A REFLECTION FROM THE DEAN Dear Friends, Come home, all is forgiven! In his book, Passion for Pilgrimage, The Very Rev. Alan Jones sets the Lent/Easter story in the context of the Parable of the Prodigal Son. The wanderings of the younger son of the story, his search for meaning and purpose in life, his observances of the ways of the world, his realization of his own separation and inadequacy are, for the author, a symbol of our Lenten journey. And the fathers cry of welcome as he sees his son approaching is emblematic of Gods ever-welcoming cry to us: Come home, all is forgiven! Lent cannot be separated from Easter. As we continue in these last days of the Lenten season, we will hear this Sunday the story of the raising of Lazarus, another great tale of Gods welcome into his grace and new life. But resurrection, for us, is not simply a promise of new beginnings; it is the assurance that, if we begin anew, in Christ, our lives will be utterly changed. We will see the world in a different light, we will treat one another in a different way, we will sense the needs of our hearts from a different perspective. Dr. Jones says, The Resurrection story begins with the question, Do you love me? And leads to a second: Where is home? Through faith and experience we see the answers to both those questions in the life, death, and Resurrection of Jesus. God does love us...with all of our warts, shortcomings, and inadequacies. And that place were God is, is truly our home. It is where we belong. It is where we want to be. It is abounding in love, care, and affection. The Good News of Easter is that the homecoming is for everyone. None of us is left out. The banquet table is set so that all of us may feast sumptuously. So in these final weeks of Lent, think about coming home to God. Think about setting aside those things in your life that hamper that. Look for opportunities to forgive, and to taste Gods forgiveness. And remember, the banquet is for everybody. See you in church, Doug McCaleb The Very Reverend Douglas Wm McCaleb Dean
Posted on: Fri, 04 Apr 2014 19:06:26 +0000
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