' best story, the younger son was saved "when he came to himself" (Luke 15:17). It isn't that anything changed in his circumstances; he was still sitting among the pigs. But all of a sudden he remembered who he was, the beloved child of a generous father. Notice how quickly this idea inspires him with courage. Stinky and malnourished, he gets up, confident he'll find acceptance at the end of his journey home.
Likewise, the singer of Psalm 103 recalls a time when he was gravely ill. Now that he's well again, he sets down in verse the vulnerability he felt on his sickbed. An astute observer of human nature, he is aware of how quickly we move on to the next crisis without reflecting on the experience of being brought low and then raised up again He pointedly reminds himself to "forget not all God's benefits." He skillfully recalls how God "made his way known to Moses." The Exodus from slavery in Egypt is, for Israel, the ultimate sign of God's ability to bring us out of the depths of despair and discouragement.
In these "last days," Jesus has promised us an even greater deliverance from all that enslaves us, most especially fear of death. We began our Lenten journey with an invitation to remember "that we are dust" (Psalm 103:14). If we go with Jesus during these forty days, he'll show us how low he is willing to descend to prove the power of God's mercy. We need not be afraid to go right down into the tomb with Jesus. It's there in the depths that God's love is most powerful. There in the grave we can say, "I will get up and go to my Father."
