March 2022

When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.

- Luke 9:51

“Set his face.” What does that mean to you? For me, it has always sounded super serious and full of determination. This is the moment that Jesus’ whole ministry shifts towards a final confrontation with the religious authorities, the political authorities, and death itself! Moving from the focus of Jesus’ from preaching, teaching, equipping, and healing towards the ever growing shadow of the cross.

This is the beginning of Lent.

Lent is normally a time when Christians are encouraged to take stock of our relationships with others and with God. A popular tradition has been to take up a spiritual practice during the season of Lent as a symbol of turning our whole lives towards our God and neighbor. And this is a great tradition and faith practice IF you are in a healthy place to begin with!

I don’t know about you, but I feel like I can’t possibly do one more thing right now. In fact, I can’t even manage to THINK about all I AM doing right now, much less consider adding in one more thing, task, event (even if it is a good/positive/life-giving practice that I enjoy!). So, how can I “set my face to go to Jerusalem”?

I wonder if this year, in this season, I need to be super determined in another way? I wonder if I need to be more merciful towards myself and my limits and capabilities? What if my Lenten practice is to not base my self-worth on what I accomplish, how many meetings/visits/activities I can plan and attend, or on worship attendance or congregational giving?

I am going to try to set my face towards looking at myself, talking to myself, and treating myself with mercy. Beginning March 2nd (and hopefully far beyond it), I want to remember that I am loved right now, right here, right like this by God. When I fall short (like we all do with Lenten disciplines), I get to lean back into my determination to realize God’s love and grace for my own life!I can’t mess this up because, when I do, it is just another opportunity to be merciful towards myself and my own humanness!

I also have a sneaky suspicion that by working on developing mercy towards myself, that mercy will spill over into my other relationships and how I view and treat others…

Does anyone else want to try this with me? I’d love to hear about how this commitment to mercy affects your life!

Wishing Yinz a Very Merciful Lenten Journey! -- Pastor Jim