Pastor Page “God’s overwhelming abundant grace!”
February brings with it the lengthening of days, and the edging closer to spring. Spring means that we are close to Easter, and before Easter comes, we have the 40 days of Lent. Lent, meaning Spring, starts on February 17th this year with Ash Wednesday. We Worship at 7:00 p.m.
Ashes are placed on our foreheads to indicate that we are from the dust, the adam, and to dust we shall return. This is held in sharp contrast to Holy Communion that is also present at this service. Yeah, we are from dust. We are human, and our bodies will not live forever. But, we also have Jesus. Jesus who came to earth out of God’s love for us. Jesus, who loves us so much that he is willing to die for us, forgive us our sins, make it possible for us to forgive one another, and to live a full and abundant life together in Jesus’ name.
During Lent, we consider our sinfulness, our need to repent and turn again towards God, and we live in hope of the coming resurrection of Jesus Christ that is celebrated on Easter. This year, Easter falls on April 4th.
Before Lent gets here, we have some more of the Gospel of Luke to explore. Crazy, God given abundance awaits the followers of Jesus on the very first Sunday in February. The story of Jesus filling the nets full for Simon, James and John is breath taking. Imagine a catch that so abundant that the nets were beginning to break, and two boats full were beginning to sink.
“They came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!” (Luke 5:7-8).
Simon Peter saw the good things, the abundance of Jesus, and was willing to turn God away because of his sinfulness, his unworthiness. Jesus’ response was maybe unexpected? Undeserved?
The grace that comes to us from God, even if we are not worthy, is not to be overlooked. There is forgiveness and it is for each and every one of us.
During Lent, we attempt each year to come to terms with this. Yes, we need to face ourselves and the ways in which we fall short, but we don’t remain living there, or dying there. We hear the rest of the story before knowing that our own death moves are overturned by Jesus’ life moves.
Like the one Jesus tells as he gathers disciples.
Jesus’ unexpected, and perhaps undeserving response is this, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” (Luke 5:10)
So overwhelming was God’s unexpected grace for them, that when they brought the biggest catch they could ever imagine to shore, they left everything and followed Jesus!
May we all be so overwhelmed with God’s love and grace for us that we, too, drop the biggest earthly catch in our lives, leave every thing behind us, and follow Jesus.
Thanks be to God.
pastor Kathy