Where springs of living water drown and refresh you
And as the Jordan pours out change
Your true self is all that remains
Where springs of living water bind and break you
Bind and break you
Forty days to remember
The Paschal Sacrifice
Forty days to discover
His passion calls us to new life
The jubilee is over
But mercy's far from gone
In the arms of the Father
As the wayward child comes home
'Cause in the dessert of temptation
Lies the storm of true conversion
Where springs of living water drown and refresh you
And as the Jordan pours out change
Your true self is all that remains
Where springs of living water bind and break you
Bind and break you
Bind and break you
Bind and break you
Reflection:
So, how's your Lenten journey? Forty days of taking on something extra or giving up something enjoyable is not always easy. In fact, it can be down right difficult! Yet, with sacrifice comes learning and with learning comes a new beginning. As Matt Maher sings in his song, 40 Days, we have "forty days to wander, forty days to die to self and forty days to grow stronger." In his desert experience, Jesus teaches us how those forty days can be transforming. Our Savior shows us how we can overcome temptation and find ways to seek comfort from God alone. Yes, as Matt writes and sings so well, "in the desert of temptation lies the storm of true conversion...And as the Jordan pours out change, your true self is all that remains." Lent is about transformation; Lent is about discovering our true self. These forty days are not merely some kind of endurance test. These forty days are an opportunity to "die to self...to grow stronger." Thanks, Matt, for singing the Truth!
Hosea 13:5 - "I fed you in the wilderness, in the parched land"
Isaiah 48:21 - "They did not thirst when he led them through dry lands; Water from the rock he set flowing for them; he cleft the rock and waters welled forth"
Of it's suffering, I do drink, of its work, I do sing
On it, my Savior, both bruised and crushed
Showed that God is love and God is just
At the cross, You beckon me
You draw me gently to my knees
And I am lost for words, so lost in love
Im sweetly broken, wholly surrendered
Yeah, yeah, oh Lord
What a priceless gift, undeserved life
Have I been given through Christ crucified
Youve called me out of death
Youve called me into life
And I was under Your wrath
Now, through the cross, Im reconciled
Ooh, and at the cross, You beckon me
You draw me gently to my knees
And I am lost for words, so lost in love
Im sweetly broken, wholly surrendered
At the cross, You beckon me
You draw me gently to my knees
And I am lost for words, so lost in love
Im sweetly broken, wholly surrendered
And in awe of the cross, I must confess
How wondrous Your redeeming love
And how great is Your faithfulness
At the cross, You beckon me
You draw me gently to my knees
And I am lost for words, so lost in love
Im sweetly broken, wholly surrendered
At the cross, You, You've beckoned me
You draw me gently to my knees
And I am lost for words, so lost in love
Im sweetly broken, wholly surrendered
Yeah, yeah, I'm broken for you
I'm broken for you, my Lord, yeah
Jesus, Your love is there
I am sweetly broken
Reflection:
I love the title of this song, “Sweetly Broken.” It honestly sounds like an oxymoron because when do we gaze upon something broken and think, “that’s pretty.” If you knock over a picture frame in the house and the glass shatters and the picture is torn, you don’t think “oh, now it’s lovely.” Of course not. However, that’s exactly how God sees us. That despite our brokenness, our sinfulness, our weakness, our limitations, etc., God sees through our humanity and our sins and still thinks of us as His beautiful creatures. At the crucifixion, Jesus took our sins and nailed them to cross and then completed redeeming us by rising from the grave. We are still sinners because we are human, we still make mistakes and offend God. But, we have been redeemed and our sins have been forgiven. God still sees our goodness and beauty within us. How sweetly broken indeed we are. What God said about Jesus at his baptism and the transfiguration, God says to all of us, “You are my beloved son/daughter. With you, I am well pleased.”
Mark 1:11 – “And a voice came from the heavens, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.’”
1 Peter 2:24 – “In his own body he brought your sins to the cross, so that all of us, dead to sin, could live in accord with God’s will. By his wounds, you were healed.”
"You did it for me; you did it for love." What powerful Truth is revealed by these simple words in Phil Wickham's song, Because of Your Love. He remind us that we are never forsaken; never alone. We are loved and, because we are loved by God, we are empowered with the ability to love. Sometimes we find love to be difficult in either accepting it or sharing it. It is not difficult for God for "God is love" (1 John 4:8). Yes, Jesus has endured our pain and our shame for love of us. In this time of Lent, let us open our hearts to God's love and choose to share it with each other.
1 John 4:9-12:"In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him. In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another. No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us."
Romans 5:8: "...and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the holy Spirit that has been given to us."
Galatians 2:20:"...yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me; insofar as I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who has loved me and given himself up for me."
In this time of Lent, we often think about the desert, where Jesus sent forty day and nights tempted by Satan. Jesus refused to be mastered by sin and our Lord assures us that, when we turn to him, we too, in the power found in His Name, we can turn away from sin. In "Desert Song" Hillsong sings of that prayer in the desert, when "all that's within feels dry." We all experience spiritual dryness at times, but Lent reminds us of the refreshing mercy and grace Jesus brings to us. Indeed, "this is my prayer in my hunger and need. My God is the God who provides." As we seek to draw closer to Christ, during these forty days of Lent, let us rejoice that "no weapon formed against me shall remain. I will rejoice. I will declare. God is my victory and He is here."
Mark 1:12-13 - "At once the Spirit drove him out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan. He was among wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him."
1 Corinthians - "But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Let Your light shine, let Your light shine for all to see
Start a fire in my soul
Fan the flame and make it grow
So there’s no doubt or denying
Let it burn so brightly
That everyone around can see
That it’s You, that it’s You that we need
Start a fire in me
You only need a spark to start a whole blaze
It only takes a little faith
Let it start right here in this city
So these old walls will never be the same
Over and over again
I hear Your voice in my head
They need to know
I need to go
Spirit won't You fall on my heart now
Start a fire in my soul
Fan the flame and make it grow
So there’s no doubt or denying
Let it burn so brightly
That everyone around can see
That it’s You, that it’s You that we need
Start a fire in me
You are the fire You are the flame
You are the light on the darkest day
We have the hope we bear Your name
We carry the news that You have come to save
Only You can save
Start a fire in my soul
Fan the flame and make it grow
So there’s no doubt or denying
Let it burn so brightly
That everyone around can see
That it’s You, that it’s You that we need
Start a fire in me
Reflection:
Too often it seems we’re always waiting on God to do something. We may be waiting on God to give us the grace to persevere through a difficult day or simply the grace to love better. So we might pray and beg God to come to us and let us know He is with us. Now, that is actually a beautiful prayer and nothing wrong with it. But if we keep waiting on God to come to us, we may miss the realization that God is already with us. We are never alone. The first stanza of this song recognizes the evil in the world. Then they sing, “Waiting on something better. But am I really going to hide forever?” We’re waiting on God to destroy the evil from the world, but the reality is that God has already given us the tools to make the world a better place. At our baptism, we are given the gifts of faith, hope, and love. We can bring God to others through our loving and charitable acts. These acts, though that may appear simple, can truly transform the world. Just think how our faith began. The eleven Apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit and preached the teachings and life of Christ. Their love for Christ drove them out into the world and into doing acts of love and charity. And here we are, 2,000 years later still celebrating the Christian faith. Love can and will transform the world and God has given us the ability to do so.
Matthew 17:20 – “Amen, I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
And greater things are still to be done in this City
Greater thing have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
There is no one like our God
There is no one like our God
For greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done here
There is no one like our god
There is no one like our God
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done here
Reflection:
My favorite lines from this week’s song are: “Greater things are still to come. Greater things are yet to be done.” This seems to echo all of the teachings of Pope Francis. The pope is constantly calling all Christians to not grow weary in our faith. We can never reach a point and think there’s nothing left for me. Our entire lives are about getting closer to God, knowing him better, and loving him better. This is never finished. As long we’re working at it, greater things are definitely still to come.
Jeremiah 10:6 – “No one is like you, LORD, you are great, great and mighty is your name.”
Luke 1:49 – “The Mighty One has done great things for me and holy is his name.”
Have you been walking on a surface that's uncertain?
Have you helped yourself to everything that's empty?
You can't live this way too long.
There's more than this, more than this.
Have you been standing on your own feet too long?
Have you been looking for a place where you belong?
You can rest, you will find rest.
You can rest, you will find rest.
Let this old life crumble, let it fade.
Let this new life offered be your saving grace.
Let this old life crumble, let it fade, let it fade.
Have you been holding on to what this world has offered?
Have you been giving in to all these masquerades?
It will be gone, forever gone.
It will be gone, it will be gone
Let this old life crumble, let it fade.
Let this new life offered be your saving grace.
Let this old life crumble, let it fade, let it fade.
Let it fade.
Are you carrying the weight too much?, are you running from the call?
Let it fade, Oh yeah.
You can rest, you will find rest.
You can rest you will find rest.
Let this old life crumble, let it fade.
Let this new life offered be your saving grace.
Let this old life crumble, let it fade, let it fade.
Let this old life crumble, let it fade.
Have you been standing on your own feet too long?
Have you been looking for a place where you belong?
Reflection:
When we take time for self-reflection, we often discover that, just as Jeremy Camp sings in Let it Fade, we have "been walking on a surface that's uncertain"...helping ourselves "to everything that's empty." We "can't live this way too long" for God wants us to discover that "there's more than this." When we let go of this way of life, which leads only to further emptiness, we will discover that Christ offers us a new life, through his grace. Therefore, whatever we are holding on to that brings us only more emptiness, let it fade. Indeed, as Jeremy sings, "Let this old life crumble, let it fade, let it fade."
Proverbs 3:5-6 -"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, on your own intelligence do not rely; In all your ways be mindful of him, and he will make straight your paths".
2 Corinthians 5:17 -"So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come".
