By Pastor Mark Moreno

A Somber Tone

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

When I became a pastor in 2002, I had to get comfortable with wearing black. You can picture a black clerical collar or some of the religious vestments or clothing that pastors and priests wear.

I spent my first 17 years of ministry in Florida where the temperature can get pretty hot, so I often felt uncomfortably hot because I was wearing all black. Especially if I was doing a wedding on the beach!

In Joel 1:13-15 we read,

“Put on sackcloth and lament, O priests; wail, O ministers of the altar. Go in, pass the night in sackcloth, O ministers of my God! Because grain offering and drink offering are withheld from the house of your God! Consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly. Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord. Alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is near, and as destruction from the Almighty it comes.”
English Standard Version

The reason why many religious professionals wear black is because it connects to the message we share: We have sin in our lives and Jesus Christ is the one who comes to deliver us!

You may have attended an Ash Wednesday service where a common practice is putting ashes on the foreheads to symbolize repentance, mourning and humility. When you read through the bible you can see this expressed in many different ways!

What do you do when the weight of your sin is heavy upon you?

I would encourage you to speak to a local pastor. Someone that walks with the Lord and can hear you and support you as you share your burden. Life is so hard sometimes and it is important to have people in your life that can speak the truth of God to you. The only real solution to sin is to confess it, to admit it, so that God’s forgiveness can be given.

Searching the scriptures is also a good way to deal with sin. God’s promises are sure and voiced throughout the bible. Reading pages can be so comforting and inspiring, just the thing for a heavy heart.

So if you see a man in black, remember this devotion. Remember that God calls men to serve as pastors to help believers deal with the many things life throws at us.

Copyright Family of Christ Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado