  |
|
CONGREGATION WATCHWORD FOR 2010 I long for your salvation, O Lord,…let me live that I may praise you. Psalm 119:174-175 Dear Brothers and Sisters
in Christ, Greetings! I hope this letter finds you enjoying the beginnings of slightly warmer weather. While it is certainly not spring just yet, it is the time of year when we are at least beginning to see some signs that we won’t have frozen mounds of snow in our yards forever! March is also the time of year
that we walk through the season of Lent. During Lent we take the time to reflect on our relationship with Jesus Christ. The
way we approach Lent, the practices we take on of prayer and meditation, more regular attendance at worship and Wednesday
night services, all provide an opportunity to live the new life that Jesus offers us, to let go of the old way of doing things,
to continue to grow and develop and become ever more like Christ. An important part of living the new life we have in Jesus
is to keep him at the center of our lives, to long to be close to him more than we long for anything else. As I thought about what it means to desire to be close to Jesus above all other things, I was reminded of our son
Evan’s longing for a Nintendo DS. I wouldn’t even recognize one if I saw it, but I hear that it is the coolest
hand held video game player out there (somebody correct me if I’m wrong!). Most of Evan’s kindergarten friends
don’t have one yet. The accepted age to get one seems to be around 7 years old, or at least that’s what we have
told Evan. Evan has resigned himself to not being the owner of a DS until his next birthday, but that doesn’t mean he
has stopped thinking about it! We often hear comments like, “When I turn 7 and get my DS…” or “How
many more days until I turn 7 and get my DS?” or “The first game I want when I get my DS is the Indiana Jones
Lego game.” Evan has a deep and definite longing for a DS! Do
we long for Jesus as deeply and with the same kind of passion and focus that Evan longs for a DS? I certainly hope I do! Most
of the time, I do long for Jesus and enjoy his presence with that same kind of passion that Evan has. But if I am honest I
have to admit that some days my longing for Jesus can be overwhelmed by the many tasks I face. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit
usually gives me a nudge and says, "Get your priorities back on track! Jesus matters more than your calendar.” Does that sound familiar? If it does, I would challenge each of us this
Lenten season to reflect carefully about what it is we long for. As Chris-tians, our greatest longing is for Jesus Christ,
to be more like him, to draw closer to him every day. All the rest of the longings we have pale in comparison to that great
longing. May we focus on Jesus Christ, not only during Lent, but throughout the year so that we hunger for him, search for
him, and fellowship with him with great passion, praising him in all we do. In Him,
Pastor Jenny |
Page 1