Pastor's Message

“Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.”
Phil. 3:13-16

On February 17, we will gather for Ash Wednesday worship, and as a community we will turn around, confess our sins and brokenness, our limits and our ends. We confess all this in hope of receiving the good things that God is giving through Jesus Christ – forgiveness and healing and love without limit or end.

From our Ash Wednesday worship, we walk together into the disciplines of Lent. We leave the old things behind and strive to the goal to win the prize, the prize God is calling us to in Jesus Christ. Lent is first about receiving the grace of God that invites us to be the human beings God has created us to be -- instead of the gods we constantly strive to be. But we do not stop there. Lent is mostly a time of learning to live as the graciously redeemed human beings God is making us to become through Jesus Christ. Lent is about striving – not become godlike, but striving to learn and walk in the way of Jesus, participating in suffering and death in hopes of rising with him in his resurrection. So, united to Christ and each other in baptism, we press on together toward the goal.

When we learn new things – a new song, a new language, whatever – it helps to start slowly. That’s what Lent is for. Lent means going slowly. Together as God’s people we slow down to learn the way of Jesus and to let it sink in, change and transform our lives. For centuries, Christians have gone slowly together by practicing certain disciplines: prayer, Bible reading, worship, sacrificial giving, fasting, acts of service that promote justice, peace and the reconciliation of all people. We do this together, as a community made up of individuals striving to live together as Jesus lived in the world.

As we enter Lent together, know that Jesus loves you. By his death and resurrection he has reconciled you to God and joined you to a community. By faith in Jesus we enter into God’s kingdom together, as a gift of God’s grace and love.
I encourage you take advantage of this time to learn to walk and live in God’s love made known in Jesus, who is your salvation.

So, clear the calendar and come out on Thursday nights to join our discussion of the Christian life. Practice hospitality by making and sharing a pot of soup. Practice life in the Spirit by participating in the fellowship we share with the people of Franklin Reformed. Let God’s word grow in you, generating a life of faith, hope and love. Together we will strive and learn to live up to what we have already attained in Jesus Christ. God bless your Lenten journey.