The Mile Marker of Work

Last Sunday was our 3rd Sunday in Lent and the mile marker we stopped at along our journey with Jesus to the cross was the mile marker of "work", which meant the work of servanthood. According to the Gospel of Mark, Jesus came to be the sufering servant who would die on the cross for the sins of the world, that through the shedding of his blood, we find the cleansing power of redemption for our human soul. To follow Jesus, means that we also must share in his suffering, and for us, this is the work of sharing in the sufferings of others.

As you travel your journey this week, be attentive and sensitive to the suffering of others around you. It may be the physical suffering of one recovering from surgery, or the mental and emotional suffering of one who has lost a job, or the spiritual suffering of one who feels disconnected from the God they love and have worshipped for years. What can you do? You can't solve their suffering, but you can help and here are a couple of suggestions. 1st, give your time just to listen. This allows for a validation of their suffering. 2nd, pray for them. They need our prayers.

In a culture where immediate relief is our goal, there is some suffering that just needs time for healing to take place. Just being there so people know you care, and offering your prayers for God's miraculous ways to do what we cannot do for others may do more than all the words of wisdom we feel compelled to share. I pray that God will guide you on your continued journey. Always, let us pray for each other.

Dennis

The Mile Marker of Self-Esteem

Yesterday was the 2nd Sunday in Lent and we arrived at our first mile marker on our Lenten Journey, and that mile marker is Self-Esteem. The scripture text we used was Mark 11:1 - 11 which tells the story of Jesus last week when he entered Jerusalem. The crowd shouted Hosanna and was ready to make him king, but if Jesus wanted to score points with the religious establishment he ruined that opportunity when he chased the money changers out of the Temple in the following verses of the story.

The truth is that Jesus wasn't concerned about his popularity. His sense of self - esteem was never driven by the winds of populist opinion. Jesus was driven by a sense of his own calling from God. His self-esteem was defined by his relationship with his heavenly father and the calling upon his life. As we continue past this first mile marker of our Lenten journey, it would be wise for us to ask, "What is it that drives my sense of self-worth? Is my self-esteem defined by what others have to say about me, or by what God says to me?

I suppose it depends on whose voice you listen to, doesn't it. May God give us all "ears to hear" his voice as we continue this journey.

Dennis