Dear Lenten friends,
This past Sunday we focused on a love that gives. We talked about being foolishly, and pathologically generous with the love and life God has given us through Jesus Christ, and we have ways you can live into this giving love over the next few weeks. One way is by supporting St. Luke’s Missions through our special Lenten Offering, which supports the empowering mission work St. Luke’s does above and beyond our Operational Budget. This year’s offering will go toward both our global partnership with ZOE Empowers (read the first year report of Abunzubumwe “Unity” Kigembe, our latest family of vulnerable children we are supporting in Rwanda, by clicking here), and assisting unhoused children in our community and their families through Family Promise.
We also have a chance for you to give some of your time to build twin beds for children right here in our city who have no place to lay their heads through our partnership with Sleep In Heavenly Peace. We heard a few weeks ago that the ministry is completely out of beds to take to the Children’s Home, so we picked another build day to help them with inventory for the spring. Click here to sign up and join us on campus on Saturday, March 23, and help us meet our goal of building 40 beds.
This Sunday as we move closer to Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, we sit with the Gospel of John 12:20-33. Again, Jesus shares that it is almost time for him to be “glorified,” linking glorification with death. In reading my devotional based on the lectionary readings, Rev. Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove writes:
“We often want to see God’s glory – God’s healing power or a decisive victory for the causes we believe in and know are right…But John’s Gospel says that Jesus is glorified in the moment when he is betrayed by his friend Judas. We see God’s glory when Jesus loves the one who cannot love him back – the one who would rather sell him out than follow him on the Way of Love. It may not be the glory we always want, but it is the glory we need. Jesus does not promise we will be successful. He promises that if we follow him we will learn to walk in the Way of Love.” – Celebration of Disciplines 2024
There are a lot of things I am praying we could see God’s glory in right now – I would really like to see some God-decisive victories on Easter for our siblings around the world, in our city, or even in my own relationships. One of the places I would love to see God’s glory is in the continued war in Gaza. This week the Council of Bishops released a statement calling for a cease fire (click here to read). We invite you to join us to learn more about what’s happening in Gaza through a Christian lens of peace on Thursday, March 21 at 6:30 p.m. with a webinar featuring Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon – click here for more details and to get the Zoom link to join.
I also know that a lot of this work for God’s glory begins inside of my heart. Learning to love like Jesus loves, being sanctified in his grace to love those who betray or cannot love back – that’s my Lenten journey. Like the beautiful colored glass we broke on Ash Wednesday that has appeared in our venues each Sunday, there’s brokenness in me that will only be healed as I surrender and follow where Jesus is leading me on the way of love. Only then can I more fully participate in this journey of healing and revealing God’s peace and justice in this world.
I pray you are walking with me and your family of faith, following this way of love this Lent. This week, love surrenders to this journey of the way of love. I know the closer we get to Jerusalem, the more broken glass Jesus exposes, but may we also trust the destination leads to a resurrection healing we couldn’t imagine. I pray we surrender to this way of love together.
In His Love,
Jenn.