Theme for the season of Lent

Gather Us, Redeem Us, Anoint Us, Make Us New

God Gathers Us. We are gathered together by God as a holy community. We gather around the table, where we are fed with heavenly food. We gather around the font, where a splash of water washes us. We gather around the holy word, where we hear again and again God’s love for us.

God Redeems Us. We are redeemed by God’s love for us in Christ. Christ lived, died and rose again so we can become children of God. We are redeemed, pulled out of our selfish ways. We are forgiven and set free from the hold sin has on our lives.

God Anoints Us. In the bible, when a person was anointed, they were set aside for a special task or purpose. This was signified by being anointed with oil, it was poured on that person. In our baptisms, we are anointed, set aside for God’s purpose. We are anointed with the Holy Spirit, empowered and chosen by God to share God’s love.

God Makes Us New. We are made new in Christ. The apostle Paul writes that if anyone is in Christ, they are new creation. We are constantly made new through the forgiveness, grace and love Christ offers us. We are called by God to share this newness with the world. 

Gather Us, Redeem Us, Anoint Us, Make Us New – may this be our prayer this Lenten season, so we may show the world around us God’s never-failing love.