The First Baptist Church of Redlands
T A PE S T R Y
Mar 2022
Wo v e n To g e t h e r I n L o v e : C o l o s s i a n s 2 : 2
Issue No. 3
A Lenten Journey – Receiving the Glory A Message from Pastor Shawn
The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
going for a walk, run, bike-ride, everyday. Reading an inspirational or challenging book, can all be ways of intentionally drawing close to God during this season of the year. The season of Lent is a time in which we are reminded of how much we need God, as well as how much Jesus sacrificed on our behalf.
John 17:22-23 NRSV
This season of Lent we will explore the theme, “A Lenten Journey: Receiving the Glory.” We will have as our guest the Rev. Joel Fairley who will be leading us in various creative exercises that are designed to help us to experience God. This will be happening beginning Wednesday, March 2 and going through Holy Week. Each week will be a different activity. Hopefully, in addition to experiencing God’s presence through tis particular exercise that week, each of us will find ways to incorporate what we are learning into our regular life so that we can receive the Glory and proclaim Christ in you work.
My first thought when I think that someone is “receiving the glory” I think of someone receiving all the glory. It is when someone gets all the credit for it—and maybe they don’t deserve all of the credit. Maybe someone else should share the glory. But then I think of the phrase “in all its glory”— “There it was in all its glory.” Like maybe naked, or in some presentation that was embarrassing or “too much.” In scripture one gets a different meaning. Glory has to do with God. When we receive glory, it is a dramatic experience of God in our lives. This is a prayer that Jesus is praying for his disciples-and for us! He is praying that he has passed on to the disciples the glory that God has given him so that his followers would be one with one another as Jesus is with God. All this is so that people would know what God has done in sending Jesus and that God loves us! Lent is a time of the year when we draw close to the God who made us, gave us life, and loves us. It is a time when we focus on spiritual disciplines that allow us to draw close to God. Some people have the tradition of “giving up” something for Lent. For some it may be something like chocolate or soda. For others it may be giving up meat or television or social media. These can be very powerful experiences that, indeed, draw us closer to God. Another option is to “add” something, like reading through a particular section or book of the Bible each day of Lent. Or
Though it is always a good time to draw close to God, it is especially so in the life of our church right now. We are working together in groups to flesh out many of the ideas that came out of the Focus Groups that we had in the latter part of last year. We are also in the middle of a search not for just one, but two new full-time staff people. We are still dealing with the ups and downs of this pandemic (and we are really tired of it!). May all of these concerns find a place in each of our prayer-lives. As we enter into this season of Lent, may it be a transformational experience for each of us as well as for our church. May we know what it is like to receive the glory!
Grace and peace in Christ, Pastor Shawn
