As part of North Street's 40 Days of Lent, every Saturday, Pastor Jeremy is sending out a "preparing for worship" reading.For Sunday, February 10th
Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7
Psalm 32
Romans 5:12-19
Matthew 4:1-11
Giving and Receiving? Not just about money...
A few years ago, Meghan and I bought the extended DVD versions of The Lord of the Rings trilogy movies. We had seen at least two of them in the theater and got swept up in the "greatest trilogy of all-time" fervor. They are indeed incredible movies.
Ever since we got them, I've wanted to take the time to watch them back-to-back-to-back. It's probably not going to happen for a few decades though, as together, the three movies are 683 minutes long (yeah, that's close to twelve hours!). But over the last several weeks, I've been watching just a bit of them as I head to bed each night (I've only just finished the second movie). They've kind of been my own little bedtime story.
Anyway, one of my favorite scenes is toward the end of the first movie. For those who don't know the story: in short, the main character - Frodo - has a ring with a horrible history and future tied to it. His mission is to travel long distances, through dangerous areas, and through all sorts of difficult trials to be rid of the ring. He is accompanied by an assortment of characters at different points.At this one point in the first movie, a good wizard named Gandalf is sitting with him. Gandalf is like what you might imagine in the typical wizard - old, long white beard and hair, walks with a staff, and very knowledgable. He always seems to know what's going to happen next and has sage advice for Frodo and others. As they sit together, Frodo is obviously troubled by the task ahead of them. Frodo says, "I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened."
And Gandalf replies, "So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us."
So we're in the season of Lent. Lent is greatly concerned about time. The choosing of a 40 day period is very intentional. It reminds us of great periods of time in scripture - the 40 days and nights of cleansing during the Great Flood, Moses' & Elijah's periods of fasting, and of course the 40 days that Jesus Christ spent in the wilderness, often looked at as a time of preparation for his ministry.
One common problem amongst today's followers of Christ - especially those of us living in America - is the tendency to rely on God most only in times of great need. Obviously, we should do so: when times are rough, we should certainly turn to God for his power and Spirit, asking for wisdom & discernment, help & understanding, and grace & peace.
But times of need would be easier to deal with if we've been listening to God the whole time anyway. Life will indeed have its ups & downs, times of distress & times of celebration. However, the majority of life is "ordinary time." And it is what we do to prepare and strengthen ourselves in the ordinary times that will greatly determine how we fare in the tough times.
Three tidbits:
I've heard before that followers of Christ in communist China pray for revival to come to their Christian brothers and sisters in America. Think about that for a second...- It is said that Edmund Burke penned these words: "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil, is for good men to do nothing."
- Have you ever watched an hourglass? A couple of years ago, I asked Meghan to buy me one for my birthday. We got two. We have one sitting on our desk at home and one is in my office at the church building. An hourglass serves for me as a very visual reminder of time.
1. Ask yourself: How am I doing with the time given to me? Am I relying on God all the time or just when I think I need God? Could I be doing better with intentionally seeking God and his discernment in my life?
2. Read our scripture passages for tomorrow. You can read them here.
I look forward to worshiping with you,
For & Through Christ,
Jeremy
