Lent Devotional Day 1

Day 1
Wednesday, February 22

John 1:1-18
In the beginning was the Word  and the Word was with God
    and the Word was God.
The Word was with God in the beginning.
Everything came into being through the Word,
    and without the Word
    nothing came into being.
What came into being
    through the Word was life,[a] 
    and the life was the light for all people.
The light shines in the darkness,
    and the darkness doesn’t extinguish the light.
A man named John was sent from God. 
He came as a witness to testify concerning the light, so that through him everyone would believe in the light.  
He himself wasn’t the light, but his mission was to testify concerning the light.
The true light that shines on all people
    was coming into the world.
The light was in the world,
    and the world came into being through the light,
        but the world didn’t recognize the light.
The light came to his own people,
    and his own people didn’t welcome him. 
But those who did welcome him,
        those who believed in his name,
    he authorized to become God’s children,
        born not from blood
        nor from human desire or passion,
        but born from God.
The Word became flesh
    and made his home among us.
We have seen his glory,
    glory like that of a father’s only son,
        full of grace and truth.
John testified about him, crying out, “This is the one of whom I said, ‘
He who comes after me is greater than me because he existed before me.’”
From his fullness we have all received grace upon grace;
    as the Law was given through Moses,
    so grace and truth came into being through Jesus Christ.
No one has ever seen God.
    God the only Son,
        who is at the Father’s side,
        has made God known.

Reflection
Let’s begin this Lenten season with a fanfare. Strike up the title theme to Star Wars. Can’t you hear the trumpet boldly blaring out the prologue...the beginning to this famous film! Then, as you are held in the anticipation that something magnificent is opening up,.......Morgan Freeman's wonderful deep voice speaks these words.....”In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.....”

And so the Gospel of John begins. Five incredible verses that herald the entrance of God into the world through the person of Jesus. “And what came into being was life....and this life was the light for all people.” It appears that Jesus had been hanging out with God (in God) for all of those centuries prior just waiting for an entrance....a new beginning for the world. That's big!

In some way I liken this Lenten season to the portal system in college athletics. This new addition to college sports allows athletes an opportunity to change schools, to have a fresh start with a different school and not be penalized by having to sit out a year. The portal is like a waiting room to see if other schools invite you to their program and what exactly you want to change. I'm sure it is a bit of a risk, a wonderment, but those athletes obviously needed something different; hopefully even something better?

Not that I am a fan of the portal system....but I really like Lent.

So, Lent is the set apart time of the year....the portal, that invites us into some honest spiritual reflection. What might I want to change, how might I buff up some dulled relationships, what needs to go and how do I move closer to Christ? Where can I...(we) be a little ray of light for others to see. How can I (we) be more attentive to the light shining in others?

Why not take a look around in your faith life....and consider what you might need to change, review, or be spiritually aware of and open to? I think I will make a space in my cell phone notes for a daily entry of reflection. Where was the light for me today? How did I try to dispel the darkness? How do I see God in my day? What needs to change in me?

This is your spiritual portal time.


By Sue Mitch