Weekly Update// Pastor Mike

Dear Asbury Family,

The first words from Jesus in the Gospel of Mark are as follows: 

“The time promised by God has come at last…The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!”
Mark 1:15 (NLT)

The Greek word for repentance here is metanoia. It literally means to make 180 – to turn from one behavior (sin) and to pursue another (the purposes of God). Repentance is difficult because it involves abandoning sins to which we’ve grown accustomed. Nevertheless, repentance plays a crucial role in our journey with God. 

There is a story from the Middle Ages about a young woman who was expelled from heaven. The woman was told that she would only be readmitted if she brought back the one gift God valued the most. The problem was the woman had no idea what the gift was!

She brought back drops of blood from a dying patriot. She collected coins that a destitute widow had given to the poor. She brought back the remnants of a Bible used by a prominent preacher. She even brought back the dust from the shoes of a missionary who served many years in a distant land. But every time the woman was turned away.

One day as the woman watched a small boy playing by a fountain, she saw a man ride up on horseback. The man dismounted from the horse to take a drink. When he saw the boy playing, he thought of his own childhood innocence. But as he looked into the water of the fountain, he saw a reflection of his hardened face. He was not the person he used to be. Overcome by the sin in his life, the man wept tears of repentance. The young woman took one of those tears back to heaven, where she received with joy.

 Lent – the 40-day period leading into Easter – is a time of repentance. My prayer is that during this season we would be honest about our brokenness and intentionally repent of those things which are holding us back from being the people God longs for us to be. While the work isn’t easy, God gives us grace for the journey. Thanks be to God.
Blessings,
Chris