Lent,, Day 15 - March 11

The Readings for today: Psalms 72, 119:73-96; Jer. 3:6-18; Rom 1:28-2:11; and, John 5:1-18

Lent brings us back to this place of need, something we are not often good at embracing. Our self-sufficiency and pride in taking care of ourselves is engrained within our humanity. There is something of God in this. He told Adam and Eve to take care of the earth, to be stewards and reap the rewards of their "governing over" that which was there domain; but in the Fall the stewardship rights and freedom become twisted and end up being a means for separation and independence from God.

When we get to the place of uncovering it is usually in discovery of weakness. When we get to "the end" of our own self-sufficiency we find God waiting. Paul says to the Corinthians: 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NASB)
9 And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. [emphasis is mine]

The greek word episkenoo means "to tabernacle" and comes from the Hebrew word, shkn, which we understand as "shekinah". Yesterday I shared that God's purpose was to "tabernacle" with Israel (Ex. 29:45); i.e., to dwell among them.
When the prophet Isaiah declares the future Messiah he says that he will be called "Emmauel" or "God with us".
The Greeks and Romans - of Paul's day understood the gods as aloof, needing to be appeased, capricious and jealous of each other. The gospel proclaims God coming to humans, as a human - incarnated - putting on flesh in order "to dwell among them". Jesus is the "shkn" -- God dwelling among us.

BUT, Paul says, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (NASB)
9 And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.
10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.
He comes to dwell in our weakness, for when we are weak we are strong.

The Kingdom is upside-down, pure and simple. Lent embraces that weakness.

A Prayer:

"Father of glory and grace, it is my flesh that cries out for relief, for rescue from the pain of this world, and it is your glory that demonstrates your power, beauty and grace in the midst of that -- to the glory of your name, Amen."