Why Lent?

Good Morning Friends,

On our Lenten journey today, I want to offer a little honesty about aging, caregiving, and the questions that arise in both. My grandchildren are in that stage where everything gets dumped out and every answer is met with a persistent “Why?” I’ve learned their question isn’t defiance—it’s an invitation to stay in the conversation. Perhaps our own “Why?” to God is the same. Even when we don’t know what to say, we still want to stay close to help the next generation. So today we ask Why Lent?

Scripture With Brief Summary:

•             Jonah 3:1–10 — Jonah finally obeys God’s call, preaches to Nineveh, and the people repent. God responds with mercy.

•             Romans 1:3–4 — Paul proclaims Jesus as the Son of God, revealed in power through His resurrection.

•             1 Samuel 17:38–40 — David removes Saul’s armor and faces Goliath with what God had already trained him to use.

•             Psalm 51:3–19 — A prayer for cleansing, renewal, and a willing spirit.

Message: As I read today’s lectionary, I found myself reflecting on aligning my will with God’s purpose—something Jonah struggled with, and something I struggle with too. Caring for three grandchildren five days a week is a joy, but it stretches me. Walking the Naples Greenway with a wagon and stroller, singing the songs they learned in church, I’m reminded that even as I grieve what I’ve lost, I can still squeeze the best out of the years I have left.Yet like Jonah, I sometimes feel people are beyond hope. Then I look at my ever‑changing grandchildren and my children. I wonder about their motivations. In a world full of emotional manipulation and sudden anger, I sometimes resist what I sense God wants me to do. Perhaps you’ve felt that too. We all can be like children.When the Pharisees demanded a sign, Jesus pointed them to Jonah—not to the fish, but to the deeper truth. Jonah preached with no miracles, yet Nineveh repented. Jesus, greater than Jonah, had just healed a man who was blind and mute, yet the Pharisees remained unconvinced. Of course, the “sign of Jonah” points to Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection—the true miracle that confirms who He is and extends salvation to all nations.  The takeaway here is that Jonah reminds us not to demand proof before believing. If Nineveh responded to a reluctant prophet, how much more should we respond to the risen Christ. Lent presses this further. It invites us to lay aside what weighs us down. David did this when he removed Saul’s armor—choosing instead the tools God had already placed in his hands.Lent asks us to consider the armor we wear and why we wear it and who we are without it. Jesus entered the wilderness without physical armor. Jonah entered Nineveh armored with fear and resentment, yet God worked through him anyway. God does not wait for us to be perfect—only willing.

And So the invitation is simple: Lay down what you can. Trust God with what you can’t. Walk—one step, one act of mercy, one moment of obedience—toward the One who has already walked the road before us.If you are going to wear armor, wear the armor of God. Be authentic.

Pray that we see God’s warnings and wisdom. Pray we become emissaries of peace as Jonah was sent to Nineveh and Jesus to the world. Pray for obedient hearts and willing hands. Pray we repent, believe, and offer hope to the hopeless. Pray we do not resist God’s call. Pray that love becomes our guidepost. Pray we make the most of the life God has given us, to His glory. Pray for the courage to remove the armor that no longer serves us and the strength to carry the cross and God’s armor that does.

Blessings,

John Lawson