I like to remind my church our faith is a joyous thing.
So, we can talk about it in joyful ways. We can be joyful as we reflect on various parts of our walk with God. Even during Lent.
For many of us, Lent is a somber occasion. We’re mourning our sin and acknowledging our short comings. While that doesn’t sound like much fun, in doing so we can live into the freedom of our faith.
This idea has driven our faith for a large part of Christian history. But it emerged.
At the early points of the Middle Ages Christians rethought faith and worship. This was a time of upheaval. Death and chaos seemed to order the world. As a result, Christians centered their worship and devotion on mourning their sin. This was a different tone than before. God’s victory and theme of resurrection used to take center stage. Now, the church brought greater focus to repentance. We began to think more of our sin than God’s victory or the joy of the Lord. Considering what was happening around them, you can understand and appreciate the shift.
Well, there’s a lot happening around us, too. Now, I’m not comparing or suggesting one time in history is worse or more tragic. I’m asking you to consider how we respond to what happens around us. We’ve known some upheaval these last few years, haven’t we?
Confession and pardon are beautiful aspects of our life with God. They pour over into our life with each other. In the uncomfortable moments of acknowledging our bent for sinning is the Holy Spirit’s work of sanctification. And because of that work, I like to remind my church our faith is a joyous thing. God has forgiven us. God will forgive us. Jesus redeems us. The Spirit makes us new. How does that inspire you?
Joy is an appropriate response. Joy is also a witness.
There’s no need to dismiss our focus on repentance. Just add joy to it. Let’s reclaim joy in God’s power and the promise of resurrection as a central aspect of our life together.
Stay blessed…john
