Weekly Lent Devotion

During Lent 2023, we will receive a weekly devotion, written by someone active in the ministry at Elim Lutheran Church-Marshalltown. These devotions are one way that we can connect a life of faith to daily life, lifting up the voices of some within our congregation. These will be posted to the church Facebook page, the website, and through the email distribution list. Thank you, Terry Gray, for this weeks devotion. 

       During Lent 2023, we will receive regular devotions, written by someone active in the ministry at Elim Lutheran Church-Marshalltown. These devotions are one way that we can connect a life of faith to daily life, lifting up the voices of some within our congregation. These will be posted to the church Facebook page, the website, and through the email distribution list. Thank you, Terry Gray, for being willing to share this Lent reflection!

       We all know a lot about the Don’t Do List.  The Ten Commandments, our parents, teachers and public laws all have admonitions—don’t do this and don’t do that. In Isaiah 58:3-5, we are told how NOT to fast, but instead verses 6-9 gives us a TO DO List.  Matthew’s text (25:31-40) also tells us what to do. It pretty much matches the TO DO List in Isaiah. I find that the TO DO List is often much harder than following the Don’t Do List.

       Growing up we lived near a single-line railroad track that was not used often.  However, it did attract a few hobos, as they are often called. My mother talked about the time there was a knock on the door. She answered it to find someone she assumed was a hobo who was asking for food. Did she feed him? That part of the story is not clear to me, but knowing my mother, she did.  Have you ever received a knock at your door?  It doesn’t seem to happen often these days, but would I answer it if it were a stranger? Would you?

       When Isaiah was discounting the type of fasting he saw happening, he replaced it with what we should be doing to please God instead.  Matthews’s text has a TO DO List telling us about feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting those in prison, showing justice and mercy, helping the homeless and the sick.  Jesus says when you do this to the least of these, you do it also to me.  Was the hobo Jesus?  Are any of those eating at the House of Compassion or standing with a sign on the street corner Jesus? How am I responding to those in need? 

       If we even fast at all, do we fast in a way that pleases God?  Our fasts are often denying ourselves something that are actually serving our own interests. No chocolate during Lent (maybe I can lose a few pounds)!  I watch a lot of sports on TV: golf, tennis, college basketball.  What if I turned off the TV and instead studied the Bible, helped at the Emergency Food Box, volunteered at the Caring Center, or the Veterans Home or Elim Children’s Center?  Would that be more pleasing to God?  And then I found myself bartering.  Well, what if for every hour I watch sports on TV I dedicate an hour to one of those endeavors.  Would that count?   No, I decided that was missing the point.  We need to deny ourselves, to sacrifice something of ourselves to help us better understand what God in Jesus Christ has done for us.  Sacrificial giving is important.

       So that TO DO List has been nagging at me to do better this Lenten season.   Ridding myself of selfish habits, developing a closer, deeper relationship with God, and seeing the face of Jesus in those in need around us is my Lenten prayer.

Terry Gray
Lent 2023

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