“Gisela Garmin” is what I call the new Global Positioning Satellite system my parents got me for Christmas. She’s affectionately named after an old German waitress at my favorite college hangout and has an amazing knack for knowing things about how and where I am in the world that surprise me.
Not only does Gisela give me specific instructions about how to get from “here” to “there,” but she reports how fast I’m going, what the speed limit is where I’m traveling and, with fairly precise accuracy, the time at which I’ll arrive at my destination. What surprises me most though, is how willing and able Gisela Garmin is to “recalculate” all of the above when I deviate from her suggested route.
See, I haven’t used the GPS yet to navigate unfamiliar territory. I’ve just played around with it for fun around town to see how it works. More than once, Gisela has suggested I follow a different route from what I’m used to. When I ignore her suggestion, turning left when she thinks I should go straight, for instance, she simply says, “recalculating,” and a new set of directions is prepared to get me where I need to be.
Lent is a time for us all to “recalculate.” Ash Wednesday, February 17th, marks the beginning of our collective journey to the cross of Good Friday and through the empty tomb of Easter. This journey is an opportunity to look deeply within ourselves to see where it is we’ve been and where it is our lives are heading in relation to our faith and in connection to God’s desires for us.
Very often we travel familiar paths, even if they’re not the fastest or safest way to get where we want to be. Very often we deviate from the route God would have us take, following our own inclinations and getting lost along the way. Very often we try to “recalculate” all on our own and find ourselves back-tracking or traveling in circles despite our best efforts.
The good news of Lent and Easter is that God has displayed a willingness and ability to “recalculate” the journey for us all. From ashes comes redemption. From sin comes forgiveness. From dust and death comes resurrection. And, in Jesus Christ, the lost are not only found, we are loved deeply and carried home by God’s amazing grace.
We have some good and meaningful things planned for our Lenten journey this year at Cross of Grace. I look forward to having you along for the ride.
See you in worship,
+Mark
