A Time for Penance

On the heels of Fat Tuesday is Ash Wednesday. Today begins the time of Lent. From now until Easter many will be involved in acts of penance, performing acts of contrition. A time of fasting. A time of introspection. For some an attempt to gain favor with God.

Is that even possible?

Is there any way that we can gain favor with God?

Is there any thing that we can do that will make us right with God?

No.

Nada.

Nichts.

Not one single thing.

Not even a great big pile of things.

Not even a great big pile of things every day of your life is enough to gain favor with God.

And when your life on earth is over, there is definitely nothing you can do or anyone else can do for you.

So how can we gain favor with God?

Only through His mercy.

"But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit" (Titus 3:4-5).

"Not because of works done by us in righteousness." Do you get that? Not even the good things you have done with good intentions will merit any favor with God.

God's goodness.

God's loving kindness.

God's mercy.

God's washing.

God's Holy Spirit.

It's all God's work.

Usually we do it the other way around. If we want someone to like us, we do things to make them happy. We find out what they like. We do what they like. We hope that we've done enough that they'll like us.

God's plan is just the opposite. He starts out by loving us already. Then He demonstrated that love by sending His Son to die on the cross for our sins. Even though we didn't deserve it. Even though we hated God. Even though we were going away from Him. (Romans 5:8).

Then He showers us with His goodness, loving kindness, and mercy. He places the gift of righteousness in front of us. He wants us to take it. He wants us to be clean, so He washes us. He wants to make us anew, so He gives us His Spirit.

He does all the work.

All we have to do is accept the gift.

No more working. No more rituals. No more wondering if we've done enough good to counter all the bad.

Jesus paid it all!
All to Him I owe!
Sin had left a crimson stain.
He washed it white as snow.

Mardi Gras

Today is Fat Tuesday, which is the translation of the French term, "mardi gras." It is the last day of feasting and frivolity before the time of fasting and solemnity preceding Easter. For some it will be a day of eating donuts, pancakes and other fatty foods, before they give up something for Lent. For many others it's a day of wild parties, where various acts of sinful behavior are committed. Often these acts are committed behind masks, so that there can be no harm done, no guilt credited. Millions around the world will return to their homes in a drunken or doped up stage, having participated in various acts of indecency and sexual perversion.

Followers of Jesus Christ will decry mardi gras activities. They will avoid drunkenness, drugs and debauchery. They will stay away from the activities of carnival (festival of the flesh).

Well, at least the extremes...

How many will fulfill the desires of the works of the flesh listed in Galatians 6?

"Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies and things like these..." (Gal 6:19-20)

By the way, you don't get to pick and choose. Not even 99.99% is a passing grade. Not even an occasional event of one of these works gets you off the hook. Even a thought of one makes you as guilty as the one whose life is characterized by all of them.

But that's okay.

We'll get cleaned up before AWANA and prayer meeting on Wednesday.

I'll do my hair up nice and smile real pretty in the choir.

My sermon on Sunday will be so good, that no one will suspect anything.

How is that any different than Fat Tuesday and Ash Wednesday?

Wallow in sin, but show up sparkly clean at church?

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires" (vs 22-24).

"Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness" (Romans 6:12-13).

The Christian life that is a cycle of Fat Tuesdays and Ash Wednesdays is not what God intends. We have been declared to be holy. We are to live holy.

All the time.