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.”
Romans 5:12
Therefore, just as through one person sin entered the world, and through sin, death, and thus death came to all 1 people, because all have sinned—
Reflection
This verse from Romans 5 distills the profound impact of the Fall. Through Adam’s disobedience, sin and death entered the world, affecting all of humanity. It’s a sobering truth that highlights our shared vulnerability and the brokenness that separates us from God. This passage reveals God’s deep love and mercy, as it sets the stage for understanding the necessity of Christ’s sacrifice. God doesn’t leave us in this state of separation; He provides a path to redemption. During Lent, we are called to acknowledge our own participation in this legacy of sin. Through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, we open ourselves to God’s grace, allowing Him to heal the wounds of sin and restore our relationship with Him. We recognize that our journey toward holiness is not a solitary one, but a communal effort to overcome the effects of the Fall. We are called to recognize our own participation in the legacy of sin, and to turn towards God.
Prayer
Merciful God, I acknowledge the weight of sin in my life and in the world. Help me to understand the depth of your love that seeks to redeem me. Grant me the grace to turn away from sin and embrace your path of life. Amen.
Action
Today, reflect on a specific way you see the effects of sin in your own life or in the world around you. Offer a prayer for healing and restoration in that area. Consider writing down what you see as the effect of sin, and then write down what you know to be true of Christ’s ability to heal that wound.
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