Lent Devotions from Church Street UMC
Tuesday, March 26, 2024
By Steve Richardson
Go. And Do.
Read: Luke 10:29-37
“Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
These days, with all the turmoil happening across the world, there are times I just want to hunker down and hide inside a bubble. Everything seems safer that way.
But when looking at Biblical examples of Jesus, Paul, Peter and other God-led role models, self-preservation was nowhere near the top of their lists of priorities. In fact, self-preservation wasn’t even on their lists at all.
Maybe it’s amid social and cultural commotion that God looks to us to contend with it, and to use such times as opportunities to be God’s agents for peacemaking, advancing justice and building community.
At crossroads of hesitancy in my life, sometimes I’ve been nudged by a snippet of wisdom from St. Thomas Aquinas: “If the highest aim of a captain were to preserve his ship, he would keep it in port forever.” Like ships are made for sailing, we as God’s people need to be out in the tumultuous world sharing and living lives reflective of God’s grace and love.
Granted, Lent is a time for introspection and reflection. This might imply that Lent is a time to pause or retreat, to moor our ship in a sheltered harbor for a few weeks. Likely, though, the full richness of the transformational power of Lent can be best realized when we augment the season by applying our resources and talents to building God’s kingdom, by giving of ourselves to God’s work, by venturing out into a troubled world with acts of kindness, mercy and justice.
Prayer
God of fervor, God of opportunities, forgive our hesitancies to respond when action is needed, especially in service to others. Instill in us a passion for going and doing in Jesus’ name. Call us and use us to be conveyors of your Holy Spirit throughout all your creation, especially when everything seems turned upside-down! Amen.
