The Living Word, 1 March 2020

Lent is a time to repent.

We are given the gift of this season to heed the words of Jesus' cousin, John the Baptist which immediately precede the sermon passage today. 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.' (Matt 3:2)

John spoke some sobering words when the religious came to check out the ministry he was doing; 'But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, 'You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit worthy of repentance. Do not presume to say to yourselves, "We have Abraham as our ancestor"; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

'I baptise you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing-fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing-floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.' (Matt 3:7-11).

If we put our trust in the wrong place; in our ability to do good, our time given to the church, our giving; our knowledge of the Bible, our lengthy prayers, our 200 years as a church - the list could go on... We will find ourselves separated from the "wheat" on the day of Christ's return. The consequences of that separation will be eternal.

We are all susceptible to putting our trust elsewhere at times, during this month or so, we can all ask God to help us, as individuals, as a church community, to seek the only worthy one to trust, the Lord Jesus Christ.

In Christ,

Zane Elliott