Fulfilling the Purpose for Which We Have Been Sent
For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I pur-pose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55: 10–11)
The annual journey of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, and ends on Easter morning when we celebrate the most incredible truth in the Bible, the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Lent is a time when we go into the wilderness to meet God, spending time in prayer, fasting, reading scripture, and learning to discern the voice of God for us. God’s still small voice is found in God’s writ-ten word to us in scripture, as well as in the intimate time we spend listening, not just talking, to God in prayer. The scripture from Isaiah 55: 10–11 reminds us that God’s word comes with a purpose, and when we yield our own control over our lives to the power of the Holy Spirit we are changed, and God’s word to us and in us will be fulfilled.
In all of the wonders of creation, the heavens and the earth, the sun and the stars, the waters and the land, and all living things, God created humanity in his own image, an image of love, mercy and grace. We are created to be the living image of God’s word, and we need to remember that God’s word comes with a purpose. The desires of the world, power, wealth, and pleasure, selfishness and pride, however, have veiled God’s image in us. Our Lenten journey into the wilderness is supposed to be a journey that changes us. When we approach the creator of the universe with humility and repentance, when we allow the Holy Spirit to come inside us, we will be changed. The journey of Lent is about humility before our creator, repentance and change, and as we allow the true image of the creator to be seen in us, as we allow God’s word to change us, then the purpose for which we have been sent will be realized, made real in us.
In the beginning God said, ‘let there be light’, and God separated the light from the darkness. Jesus, God’s living word, was that light, and continues to be that light in the world, and darkness will not overcome it. That light was the life for all humanity, and our purpose, the reason for which we have been sent, is to carry the light of the world into all the dark corners of our lives, our communities and the world. When we yield our lives, our souls, and every fiber of our being, to the light and the life of the world, then all the love, grace and mercy of God Almighty, will be visible in who we are and the way we live. May the true image of God be realized in your life this Lenten season, and as we continue to live the resurrection life of Easter.
Blessings,
Pastor Mike