Wednesday’s Message for Lent Wednesday, March 3, 2021
Dear friends,
As I reflect on our desire and need for a relationship with God, it occurs to me that we oftentimes do not even realize what it is we are longing for. Perhaps we are going through life—working hard, caring for family, doing kind and generous things, attending church—but we still have a feeling of emptiness or loneliness that doesn’t make sense. Material things don’t fill the gap. More activities don’t bring relief. There just seems to be something missing, and we can’t put our finger on it. And then it dawns on us: “I need to know God in a deeper way than I ever have before.” We’re in good company when we have this revelation. David—yes, the famous King David from Biblical times—has walked this road before us. In Psalm 63, he puts it this way:
“You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land where there is no water.
I have seen you in the sanctuary and
beheld your power and your glory.
Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.
I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.
I will be fully satisfied as with the richest foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.”
--Psalm 63:1-5
It was at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount, in the Beatitudes, that Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.” This idea of longing for God in such a way that it is described as “hungering and thirsting” is evident throughout the Bible. It was true for the Israelites in exile in the desert; it was true for Moses and Joshua as they led the people of God to the promised land; it was true for King David; it was true for the disciples of Jesus; it was true for the Apostle Paul; it was true for the woman at the well; it was true for Zacchaeus, who climbed a tree to getter a better view of Jesus; it was true for the demon-possessed man in the tombs; and it was true for those who lined the road with palm branches as Jesus made his triumphant entry into Jerusalem. All of them hungered and thirsted for greater righteousness.
During this season of Lent, let us rejoice that we actually have knowledge of what can fulfill that hunger and thirst. It is our relationship with Jesus Christ. And he came into our lives with love abounding, hoping that we will love him in return. The season is upon us!
In the love of Christ,
Pastor Bob
Dear friends,
As I reflect on our desire and need for a relationship with God, it occurs to me that we oftentimes do not even realize what it is we are longing for. Perhaps we are going through life—working hard, caring for family, doing kind and generous things, attending church—but we still have a feeling of emptiness or loneliness that doesn’t make sense. Material things don’t fill the gap. More activities don’t bring relief. There just seems to be something missing, and we can’t put our finger on it. And then it dawns on us: “I need to know God in a deeper way than I ever have before.” We’re in good company when we have this revelation. David—yes, the famous King David from Biblical times—has walked this road before us. In Psalm 63, he puts it this way:
“You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land where there is no water.
I have seen you in the sanctuary and
beheld your power and your glory.
Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.
I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.
I will be fully satisfied as with the richest foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.”
--Psalm 63:1-5
It was at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount, in the Beatitudes, that Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.” This idea of longing for God in such a way that it is described as “hungering and thirsting” is evident throughout the Bible. It was true for the Israelites in exile in the desert; it was true for Moses and Joshua as they led the people of God to the promised land; it was true for King David; it was true for the disciples of Jesus; it was true for the Apostle Paul; it was true for the woman at the well; it was true for Zacchaeus, who climbed a tree to getter a better view of Jesus; it was true for the demon-possessed man in the tombs; and it was true for those who lined the road with palm branches as Jesus made his triumphant entry into Jerusalem. All of them hungered and thirsted for greater righteousness.
During this season of Lent, let us rejoice that we actually have knowledge of what can fulfill that hunger and thirst. It is our relationship with Jesus Christ. And he came into our lives with love abounding, hoping that we will love him in return. The season is upon us!
In the love of Christ,
Pastor Bob
Lenten Devotional February 17, 2021
Ash Wednesday
20 All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return.
Ecclesiastes 3:20
Today marks the beginning of Lent—the forty days leading to our celebration of Easter. This year we are not able to observe Ash Wednesday as we normally do, with an evening service and the imposition of ashes. Covid-19 makes that kind of intimate service nearly impossible, but we still can observe Ash Wednesday by taking a moment to enter into this Easter season by remembering its significance. We can have a time of reflection and prayer on our own—a time of repentance and a time of gratitude for the gift of salvation that came with Jesus’ death on a cross.
For Christians, the central truth of our existence is captured in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Near the end of the forty days of Lent, we will observe Good Friday. Without Good Friday, there is no Easter; without Easter, there is no deliverance from evil; without deliverance from evil, there is no victory of light over dark, of love over hate, of life over death. Today—on Ash Wednesday—we begin what is perhaps the holiest of our seasons as a church, and we should take the time to reflect on our lives and our relationship with our Savior.
Upon the observance of Ash Wednesday, we are reminded of the words from the book of Genesis: “…for dust you are and to dust you will return.” These are the words recited by the pastor when making the sign of the cross with ashes on the forehead. You see, in Genesis we are told the story of Adam and Eve succumbing to the temptation of sin. This is foundational to our need for repentance, because each of us realizes that we, too, are unable to resist temptation. During Lent, we are called to reflect on our lives—on those areas of our lives where we give in to temptation—and we are called to repent and seek reconciliation with God. It is not easy to take that hard and critical look at ourselves, but it can be a glorious experience when we find the true freedom that comes through sincere repentance.
The Apostle Paul sums it up best when speaking to his protégé Timothy about being tempted by earthly possessions: “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.” (1 Timothy 6:6-7) Our charge during this season of Lent is the same charge that Paul gave Timothy two thousand years ago:
“But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness,
faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith.
Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made
your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”
--1 Timothy 6:11-12
In the love of Christ,
Pastor Bob
The Presbyterian Church of Floyd
* 169 Newtown Road * Floyd, VA 24091 *
* 540-745-2546 * Email *
* Email Pastor Bob *
* 169 Newtown Road * Floyd, VA 24091 *
* 540-745-2546 * Email *
* Email Pastor Bob *
