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The book of Lamentations is the book for Lent.

Not just for the people in Jeremiah’s day to reflect on their sins that landed them in famine, plague, destruction, and exile, but also for the church today. The church today, and individuals in the church, often place false hope and security in institutions that they believe will give them stability in hard times, rather than placing that trust in Jesus their savior.

Lamentations chapter four gives the reader false securities that God ripped out from under Judah to bring them to repentance: #1, Gold and precious stones, that represented the glory of the Temple and their priestly service (vs 1-2); #2, Stability and care of the family (3-4); #3, Trust in nobility and those with wealth and power (5-6); #4, Trust in holy men/ Nazarites (7-8); #5, Trust in abundance of food (9-10); #6, Trust in Fortress Zion (11-12); #7, Trust in the Religious Order (13-16); #8, Trust in nearby foreign powers to save (17-18); #9, Trust in their anointed King (19-20); #10, Trust in Brother Edom/Esau, their relative (21-22).

In whom do you trust? In what do you trust? In what do we as a church, a culture, a nation, trust?

If Lent is for introspection and self-examination, surely our sins of false trust and in false securities top the list. Trust in American military might, the American economy, the government social structure, the political system, the courts, the family, personal wealth and career, etc., is falsely placed. These all fall short as secure foundations. You cannot hide behind them against the Lord’s judgment.

Your trust must be in the Lord Jesus Christ alone. He alone is true security.

What is the theme of God’s story in the Bible, and of human history? Maturity. The story starts in Genesis with the creation of man. The first man, the first Adam, was immature. There’s nothing particularly wrong with being immature. Everyone starts off in need of training and knowledge.

But Adam compounded immaturity by falling into sin. This was a setback to the theme of maturity. Now Adam and the whole human race’s growth was stunted. The rest of the story then, the thread through the whole Bible, is God directly intervening in the course of human affairs to spur His people toward maturity; to rescue us from our enmity with God and our perpetual desire to remain in sin and immaturity. God the Son put on human flesh to become the once-for-all sacrifice.

And at the end of the story, which we are privy to in Revelation, man is matured in the second Adam. The perfected bride is presented to the mature second Adam.

As you consider this Lenten season, and the culmination which draws near very quickly now with the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord, consider to what end He did these things. Of course he redeemed you from your bondage to sin and death. But redeemed to what? To maturity. One of the purposes of this season is that you may reflect on those things which hinder your maturation and ask God for wisdom, guidance, and the Holy Spirit to help remove those things from your life. Remember, James tells us in 1:5: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” So ask God for wisdom and maturity, and trust Him, for He will give it to you liberally!

In John 13, Jesus washes the feet of his disciples, and then encourages them to do the same to one another. What are we to make of that?

Foot washing does occur in other places in the scriptures. Abraham washes the feet of his three visitors in Genesis 18, Lot offers the same to the two angels, water is given for the feet of Abraham’s servant at Laban’s house, and Joseph gives water for foot washing in chapter 43. Jesus scolds Simon the Pharisee for not offering water in Luke 7, and a requirement for church-supported widows is that they have washed the feet of the saints, 1 Tim 5.

What’s the importance of washing feet when entering someone’s home? What is dirt/dust symbolic of ? The curse in Genesis 3. So as people come into your house, you are offering them purification from a cursed-setting to one of blessing through the door of your house. You are “escorting” them from one world to another, to a world clean of the curse, symbolically speaking.

So Jesus is escorting his disciples into his house where men enjoy cursed-free communion. In other words, he’s elevating them to his station. He is, in effect, anointing and purifying them into the same ministry he has been performing: bringing people into communion with the Father.

But Theologian Brian Moats has suggested another line of thinking as well: washing/purifying the feet of those who will soon crush Satan under their feet, (Romans 16:20) even as Jesus will soon do on the cross where he crushes the serpent’s head, Genesis 3:15 and Psalm 110:6. “The disciples’ feet are being purified for the same purpose as their Lord — to crush Satan under their feet, to take up their cross and follow Him.”

So during Lent, remember who you are: a descendant of the Apostles, who is in communion with THE head- crusher. And when you look at your own feet, reflect a little and ask yourself: how have I crushed Satan’s head today?

Let’s face it; the bumper sticker is correct: Life is Good.

We live in a stable society, we get paid regularly, the electricity is always on, and we can count on life being pretty consistent. Yes, some have illnesses and people get sick and don’t recover, but Life is Good.

So in this season of Lent, it may be hard to grasp the seriousness of sin, particularly your sins that would send Jesus to the cross. Does the Father really get upset about sin? Yes, He’s holy, but my sins are low-key and I’m not that bad of a person; I’m struggling to plumb the depths of my sins and God’s justice upon Jesus on my behalf.

Where do you turn for help? How about re-reading the book of Lamentations in one sitting? The book is about Yahweh’s wrath and destruction upon the city of Jerusalem and daughter Judah at the end of the kingly era. While the structure of the book highlights that the destruction is not total, it is monumental. It cuts deep. Society is ripped apart because of Judah and Jerusalem’s sins of faithlessness and false worship. Destroyed. Demolished. “Jerusalem sinned grievously, therefore she became filthy…her uncleanness was in her skirts; she took no thought of her end; therefore her fall is terrible; she has no comforter” (2.8-9).

Yes, the Lord takes sin seriously. He is jealous for his bride, and He will act to bring her back to himself. Because God’s people would not consider their end, he ended their future: “My eyes are spent with weeping…because infants and babies faint in the streets of the city. They cry to their mothers, “Where is bread and wine?…as their life is poured out on their mother’s bosom” (2.11-12).

Look in the mirror of Lamentations, and struggle no more. The necessity of Jesus’s death for you is real.

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. But let steadfastness have its maturing effect, that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.
— James 1:2–4

This past weekend, Trinity Presbyterian Church in Birmingham hosted a conference, the theme of which was, “Courageous Church, Hostile World.” And as we considered the trials of the church in Acts, and compared it to the present day, one couldn’t help but think of the words of James.

James wrote his letter to the brothers and sisters undergoing quite severe persecution as they were scattered across the region fleeing the threat of death. But the thing is, the harder the enemies of Christ push against the church, the more the church can and should rejoice. James instructs joy in the face of trials and persecutions. For in the trials the church is strengthened and matured.

Maturity, in fact, is a major theme of the book of James. And the means to bring it about is not something we usually look forward to readily. And yet, as the world around us moves into a more hostile stance, the joy that we show in the face of it should convict those around us.

Remember Paul and Silas in Acts 16. Though they faced trials, hardships, and false accusations, for which they were imprisoned, yet they sang hymns as the other prisoners listened. And in the end, through their joy and maturity in the face of trials, the entire household of the jailer was baptized into the faith.

So as we begin to see the trials taking hold around us, count it joy, for God is working to mature his church. We do not know what God will work through us!

This past Wednesday, the ashes of remembrance shaped in the sign of the cross on our foreheads, provided a reminder of the dust to which we are destined to return. This is not a morbid, introspective self-examination, but a realistic call to face the reality of our condition. And in so doing, it is a natural outworking to consider our short lives, and to refocus on Christ — calling to mind the ways in which we can serve the Lord in more and more maturity and wisdom.

Last week, Pastor Shade called us to consider acts of service — instead of focusing on ourselves, focus on serving others. Our lives as Christians, should, after all, be characterized by service.

Here’s another thing to consider as an alternative to the traditional “giving something up.” We can, instead, incorporate something else of value into our lives by spending some time in the Gospels, in the life of Christ. Lent must culminate in Easter and the resurrection of our Lord, and spending additional time in the gospels of our Lord can certainly serve as a refocusing tool, calling to mind how we are to imitate Him.

Matthew gives us Christ the Priest, teaching and instructing the people. The Gospel of Mark presents Jesus as King, the king who lays down his life in service for others. Luke presents Him as the true Prophet, bringing the gospel to the Gentiles. And finally, the Gospel of John shows us the True Man who loves his brother as true friend.

As we read of Christ’s life, and consider the Lenten reminder, dust to dust, ashes to ashes, we should appreciate that much more what Christ has done for us in His rich mercy. Christ served us, and He in turn calls on us to serve Him, and those around us. Remember that we are dust, that we will return to dust. And yet, because of Christ, we will rise again. That is the reality of Christ!

Pastor Josh Anderson of Colleyville, Texas has an interesting point about the practice of Lent:

In the Scriptures, there is often a temptation to understand piety before God as fundamentally about “giving up something” or fasting. But ultimately, defining piety as what you give up (or don’t do) can be reductionistic, and runs the risk of missing the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy and faithfulness. It is easier to give something up than to give yourself in constant service and love to those God has put into your life. We must take care to not mistake the lesser things in the law for the greater — we are commanded by Paul to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, and the royal law of the Scriptures is the law of love and service.

I think he’s right: Lent often seems “selfish” because I give up something I decide to give up: Snicker’s bars, chocolate, game shows, coffee, dark beer, etc. Supposedly, I discipline myself for greater piety giving up those things.

But how about this instead: Jesus gave up his life for us, bearing our sins upon the cross. He walked the earth, was subject to humanity’s ills like colds, sickness, sore feet, etc., even before the cross. So rather than taking something out of our life for Lent, why don’t we add our life into that of our neighbor’s? Jesus gave himself for us; why don’t you give yourself for others like he did?

So this Lent, ask the shut-in if you can shop for them, clean out their garage, haul out the trash, or get stuff out of the attic they can’t retrieve! Or helping the single mom clean her bathroom, vacuum her car, or take her children out for some walks and picking up trash along the road?

I think you see where I’m going — giving yourself for others, looking outward, bringing the joy and cheer of giving to others! Like Jesus did for you!

In our day, the church has so personalized the gospel that all gospel presentations, all gospel tracts, focus primarily upon the individual and his/her salvation/standing before God. Rarely, if ever, is the church or the body of Christ mentioned in these presentations. And so, you wouldn’t be remiss to think the gospel really means, “Jesus saves me from the devil’s grip, or from my own sins.”

In theological terms, many of the Reformers, following Luther, made the gospel presentation a theological platform: salvation is justification by faith. If you understand justification by faith, then you can be saved.

But justification by faith isn’t new in the gospels, when Jesus shows up on the scene. Abraham, the example of faith, was justified by faith 2500 years earlier, or, going back to Adam, who believed the Lord’s promise that his wife would be blessed with children, and so named her Eve, the mother of all living. He believed in faith.

So what’s new with the gospel? Why all the angels and shekinah glories and prophetical excitement? It’s not even that God is king, as Psalm 22:28 proclaims: “For kingship belongs to Yahweh and he rules over the nations.” But this is MUCH closer to all the hubbub! Why? Because Jesus is Yahweh come in the flesh, and he is the King! Kingship now belongs to the God-man, Jesus, Son of David. Now, Jesus IS Lord! Jesus is the king. That’s what’s new in the gospels: Jesus rules over all the nations, and there is a man on the throne of all the world. By Pentecost the transformation of the world order is complete: the Spirit of Jesus has come down upon men, and a man is ruling from heaven.

So, yes, salvation is personal. And it is also political: Jesus is Lord. Not only of you, but of all the world. Joy to the world!

Theologian Peter Leithart makes an interesting observation about the prayers of Christians in his book “The Theopolitan Vision” that we should consider and apply. He notes (p. 102) that prayer is another way we “‘one-another’ one another.” We cast our anxieties, and the anxieties of our brothers and sisters, on the Lord, be they great or small, and that all those prayers are ultimately about building the heavenly city that renews the cites of men.

But, he further notes, our prayers should reach as far as God’s promises, and not just stay at the personal level. Our prayers, he maintains, should rise to the level of Kingdom prayers, such as that Jesus will reign till all his enemies are placed beneath his feet (1 Cor 15), oppressor’s teeth are broken (Ps 58.6), the installed Son quiets the raging nations (Ps 2), justice and peace among nations is established (Ps 72; Is 9), etc. When is the last time you prayed his kingdom would continue growing from a stone into a mountain that fills the earth (Daniel 2)? Or that the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea (Isa 11.9)?

To be faithful in prayer, make your prayers political, too. Because all of life is political: Jesus is Lord! He is the King of kings, the Lord of lords. That’s global redemption. That’s the city of God redeeming the city of Men!

So next time you sit down with food to give thanks, pray that he will squash the wicked elected rulers of Tennessee however he sees fit. And, next time you tuck the kiddos into bed, ask Jesus to establish justice in our counties so your children can build Christian families, practice Christ’s love and law in peace, and St. Mark and all Christian churches can worship faithfully for a 1000 years!

Often you hear Christians say “Let go and let God” in response to something someone says about working out a situation to God’s glory. Often you hear Christians say to others “Don’t be a legalist” or “that’s legalism” when they hear somebody recommend a course of action.

Or some say, “The doctrine of sanctification is understanding justification,” meaning, I don’t have to try to be faithful in the Christian life to a set of rules, etc. “I’m justified; I just have to love Jesus.”

All of these approaches center around what “works” a Christian should be doing, and are attempts to deny any kind of “salvation by works,” which is well and good. We aren’t saved by the works we do; but we are saved to do works to God’s glory! We are to imitate our faithful Savior Jesus who obeyed his Father! What say the scriptures about faithful working?

“For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision nor uncircumcision count for anything, but only faith working through love.” – Galatians 5.6

“…work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to do his will and to work for his good pleasure.” – Phil. 4.12b-13

“Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fail.” – 2 Peter 1.10

“And whatever he did, Yahweh made it succeed.” – Genesis 39.23c

See also Genesis 18.17-19 for how God’s sovereignty and man’s faithful works are completely interrelated and interdependent!

Have you ever taken note of how the writers of the new Testament often refer to themselves as “bondservants” of Christ? Paul does so in Romans and Titus, and references it in the book of Galatians. Peter, Jude, and, James do the same. Though these are all leaders and pillars in the church, they refer to themselves as slaves (Greek: doulous) of Christ.

We often reference the freedom we have in Christ, and this is right and good. But the paradox is that we have this freedom because we are slaves to Christ, the one who brings true freedom. In John 8:31–34 we read how Jesus told the Jews they could be made free by the truth. Remember how indignant they were? In their minds, they were already free. Jesus of course, dispels that myth for them: “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.”

And Paul tells us in Romans 6 that we have “been set free from sin, and become slaves of God.”

This is the paradox of our faith. In service to Christ is found freedom. Isn’t that an odd thing to our modern ears? But this is how our Lord deals with us and with this sinful world. We think we’re free in sin but we’re really in bondage. Therefore Christ purchases our freedom so that we are free to serve Him for the purposes he created us for. As our Lord says:

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow
me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

Have you ever wondered, week after week as you sit and eat at the Lord’s Table, how you are now drinking the blood of Christ, but Israeli saints were forbidden to drink blood? Have you ever wondered why the change? And perhaps every once in a while you remember the Apostolic charge to the churches in Acts 15 to “abstain from what has been strangled, and from blood,” and think somewhat squeamishly you might be disobeying that?

The prohibition of eating blood in the old testament comes in the statement “the life of the flesh is in the blood.” Israel was forbidden from eating blood because they were not to get life from the flesh. God didn’t want them relying on the “flesh,” their own power or prowess or strength, which was under the power of sin. No, he wanted them relying on Him.

What changed? Well, the blood of Jesus is not the blood of flesh; it is the blood of the spiritual person, the blood of the person who has risen from the flesh to Spirit. Remember what Paul said in 1 Cor 15? “The first man Adam became a living being; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.” First the flesh, then the Spiritual man. In communion, you are not drinking the “life of the flesh” but the lifeblood of the Spirit. Drinking Jesus’ blood thus means precisely the opposite of drinking animal blood!

What is effected at the Supper is communion with God in Christ by the Spirit.

So drink from the chalice, all of you!