Lent is the time to contemplate the sacrifice of love, the sacrifice of grace, the sacrifice of mercy, and the sacrifice of Christ upon the cross.
Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus Christ.
During this Lenten season, we journey through texts and inhabit those texts that speak of the glory of the cross. The cross indeed is the wisdom and power of God. Jesus, lifted up, will draw all humanity, all creation back to the heart of God.
Dr. Howard Thurman commented on the death of Dr. Martin Luther King 50 years ago. He said, “Humanity only moves forward through the sacrifices that make us weep.”
Lent is the time to contemplate the sacrifice of love, the sacrifice of grace, the sacrifice of mercy. We contemplate the sacrifice of Christ upon the cross and we remember the sacrifice of leaders like Dr. King. On April 4, the 50th anniversary of Dr. King’s death, there will be the great gathering on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. I plan to be there. A busload of United Methodists from the North Carolina Conference will make the journey to give witness. The gathering will be a witness against racism and for the beloved community, for abundant life for all people.
I hope you will be very intentional in your personal prayers and your congregational life to mark this day, April 4. May this be a day when our country is inspired anew to engage toward justice and mercy for all people. Indeed humanity is moved forward in this time through the sacrifices that make us weep.