Lenten Reflections

During the season of Lent, which began on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter Sunday, many people change their eating habits. Some may

give up sweets or meat, while others may engage in some form of fasting. All of this may carry some benefits, but I think for Christians the Lenten season should be more than another opportunity to become a vegan or to lose weight.

Why observe Lent?

The forty days leading up to Easter are an opportune time for prayer and fasting and drawing closer to God. It is a time when we remember the great sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalf. He left His splendid home in heaven and came down to earth to die on a cruel Roman cross so that we could spend eternity with Him in heaven. Just thinking about it is enough to make us give up all of our bad habits and re-dedicate our lives to Him. Lent is a time when we attempt to empty ourselves and come bare before the cross to find cleansing and healing. As Jesus suffered and died on Calvary, so we too should be willing to suffer and die (to self) with Him.

Lent should be a period of austerity that prepares us for the grand celebration of Easter. This is the day we commemorate Jesus' resurrection from the dead. Contrary to what some religions teach, Jesus literally died on the cross and He literally rose from the grave on Easter Sunday morning (Matthew 28: 1 - 10).

What should we reflect on during Lent?

Our Lord taught us many lessons while He was here on earth, but during the brief period from His arrest to His crucifixion and resurrection, He showed us many examples that we should follow if we are to be His disciples.

Lenten reflections will continue next week.

If you and your family are looking for cards, gifts and decor to celebrate the Easter season, why not check out the link below? There is something for everyone.

Time To De-Clutter

While on vacation, I visited a friend I had not seen in a long time. After our enthusiastic greeting, my friend took me to her bedroom and showed me her closet. It was crammed from top to bottom with so many things, it was difficult to really see what was in it. In other words, it was like looking at a forest and not seeing the trees. As I stared at her closet, I recalled it had been in the same condition a couple years ago.

She shook her head in dismay. "I have to do something, but I don't know where to begin."

All I could do was nod and agree. And give her the suggestion I've heard so many times on television - if you haven't used it in a year, throw it out.

Do you have a closet like that? Packed with stuff you have forgotten you have? Do you long to throw out some of that junk, but don't know where to start? Do you wish you could just turn it over to someone who knew what to do?

Just as our closets can be clogged with things we no longer need, so can our lives. All that stuff can burden us to the point that we stagger under their weight, and feel anxious and overwhelmed. And like my friend, we may not know where to begin. How do we get rid of jealousy, pride, anger, prejudice, bad habits, bad relationships, and the myriad things that are choking out the good qualities God wants to develop in us?

My friend longs to have some order and space in her closet so she can select her items with ease, and until she begins to ruthlessly throw some things out, she will never have what she needs. As Christians, we are more fortunate. We don't have to do our internal cleaning ourselves. In fact, like my friend, we won't know where or how to begin. But thank God, we have the Holy Spirit who will cleanse us from within and help us breathe freely once more.

Stand Your Ground

Christ in the House of Simon by Dieric Bouts, 1440s (Staatliche Museen, Berlin) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This expression has been much in the news lately here in Florida. But this blog post has nothing to do with the controversial law. It has to do with our obligation  to do what is right to defend our position as Christians.

In this Women's History Month, I would like to feature a woman of the Bible who stood her ground when those around her were criticizing her for her actions. I'm referring to Mary of Bethany. Jesus was invited to a dinner at her house. While her sister Martha served, Mary broke an alabaster box of perfume, poured it on our Lord's head and wiped His feet with her hair. See Matthew 26: 6; Mark 14: 3; Luke 7: 37 and John 12: 1.

The Bible goes on to say that His disciples were indignant, saying the perfume could have been sold and the money given to the poor. But Mary paid them no heed. She continued to weep on Jesus' feet and dry them with her hair. This was a very bold action for a woman in those days, and Jesus commended her for it. He said, "Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me.  The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me.  When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her" (Matthew 26: 10 - 13).

Can you stand your ground when others criticize you or make fun of you for going to church instead of going to the club? For dressing modestly when they dress seductively? For not being afraid to speak of your love for Jesus in their presence? If you do, Jesus will commend you highly, and His commendation is worth much more than that of your friends. You can learn more about Mary of Bethany from the articles and resource below. 
 

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Are You Letting Your Light Shine?

During the month of February, we'll hear about courageous African American men and women who risked a lot, in some cases their very lives, so we can enjoy the freedom we have today. Names like Martin Luther King Jr., Frederick Douglass and Rosa Parks are among the many icons who are featured on radio and TV during Black History month. However, during those dark days of slavery when slaves were forbidden to assemble for any reason whatsoever, there were still some who managed to shine the light of Jesus Christ and even became missionaries to foreign lands.

Here is a short list:

Peter Claver, born 1581 in Spain, became a Jesuit priest at age 20 and traveled to South America where he ministered to African slaves when they arrived in Cartagena, Colombia. He became known as "Slave of the Blacks," and "Slaves of the Slaves."

Richard Allen, born February 1760, founded the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church in 1816. This church became the largest denomination of African Americans, sending missionaries to Haiti, San Domingo and Africa. Allen developed such a strong Christian faith he was able to convert his owner. 

Henry Garnet was a  Presbyterian minister who became the first African American to preach a sermon in the U.S. House of Representatives. In 1852 he traveled to Jamaica as a missionary.

Peter Williams was a slave who purchased his freedom in 1785. At that time, blacks who belonged to white churches had to sit at the back of the church and could not bury their dead on church grounds. In 1796, Williams and other black church members decided to form their own congregation. In 1800 Williams laid the cornerstone of the Mother African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church at the corner of Church and Leonard Streets in New York.

Betsey Stockton was born in slavery in 1798 in New Jersey. While working with the Reverend Nathaniel Todd, Betsey became a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Princeton. Betsey later joined a company of missionaries to the Sandwich Islands (present-day Hawaii) on a trip that lasted five months with no stopovers. Betsey became the first single American woman sent overseas as a missionary.

Jesus said, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 5 : 16).  These brave pioneers could have settled for sitting at the back of the church and all the other indignities associated with their station, but instead they followed the great commission and did what they did to advance the kingdom of Jesus Christ on this earth. Can we emulate them in some small way? Will we let our light shine?

After The Elections

One week ago today the world watched as the people of the United States voted to elect a new president in what I think will be one of the most memorable elections in history. From the campaign to the debates to Sandy and right down to the elections themselves, we will remember them for some time to come. Some may say that Christians should not meddle in politics, but the Bible says we have a responsibility to be involved in matters of government and that includes the electoral process.

Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God : the powers that be are ordained of God. 2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.  Romans 13: 1 - 2.

Therefore if you voted for President Barack Obama, now is not the time to gloat, and if you voted for Governor Romney, now is not the time to be bitter. Instead, let us band together to make this great nation the best it can be, for at the end of the day we all take shelter under this canopy called the United States. If one corner sags, the whole thing is in trouble. With God's help we can do it. It matters not whether you like or do not like the president. What matters is that you "render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour" (v 7).