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 Jesus Christ, stay with me. There is evil within me, and I am so often attentive to it. I am easily overcome by my own desire to get away from you and be free to have everything I want and to do everything I want. Lord, give me the real freedom of your life in me. By your victory over temptation, make me victorious. By the power of your love make me strong. Amen. (from The Lutheran Book of Prayer, CPH, 1970)
Word
Matthew 25:34
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”
Meditation: Enough Is Enough by Koleen Barnes
I often tell my husband that the voice in my head is not very nice to me. That inner monologue that should be my own voice is often quite intrusive and holds nothing back. It took me a long time to realize that that voice doesn’t always tell the truth. A majority of the time the voice centers around the word “enough.” Unfortunately, a lot of the time it is preceded by the word “not” as well. Can you believe some people don’t have an inner monologue? But that is a topic for a different mediation.
My inner voice likes to tell me where my perceived failings come into play. It likes to tell me that I’m not enough in so many areas. Not exercising enough. Not engaging enough. Not spending enough time with family. Not checking in on friends enough. Not happy enough. Not driven enough. The list is unending.
I heard a sermon several years ago regarding our specific roles in life. We were urged to consider several questions.
What is God calling you to do?
How is it benefiting others?
What are you uniquely qualified to do?
I try to consider these questions, and their answers, when that voice in my head gets a little too loud. Whether it is in my personal or professional life, friendships, interactions with family or clients, I think these questions apply. They help me remember that I am enough.
God is calling me to do so many things. I’m sure you have felt overwhelmed with that realization at times as well. Sometimes I don’t know where to start. I’ll pick an easy one—my family. I am a firm believer that God puts people into our lives for a reason. God called me to make choices in my life that led me to my husband, just as he gave us our son. Being a mom and a wife benefits both of them as well as benefits me. I am the best person to be a wife to my husband and the best person to be a mother to my son. That fact in itself means that I am enough.
I encourage you to take a few minutes to listen to that voice in your head and combat it with these questions. Look at what role you are uniquely qualified to do and how you are benefiting others while doing it. You can’t do everything, and we know that, but you can do some things. Don’t let that voice inside your head keep you from following God’s calling for your life, even if it seems small.
Dear God, We ask that you help us to remember that you created us uniquely and in your image. Remind us that in you, we are always enough. With you by our sides, we can fulfill our callings and enrich those around us. Amen.
Sending
In the face of evil, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all. Amen.