Lenten Meditations: Sunday 3 March 2024
LENTEN MEDITATIONS WEEK 3
| Sun Mar 3 |
am: 93, 96 pm: 34 |
Gen 44:1-17 | Rom 8:1-10 | John 5:25-29 |
LITURGICAL THEME FOR THE DAY: As Lent is a time in the Church when those seeking Baptism at the Great Vigil of Easter undergo their final preparation it is fitting today to note that the churches in the West who follow the Rites of Christian Initiation for Adults observe the Third Sunday of Lent with what is known in the Rites of Initiation as the Scrutinies. Part of their journey to the font is that they have been received among us, the Rite of Acceptance, and they have been enrolled in the Book of the Elect in the Rite of Election.
Even if these rites are not celebrated in your parish or congregation, it is a worthy Lenten discipline on this day to reflect and teach about what it must have been like to be a member of the “Elect” in the early days of the church.
BIBLICAL MEDITATION OF THE DAY: This Sunday marks the midpoint of the Lenten Journey, and some folks are at the point of giving up their Lenten Disciplines because they believe that living a disciplined Christian life is near impossible. While those of us who have reached this point may believe that Christ does make a difference in our lives, following him seems difficult in the modern world. Taking up that challenge is part of the Lenten journey otherwise we can simply become people who offer religious platitudes but think, feel, and act just like the world. The lesson from St. Paul’s Epistle today recognizes that we are imperfect people and sin. The key is not to despair or lose hope. God does not call us to earn your justification but to rest in his promises. We are reminded again that by being redeemed in Christ we are not limited by the world or the flesh for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus liberates us from the power of sin and death not by works of the law but by faith, by trusting daily in the promises of God. This eternal hope and promise should energize us at this point in Lent to pick up and continue the journey.
PRAYER OF THE DAY: Eternal Father, turn our hearts to you. By seeking your kingdom and loving one another, May we become a people who worship you in spirit and truth. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen
ANCIENT WISDOM/PRESENT GRACE: All that a Christian does, even in eating and sleeping, is prayer when it is done in simplicity, according to the order of God, without either adding to or diminishing from it by his own choice.” – John Wesley, from A Plain Account of Christian Perfection:
Lenten Lyrics –Romans 8 – by Lakewood Music – https://youtu.be/XIvgc9Ncn2k?si=EGhz4S8ej8ayoN38
Lenten Discipline – Think about something ordinary that you do every day, and think about God while doing it, in a way that ties into what you’re doing. Or think of a place you come to regularly, and each time think where Christ might be in this place, what Christ might do there, or what you might be led to do for Christ.
sharing with a fellow disciple in our lives what insights this litany has given you
Related Posts
Tags
Share This
