|
Pastor's March 2012 Message |
|
|
|
LENT – ADDITION INSTEAD OF SUBTRACTION
“Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.” Hebrews 5:8 (ESV) By the time you read this, the Lenten Season will have begun. You may have, like many other Christians, chosen to ‘give something up for Lent.’ Such a sacrifice is praise- worthy as it gives us some, though very dim, glimpse of what Jesus experienced for us. He not only gave up His place in heaven but in coming to earth, gave up His rights as King of Kings and came “not to be served but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matt. 20:28) But let me make another suggestion. Rather than giving something up, why not add something. Another way to look at Jesus sacrifice for us is to see how God’s love for us moved him to ‘step outside the comfort zone’ and add the experience of humanity to His Being. In Christ, God incorporated being human into His life. As the passage about states, Jesus learned obedience through what he suffered. The thought of God being able to learn anything is too deep for me, but in Christ He did exactly that. In Christ, God added as Jesus subtracted. My encouragement for you is to add something to your life that involves sacrifice – to add while subtracting. During Lent, I challenge all of us to find a way to step outside our comfort zones and stretch ourselves in a behavior that results in learning through sacrifice. Maybe it is visiting a nursing home, a shelter for the homeless, or spending time visiting with someone who is hurting when normally you would not get involved. Maybe it is reconciling with a family member or some other acquaintance, even though you are not sure they are willing… you take the first step. Maybe it is doing something around the house that you know your spouse would appreciate but you never do. Maybe it is something as simple as adding something healthy to your regular diet while subtracting something that is not. The goal is to add something that results in a learning, a stretching. The goal is to add sacrifice and learn obedience through suffering. The goal is to live during Lent with the attitude of not being served but rather serving so that, as Jesus declared, you lose your life (subtraction) and in the process find it (addition).
|
