Karen Pidcock-Lester

Karen Pidcock-Lester

First Presbyterian Church

Pottstown, Pa. Feb. 2016

Come, ye sinners, poor and needy,
Weak and wounded, sick and sore;
Jesus ready stands to save you,
Full of pity, love and pow’r.

Come, ye thirsty, come, and welcome,
God’s free bounty glorify;
True belief and true repentance,
Every grace that brings you nigh.

Come, ye weary, heavy-laden,
Lost and ruined by the fall;
If you tarry till you’re better,
You will never come at all.

I will arise and go to Jesus

He will embrace me in his arms

In the arms of my dear savior,

Oh, there are ten thousand charms.

Search Me and Know Me:

a Guide to a

Lenten Spiritual Examination

Let’s begin with the invitation. It is an invitation full of “pity, love, and power:”

Come to me all who are struggling hard

and carrying heavy loads, and I will give

you rest. Put on my yoke, and learn from

me. I’m gentle and humble. And you will

find rest for yourselves. (Matt 11:28 CEB)

It is an invitation to tread the path that leads to grace, the path of honesty about who we are – and who we are not;

If we claim, “We don’t have any sin,” we

deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and

just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us

from everything we’ve done wrong.

(I John 1:8-9, CEB)

Godly sadness produces a changed heart

and life that leads to salvation and

leaves no regrets… (2 Corinthians 7:9 CEB)

It is the invitation to examine ourselves—or, rather, to be examined by the Holy Spirit -- in the light of God’s love shining in the face of Jesus Christ, so that we can receive the grace that changes us, and saves us:

Search me, God, and know my heart; test

me and know my anxious thoughts. See if

there is any offensive way in me, and lead

me in the way everlasting. (Ps 139:23-24) NIV

Christ extends the invitation because he knows we, and the world, are broken by sin…

I do not understand my own

actions. …I do not do the good I want,

but the evil I do not want is what I

do…sin dwells within me. (Romans 7:15, 19)

…and he loves us too much to let us miss the mended, lightened life he is holding out to us.

we,…with unveiled faces…are being transformed…from one degree of glory to another. (2 Cor. 3:18 NRSV)

Remembering that the purpose of a Lenten spiritual examination is not condemnation, but regeneration, let us begin.

Perhaps you have said: “Whenever we have the time of silent personal confession in the prayer of confession, I never know what to say,”

or perhaps you might ask, “How can I draw closer to God and experience God’s grace more fully?”

Either way, spiritual wisdom encourages us to:

1.  Come before God regularly. Make an effort to come at the same time each day, or each week. Or, perhaps, set aside time in Lent for a spiritual retreat.

2.  Begin with prayer. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide your reflection and show you what you need to see, hear, and feel.

3.  Look inward. Examine your life as it would appear in the light of Christ. Christ’s teachings and life illumine whom we are created to be and how God calls us to live. Perhaps the questions in this guide will help focus your spiritual examination.

4.  Pay attention. When you notice where you fail to reflect Christ’s light and live Christ’s way, it may be helpful to jot down

a note about the brokenness you see, hear and feel.

5.  Remember mercy. “Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord,” not even the brokenness you discover within and around you. (Romans 8:39)

6.  Confess. Bring your “godly sorrow” for your brokenness before God-- in worship, in prayer, to a spiritual companion, or hang it on the Lenten cross.

7.  Receive forgiveness. Hear the good news: “In Jesus Christ, you are forgiven.” Allow God to cover you with grace, and be at peace. If you have a difficult time receiving God’s grace and releasing the burden of sin, it might be helpful to talk with a guide or friend so that the Holy Spirit can work in that person to impart grace to you.

QUESTIONS TO GUIDE YOU

Through the generations, the sinner-saints of God have examined their lives against the standard of God’s Ten Commandments found in Exodus 20:1-17.

Or they have measured themselves against Jesus’s beautiful, challenging teachings in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5-7.

Some are drawn to the historic Church’s catalogue of seven deadly sins: pride, anger, envy, greed, lust, sloth, and gluttony.

You, too, might find it fruitful to set your life in the light of these teachings, and be examined.

Or…

You might draw close to Jesus’ words in the gospel of Matthew:

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the greatest and first commandment.

And a second is like it: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

(NRSV Matthew 22:36-40)

If you do, here are some questions based on these two commandments that might prompt your reflection, lead to humble contrition, and unlock the refreshment of grace.

Find a quiet, comfortable place to come into God’s presence and enter into a conversation with the Holy Spirit. Note that these questions are not offered as a checklist to be scored, but as openings to a deeper conversation with the God who comes to you in Jesus Christ and says,

You are my beloved.

My grace is sufficient for you.

I will never abandon or forsake you.

I am your Savior, you are mine.

Loving God: Where do I…

·  put other attachments before God?

·  neglect to worship God? why?

·  neglect to listen to God? Why?

·  neglect to seek God’s will? Why?

·  take God’s love and mercy for granted? Why?

·  lack trust? live anxious or afraid? Why?

·  live without gratitude or joy? Why?

·  neglect to obey Christ’s teachings and commands? Why?

·  refuse to forgive? Why?

Loving neighbor: where am I less than loving towards…

·  those closest to me? Why?

·  strangers I have met today? Why?

·  those with whom I live or work? why?

·  those for whom Christ shows compassion – the poor, the outcast, the weak, the despised, the sick? Why?

·  people with whom I disagree? Why?

·  people of other races? Why?

·  people of other faiths? Why?

·  sisters and brothers in the household of faith? Why?

·  those who seek justice? Why?

·  those who make me angry? Why?

·  those who have hurt me? Why?

·  those to whom I’ve made promises?

·  my enemies? Why?

Loving my self:

·  where do I not treasure and claim my identity as a beloved child of God? Why?

·  where do I hurt or despise or neglect my body? Why?

·  where do I dismiss or despise my abilities and talents? Why?

·  where do I not show myself the acceptance and compassion the Lord has shown to me? Why?

·  where do I resist the community God wants to give me? Why?