March 6 Devotion

The Lectionary Scriptures for this week include Isaiah 53:1-9, and Psalm 63:1-8, which focus our attention on a spiritual thirst, a soul’s hunger for something beyond ourselves. We learn God answers our longing with Himself!

The Lenten season asks us all to take time apart for reflection and repentance – a time to recognize we all yearn for the same God, even as we realize we often approach Him from distinctly different paths and offer Him praise and worship through distinctly diverse styles.

I have the wonderful blessing of sharing Sunday School with our Middle and High School Youth. Over the years we have built strong relationships based upon mutual respect, love, trust, laughter, and a committed desire to help promote the progress of each other’s faith journey as we accept and appreciate its expression in each other’s life

We, as a church family, have the opportunity to Love, Encourage, Nurture and Thank each of these students as they continue their journey to the heart of God through a loving relationship with Jesus Christ.

How do we thank the Youth of our congregation for their Ash Wednesday Devotion? (You can view it outside the Parlor – and be blessed by their thoughts, by their artwork, by their ideas).

How do we share this Lenten Season with the younger members of our church family, letting them know we, too, are eager for a renewed relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ?

How do we demonstrate our appreciation for the prayers our Youth will be offering during the 40 Hour Prayer Vigil?

How can we individually, or collectively, Feed Another Soul Today?

Do we Always Seek Him?

Why do we not drop everything and run to Him, as a child runs to a dearly loved parent

In Prince Caspian, C. S. Lewis writes of the wonderful response of youth to the call of Christ on their lives through the actions of young Lucy Pevensie who is once again in Narnia after a long absence. Aslan, the great king and lion – and her friend – is nowhere to be seen. Then one night Lucy wakes to a voice calling her from the forest:

“A circle of grass, smooth as a lawn, met her eyes, with dark trees dancing all around it. And then – oh joy! For HE was there; the huge Lion, shining white in the moonlight, with his huge black shadow underneath him.

But for the movement of his tail he might have been a stone lion, but Lucy never thought of that. She never stopped to think whether he was a friendly lion or not. She rushed to him. She felt her heart would burst if she lost a moment. And the next thing she knew was that she was kissing him and putting her arms as far around his neck as she could and burying her face in the beautiful rich silkiness of his mane.

“Aslan, Aslan. Dear Aslan,” sobbed Lucy. “At last.”

The great beast rolled over on his side so that Lucy fell, half sitting and half lying between his front paws. He bent forward and just touched her nose with his tongue. His warm breath came all around her. She gazed up into the large wise face.

“Welcome, child,” he said.

“Aslan,” said Lucy, “you’re bigger.”

“That is because you are older, little one,” he answered.

“Not because you are?”

“I am not. But every year you grow, you will find me bigger.”

Our Youth will be reaching out to us in love as they invite us to share their faith and their Quest for Jesus through their own expressions of praise and worship.

Will we offer them the grace of accepting their invitation and joining them on their journey? Sharing Christ’s love as we worship God – the choice is ours……the praise is His……the blessing is eternal.

Linda Summers