Repentance and Revival - February 26

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 95* & 40, 54; PM Psalm 51; Deut. 10:12-22; Heb. 4:11-16; John 3:22-36 

Today’s Reflection

“Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account.” –Hebrews 4: 12-13

When Presiding Bishop Michael Curry preached at the General Convention revival in Austin back in 2018, he talked a lot about love. But he also talked about something else: sin. Here’s what he said: “I’m convinced that the opposite of love is not hate. The opposite of love is selfishness, and hatred is derivative of selfishness. You see, selfishness or self-centeredness … is the root of all evil. It is the source of every wrong. It is behind every bigotry. It is behind every injustice.” As Bishop Curry observed, “Love can lift us up when the gravity of selfishness will pull us down. Love can bind us together when selfishness will tear us apart. There’s another word for selfishness. Believe it or not, it’s called sin. That’s why we have Lent, a season to deal with sin. But love is the cure.”

As liturgical Christians, every year we go through a cycle. We await Jesus in Advent and we greet Jesus’ birth at Christmas. We commemorate his naming and his presentation at the Temple. And then, as we enter into this Season of Lent, we remember how Jesus suffered and was rejected. Eventually, we make it to Good Friday, at the end of Lent, when we remember how Jesus took on the ultimate suffering through his crucifixion and death—but he had to die in order to be resurrected. He had to deal with sin in order that we, through his resurrection, would experience God’s redeeming grace and forgiveness and love.

At the end of Lent, on Good Friday, we will pray a series of Solemn Collects. In the last of these Solemn Collects, we will pray for the whole Church and for the whole world, signaling again the inclusiveness of God’s redeeming grace and forgiveness. The main thrust of this prayer comes in what we are praying that God will “let the whole world see and know,” which is “that things which were cast down are being raised up, and things which had grown old are being made new, and that all things are being brought to their perfection by him through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord” (BCP 280).

Has the sin of bigotry caused people to be cast aside or kept down, in the margins, by individuals or by institutions? God’s redeeming grace will raise people back up—because those at the margins of human care and concern are always at the center of God’s care and concern. Are there institutions or ways of doing things that have grown old—have we gotten stuck in an unhealthy rut, amusing ourselves to death? God’s redeeming grace makes it possible for us to be made new, to get out of the rut and into a healthier pattern of caring for ourselves and others. Are we worried that we will never get things just right, that there will always be some imperfection that bogs us down? As we pray this collect, we are reminded that “all things are being brought to their perfection” through Christ.

As we worship and pray together this Lent, I pray that we can spur one another on as we reflect on our sins—what we have done and what we have left undone—and be encouraged by the hope we find in the unending forgiveness and love of Christ.

—Becky+

Questions for Self-Reflection

Reflect on Bishop Curry’s observation that, “There’s another word for selfishness. Believe it or not, it’s called sin. That’s why we have Lent, a season to deal with sin. But love is the cure.” Is there some habit or practice in your life in which you could commit, during this Season of Lent, to move from self-centeredness to being more responsive to the needs of others?

Daily Challenge

Find time to listen to or read the text of Bishop Curry’s full 2018 revival sermon here—you’ll be glad you did.