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SUNDAY READINGS
Jeremiah 31:31-34
Psalm 119:9-16
Hebrews 5:5-10
John 12:20-33
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March 27, 2009
From the Rector's Desk - Penitence
We are now just days from the entry to Jerusalem and Holy Week, which will bring us in time to the end of Lent and the arrival of Christ's glorious resurrection. The last weeks have been a time of preparation—of drawing near to the Lord and preparing to walk Holy Week with him. We've prayed, fasted, given to others, taken on spiritual disciplines and longed to find Spring, both spiritual and climatological. One hallmark of Lent that remains for us to consider in these weekly reflections is penitence—a word that, along with penance, is taken from 'repentance', a call for us to express sorrow for our sin and a desire and willingness to turn from it. The picture of repentance in the New Testament is a complete turnaround—a change of direction. It involves confession, a change of heart and action, and a desire to live according to God's call. It cannot be done without humility, the power of the Holy Spirit, and where possible, undoing the wrong caused to others.
Jesus, and John the Baptist before him, began his ministry with a call to repentance—a call to turn and follow (Matthew 4:17). And one of the most powerful pictures of repentance in the scriptures is the parable of the lost son, in Luke 15. This son repents after humility finds him in his state of starvation and poverty after squandering his part of the family fortune. Returning home he begs to be received as a servant, or slave, but his father only rejoices that his son has returned and fully reinstates him.
There is a rather strange website I recently discovered that allows visitors to anonymously offer their confessions to the seven 'deadly' sins. This site, www.penance.us, provides a 'safe' forum for getting things off one's chest, and then, presumably, to move on. The idea is attractive on some levels, but it misses the point of true repentance that calls for us to live out our lives in vulnerable community, and to acknowledge the impact that our sin has on others. Attempts like this website strike me as ways to push down the feelings of pain and guilt that accompany our distance from God, but on our own terms.
Penance is ultimately God's action through us, or it is nothing more than trying to reach God by our own power. Tim Keller highlights this by distinguishing between repentance of 'religion' and true Godly transformation: "In religion, the purpose of repentance is basically to keep God happy so he will continue to bless you and answer your prayers. That means that 'religious' repentance is a) selfish, b) self-righteous and c) bitter all the way to the bottom. But in the gospel the purpose of repentance is to repeatedly tap into the joy of our union with Christ in order to weaken our need to do anything contrary to God's heart." (taken from Tim Keller's essay "All of Life is Repentance")
Lent provides a refresher course in the whole area of penitence—of a desire to be forgiven and to live in the way God is calling us forward. It's something we come to know well for the rest of our lives if we are to be filled with joy, peace, patience, etc... (you may have heard this list before). This is especially true as we prepare to enter Holy Week and witness the suffering and death of Christ—a suffering that he endured for us. It's why I wanted to save this subject until my last Lenten reflection, because it is tied so closely to the events of Holy Week and the image of the cross. Repentance (penance, penitence) requires us to recall the pain of sin that Christ suffered on our behalf, and in response turn from that sin, knowing that its power was broken in the resurrection. This discipline is lived out in our community through Holy Week worship that calls us to confess, wash each other's feet, take up our own cross to follow the steps of Christ's suffering, and to celebrate in his victory. I embrace this journey with you in the days ahead.
Blessings and peace,
Jay
The Rev. Jay L. Greener, Rector
Church of the Redeemer
frjay@redeemernorthshore.org
Holy Week Schedule
Sunday, April 5 |
10 a.m. | Palm Sunday / Passion Sunday |
Wednesday, April 8 |
12 noon | Eucharist / healing prayer |
7 p.m. | Prayer service for "Spy Wednesday" |
Thursday, April 9 |
7:30 p.m. | Maundy Thursday service |
Friday, April 10 |
12 noon | Stations of the Cross |
7:30 p.m. | Good Friday |
Sunday, April 12 |
10 a.m. | Resurrection Sunday |
All services will be at Redeemer Lutheran, except for those on Wednesday, which will be at the Evangelical Church in Highland Park. Nursery Care is available for the Sunday services, for Maundy Thursday and for Good Friday Evening.
First Friday Fellowship
Looking for another opportunity to connect? Then please join us for an informal dinner gathering at the home of Liz & Fritz Thomas on Friday, April 3 at 7:00 p.m. We will share a meal and engage in some stimulating conversation. This is a great opportunity to invite your friends, just before the Easter season. If you are interested in coming please contact Liz at thomaslizard [a] aol.com by Wednesday, April 1 to RSVP and to sign up for an appetizer/salad/dessert. A simple main dish will be provided.
Liz & Fritz Thomas
514 Essex Road
Kenilworth, IL 60043
Get Directions
Redeemer Kids - Journeying through Lent
The children's ministry is continuing to engage in Lent through prayer and giving!
Prayer
The prayer requests from our Redeemer family are continuing to come in! The children are praying for them during our children's worship time, and families are also encouraged to take some home, pray for the needs over the course of the week, and return them the next Sunday. This is a great way for families to bring further prayer into the home during Lent.
Giving
Redeemer Kids is heading up a food drive, which will give children an opportunity to give during this season. Everyone at Redeemer is invited to participate in this event, which will run through Easter Sunday. The goods will be given to a Rwandan family who has a long standing relationship to Redeemer and has some food related needs. A list of grocery items can be found at our website. Donations should be brought to Redeemer on Suday mornings.
Stewardship at Redeemer
Thank you, and thanks be to God, for generosity in giving to Kingdom work through Church of the Redeemer. This has enabled us to meet our budget for the first two months of 2009. We will continue to report our progress, even as we all are praying and seeking God's will for our giving and stewardship of time, energy and abilities.
Areas of giving opportunity include:
— Our tithes (for the ongoing ministry of Church of the Redeemer)
— Our offerings (additional gifts for the Rwanda trip this summer, Rector's Discretionary Fund and those in need)
Average amount needed each week: $6,600
Last week's offering: $6,326
Please pray for . . .
- The mission and vision of Church of the Redeemer
- God's provision and will in these days
- Our Redeemer staff and other leaders
- Alpha
- John, Frank and others who are unemployed
- Sallie Vroom, and all who need healing
- The poor and suffering, far and near
- St. Michael's in Rwanda
- Holy Week and our need to worship and invite people to faith
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