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Removing Barriers,
Creating Communities of Belonging.
March 2025
“Heavenly Father, you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you: Look with compassion upon the heartfelt desires of your servants, and purify our disordered affections, that we may behold your eternal glory in the face of Christ Jesus; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.” (Collect for the Third Sunday in Lent)
As we progress in the season of Lent, this collect invites us to consider what our true heartfelt desires are. “Are our hearts broken by the things that break the heart of God?” May we rest in God’s presence and peace, as we draw closer to God, examine our hearts, and ask the Lord to properly align our disordered affections,
The Way of Jesus leads to healing, redemption, and restoration. Yet, it takes time to bring your suffering and pain before God as we begin the process of transformation through the power of the Holy Spirit.
In Psalm 13:1-2 we see David naming and offering his pain to the Lord. David then identifies and prays for what he most desires, in verses three and four. At this point, then he embraces hope and chooses to praise God as he recalls the Lord’s faithfulness in the past.
In 1 Corinthians 12 Paul describes the Body of Christ as “One” though having many members. He then calls us to deeply love one another in 1 Corinthians 13 and describes that love unites us. We are the Church, the Body of Christ. Do we faithfully love and care for others, particularly people with disabilities and their families, as described in 1 Cor. 13?
Each of us has likely caused hurt and offence at times, although often unintentionally. Although God empowers us to do so, we may not have first sought his grace to love others who are different from us, for the purpose of building up the body for the common good and God’s glory. I lament the limited welcome the Church extends toward people with disabilities and their families, and any harm I may have caused.
If you feel similar losses or have other laments that you want to bring before the Lord, I invite you to join us as Mother Susan Rhodes guides us through a Service of Lament in our virtual gathering this Monday, March 17, 6:00 –7:00 pm (CT). During the times of quiet reflection, you may want to have some means available to write your personal responses to the three aspects of the service. (Nothing is shared with others; this is only for your personal reflection.)
May you have a holy Lent,
Deacon Kathy Ayres
AcLN Director
Connecting People and Sharing Resources
to support the church's ministry
with and by people with disabilities.
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.
1 John 4:7
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