Lent-Has God forgotten to be gracious?

We are a little over one third of the way on our faith journey of Lent. How are we doing with our commitment so far? Some of us may be feeling pretty good that we have stayed on track. But then…

Others of us may have fallen off at some point because we could not resist the temptation. Maybe we just took one little bite of the chocolate, or maybe we had enough to give us a tummy ache! But either way, odds are we don’t feel good about it. We wanted to make it the whole way without stumbling. So, where are we with God now?

Our question today comes from Psalm 77:9. The writer of the Psalm is seeking the Lord in his time of trouble. He cries out, “Let me remember my song in the night, let me meditate in my heart.” The question he asks is, “Has God forgotten to be gracious?” Actually he asks a whole series of questions about God: “Has God’s steadfast love forever ceased? Are his promises at an end for all time? Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” The writer through his questions begins to receive his answer from God. The answer comes through his remembering. “I will remember the deeds of the Lord…your wonders of old. Your way O God is holy. You are the God who works wonders. You with your arm redeemed your children.” (Notice that in his remembering he moves from talking ABOUT God to talking TO God. It becomes his prayer).

This statement was made by Greg Boyle, a Jesuit priest. It contains the truth of the gospel message and is the hope of the Lenten journey. GOD IS GRACE. God has never forgotten to be gracious and never will. Grace is who God is and redeeming grace is who Jesus is and what Jesus did on the cross. And when his body was broken and his blood poured out, his words to all of us were, “Receive my gift and remember me.”