It would be so easy for me to worry about what has happened in my life. Up until last Wednesday I was a called pastor, and that was my reality for the last 5 years. You see yesterday was the first Ash Wednesday in 5 years that I was not leading a gathered body of worshipers in worship… I have to say it was sad. I was very upset by all of the things that had happened. At all of the ways I had failed to lead the people of God. I was moved to realize exactly how much I need a savior, how much I need the blood of Jesus to cover me, how much I need the 40 days that are coming… I was moved to wonder about all of the things I had done wrong and failed at during my time as pastor…
But then I read Philippians 3:12-21… “forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,” Paul tells the Philippians and us to not worry about yesterday. What happened yesterday is not to be worried about, we need to forget all of the mistakes we made, forget all of the wrongs we have done, and strain forward… We need to be straining forward to what lies ahead, “only let us hold tight to what we have attained.” Not to let go of all that Christ has given us. God is waiting to give us the prize that we strain for, that we press on towards. “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.” Press on towards the call of God… We are all called, and this day we are called to continue our 40 day journey with Jesus in the wilderness, to remember our mortality, to draw closer to God and find our selves in Him. God has called us to journey with him…
And that is my good news. Yes I did make mistakes as the leader of the congregations I served, and I will make mistakes in my call(s) that is/are to come, but I can not dwell on those, I can ask God and those whom I have wronged for forgiveness, and press on towards the goal of the heavenly call, God has given to us all…
aSacredRebel 