Lent - Keep it simple

Ocean of Glory

1 John 3:1 – "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.”

I know many of us can’t wait for the day when we can are able to enjoy unfettered walks; for me it has to be beside the sea. When we stand beside the sea and look at the waves breaking on the shore we are actually seeing a part of the infinite ocean of waters, but we cannot grasp the extent of them. So it is as we try to contemplate the infinite ocean of God’s glory with the limits of our minds. We can only paddle at the edge of water yet even there we can begin to see something of extent of God’s greatness with the eyes of the soul.

On the other hand, just as we could begin to wade into the waters of the sea up to our knees or our waist, we only see clearly what the water is from the outside.  But if we plunge into the depths we are wholly covered by the water and can no longer see what we viewed from the beach or the surface. 

William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army wrote a hymn with a verse that expressed this experience.

The tide is now flowing, I’m touching the wave,

I hear the loud call of the mighty to save;

My faith’s growing bolder, delivered I’ll be;

I plunge ‘neath the waters, they roll over me.

The Bible says that God has lavished His love on us. But as limited and as simple-minded as we humans can be, we could never fully understand the depths and the greatness of the love of God for all of us. We all have a preconceived notion of what "love" is. However, God's love is different: it's no ordinary love.

Unlike the depictions and stories of love that the world presents, God's love for us is absolutely astounding and wonderful. We are His creation, and because He loves us, He sent His one and only begotten Son to pay for our sins and provide the way for us to be reconciled with Him – at a cost that He had to pay for Himself. There's not one love story that could ever compare to that.

A Prayer

Encircle me this night with your presence.
Keep joy within.  Keep bitterness out.
Keep generosity within.  Keep greed out.
Keep love within.  Keep self-seeking out.
Keep light within.  Keep darkness out.”

May we do what we can to keep … bitterness out … greed out … self-seeking out … darkness out, so that … joy, generosity, love, light may be kept within. Creator of all, as the pandemic rages, infill us with hope that vaccines will become readily available soon and encircle us this night, and the nights, to come with love and peace. Amen. So be it.  Amen.