Lent Devotion Guide #25 – Overcoming The Lies: I’m Not The Happy Type

FRIDAY MARCH 26, 2021

An Introduction
Hello Connect Church Family! As we prepare for the coming of Easter I will be sharing a sermon series titled, “Overcoming the Lies.” To accompany the sermon series and help us grow as individual Christians, we have also put together this devotional guide. I hope this will be a blessing to you! Every weekday, for the next several weeks, you are invited to join your church family and spend a few moments in this book. A number of people from our church community have contributed to make this booklet possible. On other days I have shared short thoughts on scriptures and left space for you to pray through what the scripture means for you. I hope you will join me and many others in your church family as we prepare for the coming of Easter!
-Pastor Adam Ricks

Read: Philippians 1:21-24

The Apostle Paul is in a dither! “Which is better; to depart and be with Christ, or to stick around here in the flesh? I guess I’ll stay because it will be helpful to others.” I have to admit, more than once this past year, it crossed my mind to just get the Covid and let the chips fall as they may! If I die, oh well, that is just one day sooner I will be face-to-face with the Lord. But immediately, the thought of my family and friends grieving would snap me back into shape! As disappointed as all of us have been hunkering down away from hugs and handshakes, how joyous to still be able to virtually worship, meet by ZOOM, and socially-distance-six-feet-apart eat together! The one fact of life for all of humanity is at our births, we have an upcoming appointment with death. Even the people Jesus wholly and completely healed 2000 years ago, eventually died. And when they died, their loved ones grieved, just as we grieve when our loved ones die, just as when we die our loved ones will grieve. Alfred Lord Tennyson wrote, “Better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all.” We can extend this thought to help us through our grieving: Had our parted loved ones never been born, we wouldn’t grieve in the face of death, but then, we wouldn’t have our blessed memories either! In the days, months, years to come, let’s allow Paul’s resolve to resonate within and among us, “Living is Christ, and for our loved ones, dying is gain—not loss!” What a happy thought!
-Rev. Susan Grove, Retired (ConnectUMC Member)