Lent Devotional 1

In the book The Heart of Christianity Marcus Borg reminded me that “faith is at the heart of the Christian faith”.

As a young person I never really thought much about or worried about “faith”.  I grew up in a family that did not have a lot of money, but we never wanted for much. But as a high school student I began to realize that life had its pitfalls and challenges and others had a lifestyle that was attractive to me and my friends.

During a summer Youth Week at church a college intern Melanie Williamson challenged us to think about what gave life meaning. I was a part of a group of immature boys that responded to her serious question with the mantra “money, looks, and prestige” were all that really mattered. We were a real pain to her and our more serious classmates, but the passage of time shows that our insecurity and desire for center stage reflected a struggle for meaning and direction in our lives.

At the same time in my life Evelyn Willis was our Sunday School teacher. She insisted that all of us memorize 1 Corinthians 13. So we learned “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels but have not love…..”.   I am sure there was a reward of a party or trip for those that completed, or at least tried, the memorization, but there was more. This was a way that she used the Biblical witness to remind us that there is more to life that having things and being popular. That did not lessen my personal desire for acceptance and inclusion in the “fun and popular” culture of the time, but her words and her loving way of life were a reminder to me of another way.

1 Corinthians 13 concludes with these words “so faith, hope, and love abide, but the greatest of these is love.” I am still not sure what abide really means, but as I age I become more convinced that neither faith, hope, or love can be understood or accurately lived without the others.

So on this first day of Lent remember these boundaries of life and the season. If you don’t know the passage maybe you can memorize it. I will not promise you a party for reward, but my personal experience is that there will come a time when these words will make a difference for you and someone you love.

SHALOM,

Tom Mc