Dear HBIC Family,

Lent is a season of waiting, preparation, and expectation. We wait, holding on to God, and asking God to hold on to us even more firmly. We prepare to be led by the Holy Spirit through the loneliness of the wilderness to the overflowing waters of blessing found in God. And we expect that after our journey and through Holy Week, we arrive at Resurrection Sunday where we will celebrate the finished work of Jesus, our Christ!!

Lent reminds us of God’s mercy. God forgives us when we repent, and gifts us reconciliation and the grace to follow. In prayers, meditations, and daily commitments, we rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to renew our minds and transform our hearts. In sacrifice and self-denial, we remember the work of Jesus whose ultimate sacrifice brings forth our salvation.

Reconciliation is not always at the forefront during Lent, but perhaps it should be. In the wilderness we can feel alone, but God’s gift of reconciliation reminds us that God will never leave us nor forsake us. On the march towards the cross, we know that after death comes resurrection, and before heaven Jesus promised to be with us…even to the end of the age.

Through Jesus, God has reconciled all things. Through Jesus’ shed blood, God has made peace. Christ’s love also compels us all to love one another as God loves us, living for Jesus and not ourselves. We are God’s witnesses, chosen to take God’s message of grace and mercy to our world. But can we fully live worthy of our calling if we are not reconciled to God and if we are not reconciled to one other?

As you prepare for this week’s services, I would like to invite you to read and meditate on Genesis 32-33. As you reflect, I would like to ask you to focus on the following questions:

• What does reconciliation look like for you in this season?
• Where do you need to be reconciled to God?
• Who do you need to reconcile with? How do you plan on reconciling?
• Where are you currently wrestling with God for blessing? Is it time to let go, or hold on?
• Do you trust God that reconciliation is possible?

When we think of Jacob and Esau, I’m not sure how quickly their reconciliation comes to mind. We remember their wrestling in the womb, their parents playing favorites, the stolen birthright, and the sibling rivalry. We know Jacob as Israel the patriarch, and Esau as the other brother. Nevertheless, their reconciliation brings hope, shows faith, and inspires us to do the same.

I pray that during this season of Lent, we are both reconciling with God, and with our sisters and brothers. I hope that the God who forgives us inspires us to forgive. I pray that the Spirit that transforms us and removes our heart of stone gifts us all a heart of love. And I pray that we are living as Jesus called us to live, to be ambassadors whose lives bear witness to God’s reconciling work in heaven and among us on earth.

God bless you all and take care.

Love in Christ,

Pastor Hank (Genesis 33:4)