Reaching out from Grand Lake Community Chapel
Wednesday, February 21, 2024
Greetings in Christ!
This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it! Let us rejoice in the bright sunshine to start our day, and let us be glad that the bitter cold of the recent past is no longer with us! That said, for those amongst us who are hoping that today represents the fulfillment of Punxsutawney Phil’s prediction of an early spring, please bear in mind that today is one full month until the first day of spring; we’ve still got at least a few days of winter left, in spite of what the redoubtable groundhog might think!
The ups and downs of the weather remind us of the ups and downs of the Lenten season, the success and shortfalls in our disciplines for this time of reflection and preparation as we continue our journey to the cross. Regardless of how you planned to adjust your life so that God could be a more present part of your life during these 40 days, some days we fulfill our goals, and some days we stumble. If your plan including avoiding certain foods, there are days when the forbidden fruit is accidentally consumed, and there’s a twinge of guilt; if your plan called for avoiding certain forms of entertainment, there are days when the TV powers up with the “wrong” channel selected, or a particular magazine hits the mailbox and you mindlessly flip through the pages before you catch yourself and set it down, and there’s a twinge of guilt. Our pastoral advice to each of you whom might have stumbled (or will stumble before the season comes to an end), is GET OVER IT!! Guilty feelings over a moment of weakness or an inadvertent choice are simply wasted energy; when we stumble, we should get back up, dust ourselves off, commit ourselves to continuing to do the very best we can to live out our plan, and keep going! As has often been said, nobody’s perfect; all have erred and fallen short of the glory of God. And God loves us still, God encourages us still, God forgives us still. We are blessed to have God as our most ardent supporter and our most enthusiastic cheerleader; so let us forge ahead with this special season, live a Holy Lent, and reap the benefits of growing ever closer to the Almighty.
Blessings to you!
Karen and Greg
Home: (989) 474-9116, Cell: (734) 502-5969
revgregrc@yahoo.com / revgreggl@yahoo.com
revkarenrc@yahoo.com / revkarengl@yahoo.com
As you, therefore, have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him. Colossians 2:6
Grand Lake Community Chapel 