Ephesians 2:4-5
God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ---by grace you have been saved.
We are told that the word "trespass", in the Greek language in which the New Testament was first written, literally means "missing the target" or "taking the wrong road."
Somehow this makes me think of one of the most interesting Olympic cross-country ski events we watched back in February, the biathlon. In this event, athletes ski 12.5 kilometers, or maybe more, depending on how many times they miss the target when shooting their rifle at designated places along the racing trail. Skiers pay a heavy price for "missing the target". For each missed shot, a penalty loop of 150 meters must be skied. As Wikipedia puts it, each missed target must be "atoned for".
"Forgive us our trespasses" we pray in the Lord's Prayer, and give thanks indeed that Christ is the one who atones for US---that God is "rich in mercy", strengthening us and pointing us in the right direction---calling us to follow Christ on his Lenten journey all the way to the cross.
And as Paul emphatically reminds us three verses later, "by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God".
Del Anderson
This Lent, we are sharing the offerings of members of All Saints who worked together to create a daily Lenten devotional book. Join us for worship Sunday morning at 8:30 and 11 and Education Hour at 9:45. Wednesday, we will have supper at 6:15 and worship at 7 as we meet John in our series "Christ on Trial." Visit http://www.allsaintspalatine.org for full calendar and information and respond to this email message to request to be removed from our distribution list.
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