Pastor's Lenten Message..
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‘AN
INSIDIOUS THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE KINGDOM’ 'Treasures,' being those realities which matter to us dearly, come in many varieties and can be found practically anywhere. They range from the loved ones we value to the things with which we cannot/will not live without. Treasures are in the eye of the beholder. And it is vital to understand that the human heart 'follows' that which is treasured and not the other way around. That's what Jesus says. The temporal benefits of this life (also known as blessings from God) can, wrongly, become the focal point for living. Granted, God places us on this earth, breathes life into us and requires of us that we manage our temporal affairs. Yet it is to be a matter of proportion and relativity. The more fastidiously we cling to the things of this world and diligently attend to the affairs of this world, the more we risk focusing, even fixating, on the things of this life. Human behavior, patterning itself in this manner, leads to 'nowhere.' The parabolic words of Jesus as recorded in Luke 12 surface again and again, ' You fool! You defined yourself as being solidly anchored in this world, a world that is a passing fancy at best.' Lent, the lengthening of days, provides an opportunity for us to address the attachment of treasures and hearts by preparing for Baptism or, in most readers' cases, by vigorously returning to our Baptisms. Historically speaking, the church charted this forty day period we know as Lent for adults who had declared their desire to convert to Christianity; adults who had become candidates for Baptism. Deliberate, intense preparation for Baptism ensued. Studying Scripture as the leading way of becoming acquainted with Jesus' Father, the God of Israel, was essential. Likewise, prayer and worship became new vectors on the 'radar screen of life.' Following in the way of Christ, performing service to others for Jesus' sake, would emerge as an alternative pattern of behavior from what these adults had previously known. Baptism, in this historic recitation, was celebrated at Easter Vigil or Easter Daybreak. |
But,
and here's the point for many who have 'hit' upon this website,
as soon as the water of one's Baptism dries, there is the lure of
regression into former lifestyles, a slippage into old patterns.
Adoring Israel's God and following in the footsteps of His Son as
a singular way of life mutates into becoming just one of the many
activities that this life affords. The weight and proportion of
our devotion to the one true God, vis a viz managing the temporal
necessities this same God bestows upon us in our earthly living,
figure to become 'out of sync.' The sheer relativity of this life
hardens into a molten godlet to which we cling. When this happens,
God's people no longer regard themselves as sojourners in this world;
rather as stakeholders in a 'winner take all' proposition. And when
this happens, our only hope is to return, yea, sprint back to our
Baptisms. Not that we need more water poured over us; rather, that
we need the life-giving Word that returning to our linkage with
Christ provides. Pastor
Kopp |
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Rodney S. Kopp, Pastor ©2004-05
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