(Senior Pastor’s Note: Mike is a member of St. John’s MCC)

A Glorious Ash Wednesday to Us All,

As we ponder the journey of Lent once again, I pray this will be a time of new beginnings for us. A time when we, with God’s help, can rid ourselves of our old certitudes and fixed creeds and become refreshed in the new things God is doing in our midst.

A place to begin is in considering our ministry, personally and collectively. An important part of beginning a walk with The Christ is searching and discerning your abilities and passions and finding ways to make those available to God for use in service to others. It is a powerful way for God to meet us where we are and reinforce the message that we are all of value; we all have purpose; we all are important to God and the world.

As we mature in our faith, there is an often overlooked call to go beyond the safety and comfort of ourselves ... to bridge the gap between where we are and where God wants us and the world to be. I, for one, too often deny God the opportunity to use me because the opportunity placed in front of me is outside of my skill set and comfort zone. When I look to the Bible for wisdom, I find that the largest figures in pointing the world toward God are the ones who, in fear and trembling, simply said “use me.” When I look to the Bible, I am reminded that:

Moses, with difficulty of speech, initially refused the opportunity to shepherd God’s sheep out of bondage.

David, a natural loaner, would have been happy in the fields with the lambs and a song. Even when his destiny was clear, he chose to follow ... not lead. In fact, if you look at his life closely, David was not a great King because of his leadership and direction. His personal choices regularly brought hardship and grief to himself and others. His greatness only came when he stepped away from his own ideas and followed those laid before him through the Law and the Prophets.

Peter was a simple fisherman quick to judge and slow to think.

Paul as Saul was a lover and preserver of the Law. It took an act of God through Christ to make him a follower of the Prophets.

It is nice to know that I am in good company in my refusal to follow God into the wilderness. And I am sure I am not alone in this truth....

Still, is that enough? Is dictating to God what I will and won’t do the relationship I want with God? I am certain it isn’t the relationship that God wants with or for me. Isn’t that what the ministry of Jesus and the cross were all about? Isn’t it about encouraging people to move from a place with God on their terms (Pharisees, Sadducees, Laws, Tradition, Religiosity), to a place where God can be God’s self? Isn’t it about encouraging people to move to a place where a person can receive healing on a Holy Day; a place where the outcast is invited to their place at God’s table; a place where we talk with God and not to God?

As I allow these thoughts to simply flow, I hear the words, “It is time to grow up.” God’s ministry is not about my skills and passions. It is about the needs of others that are right in front of me. God plays back for me my own words: “I will follow; use me; and I am yours Lord.” Then I see all of the times that those words were hollow. Where God went, who God needed me to be and what God asked me to do, was not where I wanted to go, who I wanted to be, and what I wanted to do. In those times I was still God’s, but the“everything I am and everything I am not,” I kept it for myself.

It has often been said that we should live in our passions. I think that maybe just another way to justify saying “no” to God when God calls us. I keep hearing “it’s not about the ministry you want to do; it’s about the ministry that needs to be done.” But God doesn’t stop there. The Voice goes on to say:

“If you want to be close to Me, come to where I am today and work alongside Me. Don’t worry if you do not know how or if you tried before and failed. Let Me show you and guide you. We can talk and share stories and joke around as you learn while we love and care for others together. When we are done, we can all celebrate together.”

It all starts with a willingness to be lent (an intentional word play by the Word.) If I lend myself to God, God believes the experience will open my heart to “give myself away.” That is what God is calling ALL of us to do. If I keep me for me, the best knowledge, understanding and wisdom I can achieve is finding out whom God made. To become who God wants me to be, Scripture says I must put myself in the potters hands to be molded and fired anew, transfiguring and transforming swords into plowshares. I am challenged to loan myself in total to God this Lenten season. Will you join me on the journey?

At this point, a word of caution must be shared in this moment. Before you say yes, God’s desire is not to borrow you or I, for the Law says a borrower must return what is borrowed. God’s true desire is for us to give ourselves completely over to God, so God can fashion us in to something new. I am not there, but I will try being lent. If you are there, I encourage you to stop asking for yourself back. Just listen to The Voice.

A first aside: The Voice reminds me that we were all made perfect, jewels beyond value. God’s desire to change us is not about fixing, destroying or altering that which God made to begin with. Rather, it is to clear off the dirt, scratches, dents and chips the world has caused so we can again shine brightly reflecting the Light and Life that is God.

A second aside: The Voice tells me it really is not giving our/myself away. A very hefty price was paid for me and everyone else on that cross. We have been purchased and the debt has been paid in full.

The question is have we allowed God to redeem what was bought? Are we willing to be fully lent during this season so God can truly use us for God’s plan and purposes in the present and future?

I’m willing to try … I invite you to join me.

- Mike Gauss