Lent

You are the anointed Son of God. You revealed God's nature to us all.

You revealed God, vulnerable and without pretense, in a manger. You showed us God teaching in the temple, amazing rabbis. Because of You, we saw God eagerly asking people, "What can I do for you?" We were surprised to see how delighted He is to respond with a healing touch. You showed us God, welcoming and embracing: "Come to me - I will give you rest." It was God You revealed there, using stories to feed empty souls and filling a multitude of bellies with just a few fish and loaves. We sat on the edge of our seats as we saw You command sea storms and resurrect the dead with a word! You left nothing to description and everything to demonstration.

This begins the sober season when we see You revealing God's nature in completion, leaving nothing to our imagination. You show us God's love: rugged, whole, no matter how uncomfortable it makes us feel. We are confused when He walks away from all our sensible plans to take a path to certain destruction, His eyes unflinchingly set on Jerusalem.

You show us that God is more than compassionate toward us. You prove God is obsessed with us. You show us He refuses to rest until all things are made new. We watch in horror as you demonstrate that nothing on earth can separate us from His love: not betreyal, denials, mocking and hateful scourging, not dishonor, not even torturous murder. We delivered up our worst. You show us God, responding with Your best. We are at once joyously amazed and embarrassed.

This changes everything. We can't decieve ourselves any longer with a religion of words, compulsion, ceremony, or acts of piety. We are drawn to worship in genuine adoration and devoted love. I cannot embrace a system of belief or code of behavior. Only a Person who loves us with an outrageous passion can be the object of worship. We worship you!

- John Randall Dennis
The Book of Worship