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 2: Paradise and Choice – Free Will and Trust in God’s Command
Theme
Kerygma Act 2: Creation, the Fall, and Free Will
“God created us in love and for love. He gave us a free will to choose to love Him or not. Adam and Eve, tempted by the serpent, chose to disobey God, breaking their relationship with Him and bringing sin and death into the world. This is the Fall.”
Genesis 2:16-17
“The Lord God gave the man this order: ‘You are free to eat from any of the trees of the garden except the tree of knowledge of good and evil. From that tree, you shall not eat; when you eat from it, you shall die.'”
Reflection
In this passage, we see God establishing a clear boundary within an environment of perfect freedom. God’s command is not arbitrary; it is a loving instruction meant to protect humanity from the consequences of straying from His divine order. This act reveals God’s desire for a genuine, loving relationship with us. He grants us freedom, but also provides guidance, like a loving parent. The tree of knowledge represents the choice between trusting God’s wisdom and asserting our own. The “death” spoken of is not merely physical, but spiritual—a separation from God’s life-giving presence. This passage reflects the core of Lent: recognizing our tendency to stray from God’s loving guidance, and choosing to return to Him. Through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, we seek to realign our hearts with God’s will, acknowledging that true freedom lies in obedience to love. We are called to reflect on the boundaries in our own lives, and to consider how they either protect or hinder our relationship with God.
Prayer
Lord, help me to trust in Your wisdom, even when I do not understand. Strengthen my heart to choose obedience out of love, knowing that Your ways lead to life. When I am tempted to go my own way, draw me back to You. Amen.
Action
Practice an act of trust today—surrender a worry or fear to God in prayer. Choose to obey His will in a small but intentional way, such as speaking kindly when it’s difficult or resisting a temptation.
The Kerygma
When Time Allows Reflect on the Posts in Library and Musings
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