Lent 2026 Day 23 – Pure Religion
One of the things we have tried to do as a bishopric is visit people in their homes. We've set aside Wednesday evenings as the time to do this. Sometimes schedules don't line up or we aren't able to arrange to visit with anyone (we don't want to show up unannounced), but when it happens, it's always a wonderful experience.
Last night the bishop and I visited three families:
- A single mother and three of her five children
- A couple and their three daughters
- An elderly man who lives by himself and whose wife is in a care facility
Each visit was relatively brief, but special. We were able to get to know these good people a little better. We were able to pray with them. I hope they felt of God's love for them.
Visiting with the elderly man was a particularly sweet experience. He recently moved into our neighborhood after enduring years of being a caregiver for his wife as she suffered from dementia. It eventually got to the point where she was a danger to herself and to him, so for her good and his, she had to be admitted to a facility that is able to both deal with her condition and care for her. He also had open heart surgery a year or so ago and was on the operating table for over 8 hours.
His genuine gratitude for being in a safe home of his own, for being surrounded by good neighbors and a caring church community, and for being alive and in relatively good health was evident. We were delighted to visit and pray with him and he was so grateful for our company.
As I reflected on this experience, a scripture from the Epistle of James came to my mind:
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. (James 1:27 KJV)
Another version:
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. (James 1:27 NIV)
When we care for others and strive to live righteously, we are living “pure religion.”
As overwhelmed as I feel about my bishopric calling sometimes, I am grateful for the opportunities to forget about myself for a while and minister to others. I need to be better at this.
#100DaysToOffload (No. 152) #faith #Lent #Christianity