John 5:24: Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my word,
and believes him who sent me, has eternal life; he does not
come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
To pass from death to life is surely at the center of our faith.
It means to me that the “Powers of Death” —greed, fear,
cruelty without, and the darkness within—do not have the
last word.
Jesus says that when we believe, we have passed from death
to life. We are either alive or dead. How then am I to
understand what I experience in myself, joy and awareness
of belonging to God, at one time, followed by darkness and
fear? I know that the light will win out over darkness, but
how am I to navigate these times, beset with my own
ignorance and weakness from within, and dangers and
calamities from without?
From the Word come words addressed to us, to be
understood by us, digested, and acted upon. As we accept
this word as truth, we can recognize other “words” that
come to us from another source and let go of their negative
pull on us.
St. Barnabas’ is the body of Christ. It is the place where I
can hear and be nourished by the words of Jesus that come
to me from scripture and sacraments, and from my sisters
and brothers gathered there.
Psalm 24, 29; Genesis 41:14-45; Romans 6:3-14;
John 5:19-24
These Lenten meditations were written by the people
of St. Barnabas' for the people of St. Barnabas' as part
of our recognition of the 50th anniversary of the founding
of this church. We hope that you will find them helpful
in your own Lenten devotions.
