Even so come…
Even now, says the Lord, return to me with your whole heart; for I am gracious and merciful.(Jl 2:12-13)
Who is there like you, the God who removes guilt…Who does not persist in anger forever…And will again have compassion on us?…You will cast into the depths of the sea all our sins (Micah 7:18-20)
But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found. (Luke 15:32)
[Even so come.] These are the Words the Lord awakes me with this past Saturday. He did this in the form of a song refrain, ‘even so come’. I entered prayer with His words playing on my heart and mind. In the song playing in my head this refrain is our call to the Lord. In my prayer, Jesus is calling to each of us, ‘Even so come’. We are heading in to the fourth Sunday of Lent and as we have been walking with the Lord in His Word, the Lenten Word can feel heavy can’t it? We are reminded throughout this season of our human nature to sin, to draw back from God. We can feel shame and guilt. It is also human nature to want to hide from these things (cue Adam and Eve in the garden). We too avoid God in some way, shape, or form, hiding a part or all of our heart from what we fear. We are getting Lent all wrong brothers and sisters. We are looking at it from the perspective of man and not the perspective of God. Whatever it is that places space between us and our loving Father, His response is ALWAYS the same, ‘Even so come.’ There is only One who removes guilt with compassion and mercy: God. God is willing to cast into the depths of the sea all our sins. Halfway through Lent we are invited to evaluate our posture toward God in this season. Are we still trying to do things to earn His love and forgiveness? Are we acting as if it is just another day and Lent is a construct of the church? Are we falling and quitting or falling and getting up again and again? For the first time I realized that the best posture I can adopt is running; running into the waiting arms of the Father, pouring out from the depths of my heart all I am holding back in pride, fear, and anger. Lent is a season to allow ourselves to be forgiven, to be loved, to be welcomed, and to come home.
