Today we find ourselves in the middle of Lent. Three weeks have passed since Ash Wednesday, and Easter stands three weeks away. Now, in midpoint of this holy season, my Lenten disciplines go by the wayside.
I always begin Lent with such gusto and determination; I sincerely desire to observe a holy Lent. But then I become distracted. What was once an ironclad discipline is now just a regret. In other words, I fail. I trust that I am not alone. Many, if not all of us, have probably failed in keeping our Lenten disciplines.
Our failure is the lesson of Lent. We are reminded that it is God, and only God who has the power to save. As our reading from Ephesians so lovingly puts it, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” (2:8).
Regardless of how hard we try to be perfect, to abide by all the rules, and to live as a follower of Christ, we are going to fail. We can never muster enough energy, concentration, or sheer grit to live perfectly. It is only God’s immeasurable grace that raises us to live this blessed life with Christ.
the rev. jimmy abbott 