Good Afternoon.  We gather to pray and reflect together on the gifts presented to us by God on this Fourth Sunday of Lent.  We come together for this opportunity to stop, rest, reflect and ponder:  Where am I on my 2024 LENTEN Journey?  Most of us gathered here we have experienced many previous journeys.  We have lived through many alternate experiences on our personal walks through the solemn days of Lent.

Can we close our eyes for a moment and reflect on one day in our past Lenten Journeys when we have personally felt a special experience of a relationship with God. We felt the presence of his grace, the opportunity for stronger relationship, the loving forgiveness of a Savior who wants to nourish, love, and support us in spite of our forgetfulness, our scattered thoughts, our confusion, and many times our failure to feel God’s presence in our lives.  What did those moments mean to you?  Where you closer to a God who cares and waits?

This year we are living in a time of great division, hostility, and failure to see the other side.  It seems there are so many deep divisions between people, even family members and friends that we refuse to carry on real conversations with one another.  We have stopped sharing our thoughts, trying to find common ground, agreeing to disagree on certain topics.

As we enter these last days of Lent and prepare to celebrate Holy Week, what might each one of us do to move closer to reconciliation and joy in our gatherings, our time together, and our time with friends?  Perhaps we could set a time each morning to pray in a special way for a family member or friend.  We might take a few minutes to sit with God and try to recall the times we have let small incidents color our time together with family or friends.  Have we been so busy that we have forgotten to share a deep or relaxing moment with those with whom we share our daily lives? Have we taken time to talk to God?

Have we become so engaged in technology that we cannot leave our lap tops, phones, computers, our many modern inventions, even for the time it takes to enjoy a meal together, spend time with a friend, reach out to someone in need, or to celebrate a family event?

Now is our time, our Lent to look for ways to reunite, to share, to stop and remember a past conversation or gathering when we experienced the joy if a deep conversation, the compassion of a friend who understood us, the simple warmth of a meal with family or friends.

The Scripture reading (John 3:14-21) we read calls us to remember that God sent His Son into the world that we would be saved and have eternal life.

The Scripture we read a few minutes ago reminds us that God did not send his only Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.  How can we spend these last days of Lent recalling our opportunities to walk with Jesus, our friend and companion?

We ask ourselves how often we turn away from his invitation to hear his voice, share his concerns, and truly love our neighbor as he loves us.  Let us resolve today as we head for home to seek to walk with Jesus through these special days remembering that Jesus is truly our brother and our God.  He waits, supports, and is our most devoted companion through life today and in the future if we but open our hearts to his call.  Jesus is truly the light of the world.  Forgive us our distraction, our failure to walk with you, our worries over divisions, and our careless acceptance of a world divided and dark.

Be with us as we try once again to find you in our everyday time together and remember that you will hold each of us close as we journey home to you.