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Day 1
February 21, 2021 / First Sunday of Lent

For information on numbering the days of Lent see: Counting to Forty Days & The Lenten Fast

Jude 1:20-21

But you, beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God; look forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.

The author of Jude is speaking to the community, of course; these words in the Greek are in the plural.  But what is true of the community is true also of us individually.  We should be building.

Usually, we talk about deepening our faith or growing in faith, and there is much to be said of such metaphors.  But the Greek word here implies building on a foundation.  It is not enough to lay the foundation; one needs to build the house.

For a short time as a child, I lived in a neighborhood where new houses were being constructed.  I enjoyed wandering through the construction sites, walking through walls, looking at the pipes where sinks and bathtubs and toilets would go, playing in the piles of sand and dirt, and hiding in the ditches that would hold sewer lines as we played kick the can in the evening.  It was a kind of playground for us, and I would have been happy to leave it all as it was, but what is the point of pouring a foundation if it never becomes a home in which to dwell?

There is work to be done in the life of the community and the life of each believer.  There is a spirit of prayer to breathe.  There are words of Jesus to attend to.  Love must be practiced.  Mercy must be treasured.  There is a home to be built that will shelter us in trial, nourish us for service, and welcome all who need refuge.  Or perhaps we should say: there is a living temple that needs building where God can dwell.

Eternal Word, Enduring Mercy
guide our heart and lead our way
that we may abide in your boundless love.

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Image: dkbonde.
Scripture quotations are from New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
© David K Bonde, 2021, All rights reserved