Based on the Lectionary reading of Mark 1: 9-15
March 1, 2009
This week we began the time known in the Christian Church as “Lent.” It is a time of spiritual journey.
The history of God and God’s people is filled with remarkable journeys of various types. Among these are physical journeys such as the one of the Children of Israel in the wilderness. Also present are spiritual journeys such as the one described in today’s Lectionary reading. This spiritual journey was the one Christ made into the wilderness as he prepared for ministry.
As we think about these and many other journeys in the bible, I am reminded of the story of a group of children who were discussing with their Sunday school teacher the meaning of the journey of the Children of Israel. In an attempt to probe into what they understood about the biblical importance of this part of their heritage, their teacher posed some questions to them. The responses she got were interesting.
When asked “what was the name of the first book of the bible,” one youngster replied it was the book of “Guiness.” This youngster further explained that after having spent a full 6 days in doing the enormously difficult work of creation, God sat down on the 7th day for some rest and a beverage.
When asked about the journey of Moses, one youngster replied that he led the desert tribe for a lengthy 40 year journey but died before ever entering “Canada.”
Another youngster further explained that one of Moses’ trainees named Joshua, led the Hebrews in the battle of “Geritol.” (For those of you born after the 1980’s you may not recognize “Geritol” as a vitamin tonic that was popular in an earlier era. This elixir contained iron, B-vitamins, and considerable amounts of alcohol! It was said to revitalize those who had “iron poor blood.”) We can only speculate that Moses might have actually lasted long enough to make it to “Canada” if he had more exposure to Geritol!
My favorite of all, is when the Sunday school teacher asked the children to explain about the journey of Jesus and his followers. One bright young mind replied that Jesus gathered around him 12 people known as the “twelve decibels.” This youngster further explained that it was the job of the decibels to proclaim “loudly” the good news of Jesus to all the world.
The children of Israel traveled for 40 years before reaching the promised land. Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness as he prepared for his ministry.
There are at least ten instances in the Old Testament and New Testament where the number 40 occurs, either in years or days. For example in the time of Noah the scriptures recount that it rained for 40 days and 40 nights. The early books of the bible tell us that Moses was on the mountain 40 days and 40 nights before bringing down the 10 commandments. Our scripture today tells us that Jesus fasted in the wilderness for 40 days. Later we learn that Christ was seen on the earth for 40 days after his crucifixion.
We are left wondering about the significance of this number 40 and what those who wrote our bible were trying to convey in using this very same number for each of these situations.
If we look at the common characteristics of each of the situations involving “40” in the bible, we see that these always involve the following sequence of four elements:
1. A time of discernment - Reflection
2. A time of getting ready - Preparation
3. A time of making change - Correction, (and it ends with)
4. A time of restoration - Renewal.
Our time of lent is 40 days (minus the Sundays) and is the period leading up to the Easter weekend when we experience once again the risen Christ. As Christ spent 40 days getting ready for his ministry, we have the opportunity to spend 40 days getting ourselves ready for Easter. As our spiritual journey, the time of lent can be for us a time of reflection, preparation, correction, and renewal. Indeed, we are holding a Lenten study series on techniques for Christian Centering. This series will focus on things that will be helpful as you utilize the cycle of reflection, preparation, correction, and renewal. The class promises to be a time of both fun and seriousness. It promises to be a time of faith and a time of growth. I invite you to join us for this series. Regardless of whether you join us for this class, I hope that you will consider using these weeks of lent as a time for your own spiritual growth.
This morning as we consider the possibilities of our journey through Lent, I would like to invite you to look briefly at what this special time might mean for us during the 40 days we have to spend between now and Easter. It can be and perhaps should be a spiritual journey for each of us. It should be a time of finding our own spiritual center.
Let us look at the four elements of the Lenten journey. Let us first consider reflection.
Reflection – In its most fundamental form, spiritual reflection is the thought process we use to review our relationship with our God. It is a process we can use to determine if this relationship is a healthy one. Reflection calls us to focus on what is important. It calls us to consider setting priorities in our life. In some cultures the prioritization of lent calls for a focus away from nurturing the physical to a focus on nurturing the spiritual. This is the basis for what some call fasting. Although fasting is not as popular with those of us in the UCC, we do understand what it means to reflect. We resonate with what it means to ask the question “what is missing in my life?” or “What is here that needs to go in order to make room for what must be added?” Most of all it is a process that calls us to make our most valued relationship more relevant and more prominent in our lives. The process of reflection is an essential prerequisite before we can even think about undertaking preparations for change. This leads us to the second of our characteristics of the number 40.
Preparation – In our work and in our social organizations we often think of ourselves as great strategic planners. We recognize the need to plan our lives. We sometimes try to plan our friends’ lives. We plan our children’s lives, and we even plan our parent’s lives as they move into their later years. Yet we still are caught unaware at times when life’s circumstances take unexpected turns. Spiritual preparation is an essential part of getting us ready for what God has in store. It is hard work. It requires a centering focus and a commitment to practice what we believe. Without planning we are less likely to make progress. Without preparation we may find that we are not ready to experience the Risen Christ. Without the planning stage in lent there can be no meaningful change. Without change, there can be no transformation. This leads us to the next in our characteristics of the number 40. (Correction)
Correction – Those of us in the UCC are very comfortable with prescribing and promoting change. On the other hand, we are less comfortable with the concept of correction. I suppose it is because correction implies that we have made mistakes while change implies that we are innovative and forward thinking. No one wants to be in error, but everyone wants to be creative! Yet, if we have done the right amount of contemplative reflection, and thoughtful preparation, correction and change can quite naturally go together. Perhaps our reluctance to consider correction is based on the feeling of some that the God-focused life has a very narrow pathway and that to stray from this limited trajectory is to risk alienation from God or, at the very least, the disapproval of our fellow travelers. The truth is, nothing could be further from reality. The theologian writer Thomas Hart explains it this way:
It is as if Jesus surveyed the religious scene of his day and said to himself: These are good people, but they are all confused. They think God wants religious services, tithes, and the strict observance of law. In fact, God wants their hearts. They think God wants religiosity, complete with sackcloth and a daily regimen. God would much rather see them love one another and share what they have with one another, so that everybody has life. They think God wants them to reject the world and isolate themselves from it, when in fact God wants them to enjoy it, to give thanks for it, and to work to make it more human. They think God wants them to live in fear, fear of going wrong and fear of (the wrath of) God, when in fact God wants them to live in joy and freedom. They think God wants them to walk about with their heads down because of all their failures, when in fact God wants them to trust like children in God’s forgiveness and in the dependability of God’s love. They think they have to earn their way with God and win a reward if they can, when in fact God wants them to know God’s acceptance of them as a gift quite undeserved*.
Thus the path of correction and change must be because we recognize that life can be better. It must a path that we can freely choose based on our desire to move closer to God. The result can be transformational. Or, as Pastor Ina said last week, it can be transfigurational!
This leads us to the fourth and final characteristic of the 40-something journey.
Renewal – If we have paid attention to reflection, preparation and correction, what will naturally follow is a sense of renewal. As we prepare for the Easter events we must recognized that we are loved so much by God that God would become one of us and experience with each of us all the things that we face in life. This concept is simple in form and should be easy to understand. It is God’s covenant with us. God doesn’t promise that life will be free of difficulty, rather God promises to be with us as we work through these situations. Through this covenant we gain strength to move forward with our lives and with the work of God’s kingdom. From this moving forward will naturally come assurance and renewal. With the experience of Easter must naturally come the realization that nothing can separate us from the love of God. Not hard work, not difficulty, and not even death itself!
You see the truth is, we ourselves only have meaning when we are engaged in doing the challenging work that we were created to do. The limits we experience are only those that we place on our process. If we can choose to become more centered, the Spirit of the Holy One can come alive in us. We may find that we are able to accomplish more than we ever thought possible.
So, when we ask, “God, what do you want us to do?” God says, “I love you more than you can imagine. Freedom is my gift to you, and the ability to reason is my gift to you. You know that I want life for you. Be all you can be. Do all you can do. I have given you my Son as a role model, and I have given you the Holy Spirit as a guide. Use these precious gifts to make good choices. But always know that I love you and that nothing can separate you from my love--not bad choices, not difficult situations, not even death itself!”
And so my prayer for each of you today is as follows:
May the season of lent provide you with growth and opportunity.
In this season of lent, may you find the time and the desire for reflection on what your relationship with God has meant and what it can mean in the future. May you know the importance of thoughtful discernment of priorities.
In this season of lent, may you invest the necessary time for preparation--an activity that will allow you to make the correction and changes that you want to see—in yourself, in your community, and in your world.
Through the experience of the risen Christ at Easter, may you find refreshment, renewal, and encouragement to live the way of love Christ showed us.
And may you know love, laughter, peace and contentment—so much so that these spill over from your life into the lives of all those around you.
AMEN
* Hart, Thomas N., The Art of Christian Listening (Mahwah: Paulist Press, 1980), 39.
