Lent – Monday, Day 5
“6 even as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you— 7 so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ; 8 who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
I Corinthians 1:6-8
Waiting for the Revealing
As we begin the first full week of our Lenten journey, scripture reminds us that we need each other. Our journey isn’t a solitary one. We fast and pray, and practice self-denial as one body in Christ, not as individuals. Like all of life, we are called to live in community, not isolation. The truth is if I’m going to grow to be the best disciple I can be, I need you my brothers and sisters to pray for me to the Lord our God.
When we practice our faith together, worshiping, learning, and serving, we enter into the life of the most Holy Trinity. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit exist in a continual exchange of love. St. Paul wrote to the church in Corinth that when the “testimony to Christ” is confirmed among them, they lack no spiritual gift. None of us have all spiritual gifts, but all of us have at least one, and together we form a unified whole of the body of Christ, lacking nothing. That is the true church. That is the church the world needs to see.
What is Our Testimony?
The testimony to Christ is the testimony to love. We know that God is love and in Him there is only love; He sent His only son to die for the saving of the world. If we’re to be His body, we too must have a testimony to love. St. John tells us to love one another, for only those who love are born of God (1 John 4:8). When we love each other, people see God in us, His body becomes manifest to the world
And So, We Wait
Lent is a microcosm of the whole of life. In it we journey together toward our ultimate end – life with Christ. At the end of Lent, we will celebrate the great mystery of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. And, in His resurrection we too are raised to new life. At the end of our earthly lives we celebrate the mystery of our redemption, eternal life with Christ. However, until both the end of Lent and the end our earthly lives, we wait for the “revealing of Jesus Christ”. While we wait, He sustains us through His all Holy, and life-giving Spirit, guiltless until the end, guiltless until we are raised from the ashes.
Grace & Peace for a Holy Lent,
Pastor Brad
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.”
Matthew 5:6