Tags
1 Peter 1:23, Compassion, Hope, Joy, Justice, Mercy, Micah 6:8, New Creation, New life, Promise of God, Word of God
Day 5: Thursday in the First Week of Lent
1 Peter 1:23
You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God.
There is a section in the refrigerator for “perishables”. Every so often I have to look in there and do something with the forgotten oranges that have molded, the carrots that have sprouted and the never used cucumber that seems to have melted into slime. There are things that perish. Not just the fading flowers brought home from the store. Not just the aging pets that must ultimately be freed from their misery. Not just the orchards that become suburbs or the mountains that become sediment at the bottom of the sea. Even the stars burn out and perish.
But the promise of God does not perish. It does not mold or lose its power to grace the heart. It does not fail to quicken lives, foster compassion, nurture generosity, transform lives. It does not fail to bring comfort in times of sorrow or hope in times of trial. It does not lose its savor like spices kept too long in the kitchen cabinet. The promise of God abides. It guided Abraham more than three thousand years ago. It summoned Moses to lead a people out from bondage. It inspired prophets to bear witness to God’s command to do justice and love kindness and walk humbly with God. It quickened hope for a world without tears. It filled Mary with joy. It sustained Jesus through the darkest hour. It comforts still the worn and weary, the wounded and weeping, the lost and lonely. It inspires still lives of hope and courage. The creative, redeeming word of God is living and enduring, bringing us and all creation to new life.
“You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God.”
Gracious God,
in the waters of baptism
you grant us new birth as your sons and daughters.
Keep us this day in your steadfast love
that we may walk the path of love and mercy
that is our true and eternal life.
– A prayer for the first week of Lent
(For a reflection on this week’s theme: “Baptism & the journey of the human spirit”)
(For the sermon on this week’s theme: “A great and terrifying promise”)