Lent Devotional March 24, 2024

Lenten Devotional March 24, 2024

Scripture

1 Timothy 6:12-16

12 Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 In the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you 14 to keep the commandment without spot or blame until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which he will bring about at the right time - he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords. 16 It is he alone who has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see; to him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

Devotion

The Rev. Lauren Davis ’22

As a chaplain I hear frequently the language of “fighting the good fight.” Even at my own grandmother’s funeral the pastor echoed the sentiments that she had fought long and hard and stayed steadfast in the faith. This language may bring about mixed feelings. One may question why one must fight through life to take hold of the reigns of eternal life. Why does it have to be so hard?

That is a question I have wrestled with quite a bit, and I will not pretend to have the answers. What I can share is that in the sacred encounters with friends, family, and complete strangers I see a great deal of beauty and strength in their choice to keep embracing life even in the face of suffering. Fighting the good fight of faith any given day may look like summoning the bravery to have that hard conversation with a loved one, or voicing a need you have neglected for far too long. Fighting the good fight of faith may simply mean embracing your life in all its messiness and complexity as one that is worthy of love.

In the fanfare of Palm Sunday, Jesus too embraced the life in which he was called for, riding into the holy city amidst joyous people who could not truly understand the suffering and pain he was about to endure. The joy and expectation that filled the air in juxtaposition of the reality of the cross. That sacrificial love may be experienced in the daily battles we all face, the ones we win and the ones we lose. Thanks be to God for that.

Prayer

Lord, we thank you for your love that surpasses all understanding. We ask for your sacrificial love to guide us through the heartache of Good Friday into the joy of Easter morning. Help us Lord, embrace each day, remembering you are with us, and we are not alone.

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Amen.

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