messagefeb2007

A friend of mine, when I asked him what Lent means to him answered me with this very simple story.

A soldier approached the teacher, "I have mastered all of the martial arts," he said calmly. "I have risen to the
highest rank possible for a man of my training. I now wish to learn about God. Can you help me?"

the teacher smiled and invited the man to sit at the table. "Let us have a cup of tea, " he said, "before we talk
further." After the solder sat, the teacher began to pour the tea into the man's cup. He filled the cup and kept on
pouring until the tea was running over the table onto the floor. The soldier watched dumbfounded until he could no
longer be silent. "Stop! It is full! The cup will not hold more tea!"

Placing the teapot on the table, the teacher addressed soldier. "You are so full of yourself that there is no room for
God. It is not possible for you to learn about God until you empty yourself.

My friend's story brings to light once again that during the season of Lent, we are provided with an opportunity to
turn inward and observe ourselves and reflect on the motives that drive each of us. The beauty of Christianity is that
it is not a religion that is only obsessed with doing; it is also concerned with why we do what we do. In the hustle
and bustle of our lives, it is important that we find time and space to stop and reflect. I'm not talking about a sitting
down and making a gloomy list of all our missed opportunities and past failures. I'm talking about a reflection that
invites the Holy Spirit to rebuild our character. Lent means the lengthening of daylight as we enter the season of
Spring. Consequently, are there things in your life that need to decrease in order that God may increase?

My prayer for all of us this Holy Season of Lent is that we find some time to sit back, relax and reflect a little bit.
Maybe even take some time to sip from our overflowing teacups.

Pastor Steltzer