SUE O'DONNELL. 20.04.21
“Convert us, O God our Saviour, and instruct our minds by heavenly teaching.” (A Collect for Lent 2020 prayed by the Catholic Church)
Although called by Christ Jesus through the Holy Spirit,
To make good, sensible, life enhancing choices daily,
We are sorely tried, tempted and tested by adversity.
Can we not see we are in a real battle,
Evil trying to claim us, body, soul and spirit?
Fortunately, mercifully, according to God’s loving kindness,
We have an answer to this very real difficulty.
The answer is a Person, God’s Son, the holy One.
We call Him ‘Christ Jesus’ for a sound reason.
He is the One who seeks to save and sanctify us,
Christ Jesus saves us from a battle which satan lost.
The adversary is a mighty force of evil.
Attempting continuously to pull us away from God’s Son,
The holy One who comes for the reason of conquest.
The victory over all that threatens to destroy us,
Is Christ Jesus, the Messiah Saviour, beloved Son of God.
The battle to be finally won is between good and evil,
Love and hatred, prosperity and iniquity, all that is of beauty or ugly.
Christ Jesus is wisdom and truth placed before us,
Shining the brightest Light ever because He is Saviour.
He redeems us at the †, to start anew.
Let then all we think, do and say, especially as we pray,
Let this be holy, because we are touched by majesty.
The sovereignty of holy love and mercy is shown,
Made known by our Father, in the Son by the Holy Spirit.
The merit is in the outcome of salvation.
We are saved from satan and final annihilation.
We are redeemed to become good works in progress.
Our life under reform is for holy love to become the norm.
By the grace of God’s goodness, His steadfast loving kindness
In granting us a Saviour, we are taught anew,
Through our personal friendship with the Lord Jesus.
His aim is to save and sanctify us to make us
Belong to the Almighty Trinity of love and mercy,
Entirely, fully, completely, nothing held back,
No mishap, slip up, mistake, no iniquity.
Christ Jesus, by the Spirit, according to the Lord God Almighty
In love’s life giving power, calls us to be holy.
The Trinity’s highest aspiration is for our holiness.
They have gifted us the method, the means and the purpose.
Let us not disappoint, dismay nor distress them.
Loved back into wholeness at the †of forgiveness,
Let our faith surge forwards practised daily prayerfully.
A disposition to become holy requires effort, resolve,
Determination to persevere, repenting whenever necessary.
For we have erred, stayed or disobeyed,
Remorseful we change course, to move back towards
The fulfilment of our friendship with the Lord Jesus.
Our weakness, our nothingness is to be transformed,
Reformed according to the power of holy love,
Opening up life in all fullness now and heaven as our holy destiny.
Here are the infinite riches of knowing and following
Our Brother as Saviour, the Resurrection and the Life.
As He shares with us His holiness through the Spirit,
All according to the Lord God’s incredible mercy,
Christ Jesus lives within us, gifting us all we need
Both for a happily fulfilled life and a faith filled death.
We believe in the Light of the world which is Christ Jesus.
We accept that He lived, died and rose again for us.
We know we are pilgrims on a journey home to heaven.
“Salvation belongs to the LORD. Your blessing is upon Your people.” (Psalm 3 v 8)
“You, O LORD, are a shield for me, my glory and the One who lifts up my head.” (Psalm 3 v 3)
“Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; mercy and truth go before Your face. Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! They walk, O LORD, in the light of Your countenance. In Your name they rejoice all day long, and in Your righteousness they are exalted. For You are the glory of their strength and in Your favour…” (Psalm 89 v 14-17) the choice of life is incredibly blessed.
Blessed to be led by our Saviour Brother, blessed by the work of the Holy Spirit. Please help us to pray to maintain the choice of a godly life and to spread the gospel of hope far and wide. “For our shield belongs to You, LORD,” (based on v 18) and as we are an Easter people who rejoice, ever thanking You for the victory of the † of Christ Jesus, and the teaching of the sanctifying Holy Spirit, we will continue to pray about the choice of life. Amen.
Images by Artist Christine Garwood
http://www.christinegarwoodartist.co.uk/
Season
LENT
Key Themes
LIFE
CHOICE
