The 40 Day Marketing Campaign

~~~Joel 2: 12-18 ~~~ Psalm 51 ~~~ 2Cor. 5: 20-6:2 ~~~ Matt. 6: 1-6, 16-18 ~~~

"Between the porch and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep..."

Today begins Christianity's intense marketing campaign held every year at this time. This campaign will only last for 40 days...it is called Lent. In order to let the world know you are participating in and supportive of this annual event we ask that you come forward to be marked with ashes. This marking of the cross with ashes high upon your forehead is visible for all to view. In fact this is a temporary branding signifying that you willingly agree to share.

 Just for today as we begin this time together we ask you to tell the whole world by this action of being marked with the cross...the time is now.
The permanent branding for a Christian is both the crucifix and the crown of thorns. They are, each one, quickly identified with our salvation.

In order to believe in this salvation the prophet Joel offers us a few guidelines.
"...return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning; Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the Lord, your God."

The anointed ministers are urged to offer additional prayers an our behalf even to the point of weeping. Intervening before God for us, each of us, not only those in most need due to grave sin, but me and you.

The prophet taps into our human emotions of compassion for our sisters and brothers. Weeping implies a deeper emotional content; it is not only reciting prayers.

The salvation marketing campaign continues with Psalm 51.
"...wipe out my offense...wash me from guilt...cleanse me...
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me."
And finally, "...a willing spirit sustain in me."

A marketing campaign is only successful if people respond. We, the people, have to take some action. That is what a good campaign does, it moves people to take action. Effective marketing campaigns make the listener or observer believe he or she cannot live without the intended product.

With that in mind we are given Paul's second letter to the Corinthians, "We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God." Take action. Do not wait. "...now is a very acceptable time...now is the day of salvation."
Here we are poked with some high pressure sales tactics. You know the drill...this offer is only good until...act before midnight...the price is increasing tomorrow...this offer will never again be made.

The church chose one more person to present the salvation message today and that is with the gospel of Mark. Mark says, 'oh and by the way if you choose to accept this message for your salvation' there is more you need to know. We know that if you accept and agree to take action on your own behalf, it will require time spent in prayer and fasting.

This wonder of salvation comes with a few strings attached...and those would be sacrifices. No one can really make sacrifices in your place. You are the one who must your cross.

Prayer is the most important way to draw strength. Through the power of prayer you are able to make  the necessary sacrifices. Through the power of prayer you can carry your cross.

"But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your father in secret."

While the priests and ministers are on the porch praying and weeping for us we in turn must go to our inner room, behind closed doors to pray. During these next 40 days sequester yourself away for personal prayer and fasting. Do this in secret without boasting about how you have bought in to this life saving marketing campaign. Let your prayers rise like incense to the father in heaven.

This is your life.
This is your salvation.
The time really is now.
The crucifix logo is for you.

Pray to your father in heaven like you have never prayed before; start today. Do not wait!

Let the burned ashes of today create your clean heart of tomorow.

Original photo taken of incense rising at the foot of the cross.

This kaleidoscope image to me reflects leaving the colorful busy outside world;

entering into the inner prayer room.

May this season of Lent bring you ever closer to Our Lord.

May your truly rise like incense upward to the Father.

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.

Change the Direction of Your Heart

2 Samuel 12: 1-7a, 10-17

Thomas Keating in Invitation to Love wrote this about the meaning of repent...

We come now to the heart of the problem of the human condition. Jesus addressed this problem head-on in the gospel. What was his first word when beginning his ministry? "Repent." To repent is not to take on afflictive penances like fasting, vigils, flagellation or whatever else appeals. It means to change the direction in which you are looking for happiness.

How profound to think about repentance from that perspective..."to change the direction in which you are looking for happiness."  Through a story told by Nathan David realizes that he must change the direction in which he is looking for happiness. He is filled with such remorse that he refuses to eat, clothes himself in sackcloth, and sleeps on the gound. While sacrificing those things that bring us comfort might appear to be repentent, the change must really occur within the heart.

Thus again today we have the well known Psalm 51. The emphasis today cuts right to the core...Create a clean heart in me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me." A clean heart, a heart that desires what is good and pure. A heart that puts love for God above personal pleasures ans satisfactions. The psalm goes on...Give me back the joy of your salvation, and a willing spirit sustain in me.

In order to change the direction of your heart it takes more than just saying the words. It takes a willingness to be on guard to be vigilant, to be aware of the former urgings of the heart. Praying while keeping in sight the large crucifix in our church is something that reminds me which direction love originates.

For God so loved the world...that he sent his only begotten son to be with us. David could not hold on to the image of the crucifix, but he did have the love of God in his heart. God sent Nathan to get the attention of David through a simple story.

Throughout the public life of Jesus he told stories, parables, as his primary method of teaching. People can relate to stories because we can visualize the events and our emotions follow accordingly.
So Nathan's story was visualized by David which ignited deep emotion within his heart.

What story or image helps you sustain your willingness to maintain a clean heart?

Original picture: A person with both arms stretched up to the sky.

I chose this image because humility and surrender lead us to true repentance.

This kaleidoscope image incorporates both the darkness of sin and the brightness of a clean heart.

Create in me a clean heart, O God. 

Your word is a light for my path.