Mortality

 Joel 2:1-2, 12-17; Psalm 51:1-17; 2 Corinthians 5:20b—6:10; Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Each year on Ash Wednesday, we come to church and hear that we’re going to die. It’s real life, and the older I get, the more real that becomes.

Mike and I have recently completed some end-of-life paperwork. We filled out forms that tell our loved ones and hospital emergency people what to do if we are close to death. My instructions include the statement that I don’t want my body to outlive my mind. We also talked about what to do with our remains and decided that the surviving spouse will keep the ashes, so we can be buried together.

John B and I commented the other day about families that have to make all the final arrangements after the loved one dies, and how hard and sad it is to make such decisions in a hurry. How much better it is for families to have the conversation about these final matters before the last breath is taken.

… Ash Wednesday and the weeks of Lent, are reminders of how mortal we are. We are made from dust – Genesis 2:7 says “then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground”. And today, people everywhere hear the words: “Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

Those words accompany a cross of ashes placed on the foreheads of people from infancy to old age, on the foreheads of soldiers serving overseas, on the foreheads of school children, and on the foreheads of people wondering why they haven’t died yet like all their friends.  

The ashes are often mixed with oil, so they stick better, and don’t just fly away into the air, or land on eyeballs, making for a few very uncomfortable moments. But the oil isn’t just something we take from the kitchen cupboard on Fat Tuesday as we make pancakes. It’s also the oil we use for baptisms, declaring the person is a beloved child of God.

… Do we hear that on Ash Wednesday? Are we aware that this oil and ash mixture reminds us that we are God’s beloved ones, while we live, and that God has prepared a place for us after our death?

How, then, do we spend the next hours, weeks, years until we become dust? At least in Lent, we can focus on being baptized and called children, beloved children, of a loving God. We have the traditional Lenten practices as our guide.

It is typical to focus on prayer, fasting, and alms-giving in Lent, along with time studying God’s word. But, when Jesus told the disciples to not be like the hypocrites, who boast of their prayer-life and alms-giving, he didn’t mean it just for Lent. He meant it as a lifetime practice, to be intentional about prayer, fasting, generosity, and study.

So, perhaps, if you regularly fast from something in Lent, and look with fondness at Easter so you can enjoy whatever it is, you could consider a need to fast from it longer than Lent. Remember that God is the Provider of all we need.

So, perhaps, if you begin the day or week with good intentions to pray daily, but you need to begin again often, then it is not just a Lenten practice you need, but a year-long one. Remember God’s spirit prompts us to pray, to spend time in God’s presence, not just talking to God, but also listening for God’s messages.

And if those envelopes in the box remind us to give on Wednesdays in Lent, and we don’t miss the extra we give, then perhaps we could increase our regular giving all year. Remember how good it feels to give something to someone you love. That’s how God feels about us. 

The Lenten call to study God’s word should certainly not be just a Lenten practice, but something we do daily, especially with a study guide to help us understand what is written, just as the Ethiopian Eunuch asked for help from Philip. God speaks to us through God’s words, which we call the Bible, and through others who help us hear God’s truth.

… May this Lent be a time of fruitful engagement with our own mortality and God’s constant presence in it. Remember, we all are dust, and to dust we shall return. Amen

  

 

Jesus has moved into the neighborhood

If you ask me, the Church calendar is crazy! Today is the last Sunday in the Advent-Christmas-Epiphany cycle. Jesus has just begun to gather disciples and set his agenda, and suddenly we’re reading a story from the half-way point in the story, and Lent starts on Wednesday.

… So, here we are, at Transfiguration Sunday. If we look at the story of Jesus, there are a few introductory chapters, with the birth, the baptism, and the wilderness, then Jesus begins to draw a crowd with his teaching and healing.

He travels and teaches and heals and does a miracle with nature and does it all again several times. By chapter 16, the disciples and the crowds are beginning to get the picture that Jesus could possibly be the messiah they have been waiting for. But they are thinking he is the messiah with a lower-case “m”. A regular soldier-and-king messiah, rather like King David.  

Jesus knows it’s time to let at least the inner circle – the executive committee, perhaps – know the rest of the plan. He begins by letting the rumors that he is the messiah surface. Certainly, they have all been wondering. He asks, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” “Ah, a prophet, maybe Elijah or John the Baptizer come back to life.” “And who do you all say that I am?” Peter blurts it out – “You are the messiah!”

Jesus responds, “God has told you this. But you need to know something else. We are going to Jerusalem so I can be arrested, tortured, executed, and raised on the third day.” Peter again is quick – “No, that’s not how it is going to be. God wouldn’t do it that way.” “Like it or not,” Jesus assures them, “this indeed is God’s plan.”

Now, with this background in mind, we can understand the importance of what we call the Transfiguration. Jesus and Peter, James, and John (the executive committee) are praying on the mountain – and we know that important things in the Bible happen when people go up the mountain to pray.

While they are there, amazing stuff happens. Jesus shines like God’s own glory, and he appears to have a conversation with Moses and Elijah. Peter says, “Wow! Let’s put together some shelters, and we can have a great time together.” But, just as quickly, the image disappears and Jesus says, “C’mon, guys, we have work to do. And, for right now, let’s not say anything about what you have just seen.” Maybe Peter is beginning to figure out that this Jesus is a Messiah with an upper-case M.

 … I think we believers have two main ways of seeing Jesus in their minds and hearts. Either we mostly see in him the glory and power of God, Jesus the resurrected and ascended Christ, who chooses to interact with us; or we mostly see in him a companion in our life, who suffered and died for us, who helps God understand what it’s like to be human, and who is at the same time divine.

I like the way The Message Bible puts in John 1:14: “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.” That’s how I see, imagine, Jesus. So, it’s easy for me to see him interacting with people all the time, even though we don’t see Jesus – or his Spirit – if we’re not looking for him.

I always encourage people to know and tell their own God-stories, so they can see the God-stories around them. It’s essentially what Jesus did, what Paul and the other apostles and disciples did. It’s why Christianity spread so fast, because people could see how Jesus’ life, death and resurrection related to them, and they told others their own stories.

 … Big Mike lives across the street from us and loves to do little things for the neighbors. He was walking his dog Gracie and stopped to chat with Marie who is 89 years old and still quite sharp. Big Mike told us the story:

Marie had a visitor who claimed he was from a credit monitoring company. He said it looked like there was some suspicious activity in her bank account, and could he come in and check her account on her computer?  I hope you all know this is fraud and was an attempt to steal every penny she had, but that thought never occurred to her.

Big Mike immediately called the Sheriff and told them about Marie’s experience. Many people would have shook their heads at her foolishness, but Mike took the extra step of calling for help for her, and then asking us to watch out for the guy as well. Jesus had moved into the neighborhood for Marie.

… Lori is our favorite restaurant server because of the way she takes care of “her people”. She always makes sure we have extra napkins, remembers our usual orders and beverages. And she knows I like to take home a flavored iced-tea with no ice. She tells us about her family and her dogs, and asks about our pets and family. Lorrie goes the extra mile for “her people” because she cares about them. Jesus is with her as she serves the people in her restaurant neighborhood.

… I also see God’s presence in the way so many people have joined in prayer for crises around the community, the country, or the world. And so many have joined in the search for Nancy Guthrie, and added her to their prayers. Jesus is in all those neighborhoods.

 … When and where have you noticed that Jesus has moved into the neighborhood? How often do you ask Jesus to walk with you today? When we invite him to make himself known, it’s amazing how often he shows up! Amen

 In the image below, which person is Jesus? Be careful to not assume anything.