Psalm 30:11 – “You have turned my mourning into dancing; you have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy…”
Our God is many things. In some ways, He appears passive and aloof; in other ways in this life, He is active and involved. During this 40-day stretch of holy conversation with scripture and Godly prayer, we search for the active side of this wondrous Personality…we believe and teach that God is always active, constantly reaching out, stooping down, to guide, serve, and nourish us as His children.
On Sunday, Jesus is tempted in the wilderness to go another way other than the cross. This is the devil’s doing; he waits for an opportune time (like at the end of the time of fasting, the 40th day) to tempt Jesus with some bread. Why? Because He was hungry. Forty days is a long time to go without nourishment.
Also, beginning next Wednesday, we are beginning a series of sermons by different pastors of our area (Greeneville, Parrottsville, etc.) of different personalities of Scripture (check your monthy newsletter for details); on March 12, I will be at OSLC and will preach on the person of Simon of Cyrene, the “innocent bystander” while Jesus was on His way to the cross, the one whom the Romans commanded to help carry the cross.
The Simon (from the country of Cyrene), may be in Jerusalem for the festivities (or not); I see him as one who is minding his own business, mixing in with the crowds as this wayward prisoner and enemy to Rome passes by. He probably watched him fall and fall again. So that the Romans can complete their task before sundown, they order Simon to carry the cross and move the process along.
What he learned along the way, we will never know. Did our Lord have the strength and ware-with-all to say “thank you”? Was He cognizant enough to be able to share words of peace and hope with this stranger? He had done it many times over with other strangers, but this was different. Could Simon sense something different about this man, bloodied by the progression of punishments He incurred? Did he feel sadness and sorrow for such a Person as this? Did he even know whose cross he was carrying?
No matter. This is the way of our active, often intruding God. He finds ways to touch our lives and magnify the needs of the world; lift up what is best and needful on this planet; in this scene He finds a way to bring justice, freely, to a broken world. Not just for a moment; not just for a little while – but rather, for an eternity.
As you read the Bible, you’ll probably discover, as I have over the years, that God finds ways to enter into our lives (just to name a handful of examples…Adam, Eve, Noah, Moses, Deborah, Elisha, Peter, Matthew, Nathaniel, James, John, Andrew, Samaritan Woman at the well, Paul). He has His own way of interrupting, interfering, and is often down-right rude (?) when it comes to God’s entering into our lives for the better (a really good example of God’s “rudeness” is the story of Zacheus in Luke 19:1-10).
God finds ways to turn our mourning into dancing, our wailing about this or that into moments of joy. That can be—if we will let it—what the season of Lent is all about. Is it only about giving up, and ashes, and shadowy colors, somber looks, long quiet pauses during the day, low brow-darkened worships? Nope. It doesn’t have to be.
If you’re standing around in this life, that is, feeling like there’s no real purpose, or, feeling kinda’ droopy or disinterested, lost, and out of place, then, watch out! God tends to show up with all kinds of challenges, encounters, and experiments for folks like that! Beware. God is more spontaneous than we may realize.
Come and see. Join us for events and studies and fellowships and worships this Lenten time. God is full of surprises. As Spring quickly approaches, wouldn’t a nice surprise be good for our souls—our wintry dispositions ?
Remember, too, to let go of that one hour Saturday night before you go to bed. Don’t worry, God will help get it back with yet another surprise!
God loves you and so do we!
Pastor Jim