Return to Me: A Pause for Lent, Week 6

Day 1:

We’ve reached the final week of our Lenten reflections! We know that spending time in reflection, asking God to search your heart, confessing and turning from anything that has separated you from God is heavy work, but we pray it’s been a blessing. Hopefully you’ve been reminded or encouraged that the mercy and kindness of God, and that repentance is a gift that allows you to draw closer to the Lord.

Our final passage comes from James 4:7-10. Each day this week, we’ll build on these verses, but for now, simply read the passage and think on it. If you like, read it in more than one translation and see if anything sticks out to you.

James 4:7-10 (ESV)

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

Day 2:

Re-read James 4:7-10.

The book of James was written by Jesus’ half-brother, who led the church in Jerusalem after Christ’s ascension. Rather than addressing this letter to a specific church, James wrote it to Christians everywhere as a reminder of how we are to live out our faith. In this series, we’ve seen how God calls us to return to him, using his words in Scripture and the community around us. We’ve seen how we can and should respond to this call by humbly confessing our sins and running to the Father who greets us with open arms. We’ve seen that once we’ve returned to God, we can invite others—the whole Body—to join us, and we can intercede on its behalf.

Here, James, too, is calling on the whole church draw near to God. He is reminding the people he invested most of his life to serving (and us) that when they submit, draw near, repent, and humble themselves before God, he will draw near and lift them up. As we can see from this series, this is not new information—it wasn’t news to the original readers, and it isn’t news to us. Sometimes, though, as our days come and go, we need this reminder. And sometimes, we need to be the ones reminding others.

When we live, share, and serve together as a community of saints, we can and should speak truth into each other’s lives. God has given us the words to encourage and build each other up, for, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). When we have submitted ourselves to God and we remain rooted in Christ, we can humbly train others to do the same. This takes knowledge of Scripture, prayer, and fellowship with the church community. We must be committed to God and his ways before we can instruct others to commit to his ways. May we choose to be a conduit for his love and truth to flow through us to those around us.

Day 3:

Re-read James 4:7-10.

There are great benefits to hand copying scripture. It increases your focus on the words and aids in memorization. Today, pick a verse from James 4:7-10 (or all) to copy down in your own hand or to memorize. If neither of those fit with your personality, draw a picture that comes to mind while reading it or read the passage over multiple times, maybe in a different translation.

In your handwritten copy of this scripture or in your Bible underline the verbs as you look over our verses in James. This passage is filled with calls to action.  Start with “Submit” and “Resist.” Continue to mark each verb, allowing your mind to notice these active ways to follow God’s directions.

Day 4: 

Re-read James 4:7-10.

Today in our Pause, we invite you to pray over the passage. Think through the scripture itself, what you may have learned from Day 2, or what has come to mind in your own personal study and pray it out. If you need some help, we’ve provided a prayer below.

Father God,

You have asked us to draw near to you, so here I am. I’m not always sure how to draw near, but I am trusting that in my willingness, you will draw near to me. You will hold me. This is a strange week in the church calendar—so many highs and lows, not so different from my life. My joys are quickly dashed, and disappointments and reality can knock me so low. And in my own reflection this Lent season, I have spent time facing some of my own sin. I am so sorry. I don’t want to stay where I am. With your help, with your power, I am turning away from Satan and all he is dangling before me. I am asking for your power to pull me from my sinful habits. And even as I remember today—Maundy Thursday, where you washed your disciples’ feet and shared a last meal—I remember that your body was broken for me. God, you were lifted up on a cross, paying for my sin.  Oh God, your mercy to me is so great! Please walk with me, lift me up, help me on my way today.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Day 5:

Re-read James 4:7-10.

Reflect and Apply:

• How many times a day do you wash your hands? Put this verse on a sticky note near your sink. As you wash your hands, think about the internal, spiritual, repentant cleansing that God wants to do in you. What does he want to wash away?

• James is the only Biblical author who uses the term “double-minded” (from the Greek word dipsuchos [dip’-soo-khos]). That description hints at the idea that believers can find themselves torn between competing ideas or interests, conflicted in their thoughts, easily thrown off course. Write down some things that pull your focus away from Jesus and his priorities for your life.

• The U.S. culture is often not comfortable with deep sadness. We shy away from lament or outward demonstrations of sadness. Push yourself today to spend some time in honest sadness. Allow yourself to cry, to sit with your personal pain, to maybe even be mad at God a bit. One position of humility is to physically kneel, to kneel with your head to the floor or even to lie face down on the floor. Spend time in this humble physical position and listen for God. He will raise you up.

Based on this week’s passage, take some time to think through an application that you can begin to carry out moving forward. And on Sunday we will all be able to sing His praises as we celebrate a lifted up, risen Savior.

Day 1:

This week in Return to Me: A Pause for Lent, our scripture for reflection comes from Joel 2:12-13. So far, we have looked at God’s invitation, and individual’s experiences with repentance. Today, our passage also includes a call for corporate repentance. Each day this week, we’ll build on this passage, but for now, simply read the passage and reflect on it. If you like, read it in more than one translation and see if anything sticks out to you.

Joel 2:12-13 (CSB)

“Even now — this is the Lord’s declaration — turn to me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Tear your hearts, not just your clothes, and return to the Lord your God. For he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in faithful love, and he relents from sending disaster.”

Day 2:

Re-read Joel 2:12-13.

Joel was living through a time when Israel was experiencing the consequences of their sin and breaking their covenant with God. He’s also telling Israel about a future Day of the Lord where God’s judgement will be poured out on the land. But right in the middle of this book, he offers hope. He calls on Israel to repent—to return to the Lord, and in doing so they may receive God’s mercy from the impending judgement. With his own repentance, Joel invites Israel into a corporate repentance. They, as a nation, rejected God and his purposes for them. They had chosen to serve other gods and allow injustices to flourish in their land. For this, the whole people needed to repent, not just a few individuals. And this repentance needed to be genuine, not just an outward act, but a returning to God with all their hearts.

We, too, have turned to other gods—our phones, our jobs, influential people, our tribes, our own liberty, etc.—and have allowed injustice to flourish. As God’s people, we are to be a light to the world, we are to be his hands and feet, and we are to be united (though not uniform). We need to rend our hearts, confess and grieve the ways we, as a body, have fallen short, and return to God and his ways. God’s character has remained the same from before the beginning.

He is gracious and compassionate towards us. He is slow to anger and overflowing with faithfulness and love. We are so blessed to be able to come to him, confess our sins to him, and receive his mercy and forgiveness. Christ’s sacrifice has allowed us to approach God’s throne, and even more amazingly, opened a way for God’s Spirit to reside in us. Though we deserve his judgement, we’ve been given so much more than his grace.

Day 3:

Re-read Joel 2:12-13.

There are great benefits to hand copying scripture. It increases your focus on the words and aids in memorization. Today, pick a verse from Joel 2:12-13 (or both) to copy down in your own hand or to memorize. If neither of those fit with your personality, draw a picture that comes to mind while reading it or read the passage over multiple times, maybe in a different translation. The idea is to pause over the Word and let it sink in.

Day 4: 

Re-read Joel 2:12-13.

Today in our Pause, we invite you to pray over the passage. Think through the scripture itself, what you may have learned from Day 2, or what has come to mind in your own personal study and pray it out. If you need some help, we’ve provided a prayer below.

Most holy God,

We have sinned. Though we have been called to be your people, your body, we have turned to other things to try to satisfy us. We have allowed our dreams and desires to turn us away from you and your ways. May we, as a people, return to you, Lord. Out of your grace and compassion forgive us from our sin. Thank you for the abundance of your steadfast love toward us. Draw us to you and lead us in your ways forever.

May all your people say “Amen.”

Day 5:

Re-read Joel 2:12-13.

Reflect and Apply:

• As a culture that values individuality, it may be difficult for us to see ourselves wholly as one unit, but the Bible clearly states that we belong to each other when we belong to God. Think about your relationship with others in the body of Christ. Are you building up or tearing down?

• What corporate sins do you see in the church? Take time to confess them and intercede for us.

• Brainstorm a few ideas of how you can “stir up one another to love and good works.” (Hebrews 10:24)

Based on this week’s passage, take some time to think through an application that you can begin to carry out moving forward. (Though we’re focusing on Joel 2:12-13, I would encourage you to read through all of Joel if you have time.)

Please come back Monday morning for the post on Week 6.

Return to Me: a Pause for Lent

Today marks the beginning of Lent. The 40 days of Lent points back to the 40 days of temptation Jesus faced in the wilderness.  It’s not the flashiest set of days on the Christian calendar. Whereas Advent leads up to the birth of our Savior and Easter celebrates his resurrection, the 40 days of Lent are set aside as a more somber time of reflection, preparation, and even self-denial.

Often seen as a time to fast—from food, social media, TV, purchases, or something else that seems to have a deeper hold on us than God—though good to do, Lent is about much more than giving something up.

Lent is an opportunity to slow down, to hit pause on the frenetic world and force our eyes—and hearts—to hold still. As much as we love the love of God in our lives, we allow space to remember our sin and humanity. We came from dust and to dust we will return. We search our hearts and recognize the brokenness inside of each one of us that made Jesus’s death and resurrection on Easter necessary.

To that end, this year we are offering a 5 day/week Lenten resource. We know everyone is busy, so each day’s prompts are designed to be completed in 5 minutes or less—you can take a brief pause from your day and do them as offered, or you can spend further time reflecting and studying to make a lengthier study time if you wish. Weekends are off or can be used to catch up on missed days. Each Monday we will post the five prompts for that week on the Riverbend Blog.

Our theme for our passages this Lent is Return to Me. To set that up, let’s take a look back at the Fall in Genesis 3:4-8:

4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her,  and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 

The serpent’s lie to Eve was that God was withholding good from her, and she believed it. Adam did as well. It was not enough that they had everything they could ever need, living in a perfect place—deep in their hearts, they fell to the temptation that God is not enough. They went their own way.

The next 40 days, we will spend time thinking of where we have gone our own way, thinking God is not enough in our own lives. But the good news is God has provided us an invitation. As he did numerous times through the Old Testament and even in the Gospels, he invited his people: “Return to me”.

As we journey to the Friday Cross through to Easter, we will see that God has offered us that same invitation, “Return to me,” through the death and resurrection of his perfect Son. This time, it is an invitation that echoes into eternity.

Lent 2022: Repentance

Editor’s Note: Lent is a season of personal reflection. As Advent provides a time to prepare our hearts and minds to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Lent offers us time to reflect on our sin, and the need for our Savior’s death and resurrection on the cross.

This year, our weekly reflections will focus on the mercy of God. In His goodness, God has displayed mercy towards us from the start. He knew sin would enter the world and created a means to have right-standing with Him. In the coming weeks, it is our hope that we each spend time remembering God’s mercy and His pursuit of us—from our sinfulness and need, to the institution of sacrifices for the Israelites, culminating with the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. God has been always kind, always just, always loving, always merciful.

Previously we focused on our sin, which necessitates our need for mercy from God. This week we turn our focus to repentance. Repentance acts as a bridge—after we have recognized our sin, it is important that we turn back to God in repentance to receive the full measure of his mercy.

Proverbs 28:13

Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper,

    but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy

Psalm 32:1-5

1 Blessed is the one

    whose transgressions are forgiven,

    whose sins are covered.

2 Blessed is the one

    whose sin the Lord does not count against them

    and in whose spirit is no deceit.

3 When I kept silent,

    my bones wasted away

    through my groaning all day long.

4 For day and night

    your hand was heavy on me;

my strength was sapped

    as in the heat of summer.

5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you

    and did not cover up my iniquity.

I said, “I will confess

    my transgressions to the Lord.”

And you forgave

    the guilt of my sin.

Isaiah 1:16-20

16 Wash and make yourselves clean.

    Take your evil deeds out of my sight;

    stop doing wrong.

17 Learn to do right; seek justice.

    Defend the oppressed.

Take up the cause of the fatherless;

    plead the case of the widow.

18 “Come now, let us settle the matter,”

    says the Lord.

“Though your sins are like scarlet,

    they shall be as white as snow;

though they are red as crimson,

    they shall be like wool.

19 If you are willing and obedient,

    you will eat the good things of the land;

20 but if you resist and rebel,

    you will be devoured by the sword.”

For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Psalm 51

1 Have mercy on me, O God,

    according to your unfailing love;

according to your great compassion

    blot out my transgressions.

2 Wash away all my iniquity

    and cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I know my transgressions,

    and my sin is always before me.

4 Against you, you only, have I sinned

    and done what is evil in your sight;

so you are right in your verdict

    and justified when you judge.

5 Surely I was sinful at birth,

    sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

6 Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;

    you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;

    wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

8 Let me hear joy and gladness;

    let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

9 Hide your face from my sins

    and blot out all my iniquity.

10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,

    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

11 Do not cast me from your presence

    or take your Holy Spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation

    and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,

    so that sinners will turn back to you.

14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,

    you who are God my Savior,

    and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.

15 Open my lips, Lord,

    and my mouth will declare your praise.

16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;

    you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.

17 My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;

    a broken and contrite heart

    you, God, will not despise.

18 May it please you to prosper Zion,

    to build up the walls of Jerusalem.

19 Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous,

    in burnt offerings offered whole;

    then bulls will be offered on your altar.

Reflect:

1. In these passages, sin refers to rebellion or violations of God's law. What sin currently has a grip on you? Can you acknowledge your sin to the Lord? Can you share your struggle with a trusted friend? Our Lord promises us forgiveness and release from sin’s grip if we will just acknowledge it and turn from it.

2. Have you felt the forgiveness of your Savior? Can you relate to David in Psalms 32 when he talks about the weight he felt from his sin and the contrast of that weight lifted once he repented?

Prayer:

Father, thank you that you are a God of mercy—a God of forgiveness.  Thank you for sending your Son to take on the weight and price of our sin so that we can be forgiven.  Father, you know us intimately and you know our struggles.  Praise the Lord that you call us into your presence, even in the midst of sin and shame.  Father, we ask that you would remind us of our sin; that you would push us to repentance.  Provide a trusted friend, spouse, or pastor that we can confide in.  We know that once sin is exposed it no longer has a hold on us.  It is exposed to the light (Ephesians 5:12-14).  Forgive us Lord for our failures.  Help us to strive toward holiness.  In your name we pray, Amen.