Lent 2023

 

http://thepastorc.com/lent-with-pastor-c.html

Week 4 of Lent 2022: My God and MY FATHER

 

Lent 2022. Establishing a NEW PAGE in God

SCRIPTURE FOCUS: 1 Peter 1:3 NIV   Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.   Our Creator is both our GOD and our FATHER! On this fourth week of Lent, it is an opportunity for us to dig deeper into our relationship with the Creator.  From the very beginning of creation, God has been both GOD and PARENT.  The Creator is not looking to solely be revered-the Creator is offering us relationship. I believe that the Lenten season gives us an opportunity to not only value reverence of who God is as our Lord, but also who God is as our "Father".  By basic understanding, God is to be worshipped, followed, and reverenced.  Father is to be in communication and is a protector.  The beauty behind the Lenten season is we see the Creator move in both realms with Jesus.  Jesus is expected to move forward with the will of God for His life, and Jesus is assured that His Father will actually fulfill the promise of allowing Him to conquer death and the grave.   In this same way, God expects us to follow God's will for our lives. God expects us to actually do what God's word commands of us.  The Father is present to comfort us through the struggle.  These open lines of communication is what gives us the assurance that the Father will protect us no matter what comes along our journey.  CHALLENGE: Examine how you can better experience the Creator in relationship as God and Father.  It is not simply about showing up for church and offering a sacrifice.  This week, be intentional about the relationship.  Have you talked with the Father today? Have you thanked the Father for the protection that only a parent provides?

Week 3 of Lent 2022: A Living Hope

 

Lent 2022. Establishing a NEW PAGE in God

SCRIPTURE FOCUS: 1 Peter 1:3 NIV   Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.   First comes Mercy, then comes HOPE! On this third week of Lent, I want us to focus on these words:  a living HOPE!  Oftentimes, our hope does not live.  We say that we hope for something, but it takes too long to realize that something.  When this happens, our hope dies.  I mean we still have hope but are we believing in a living hope? I believe that the Lenten season gives us an opportunity for new birth into a living hope!  It is a spiritual reset for us.  Life has not been the easiest since the previous Lenten season, so let us choose better.  Let us choose to still believe in the hope that we profess.  Let us choose to still believe in the waymaking God that we pray to.  Let us choose to still believe that God is not done with our marriage, family, children, community, and world.  Our God still cares and issues an invitation (because of His great mercy) to believe again. HOPE is, simply put, "expectation".  What expectations do you have for your life?  What expectations are you depending on God alone to bring to pass?  CHALLENGE: Make a list of "hope" that has died and commit yourself to choose for it to "live again".  Daily ask God to give you the strength to walk "into a living hope" that God has gifted us already because of God's great mercy!

Lent 2022: Week 2, God's Great Mercy

 

Lent 2022. Establishing a NEW PAGE in God

SCRIPTURE FOCUS: 1 Peter 1:3 NIV   Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercyHe has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Now that we have made it through our first week of this year's Lenten season, it is time for us to get to the real work.  Some of us may have breezed through the first week while others of us might have had a few setbacks, maybe even been a little lax with our commitment.  Ok, get up and hit reset!  It is time to get to work! On this second week of Lent, I want us to focus on these words:  In God's Great Mercy!  We are all beneficiaries of God's great mercy.  God's mercy is shown through God's compassionate forgiveness- it is actualized when we survive events that we never should have attended or are given opportunities for success that we did not fully deserve yet along appreciate.  God's mercy is new every single day of our lives!  Thank God! As we seek to establish a new page in God, let us spend this week intentionally mindful of God's Great Mercy!  Do you see it on your job or in your home?  Do you see it in your physical and even mental health?  Every time I become aware of God's Great Mercy it is truly an opportunity for me to establish a new page.  God is giving us another chance to "get it right"!   Since God extends us this compassionate forgiveness, I want to challenge us to use this week of our Lenten journey to do the same for someone else.   CHALLENGE: Identify a person or circumstance where you can imitate God's Great Mercy:  offer compassionate forgiveness, even when it is not sought.

Lent 2022: Establishing a New Page in God

 

Lent 2022. Establishing a NEW PAGE in God

By definition, to establish means "to institute (something) permanently by agreement".  This will be our working definition to guide the corporate goal of this year's Lenten Season:  A New Page! Whenever we seek to do something new, it is typically a challenge to keep it up.  How many of you are actually still faithful to that "New Year's Resolution" or that "new workout plan"?!  Let's face it.  New is hard work!  New takes commitment!  New requires an intentional agreement that is permanent.  It is my sincere prayer that this 15th year of my corporate Lenten devotion journey will be a monumental one- whether this is your first year with me as your devotional voice or this is your fifteenth year (thanks for growing with me).  So, let us agree to make this permanent change to move to a new page in God! SCRIPTURE FOCUS: 1 Peter 1:3 NIV Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. The scripture focus reminds us that God has already given and gifted us with new birth into a living hope!  In other words, this new page in God is not simply a possibility.  We are destined to start over and receive the new mercies, new peace, new joy, new hope, and so much more!  It is our decision to seek these things intentionally and permanently.  Lent is not a fad, gimmick, or temporary diet!  Lent is prepping us for a NEW way of life!

Holy Week: Let's Walk...Week 6

“So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries.  Today's trouble is enough for today."
–Matthew 6:34 NLT

We are now at the final week of Lent:  Holy Week!  We made it!
As you prepare for Holy Week, it is not only a time for the ultimate Lenten countdown... it is time to actually WALK!  This is what we have been preparing for over these 5 weeks.  We began this journey examining the benefits of walking with the Father.  Throughout this journey, life has changed and challenged us.  We have had new anxieties and concerns that we have never experienced in our lifetime; however we made it!  We are still here!  Can't you see Jesus making His way to Bethpage and Bethany?  It's almost Palm Sunday!  It's almost the start of Holy Week.

Jesus concluded this portion of our Lenten focus scripture with the declaration:  "so don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries.  Today's trouble is enough for today."  This is the very mantra that shall lead us through Holy Week.  We will not worry!  We will walk!

Walking is FORWARD motion!

Walking is PROGRESS!

Walking is NOT QUITTING!

The only way to keep moving forward, keep progressing, and choosing not to quit is to take this week (and the week's to come) one day at a time!  Let's do it with Jesus and use it as a model to get us through life.  Jesus was not concerned about the Last Supper on Palm Sunday!  He was concerned about entering as the prophets had foretold (on the young donkey) and cleaning up the Temple.

Take Holy Week one day at a time.  Really enjoy your devotions and prayer time.  Really enjoy the silence or children's voices.  Really take it in...one day at a time.

I pray this song and this Holy Week reminds you that God is Good!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f9uGdJYPeA

CONSECRATION PRAYER:

Most Holy God, thank you for the completion of our fifth week of the Lent and the start of Holy Week.  We begin this week with the expectation of the glory of Palm Sunday!  We declare that we are committed to taking Holy Week one day at a time.  We will not worry about tomorrow.  We will trust you today.  Then, we will trust you the next day and the next one after that.  We will take this behavior beyond Holy Week into every day and week of our lives.  Please allow this Lenten journey and Holy Week walk to truly be transformational in our lives.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

FOCUS: Got Focus?...Week 5

“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need."
–Matthew 6:33 NLT

This Lenten season is about making a decision to "Prepare to Walk With The Father".  There are some benefits to walking with God instead of walking alone.  There are some benefits to walking with God instead of walking with people.  It is my sincere prayer that this 2020 FOCUS for the Lenten season will heighten your relationship with God as you prepare to "Walk With The Father"!

During this fifth week of Lent, I challenge us to answer the question: Got Focus?  

There is so much going on during this Lenten season that it is easy to lose focus.  We began this journey four weeks ago, and life was completely different.  Four weeks and three days ago, we celebrated Ash Wednesday (February 26, 2020) all over the world.  We did so, at least in America, with our only concern being abstaining and confessing.  We starting our journey of abstaining from something (FASTING) with ash on our foreheads as a sign of confession and truly choosing to walk with Christ to the cross.  What a difference four weeks and three days make?!  Now, many of us have not seen the people we physically started this journey off with in at least two weeks.  What a difference four weeks and three days make?!

So, if you are honest, perhaps you are entering week five of the Lenten season with a little skepticism.  I mean, what has Lent 2020 really brought us with these stay-at-home orders and social distancing recommendations?  Oh wait, this must have been how Jesus felt when he was led by the Spirit to fast and pray for 40 days and 40 nights. (Matthew 4:1-11)

While in the wilderness, after He completed His fasting journey and was his weakest, the devil came to tempt/test him three times.  It was after that third tempting/testing that Jesus told Satan "Away from me, Satan!"..."For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.'" (Matthew 4:10).  Jesus did not lose FOCUS while going through difficulty in his abstaining season.  Matthew 4 is one of the Biblical premises for our 40 days of Lenten fasting...what better example for our focus than this?!  Our Savior and Big Brother teaches us to send Satan packing and to boldly profess that it is God who we worship (even when under attack).  Not today Satan!

Our theme scripture has come from Matthew 6:25-34.  This passage of scripture is a portion of one of Jesus' first sermons, The Sermon on the Mount.  As you continue the rest of week five of this Lenten journey, don't forget verse 33:  Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.  Jesus was not preaching about a FOCUS that He had not practiced.  I mean, after all, this is exactly what Jesus did in the wilderness.  Instead of chasing after the concerns of Satan and this world, Jesus still chose to worship God only.  I invite you this fifth week of Lent to say: Not today Satan!  I invite you to boldly declare:  I will worship God only!  I invite you to use this fifth week of Lent (in the midst of unknown circumstances) as a centering week.  God, I will focus on you, your kingdom, and living as you desire for me to live (righteously).  As Jesus said, God will then give you everything you need. 

Remember, God has never lost.  God has never dropped the ball.  God has never failed.  God always wins!  Focus on this when there are so many press conferences, new releases, and conversations that could evoke fear and worry.  Good always wins!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVIO_MoktfU

CONSECRATION PRAYER:

Most Holy God, thank you for the completion of our fourth week and the start of week five in this Lenten season.  We confess that this one is the first one of its kind in our experience.  We have faced some challenging times that could have caused us to walk away from our Lenten fasts; however, we remember that we were led into this season by and with the Holy Spirit.  We still choose to prepare to walk with the Father.  Therefore, we ask that You reignite our FOCUS.  Help us to seek and FOCUS on what You desire for us.  We know victory is coming...Easter is Coming!  We always win because You always win!  In Jesus' name, Amen.