Standing at the Threshold

~~~ James 4: 1-10 ~~~~ Psalm 55 ~~~~ Mark 9: 30-37 ~~~

Today we stand at the threshold of Lent.

We encounter thresholds every time we enter through a doorway.  We take them for granted...but should we? Thresholds serve a purpose because they contain weather striping creating a more energy efficient entrance into the structure.

Webster defines threshold: A piece of wood or stone placed beneath a door; a door sill. An entrance or a doorway...A point of entry or beginning of something new...

Limen is Latin for threshold. noun: A threshold of response: point at which a stimulus is of sufficient intensity to generate a response.
I would invite you to use every threshold you cross during Lent this year as a stimulus to generate a response. Each time you cross a threshold make the conscious decision...to

"Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you."

If we stay at the threshold we cannot draw near to God. We must cross the threshold. We must go inside. It takes courage and conviction to cross this threshold. We are uncertain of what really lies on the other side of this threshold. If we do not cross the threshold we will not know God.

This Lent we are called to '..submit yourselves to God'. Cross the threshold into Lent and there God will  '...cleanse your hands... and purify your hearts'. Our invitation is to come away  a little while with the Lord during this Lenten time. Come inside where he is waiting for you. Waiting for you to submit your heart and soul into his hands. He is the potter and we are the clay.

Cross the threshold...come inside and he will make you new again...creating in you a clean heart.
If you make the effort these next forty days to draw nearer to God your heart will be changed. No one can draw near to God without being changed.

Drawing near to God is 'energy efficient' because the closer you are to him the easier it is to communicate with him. When God draws near to us his presence in our life is better than any 'weather striping' we could purchase. When he is near to us we are under his protective care. No harm can come to those who love him.

"Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you."

Let this Lent be the true beginning of something new in your heart.

I took this photo of the threshold into the Mary garden.

If we do not cross the threshold we will never know what wonders lie inside.

I chose this kaleidoscope image because there are tiny subtle pieces of brilliance just waiting to be explored. Come inside a see for yourself what wonders God has in store for you this Lent.

I will join you there.