Tuesday in the Second Week of Lent.

"O God, you willed to redeem us from all iniquity by your Son: Deliver us when we are tempted to regard sin without abhorrence, and let the virtue of his passion come between us and our mortal enemy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen."

Psalm 50:7-15, 22-24, Isaiah 1:2-4, 16-20, Matthew 23:1-12

A book was released last week by pastor and author Rob Bell. The book, entitled Love Wins, is an exploration of the ideas of Heaven and Hell. It's on backorder right now, so I haven't read it and can't weigh in on it. A friend of mine from seminary, though, had this to say about his initial impressions of the book. That doesn't really surprise me to hear, either, since Bell strikes me as someone who sees God as being full of overwhelming grace and mercy and always willing to receive us back when we realize that we've strayed from His will.

I'm thinking about this especially because of the today's reading from the prophet Isaiah. The prophet speaks on behalf of the Lord, telling the people of all the wrong they've done. They are called a sinful and corrupt nation who have forsaken the Lord. Their actions have separated them from God, and the prophet speaks to them on behalf of God. Their transgressions are named and laid out before them.

Their separation from God, though, does not have to last forever. Their time away from the Lord need not be an eternal state. The prophet tells the people how they can return to the Lord, and what will happen then. If the people follow the commands, their sins can be washed clean. They will turn from scarlet into snow and from crimson into wool.

This is good news for all of us because it's about being given another opportunity. We've all done things in our life that separate us from the love that God has for us. When we do that it's so easy, and we're dealing with the fallout of our actions, we can easily begin to think that God has pulled away from us and that we must do something to earn God back. We see here, though, that God is bigger than all of that. We see that what it takes is us being willing to turn around and make ourselves available to the grace that is already awaiting us.