Where Can This Life Be Found?
Jubilee Fam,
When the Lenten season started, I mentioned that I was reading a book called Lent: The Season of Repentance and Renewal (The Fullness of Time). I am really enjoying it, and it is a short read! I want to share two quotes — one which helps me understand the symbolism depicted on Ash Wednesday as we set our gaze toward Resurrection Sunday and one which connects with last week’s sermon on the topic of authority. Here is the first quote.
If the ashes of Ash Wednesday point us toward the link between sin, death, and rebellion, they also contain something else, something more important than everything we have seen thus far. The ashes are in the shape of a cross. That cross carries within it an entire story and the foundation of human hope. It is the story of loss and gain, of the incarnation of the truly good one, his glorious life, and the triumphant defeat of death. The ashes are not just a reminder of our great failure; they remind us of God’s victory over sin and death through the life, death, and resurrection of His Son.
Hope is hard to find in this world. Ashes symbolize that much sin, death, and rebellion permeate God’s good creation. In the shape of the cross, however, Ash depicts the true hope found in our crucified and yet risen and ascended King. I need to hear that today. I think you do, also.
The second quote is much shorter. Could you ask yourself this question as you read it? Where can this life be found? Here is the excerpt — Life with God contains the good, the true, and the beautiful. Let me ask you again. Where can this life be found? As the sentence declares, this life that contains all our hearts yearn for — the good, the true, and the beautiful — is found with God. In the wake of this past Sunday’s message, “life with God” is a life submitted to God’s good authority. In one sense, this is what it means to be with him. How can someone have a life with God who refuses to live within the parameters of his excellent authority? It is under his Lordship that the good, the true, and the beautiful are found. Let’s find ourselves with this type of life with God, Jubilee.
Pastor Lew