Scotty Williams

Bible

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Matthew 16:24

Baldwin

And I know that self-delusion, in the service of no matter how small or lofty cause, is a price no writer can afford.

Blessing

As a pastor my greatest temptation is to preach a “nice Jesus”. A Christ who is like Superman and will save us from our crosses. The truth is, no matter how off putting it, that He has never promised to this. In fact, He has said that we must take up our crosses. This is the reality of life and faith, and the sooner we accept the easier following Christ will be. Though He will not take up our crosses, He will strengthen us to carry them. And what’s more is that He, Who never leaves nor forsakes will carry our crosses with us.

May we be blessed by the reality of life and faith this Lenten season.

Here is a classic Spiritual that talks about the reality of life and faith.  

Bible

When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 1 Corinthians 13:11

Baldwin

The people who have managed to get off this block have only got as far as a more respectable ghetto.

Blessing

One lament on the journey of faith is not being where we want to be. In fact, it sometimes brings a shame that stops us in our tracks. We know we, or at least think we know, we should be further and better. Nevertheless, if we look back we can see the marks of progress. Though not where we wish to be, we can be grateful we are not where and how we used to be. And it does not matter if we are inches or miles from former things. Progress is progress, and it is has to be acknowledged and celebrated.

May we be blessed with celebrating our progress this Lenten season.

Here is a classic Spiritual of gratitude for progress.  

Bible

 “This is My Son, Whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.”. Matthew 3:17

Baldwin

The world tends to trap and immobilize you in the role you play; and it is not always easy—in fact, it is always extremely hard.

Blessing

One thing that we give up during Lent is the labels that are put on us, and this includes the labels that we put on ourselves. What matters the most is how God our Maker defines us, and, though imperfect, He calls us beloved. And where can this precious label be found? Within the Holy Scriptures, which reveal who and what we are. This is why we look to them within this time of fasting. They are affirmations from the One Whose opinion of us is what matters the most.

May we be blessed with God’s affirmation this Lenten season.

Here is a joyful song of affirmation.  

Bible

 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36:26

Baldwin

No one is more dangerous than he who imagines himself pure in heart: for his purity, by definition, is unassailable.

Blessing

Like altars during Holy Week, Lent is a time of stripping away, and one thing we remove is what the Bible calls “self righteousness”. This righteousness is, as Baldwin writes, is the pure heart we think we have. It is illusions of our own goodness based on works we deem as upright. God desires that we abandon these illusions in exchange for a new heart; a goodness that is not stone cold and dead within our arrogance. He offers us a warm and living righteousness from the Saviour Who has died and is risen.

May we be blessed with new hearts in exchange for our old ones this Lenten season.

Here is an uplifting song about exchange.  

Bible

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” John 8:11

Baldwin

Any real change implies the breakup of the world as one has always known it, the loss of all that gave one an identity, the end of safety.

Blessing

While God says, “Come as you are”, He never says,  “Stay as you are”. Our Maker invites us to be changed, and is working daily that we might be transformed. And into what? Well, St. Paul gives an answer (Romans 8:29). God is working to make us like His Son, Jesus. At times this change can be heavy and painful, but in the long run it is worth it. When God’s work is done we will be free from the sins that bind us. And we will find ourselves conformed to the blessed image of Jesus.

May we be blessed this Lenten season with the joys of change.

Here is a lovely prayer hymn about transformation.  

Bible

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23

Baldwin

But what men imagine they are doing and what they are doing in fact are rarely the same thing.

Blessing

As a perfectionist I greatly loathe when things do not go as planned, which is what has happened with my daily thoughts for this year’s Lenten season. I imagined a smooth succession of well-crafted short reflections, but life broke that succession with a host of sudden things. There were familial obligations and meetings for the congregation I serve; all things that worked together and interrupted my plans. Nevertheless, in the words of St. Paul, these things have worked together for good. They have reminded that Lent is not, and never will be, a perfect season. We imagine it going one way, and then it goes another. Yet, as it takes a different course, it is always driven by a faithful God.

May we be blessed this Lenten season with peace for the imperfections.

If you are wrestling with interruptions to your fasting, here is a song to help you find a bit of peace.  

Bible

I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.

Psalm 77:11

Baldwin

I conceive of my own life as a journey toward something I do not understand, which in the going toward, makes me better.

Blessing

While remembering Jesus’ fast and temptation in the wilderness, we take the time during Lent to remember how we got over. We reflect on all the challenges we have faced in our lives, and the ways we survived them and through to the other side. Sometimes our will and wit have helped to get us over, and other times the grace of God has helped to get us over. During Lent we remember all of these blessed ways, and sit with a wonder and gratitude that their memory invokes.

May we be blessed this Lenten season with awe and grateful hearts as we look back and reflect upon the many things that brought us through.     

As you remember the challenges that you have overcome, listen to this Gospel hymn and rest within its words.

Bible

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Jeremiah 29:11

Baldwin

I conceive of God, in fact, as a means of liberation and not a means to control others.

Blessing

During Lent we seek correction for things that stifle our faith, and one of them is misconceptions that we have about God. The worst of these misconceptions, that is often taught in Churches, is that God must somehow harm us in order to make us holy. Of course, what is bad can end up working for our good, but the Lord of host, as Scripture shows, is for and not against us. He is not abusive taking pleasure in our shame, and He does not need suffering to sanctify His people. He is gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in love. And He promises that His plans are good with a hope that brightens our future.

May we be blessed this Lenten season with corrected misconceptions, and see our caring Maker more clearly for Who He is.

For those wounded by abusive conceptions of God, here is a beautiful hymn to comfort and encourage you.

Bible

At once the Spirit sent Him out into the wilderness,

Mark 1:12

Baldwin

I, like many a writer before me upon the discovery that his props have all been knocked out from under him, suffered a species of breakdown and was carried off to the mountains of Switzerland.

Thought

Contrary to popular belief, Lent is not a time for holy works. Instead, it is a time for rest from the rigours of spiritual life. Though walking with Jesus brings peace and joy to the believer, there are sacred labours that the walk entails which, despite their beauty, are draining. Therefore, we need a breather from of all the blessed activity, and one breather is Lent where we can sit down with the Saviour. His fast was not a work but a retreat from the work of ministry, and our fasting these six weeks serves the very same purpose. May we use this time to get the rest that we need, and go deeper into the peace and joy that come from walking with Jesus.    

Bible

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.

Psalm 32:8

Baldwin

Be careful what you set your heart upon,’ someone once said to me, ‘for it will surely be yours.

Thought

On the journey of faith there are moments where people lose their bearings, and in these moments they have stop and check the compass guiding them. For some they are guided by their heart and burning passions, and for they are guided by wisdom from the stories others. These things recenter them and help them find direction, and the same is true for practices that are done in the Lenten season. Lent is a time where Christians intentionally stop on the journey of faith and find direction through prayer, Scripture, fasting, and repentance. These things like signs point us onward to a destination, and that is Christ Whose death and resurrection lie ahead of us.