Sin is a loaded word. For those outside the faith, it’s a funny and dated religious term. For Christians, we repeat it so often that it loses its bite. Scripture reveals that sin is worse than we know. Jesus is so serious about it that he says, “If your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out.” What is it about sin that’s so fatal it would require Jesus to go to the cross?
This Lent we do a soul examination, studying all the ways God describes the complex of sin. Lawlessness, adultery, rebellion . . . The cancerous nature of sin means that we need to go deeper than surface confession. The problem is worse than we know, which makes our Savior greater than we can imagine.
Invocation
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, who delivers us from all evil.
Invitation Prayer
Lord, you know the evil that comes when we are alone. You prayed in the Garden while your friends were asleep. You faced the agony of death and evil alone. Do not leave or forsake us in our isolation. Draw near in the dark of night when no one else is around. Have mercy, O Lord, Amen.
Word
Matthew 25:42
‘“For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink…’”
Meditation: Overwhelmed by Need by Megan Roegner
My four-year-old has begun to notice the people with signs on the side of the road. “Homeless,” the signs say. “Anything helps.”
Benny asks what the people are doing, and every answer I provide leads to more questions. “Why don’t they have homes?” “Why don’t they have money?” “Why don’t they have jobs?” “Why don’t they live with their mom and dad?” I always try to answer my children’s questions very honestly, but I dread them asking, “Are we going to give them any money?”
That question vocalizes my moral panic every time I’m at an intersection with a person holding a sign. Homeless. Looking for kindness. My own internal barrage of questions begins. “Are they really homeless?” “Is it safe to open the window?” “Would I do more harm than good?” I never wind up rolling down the window, but the reason doesn’t really have to do with fear for my safety or doubts about the truthfulness of the person asking but rather the relentless nature of need. If I start to give in this way, how would I ever stop? Every day, at multiple intersections, a hand reaches out for aid.
Jesus’s condemnation of the goats on his left haunts me. I try to live generously, to vote for people and policies to help the disadvantaged, to do work that contributes to the public good, to teach my children to value kindness. But the needs of the world are so great. Hunger and thirst is everywhere. The task is so daunting that it’s tempting to never begin.
Fortunately, we have a merciful God. A God who knows we are not enough to fill these aching needs. Our generosity should come out of the love and hope that grace provides, not out of fear of falling short.
Instead of being overwhelmed by the needs of the whole world and just giving up, I think we are wiser to focus on the needs of the people we meet in our vocations. Even so, I’ll be honest, being self-centered is a sin I struggle with. Every day, I have an opportunity to provide and care for a neighbor or friend that I don’t take. But his mercies are new every morning, for me and for them.
Savior, forgive us for the times we fall short in helping our neighbors. Give us the discernment to know to whom you are leading us and the courage to meet their needs. Amen.
Sending
In the face of evil, may God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ fill you with every spiritual blessing. Go in his name, Amen.