March 2020 Newsletter
March 2020
It seems that March is one of those months of the calendar year that is somewhat mysterious in its origin. At one time, as far as the ancient Romans were concerned, March was considered the first month of the year. In that time, the ancient Roman calendar had ten months, and ended, as it does now, with the month of December, which gets its name from the Latin word “decem” which means ten.
The name of the month of March comes from Martius, which was the name of the first month of the ancient Roman calendar, taken from the name of the Roman god of war, Mars, known as the guardian of agriculture and fertility. Historically March is the beginning of the season of warmth and new growth. . . This is all a somewhat interesting point of history as it relates to the modern calendars that we use day in and day out.
As I consider the month of March as it relates to the liturgical calendar and the season of Lent, the book, The Land Between, by Jeff Manion comes to mind. In this book, Manion speaks of those times in our lives – and we all experience them – when we are transitioning from one life situation to another. In the Introduction, Manion says,
“My prayer for you as you read this book is that God will visit you with grace in your season of transition. I pray that the barren landscape of trial will become the fertile soil for new growth. May our gracious God revive your spirit and restore your laughter. May you find him in your pain and trust him in your waiting. May the One who redeems all things meet you powerfully as you journey through the Land Between.”
During the season of Lent, we are called to be in a posture of preparation and reflection of the observance of the transitional time in our salvation history leading up to the most significant event in all of human history – the event that marks the fulfillment of the covenant of our salvation through the atoning death of Jesus Christ. It is a time to focus on the amazing blessing this represents for us and to take a close and honest look at our lives as we measure the cost Jesus paid and our sense of worthiness to receive this blessing.
In truth, we are NOT worthy, except for the Lord’s declaration that we ARE – by His grace and mercy – and ONLY by those characteristics of our God! It is not because of anything we can do, have done, and haven’t done. It is the unmerited favor of a God Who is love – a
God of grace – a God Who loves us so much that, as we ae told in Romans 5:6–8, “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Lent is that “Land Between” for us to spend the time needed to make some important paradigm shifts in our priorities of this life. It is a time to connect in a very intentional, very focused way to the God Who loves us that much – that He would love us with all that He is and with a self-sacrificing love that is beyond anything we can even hope to comprehend with our human mental and emotional limitations. Lent is a time to embrace our faith to the degree that we can allow this fact of God’s love to penetrate our awareness. To say that letting this reality in is a humbling experience still does not even begin to express the absolute miracle of God’s love for us.
Our time in the “Land Between” during the Lenten season also includes the culmination of the fulfillment of the covenant promise of Easter morning. It is in this covenant promise that we experience hope and peace beyond anything we could ever ask or imagine.
Windwood Church, over the past weeks of the sermon series “Habits of the Heart: Learning to Love Christ-Centered Lives,” has very intentionally focused us on those habits that define us, giving us a tangible way to make adjustments, where necessary, and put God in His place – right at the center of our lives!
As you prepare your heart and your life to receive the gift and blessing of the truth of our salvation, we would encourage you to intentionally search out for whatever means will be most effective in supporting your time of transition to that place the God of Love desires for you – a place of new growth and the blessed opportunity to receive the peace and joy of your salvation. . .And have a GLORIOUS Easter celebration of the covenant promise of life everlasting with our God of grace!
