Friday, February 24

2 Corinthians 5:20–6:10

(vv. 5:20–6:2 printed below)

So we are ambassadors who represent Christ. God is negotiating with you through us. We beg you as Christ’s representatives, “Be reconciled to God!” God caused the one who didn’t know sin to be sin for our sake so that through him we could become the righteousness of God. Since we work together with him, we are also begging you not to receive the grace of God in vain. He says, I listened to you at the right time, and I helped you on the day of salvation. Look, now is the right time! Look, now is the day of salvation!

If I’m honest, I can be a bit of a procrastinator. Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow, right? Some things, however, carry an urgency within them. Today is the day of salvation, Paul says. The opportunity to experience transformation can’t wait, because life is both short and precious. We have this opportunity to become all that we can become, to partner with God to experience the fullness of life, and to join God in the work of transformation in the world while we are here. Lent is about this urgency, this focus. In these days we are taking intentional time to center ourselves and engage the opportunity before us.

What do you hope to gain from the Lenten journey this year?

Are there areas in which you are longing for transformation? How will you begin this journey?

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 (vv. 1-4 printed below)

“Be careful that you don’t practice your religion in front of people to draw their attention. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Whenever you give to the poor, don’t blow your trumpet as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets so that they may get praise from people. I assure you, that’s the only reward they’ll get. But when you give to the poor, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing so that you may give to the poor in secret. Your Father who sees what you do in secret will reward you.”

When I was a kid, someone gave me a small chunk of pyrite, which you might know by its other name, fool’s gold. It looked gold-ish, but the chemical composition is just different. That notwithstanding, I’m sure more than a couple of people have been fooled by the similarities in appearance between pyrite and gold. Jesus is warning his disciples (and us) against a kind of approach to ritual and practice that is like fool’s gold. It seems really spiritual and righteous, but it’s actually void of transforming power. The point is not about what people see, but about what’s happening inside of a person.

How can you be intentional and focused on internal transformation during this season? What practices do you find most engaging and helpful?