Morning Devotion for Lent
April 6, 2022
The Invitatory
The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. Come let us adore him
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son: and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: world without end. Amen.
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us, but if we confess our sins, God who is faithful and just will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Reading: 2 Corinthians 2:14-3:6
But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads in every place the fragrance that comes from knowing him. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? For we are not peddlers of God’s word like so many; but in Christ we speak as persons of sincerity, as persons sent from God and standing in his presence.
Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Surely we do not need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you or from you, do we? You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all; and you show that you are a letter of Christ, prepared by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
Such is the confidence that we have through Christ towards God. Not that we are competent of ourselves to claim anything as coming from us; our competence is from God, who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of letter but of spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
Meditation: Jo Ann B. Jones
I must confess, I do not believe I have carefully read this passage from 2 Corinthians before. It is so rich in imagery and particularly, if not, surprisingly, sensuous in its appeal to the sense of smell. And we are particularly aware of the fragrances of spring at this moment. There are magnolias, if you were quick to catch them before the recent very cold weather. Among those most pungent (to me, and not my favorite) are hyacinths. Soon gardenias, favorites for corsages, wisteria, and freesia will delight our noses. As we approach summer honeysuckle, butterfly bushes and roses will add to the bouquet of fragrances. As each of these flowering plants has its own identifying fragrance and presence, Paul suggests that each of us, as we go about our lives with and among others, bring our own individual proclamation of Christ! It is our living testimony of Christ, just as the fragrances we bear originate in the life of creation itself, wafting over creation. Our fragrances are borne to both those who are being saved and those who are perishing, just as the fragrances of the earth are also experienced by human beings regardless of who they are individually. They are there to be experienced, appreciated, praised, valued, accepted or rejected. Fragrances are borne into the air, just as we are sent from God, and just as these fragrances waft through the air, so we are also found in God’s presence with our own manner of bearing some sense of Christ. Let us be clear, for we are not Christ; at best, we can only faintly bear witness to Christ. And, as we have all experienced of such fragrances, they are ephemeral, passing through the air for a moment, and then they vanish, carried off by some passing gust of wind. This serves to keep our sense of self-worth in check and alert others to hold onto what does stand the test of time, what things prove to be eternal.
To underscore the need to be more circumspect and modest about our supposed affect, Paul cautions that we not rush to commend ourselves. As if one had applied to college/graduate school or had sought a new position, he asks, with tongue in cheek, if one expects or needs some formal letter of recommendation. In ancient days, indeed, until quite recently, a well written letter of recommendation went a very long way in securing one a desired position or outcome. Today, given the restrictions on what one might write, such a letter has reduced effectiveness and weight. We alone are not adequate. Here, again, Paul’s use of the image of what is written on one’s heart - what in 21st century terms might be expressed as what one has internalized, for one has taken it to heart. It is by the power of the Spirit that implants this truth into one’s whole being. That truly does give confidence and competence from God. As the fragrances emanate from the life of creation, the confidence emanates from the Spirit that gives life.
The Lord's Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
