|
Holy Trinity Anglican Orthodox Church
|
||
|
Second Sunday of Lent |
||
|
March 4, 2007 Self Examination Last Sunday I spoke about why we keep Lent. Lent does not replace or add to the work of Christ. It has no saving effect upon our souls. It does embody the principles of holy living. In Lent we intentionally practice holiness. We set aside the time to do the things we should always be doing, but sometimes allow to be crowded out of our lives. Emphasizing these things during Lent does not excuse their neglect at other times, of course. It is just that, in Lent, we make a special point of doing them. One of the things we emphasize in Lent is repentance. We make a great point of turning away from sin and turning to God. But before we can repent of sin we must find it, and Lent is a time for finding the sin in our lives. It is a time to put our lives under the microscope and examine them for tiny flaws, and to stand back far enough to see the giant holes. Returning to our example of a journey, finding our sin is like checking the compass to determine the present course of our lives. In church talk we call this process self examination. When we do serious self examination we always notice a discrepancy between our professed ideals, and our practice in real life. For example, we may say that our goal in life is to live for Christ, but our actions might show that we spend most of our time and efforts in other endeavors. Obviously, this self examination is more than simply asking if a certain action is a sin or not. We are talking about a serious, intense, and honest look at the way we really live our lives. We will examine our values. We will honestly ask and answer probing questions about them. What do I value in life? How do I know that I value it? How are my values formed and shaped? What do I allow to shape my values? Do I value humbleness, kindness, honesty, and integrity? What personality traits do I value in others? In myself? We will examine our attitudes. Attitudes are mind sets and values upon which actions are based. Do I have attitudes of self-importance, looking out for number one? Bitterness? Resentment and jealousy? Anger? Bearing grudges? We will examine our habits. Habits are just the ways we respond to life. They have become so ingrained in us that we do them without thinking. Habits can be good, or bad. We can have a habit of laziness, or a habit of industry. We may have a habit of not listening to others, or of aggressive driving. I once rode to church with a friend who was a pillar in the congregation, but he drove like the devil. He drove very fast, tailgated, and passed in unsafe areas. He had developed this as a habit, and it went along with his other habit of not allowing enough time to get to church, or other places, which he tried to make up for in the car. This is more than just a question of speeding. This is a habit of life that needs to be examined and repented of. We will examine our thoughts. What do I think about most during the day? What do I think about when I have free time? Are my thoughts about getting more toys? Having more fun? Advancing my career? Chocolate? Notice, these can be good. It is good to enjoy “toys”, advance our careers, have fun; and I am certain God has nothing against chocolate. But do we also think about God? The Scripture? Holiness? Finally, we will examine our actions, the things we do. Are they sinful? Do they honor God? Do we sin by inaction; by failing to do what we know we should? Do we fail to commit random acts of faith and godliness? This is true self examination. This, along with repentance, is the heart of Lent, and Lent is simply a concentrated effort to live a godly life. God help us to examine ourselves. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, Amen.
The Rev. Dr. R. Dennis Campbell, Vicar, Holy Trinity Anglican Church,
|
||
Copyright © 2006 Holy Trinity Anglican Orthodox Church. All rights reserved For website information contact: E-mail Webmaster |
||
http://www.holytrinityanglicanorthodoxchurch.org/HolyTrinityHello.htm