Mystery. As we enter into the Church Season of Lent, we too are involved in the mystery of holiness. Lent means "spring time"... or "lengthening".... that time of newness of life when our snow begins to melt (or not) and the flowers begin to sprout their leaves upward. My good friend Linda of Satin Moon Quilted Garden in Victoria mentioned that the flowers in Victoria are now up and starting to bloom. Here in Manitoba, we have ice and brown goo and a bit of snow. This newness of springtime is also a time for us to re-look at ourselves. A time for retreating in God and asking that we too may renew our lives and our faith.
Shrove Tuesday is a latin word meaning "shriven"... a time of asking for forgiveness and receiving absolution. It is a day to cleanse one's soul. Lent is a time of repentance and for some denominations, fasting. We make pancakes on Shrove Tuesday to remind us of the journey of Moses and the Israelites. They had to make a fast dash out of Egypt and had to use up all their leavening food items. So too this day, we use up all our leavening food items in preparation for the Season of Lent. Happy Pancake making :)
Devotional.....
Prayer: Heavenly Father, we come into this time of repentance when we make the time to say “I’m sorry… please forgive me”. During this time of Lent, help us to see the light which we need in order to have a clear vision of what is most valuable in our lives…. serving You. This we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Read: St. Matthew 6: 22 - 24
The website “Sacred Space” states that in these three verses, “it is that light which we need in order to have a clear vision of what is most valuable in our lives. The person who cannot see beyond money, status, power, or fame is truly in darkness. Life is not about getting these things. Life is about who we are; it is about love and relationships.”Today is the last day before Lent begins. Take time today to open your eyes to the community around you and how God is asking you to become involved in sharing the love of Jesus with others.
In verse 23, Jesus instructs the disciples about the bad or evil eye. In Jewish understanding, the evil eye is a person who is entirely selfish and only looking out for themselves.
No one can serve two masters. What is Jesus talking about here? Two masters? Were the Disciples slaves and served their master PLUS walked with Jesus? No, not at all. Jesus is instructing the Disciples that they (and we too!) can not serve God and then turn around right after Worshipping God and dance with glee over all our money. Ah! Some translations of the Bible say “mammon” which is property. By choosing and worshipping God, we gain a clear and healthy vision of what we value most in our lives. Although you will note that Jesus never said to the disciples that choosing a life lived in God’s love would be easy!
Let us pray today for vision and light and to be able to discern what are the real treasures, the most precious things of human living. Our Christian life is above all a vision of life.
Prayer: Great God, grant us vision to see what needs to be done in this world in sharing the love of Jesus with others. Grant us vision to bring the light of Christ to those who need help. Grant us vision to bring Your balance and love into the places where we worship. This we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Many blessings
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