VIENNA PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH | MARCH 2023
THE MONTHLY MESSENGER
FROM HOPE'S HEART... Brothers & Sisters of VPC, Well, it finally happened. I got bifocals. You might not have even known that I wear glasses at all because I typically have my contacts in. I’ve worn glasses since I was 15, but bifocals are new to me. I probably should’ve gotten them a year or two ago. It’s not that my old glasses were bad. I could still see most stuff, most of the time. In fact, until I put on my new glasses I hadn’t even realized how blurry things had actually become. My new glasses are a reminder that even when you think you might not need it, especially when you think you might not need it, it’s never a bad idea to approach things with new eyes! We now find ourselves in the middle of Lent, that season of repentance that leads us to the Resurrection. As a pastor, I tend to wonder what will be different about this year? Isn’t Lent pretty much the same thing every year? We all talk about what we’re going to give up and we smear the ashes on our foreheads and then, after 40 days, the tomb is empty and we can all resume eating chocolate. There has to be more to it, right?
That depends on how we see our sin. Much like my old glasses, we probably could say that we generally see our sin because it’s always there. But, what if this year we sought to see it with greater clarity? What if we took our sin a little more seriously? Not just confessing it, but really examining it and repenting (turning away) from it? Do you think it would change things for us on Easter morning? I do. When we really take the time to examine our sin and seek to repent from it, we cannot help but find ourselves longing for grace – a forgiveness and removal of those things that leave ugly marks on our hearts and lives. That grace is found in Jesus Christ, who stepped in and paid for our sins. So if you are looking to see Jesus, to see his love and mercy, with greater clarity this Holy season, take a good long look at your sin. Like my bifocals, just a little shift in focus, can bring great clarity and new vision to your faith! In the Grip of Grace, Pastor Hope hope.lee@viennapres.org