PRAYER OF CONSECRATION
Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.
Jesus, I belong to you.
I lift up my heart to you.
I set my mind on you.
I fix my eyes on you.
I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice.
Jesus, we belong to you.
Praying in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen.
Galatians 2:19–21
“For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”
CONSIDER THIS
How many of you have heard the story of the boy who carried water in two clay pots hanging on either end of a long pole? Each day he filled up the pots and carried them down the path to his master’s house. One pot was perfect, but the other pot was broken with several cracks, so water leaked out and it was never able to deliver the full amount of water. At the end of the year, the broken pot felt defeated and apologized to the boy about its imperfections. Yet the boy would not accept the apologies. He told the broken pot that he knew all about his brokenness, so he scattered seed on that side of the path. Because the water leaked out, the seeds were watered and bloomed to be a blessing to others. The boy saw that new life could come from imperfect places. Praise the Lord!
If we were to measure our lives against the law as the Israelites did, we would find ourselves much like the pot who was defeated when he looked at his imperfections. As grateful as I am that God made a temporary way for atonement before Jesus, I am more grateful that it is through Christ’s death that my imperfections are made perfect. Paul, in his letter to the Galatians, is clear that measured against the law, his life would be lost. It is the law that condemned him and Christ who freed him.
The Israelites knew that freedom from their brokenness could only come from the blood of the sacrifices which were surrendered at the altar. “For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life” (Lev. 17:11). Slow down and read that again and make it personal. It is Jesus’s blood that makes atonement for my life. Jesus is the lifeblood and only through Him can we have life.
Paul reminds the Galatians that they don’t have to try and patch up their broken places by using the law. Jesus takes all of our brokenness and uses it for His glory to create a new witness of His transforming power. Have you felt imperfect during this Lenten journey? Discovered any new broken places? The good news that Paul shared with the Galatians is true for us today. Our brokenness is made whole through the sacrifice from Jesus so we can surrender those imperfections to Jesus. This week as you are reflecting on the parts of your life that are imperfect, remember that we live by faith and are loved by the Father.
THE PRAYER
Jesus, thank You for paying our debts so we are not shackled by our sins. Give us an opportunity today to encourage someone who feels broken and remind them that through You, they can be used for Your glory. Amen.
THE QUESTIONS
What does it mean to you that you no longer live, but Christ lives in you? How have you tried to pay the debt of your sin by yourself?
For the Awakening,
Susan Kent
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4 Responses
Jesus uses the broken people to reach broken people.
The broken pot not only allowed the water to nourish the seeds, but as the water moved (Living Water?) through it, the water also cleansed the pot.
Ironically, to become new, brokenness must be evident. If tiredness is the sunrise of a new day and weariness is the darkness behind the setting sun, let brokenness be the path to wholeness IN Christ.
IN Christ, we become the peaceful rest in a topsy-turvy world.
Matthew 11:28-30
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
IN Christ, our souls rest.
What more do we need?
Staying 💪’ n Christ
Ephesians 6:10
Finally, be strong IN the Lord and IN His mighty power.
Paul’s statement about himself in Galatians 2:19-21 is a reminder that the progress that we make towards being conformed into the image of Christ is not of our own doing. Therefore, we have no cause to either boast or look down on a brother or sister in Christ who hasn’t progressed to our own level yet. Rather our task is to give encouragement and share God’s grace with them. Secondly, every time I participate in the Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist, I’m reminded that is His broken body and shed blood that I’ve received, gives me Life and sustains it till I finish the race.
To “be crucified with Christ” is to “live by faith in the Son of God.” It is to rely every moment on the inner presence of the risen Jesus. It is a shift from relying on my own efforts in life to living by staying continually aware of and obedient to the presence of Christ living in me.
Faith is the most powerful in surrendering to to His will, for His purpose in our lives to be His hands and feet extended for His glory.