Paying Attention

For several weeks now we have been in the midst of an Intermission in our study of John’s Gospel. We began with chapter one on the First Sunday of Advent, 2008. We finished up chapter 12 just before Advent, 2009. After spending the Advent Season preparing for our celebration of the birth of Christ, we then entered into a brief study of our five Key Missional Practices – what it means for us as a congregation to reach spiritual maturity and effectiveness in our mission to worship God, follow Jesus and pursue the purposes of God in the world. We were reminded of our calling to engage in the practices of weekly WORSHIP, intentional spiritual GROWTH, authentic community CONNECTION, faithful SERVICE to the mission and committed, sacrificial GIVING of our material possessions to the Kingdom of God.

Now, as we enter the Season of Lent, we are re-entering our study of John, beginning with the thirteenth chapter, which takes place during the last week of Jesus’ life. During this Season of Lent we will walk through Jesus’ last days, his last conversations with others, his final confrontations with religious and political authorities, his arrest and death on a cross.

The call of this season is to pay attention to God’s plan of salvation in the giving of his Son for our sins. We pay attention by not entering into worship unprepared. We pay attention each week by reading the passages in our bulletins, reflecting on what we find there and applying to our lives whatever truth God teaches us. We pay attention by choosing to mark the time leading up to Jesus death and resurrection with intentionality.

How might we mark this time with intentionality? What practices might we engage in to more fully grasp the gift of the Son of God and the grace we find in his sacrifice? We might get up 15 minutes earlier in the morning to read and pray and sit in silence. We might memorize verses that speak to us from the passages in John’s Gospel we explore in the coming weeks. Or we might pick one meal or one day a week to fast, turning what would be meal times into opportunities for prayer for others. These and many other practices are ways any of us could reacquaint ourselves with the discipline of paying attention to God.

Of course, it’s always good to pay attention, but it is especially good to pay attention to the work of God and the presence of his Spirit. I pray God will arrest and hold your attention in the days and weeks to come. Amen.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Stacey Littlefield