Psalm 53; Leviticus 25:1-19; Revelation 19:9-10
Day 24 | Tuesday, April 1
I posted an overview of Union Gospel Mission’s Lent Devotional March 6 and am posting four excerpts during March and early April.
This week’s entry is by Joyce Chan, Principal of the Chinese Canadian School of Theology in Richmond.
The devotional is widely available in print (check the back shelf in your local church) and online.
Reading Psalm 53 took me back to a time when I led a group of students on visits to different churches, allowing them to experience worship across various Christian traditions.
I especially loved doing this during the Season of Lent and Holy Week, as these times tell the climactic story of Christianity. Lent is also a season of repentance and spiritual renewal, a call to reflect and return to God.
One year, we visited a beautiful sanctuary filled with stained glass windows, where we listened to the pastor explain a liturgy of Lent.
As we read the liturgy printed in the worship order, we were surprised to find that the word ‘sin’ was absent. Out of curiosity, we asked about it. The pastor’s response was, “We don’t talk about sin anymore these days.”
This moment highlighted a trend in our polite culture, where we avoid words that might offend or cause discomfort, even at the expense of truth. In Scripture, particularly in the Wisdom literature, the word ‘fool’ appears frequently.
There are two kinds of fools: the first refers to those who are indifferent to wisdom and knowledge, living complacently without direction. The second type refers to those who believe they are always right and have no fear of God. These people, mentioned in Psalms 14 and 53, are practical atheists who live as though God does not exist, assuming their actions carry no consequences.
As Christians, we must not assume we are immune to foolishness just because we ‘know’ God. A famous story about the great reformer Martin Luther illustrates this well. One day, his wife dressed in mourning clothes.
“Who has died?” Luther asked. “God,” she replied.
“God!” Luther said, shocked. “How can you say such a thing?”
“I’m only saying what you are living,” she answered.
It’s easy to acknowledge God with our lips while keeping Him at a distance in our lives. We like making our own decisions and charting our own paths. In this season of Lent, may the Holy Spirit open our eyes to our true spiritual condition, allowing God to reclaim His kingship over our daily living.
Joyce Chan
Dear God, forgive us for living as though You are not present in our everyday lives. We try to solve our problems and plan without seeking Your guidance. Help us lean not on our own understanding, but to acknowledge Your lordship and trust in Your direction in all that we do. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Joyce Chan, PhD (Baylor University) is Principal of the Canadian Chinese School of Theology Vancouver in Richmond. 陳頌恩是加拿大華人神學院院長。