Week One “Life is Hard”
Week Two “You are Not that Important”
Week Three “Your life is Not about You”
Week Four “You are Not in Control”
Week Five “You are Going to Die”
I truly enjoy those moments in life where God helps us to see something we have never seen. I’ll be honest, those moments of enlightenment often come through challenge, pain, frustration, loss, and anger. Last summer I attended a conference called “Men’s Rites of Passage.” It was a long week full of challenges, but it was also a week of great release. There are certain things in our Christian lives that we need to hear, digest, and embrace so that we can find and live true happiness found in Christ Jesus. Sometimes the things we need to hear bring sadness and disappointment, but if we take the time to ponder them, we end up experiencing the gospel at a deeper level.
The moments of enlightenment that brought me challenge and comfort are the same moments I want to share with you this Lent. They are called the “Common Wonderful.” I invite you to approach this Lenten season with an open heart and a searching mind. During this conference, the leaders talked about the necessary cracks needed in our lives that allow God to enter. These cracks often come in forms of weakness, which is only our perception. I can’t help but hear the echoes from the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9 “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.”
This Lent is about coming home to the Garden of Eden where God first created us from the dust of the ground. “You are dust and to dust you will return” (Genesis 3:19) for some is painful to hear, but the dust of this earth brought forth our very lives. This makes dust wonderful, simply because this “dust is the chosen container for the very breath of God” (“Adams Return”, Richard Rohr).
This Lent we are offering you a deeper spiritual connection with God. Each topic appears difficult at first, but as we journey together we will discover the grace and beauty which is not so hidden anymore. Moments of enlightenment are realized by keeping the edges hot, which brings to mind the image of being refined or being malleable. I invite you to keep the edges hot, along with a searching heart this Lent and allow transformation to enter. As you begin your journey with St. John on Ash Wednesday, ask yourself this question, “What is God up to?” Ask and pray about that question and maybe God will enter through necessary cracks in your life.
credit to:: Pastor Nathan Keith
St. John Lutheran Church, Fargo ND
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
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