A LENTEN BLESSING

St. Paul wants to give you a Lenten blessing. “May Christ dwell in your hearts through faith.” Christ dwelling in our hearts! That’s the Lenten blessing.

Don’t imagine that the Apostle is careless about his choice of words. When he says, “in your hearts,” he means it. He doesn’t hope that our Lord will dwell in our brains, giving us some sort of religious philosophy with big words. He’s not concerned here with “pure doctrine.” He merely wants us to teach and believe correctly. Nor is he trying to turn Jesus into a promoter of social activism. And he’s not merely hoping that Jesus will get us into heaven in the sweet bye and bye. The Lenten blessing he wants for us is that Christ will dwell “in (y)our hearts…!” That’s where we live and love and hope and strive! To have Christ dwell in our hearts means to live and act trusting the promises that are given us in the life, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus. The Lenten blessing is that we become strong, sturdy, solid and active believers in what Christ on his cross gives us, living the life to which that cross calls us.

Easier said than done! To be honest it isn’t going to happen simply because St. Paul wants it to happen. Nor will it happen just because we want it to happen. God puts it in our hearts! Luther points out in his Small Catechism, “I believe that by my own understanding or strength I cannot believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to him, but instead the Holy Spirit has called me through the gospel.” That’s what gives us the Lenten blessing! The Gospel! The good news about Jesus and his cross! That’s what every Sunday service is for, what the church itself is all about.

Let it happen! Imagine a little boy, cowering in the second floor window of his apartment while behind him a roaring fire is about to engulf him. Outside his big brother is pleading with him to jump, promising to catch him. Will he trust the promise of his brother? That little boy (or girl) is you! That big brother is Jesus our Lord and Savior whom your Father in heaven has sent to catch you in his arms, to give you the Lenten blessing.

Trust him, little boy! Trust him, little girl. Jump!

Abba! Dear Father, catch us so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith. Amen

Pastor Richard Hoyer

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Reformation Lutheran Church A Congregation of the ELCA

A LENTEN BLESSING