What if Lent Could Rekindle Your Faith? Exploring the Kerygma
Life can take us on unexpected paths, and sometimes our faith journey can feel like it’s taken a detour. If you’ve found yourself distant from your faith, or if you’re simply curious about exploring it again, this Lenten season offers a gentle invitation to reconnect. These daily reflections focus on the Kerygma, the core message of Christianity – a message of love, hope, and new beginnings. We’ll be exploring eight key “Acts” of God’s story, from creation to our present call to partnership with Him. There’s no pressure, no judgment, just an invitation to consider a different perspective and perhaps rediscover a connection you thought was lost.
Act 8 of the Kerygma: “God, Infinitely Merciful, Desires That All Men Be Saved”
“The final Act of the Kerygma is God’s ultimate desire and intention: that we be restored to Him forever. God’s love remains steadfast. He pursues us across every generation. His mercy is endless. He sent His Son to save us. And He now invites us to make a free-will response to His love—to say yes to Jesus, to be baptized, and to live as His disciples, so that the whole world may know and experience His love and mercy.”
Rich in Mercy, Alive by Grace
Ephesians 2:4-10
But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved — and raised us up with him and seated us with2 him in the heavens in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so that no one can boast. For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to enable us to do.
Reflection
Imagine a life devoid of life—a state of spiritual death, separated from God. Ephesians 2:4-10 paints a stark picture of our condition before encountering the overwhelming mercy of God. We were “dead in our transgressions,” spiritually lifeless, separated from the source of all life. Yet, in a stunning act of love, God, “rich in mercy,” reached down and intervened.
This passage echoes the Kerygma’s core message—God’s relentless pursuit of our salvation. He not only brings us back to life but also raises us, seats us with Christ! This isn’t just about forgiveness, it’s about radical transformation and the bestowal of an incredible new identity—we become “his handiwork,” created anew for a specific purpose, equipped for good works. This reveals a God who is not only merciful and compassionate but also incredibly creative and purposeful in His love. He desires not just to save us from something, but to save us for something—a life lived in communion with Him, actively participating in His redemptive work in the world.
This profound truth should stir something deep within us. As we continue our Lenten journey, let us meditate on this: We are not just forgiven, we are created anew in Christ. Our Baptism marked the moment of this resurrection, initiating us into this new life of grace. Now, we are called to embrace this identity, allowing God to guide our steps, empowering us to live out our baptismal promises, and to actively participate in the restoration of all creation.
Prayer
Gracious God, I am overwhelmed by your mercy! You found me lost and dead and brought me back to life. Thank you for this new creation in Christ. Help me to live into this reality, to embrace my identity as your beloved child, and to use the gifts you have given me to serve your kingdom. Amen.
Action
Today, take a moment to reflect on the “good works” God may be calling you to. What unique gifts and talents has He given you? How might He be inviting you to use them to serve your community, your family, or the wider world? Spend some time in prayerful discernment, asking God to reveal His specific plan for your life.
The Kerygma
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Sharing
Jesus last words on Earth were to his disciples, can be found in Matthew Chap 28 when Jesus told his disciples, “Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
Jesus calls all of us to share in his redemptive mission here on Earth. I would ask you to share this Scripture reflection with your family, your friends and your acquaintances, and then share it with a couple of individuals that you may may not be comfortable sharing with, keeping in mind always the words of Jesus, And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age
Author was assisted by AI in the drafting of this Post