Hartford Street Presbyterian Church

Dear Friends,

As we come into the season of Lent we begin to study and prepare ourselves for the miraculous events of Holy Week and Easter. We have forty days to do this so let us begin with salvation because that is what Jesus brought us with his death and resurrection. A most powerful story in the Bible comes in Matthew 25:31-48. I quote only a small section of it below and I encourage you to take your Bible and reread this familiar story once again.

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, "Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.' …."Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.'

It is here that Jesus comes to challenge all people and all nations with the manner in which we should live our lives. There has been two ways of understanding salvation in the Bible for many people.

James who many believe was the brother of Jesus says in the letter of James in the New Testament 2:17 So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.

But the Apostle Paul in Romans 3:21-24 tells us: But now, apart from law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

Are we given salvation by works or by faith? Paul writes in Romans: that by faith in Jesus Christ alone we are given salvation. Where James tells us that faith without works is dead! So which is it? Let us read a little further in Romans 12:21: Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. And how does are we to be transformed? In Galatians 5:22 Paul tells us that through the Spirit we are made new: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

So we are saved by Grace alone through faith in Jesus Christ, but that Grace transforms us to be new people in this world. In Lent let our minds be renewed through the one who loves us beyond life and death, beyond this world, with a love that never dies.

Last week 7 young people from Hartford Street and 7 young people from our sister congregation, Shekinah, with 4 adult advisors traveled down to Boston to stay the night at the Episcopal Cathedral of St. Paul’s on the Commons to participate in a program called “City Reach”. The program starts with worship (usually outside but with the temperatures hovering around 8 degrees we stayed indoors). We then went out into Boston guided by 3 leaders who were homeless.

Our eyes were opened as we walked through the well-lit and expensive streets of Boston only to see people trying to bed down on cardboard with old filthy blankets to keep warm in the freezing cold night. By the time we were finished all of us were freezing cold, but there wasn’t a complaint for we had a warm place to sleep. In the morning when we arose, we began to prepare for serving all who would come to the Cathedral for breakfast, lunch, and warm clothing including, hats, gloves, coats, scarves, boots, blankets, etc. that were donated by this congregations and other churches that were in attendance.

As I watched all that was happening, I felt we were like the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:1-42) learning at the feet of Jesus. I could feel our lives being transformed and realized it was faith that got us to be part of this program, it was faith that gave the leaders of the program the strength to be with us, and that faith was transforming us to be new and more compassionate people.

The New Testament tells us that it is by faith alone we are given salvation, but that faith when it is active in our lives transforms us to be new people. So both Apostle Paul and the Apostle James are correct through the Grace of Jesus Christ we are saved, and through the Grace of Jesus Christ we are transformed. May your faith grow stronger and your lives be transformed as we make our journey through Lent.

Peace,
Pastor Eric