The Second Sunday of Lent gives us the opportunity to REPENT. During the first week, we made our individual RESOLVES of what to do for Lent. Have you been able to maintain what you promised?
Luckily, we can REPENT if we’ve slipped up. The word ‘repent’ means to ‘feel regret or remorse’ for something. The same root word is found in the word ‘Penitence’. During Lent we are called to look at our lives and REPENT of the things we have done wrong.
In Acts 3, Peter and John heal a lame man. Then Peter speaks to the crowd telling them Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord (Acts 3:19-20). Repenting is good for us. It is also hard to admit that we are in the wrong.
The Collect in the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer gives us a way to turn again to God. “O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy: Be gracious to all who have gone astray from your ways, and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of your Word, Jesus Christ your Son; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
None of us is perfect. We are all going to slip in our Lenten resolution(s). God is always full of grace and ready to give us another chance. When our children make a mistake, and apologize, we say ‘that’s OK, don’t do it again’.
In the first chapter of the Book of Isaiah, God says, Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow. Come now, let us argue it out, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be like snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.
God’s love and grace are greater than ours and God wants us to succeed and grow in relationship with God and one another.
LENT BOX
Throughout Lent, we are creating a Lent box using any small container (a small box, plastic bag or storage container) to hold the symbols you will add each week. Last week we started with a ribbon to remind us of our Resolve to do something different in Lent.
This week we add a bead or stone as a symbol of our personal hardness of heart and our lack of repentance.
Living Lent
Pick up the bead or stone. Hold it in your hand. Think of something you did wrong and ask God to forgive you.
How can we live our repentance?
Is there something concrete I need to REPENT for? Take that to God in prayer, using the one in this meditation, or your own. Even something simple like, “Father God, I’m sorry for…” is perfect.
