Denise Gallichio

TESTIMONY: (Written by Sofie Kate Chambley)

For years and years I wasted my time striving for perfection. My story is filled with disappointment, anger, sadness, mental struggles, spiritual warfare, and so much more. However, I refused to ever show that side. Rather than using my story to help others, it became something that pushed people away. I only showed perfection; I refused to show my sadness and my hurt, and I refused to ask for help. I did not want others to see that my walk with Christ was not as amazing as I portrayed it.

What I failed to realize was that I was acting like a Pharisee. Out of vanity, I kept the image of pure joy on my face. My mask of perfection turned into self-righteousness. When I reflected on this verse, it really called me to do a heart check. Jesus does not want perfection; He just wants you. He wants your flaws and your doubts. Your walk as a Christian will never be perfect. In fact, when you choose to walk in truth and life, your walk may be even harder. In the Beatitudes, Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit” (Matthew 5:3). These are the people that come to Him empty-handed and on the verge of giving up. Jesus is a loving and merciful God.

When we ask for mercy, we are not asking simply for forgiveness. When Jesus died on the cross, we were forgiven. Mercy is Gods response to us, it’s our gift to receive from Him. We can’t earn it or prove our way to it. Receiving God’s Mercy changes our hearts and makes us merciful. Jesus does not want us to offer sacrifices in exchange for mercy because if we did, then we never accepted his sacrifice.

In whatever season of life you are in, I encourage you to bring it all to the feet of Jesus. The sinful world we live in shows our desperate need for a Savior to save us from it. He has paid the price for your sins, and He redeems and restores.

RESPOND:

1. What resonates with you from this testimony?
2. What do Jesus’ words “I desire mercy, not sacrifice” mean to you?

PRAYER:

Gracious Father, Son of God, and Holy Spirit – deliver us from self-sufficiency. Deliver us from the ideals of this world. I pray you find your children drinking deep from your cup of grace and receiving the mercy you have poured out for us. Deliver us from fears of perception, from needs to prove or ideals to live up to, and Lord find your children willfully submitting to the will of you our Father. In Jesus name, Amen

Sanctuary Lent 2023 Spotify Playlist

SCRIPTURE:

“For I desire mercy, not sacrifice,
And acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings” Hosea 6:6

⁴ “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵ made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.” Ephesians 2:4-5

REFLECTION:

Mercy is the act of God; peace becomes the encountered response in the heart of man. In Life Together, Bonhoeffer states:

When God was merciful, when He revealed Jesus Christ to us as our Brother, when He won our hearts by His love, this was the beginning of our instruction in divine love. When God was merciful to us, we learned to be merciful with our brethren. When we received forgiveness, instead of judgment, we, too, were made ready to forgive our brethren.

Having mercy for His people led to the ultimate sacrifice for each of us. From the core of love, God made a way for us. God sacrificed out of His kind mercy, and love made a way for us to know, believe, and live in such love. This wasn’t for the sake of ritual or law. This was for the sake of Love.

“Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, what counts is the new creation. Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule-” Galatians 6:15-16

RESPOND:

1. How have you been met with God’s mercy?
2. Is there anything that hinders you from receiving or giving mercy?
3. How does receiving His mercy for you, lead you to be merciful towards others?

PRAYER:

“Blessed is the one
who trusts in the Lord,
who does not look to the proud,
to those who turn aside to false gods.
Many, Lord my God,
are the wonders you have done,
the things you planned for us.
None can compare with you;
were I to speak and tell of your deeds,
they would be too many to declare.
Sacrifice and offering you did not desire—
but my ears you have opened—
burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require.
Then I said, ‘Here I am, I have come—
it is written about me in the scroll.
I desire to do your will, my God;
your law is within my heart.’
I proclaim your saving acts in the great assembly;
I do not seal my lips, Lord,
as you know.
I do not hide your righteousness in my heart;
I speak of your faithfulness and your saving help.
I do not conceal your love and your faithfulness
from the great assembly.
Do not withhold your mercy from me, Lord;
may your love and faithfulness always protect me.” (Psalm 40:4-11)

Sanctuary Lent 2023 Spotify Playlist

“For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners”

RESPOND:

1. How does this image evoke the mercy of Jesus?
2. Rest in the grace of His mercy.

Sanctuary Lent 2023 Spotify Playlist

REFLECT AND PRAY:
PSALM 40:1-8

¹ I waited patiently for the Lord;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
² He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
³ He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear the Lord
and put their trust in him.
⁴ Blessed is the one
who trusts in the Lord,
who does not look to the proud,
to those who turn aside to false gods.
⁵ Many, Lord my God,
are the wonders you have done,
the things you planned for us.
None can compare with you;
were I to speak and tell of your deeds,
they would be too many to declare.
⁶ Sacrifice and offering you did not desire
but my ears you have opened
burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require.
⁷ Then I said, “Here I am, I have come
it is written about me in the scroll.
⁸ I desire to do your will, my God;
your law is within my heart.”

Sanctuary Lent 2023 Spotify Playlist