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Wheatland United Methodist Church |
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Peter McNabb Man, Do We need Jesus!Joel 2: 1-2 and 12-17The early Christians observed with great devotion the days of our Lord’s passion and resurrection, and it became the custom of the Church that before the Easter celebration there should be a forty-day season of spiritual preparation. During this season converts to the faith were prepared for Holy Baptism. It was also a time when persons who had committed serious sins and had separated themselves from the community of faith were reconciled by penitence and forgiveness, and restored to full participation in the life of the Church. In this way the whole congregation was reminded of the mercy and forgiveness proclaimed in the gospel of Jesus Christ and the need we all have to renew our baptismal faith. It was not necessarily a sad time. In many ways it was a joyous time. A time of preparation for new Christians. A time of reconciliation for those who had strayed from the faith. A Time of saying I want more of Jesus, less of me. I want to be made whole. Man, do I need Jesus! In our passage tonight, Shaylee read from the prophet Joel. He was an Old Testament prophet at a time when agriculture was the mainstay and the fear of the locusts coming drove fear in the hearts of all men, women and children. He writes of the locusts, these little bugs, bringing a thick darkness over the land as they swarmed and blotted out the sun. They devoured the crops. It was like, he says, a Garden of Eden in front of them and then once they passed it was like a desolate wilderness. He compares these little bugs to horses, chariots, lions, mighty men. They have the potential to wipe out a society. We may not have locusts as much, but we have experienced grasshoppers around here. Or maybe crickets. Have you ever seen the destruction they can do? I invite you, my brothers and sisters, to take these coming 40 days as a gift from God. And make them count. It’s sort of a boot camp for Christians. What can Lent do for you? Allow you to fully receive two of God’s great gifts to you: His Mercy and His Grace. Mercy means not receiving the punishment we sinners each deserve. Grace means receiving the free gift of salvation that we do not deserve. Lent is a reminder that today is A Day of New Beginnings, much like that song by the same name: V 1. This is a day of new beginnings, time to remember and move on, time to believe what love is bringing, laying to rest the pain that's gone. (Phil 3: 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but one thing I do: Forgetting those things that are behind and reaching forward to those that lie ahead, I press on toward the upward call of God through Jesus Christ Our Lord. V 3. Then let us, with the Spirit's daring, step from the past and leave behind our disappointment, guilt, and grieving, seeking new paths, and sure to find. (Phil 3: 7 I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. 8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ 9 and become one with him…) Maybe this is a time to give something up: like a specific sin or bad habit. Maybe it’s a time to take something on, like a daily Bible reading or your active participation in our 40 Days of Love DVD series. As a way to start the season of Lent, we are going to confess our sins before God. I invite you to take a piece of paper that was handed to you in your bulletin. During the service, I invite you to write on that paper a sin that has been a stumbling block to you. Maybe it’s anger, unforgiveness, sexual impurity, addiction, laziness, gluttony, greed, egotism, coarseness of speech. Do you want it removed? Do you want it to go as far as the East is from the West? If so, I invite you to write it down and tonight on the way out, place it in the fire that we will have out front for you. May God consume that sin! Wipe it away! Set you free for newness of Life! Write it down now. At the conclusion of service, you will take it outside and be allowed to burn it in a fire we will prepare. We live in a world where anger tears families and friends apart. Man, do we need Jesus! We live in a world where illicit sex is displayed 24 hours a day on television and on the Internet. Man, do we need Jesus! We live in a world where addiction to alcohol and drugs is striking every layer of society, sending some to prison and others to prisons without bars. And many to their deaths. Man, do we need Jesus! We live in a world where egotism and greed reign! Me first. I’m getting’ mine. It’s all about me! Gotta look out for number-1! Man, do we need Jesus! We live in a world where coarseness of speech is everywhere: at the movies, at the gas station, in the home, in the grocery store and sadly even in the church Man, do we need Jesus! We live in a world where talking about your faith is frowned upon by a society caught up all too much in worshipping their small-g gods. Man, do we need Jesus! You see, it’s not just the little grasshopper by itself that destroys a yard, a town or a nation. It’s the collective impact of thousands upon thousands of small sins that eat away at our very souls. Man, do we need Jesus! Maybe you want to restore the years the locusts have eaten. This is a time to turn to Him. ***** In conclusion and as we prepare for the imposition of the ashes, Ted and I have a few words for you: Ted: Prepare Pete: Reconcile Ted: Repent Pete: Mercy Ted: Mortality Pete: Know thyself Ted: Prayer Pete: Fasting Ted: Deny yourself Pete: Read Scripture Ted: Listen Pete: Silence Ted: Dust Pete: Ashes Ted: Kneel Pete: Now |
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