Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. All I know about this budding flower is that I saw it in a garden in the state park. I just was taken by its beauty covered with fresh dew. The practice of Lent is something like this for me. Growing up I only knew that Lent began with Ash Wednesday and ended with Easter. In the past several years I have learned more about it and have tried to develop ways to practice it. I want to develop a way to practice Lent that will be meaningful to me and help me grow closer to Christ as I think about his suffering for my sin.
When I read these verses as part of the revised common lectionary readings for Ash Wednesday they seem to be in contradiction with the visible act of wearing ash and other practices of Lent. I think that what matters is not the wearing of the ash but the reason that you choose to wear the ash or participate in a special Lenten practice. What Jesus is teaching here is that our acts of worship and giving must be authentic. If they are acts of worship then the focus must be on God and not on what I am doing to worship God. If they are acts of giving then they need to be centered on the person that I am serving rather than how I feel about giving. I am still searching for exactly what I want to do during the season of Lent. I know that I will begin it with being part of my church Ash Wednesday service. It may not be just one thing but several different things. I encourage you to think about how you will experience Lent this year. I pray that you will find a way to make this an authentic time of growth in your life - as beautiful as the bud of a flower when it comes to full bloom. Prayer Jesus, Show us ways to be authentic in our worship and giving. Make this a season when we grow into something beautiful, bringing joy to others. Amen
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Soli Deo Gloria,
1 Corinthians 10:31
© 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Karen Milligan
1 Corinthians 10:31
© 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Karen Milligan