Walking with Jesus through Lent

Walking with Jesus through Lent: Week One

Rev. Vera I. Bourne

Matthew 6: 17: "No, when you fast, brush your hair and wash your face so that nobody knows that you are fasting - let it be a secret between you and God."

Just as the shophar is sounded in synagogues during worship, and Ramadan with its thirty days of fasting from sunrise to sunset reminds Muslims of the holiness of God, so Ash Wednesday signals to Christians the need to draw closer to God. It provides a time for us to think. We are able to delve more deeply into soul searching topics such as who we are, what we are, who God is, what God has done for us and the marvellous work of God’s grace in our lives. Lent is a time to reflect.

It is on this day many use the outward symbol of ashes to mark their inward experience of contrition and repentance. Ash Wednesday prepares us for the opportunity to walk afresh as disciples, from the moment of Christ’s invitation to follow him, through the experiences of everyday life, until his death and resurrection.

Fasting and other forms of self-denial have marked Lent for Christians throughout the centuries, yet neither fasting nor self-denial in itself has any virtue. We are like all people through out the ages; we have strayed from a holy God and followed our own forms of self-indulgence. The prophet Joel, speaking for God, reported, "Even now", declares the Lord, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning. Rend your hearts and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, who is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love."

As adults we know that just as no amount of sorrow can ever mend splintered glass or return to life those slain in vehicular accidents, no amount of sorrow can restore our broken relationship with God. God does not threaten us with punishment of any description to induce a sense of unworthiness in us. Such would be manipulation, and God has given free choice to humanity. When we look honestly at our lives we know we have erred time and again. We have sullied our minds and souls with acts of self-indulgence. We have lost our innocence and freshness, and life seems tired and stale. In our attempts to extract every ounce from life we have created a chasm between ourselves and God.

But our genuine, heartfelt sorrow and the determination to leave behind all that causes discordance in our lives can provide a starting point for this rift to be healed. The ball remains in our court, do we really want to return to our places at God’s table or would we rather call our own shots? That is the question with which Ash Wednesday confronts us. Are we willing to admit our faults and accept the reconciliation God offers? Will we drink deeply of Christ’s living water or will we turn away our eyes as Jesus walks by?

Sometimes we need to exhaust our own resources before we are aware of the gifts God has available for us. Sometimes we meet God in times of sorrow or loss, and we find it is truly God who wipes away our tears. Sometimes as we meet Jesus through the actions or words of another, we become aware of the inner ache that has always hungered for something more. At last we discover our hearts have yearned to be reunited with God. Our journey with Jesus through Lent commences with our willingness to accept the love and forgiveness God offers us. This is not something new, for God has always waited patiently with arms extended for just this moment. Like the prodigal we will discover the absolute joy with which we are welcomed home into the arms of our spiritual family. As there was for the traveller, so our return will be marked with joy and celebration. At last, God will be able to direct our feet on the pathway that will enable us to develop to our full potential. Lent is our time to reflect.

Prayer: Eternal God, we bring our lives and hearts before you today knowing that we have often erred on life’s pathway. Please forgive our failures and restore us to your heart. Amen.

1st Thursday In Lent - Loss Or Gain?

Luke 9: 23: "If you want to follow in my footsteps, you must be prepared to give up all right to yourself, take up your cross and carry it each day of your life."

Marathon runners practise constantly, their days turning into weeks and those weeks into months and years. Tennis players spend hours daily at the nets and with their coaches. Swimmers train all year round, as do those who dive. Ski enthusiasts are migratory, following winter seasons across the earth’s hemispheres as they hone their skills.

Athletes are dependent on keeping their bodies fit, and are prepared to give up everything that is detrimental or even time wasting in their lives. Sometimes even the most innocuous of pleasures needs to be sacrificed if that goal is to be achieved. Perhaps at the start such people did not realise what it would cost to achieve their goal. Perhaps discipline was not so rigid or self-enforced at the beginning, and they only gradually discovered the price their commitment entailed. But at some stage they did realise and needed to weigh up their goal against the cost demanded, and choose whether to continue. A thousand reasons to slacken, to pause or to discontinue could appear as tempting compromises. The choice to continue or walk away would need to be made many times.

Jesus laid out the cost of following him very clearly. One must need be prepared to put all distractions aside, not merely for one day but for every single day of one’s life. There are to be no exceptions, for the road goes ever onward. Way stations are not provided where one’s cross may be checked in for a period while one engages in a spot of self-indulgence. It’s not as if we are asked to bear the full weight of the cross ourselves. Nor that on those occasions when we stumble, or stub our toes and lose our balance, Jesus is not there to steady us. When the weight seems too heavy, Jesus encourages us to lean on him, for he will steady our step.

Giving up all rights to ourselves goes against the grain. For generations we have fought for our rights, yet now we need to let go. The private rights - to control our finances and choose on what to spend our money, the right to a quiet space of our own choice, the right to choose our friends and partners, to pepper the truth sometimes with sly innuendos - all must be surrendered to Jesus. Not because God lays down a new set of commandments for Christians, but rather because we are constrained by the need to keep our minds, bodies and souls fit and healthy. We must give Jesus the place we reserve for ourselves - the very centre of our attention. Our goals must change from “how much I can get” to “how much I may give”.

Like athletes Christians may find that some friendships are impossible to maintain. Some relationships demand so much of our time and energy that there is little left for Jesus, and we are forced to choose between these people and Jesus. Perhaps we will encounter demands from family members that we can no longer meet, and so we may be ostracised. At times it may appear that the cost of discipleship is just too hard to bear. There may come times when we appear to be drowning in the sea of humanity who reach out expecting us to save them from the perils they have encountered. Yet none of this is new to God, for Jesus walked on earth just as we do. Those who followed him in Galilee were aware of the demands on his time and theirs, yet they chose to be numbered among his friends. Like them, we will discover it is not a journey for the half-hearted, but it is a journey along a roadside scattered with love’s wildflowers. It is a challenge to be the very greatest we can ever achieve. To walk with Jesus is to commence the journey only after we have counted the cost carefully, for should we at some later date choose our own pursuits rather than those of God, the loss will be our own. God will not condemn us; we will in fact condemn ourselves.

Prayer: Sometimes, God, the weight of this cross seems too heavy and I am so weary I wonder if I can continue. Remind me then, God, that, just as soon as I ask, you are willing to shoulder the weight with me. Amen.

1st Friday In Lent - New Lives For Old

Matthew 9: 16: Nobody sews a patch of unshrunken cloth onto an old coat, for the patch will pull away from the coat and the hole will be worse than before.

Of late among certain social groups, clothing - especially jeans - without holes is unacceptable. Sometimes it appears that new jeans are attacked with pruning shears to obtain a truly tattered look. Yet for mothers and grandmothers, repairing rips in clothing is a time-honoured occupation. Once stockings and woollen garments were diligently darned, but that was before the age of inbuilt obsolescence. Once, every single item of clothing, pots, pans and kettles, together with tools of all descriptions were deemed worthy of repair. Tinkers used to travel the countryside, offering their skills at mending various items. Tools that had lost their edge, from the smallest chisel and spokeshave to scythes and hoes, were sharpened by hand using a file or rasp. Whips were plaited and worn harness renewed. Books were repaired carefully and passed on from generation to generation. Every item was valued and nothing wasted.

But in the repairing only the proper equipment was used. Leather dressing had no place in book restoration, no more than an awl could be used to sharpen an axe. Nothing but the right equipment in the hands of the skilled person could provide new life for any item, no matter how well intended an enthusiast could be. Wishing and hoping were no substitute for skilful hands. Yet there came a time when every item was so worn it could no longer be repaired or renewed. No amount of time or skill could return to life any item that was worn out and wasted. No amount of linen could patch a sheet that was threadbare and had already been turned.

Sometimes our ideas and beliefs become so rigid and inflexible it is evident we have closed off our minds to new and challenging concepts. Our personalities become ossified. At this stage there is no hope that a speedy restoration to full function can be achieved. We may attempt, by putting on an attitude of piety or charity, to disguise the fact that we are spiritually bankrupt, but God is not fooled. Jesus makes it clear that there are occasions when restoration is impossible - we simply cannot tack new ideas onto a crumbling, unsteady base.

On those occasions Jesus offers to replace our old attitudes, dreams and ambitions with those for which we were always destined. Jesus is not content to "make do" with spiritual and emotional band-aids stuck here and there in our lives. For in time these too will fail, and we will be no better off than in our former fossilised state. Jesus needs our permission to recreate us, so that we may reflect his image. I can no more carve out a new me than you can refashion yourself. Our journey with Jesus through Lent includes our willingness to let God remodel us so that we may be true children of the divine Creator.

Perhaps Jesus will call us out from the denomination we have known for years and we will need to find the place God has chosen so that we may learn new spiritual truths. We may find doors closing in our present field of employment, for God has a need for us elsewhere. It could be that we are asked to review our friendships and relationships to discern whether they are adding to our lives or suffocating us. Walking with Jesus may at times test our resolve, but we can guarantee it will never be deadly boring. Jesus is life, vitality and energy and we as his disciples will find Jesus has measured a share for us as well. Who would cling to old, outmoded beliefs, to relationships that constantly drain us or to customs and habits that damage our health and reputation when new life is available? Today let us accept the offer Jesus presents and grasp the new life just waiting for us.

Prayer: Ever constant God, you challenge us to exchange our old lives for new ones you have designed. Teach us to walk confidently in the knowledge that we are in your hands at all times. Make us eager to embrace new attitudes and ideals that teach us to share love. Amen.

1st Saturday In Lent - Follow Me

Luke 5: 27-28: Later on, Jesus went out and looked straight at a tax collector called Levi, as he sat at his office desk. "Follow me," he said to him. And he got to his feet at once, left everything behind and followed him.

Before major events in our lives we tend to issue invitations addressed to those we ask to join us. Planning for weddings, balls, birthday parties and company dinners is not finalised until the acceptances are received. To unranked golfers who have suddenly displayed brilliant form invitations are extended to participate in prestigious tournaments. Friends invite us to join them at concerts, various sporting events, the theatre or sometimes for holidays. We are invited to luncheon or dinner, to a banquet or a barbeque. Some of us are invited to join influential clubs, others to attend self-help groups. In fact at times we seem to be showered with invitations.

Jesus never demands or commands any to follow him; instead he extends an invitation to each person. We do not hear God speaking in judgemental tones like claps of thunder; instead we experience the soul-searching voice of a friend. It matters not where we are, or in what task we are engrossed, Jesus chooses the time. We choose to accept or reject his invitation. In fact, throughout our walk with Jesus, no matter how often or for what reason we pause, Jesus never bullies or threatens us. It is always his loving voice that reaches out and enmeshes our hearts.

Likewise we can never challenge God and demand a place among Christ’s disciples. Such places are not earned by wealth or reputation, they are not allocated to the fittest, the most popular or the best-looking persons. Nothing we can ever do or say, no pressure - either political or religious - can decree a pilgrim’s place for us. Jesus alone can extend the invitation, for it offers us a place of privilege in the company of saints. Jesus is aware there has never been a moment in our lives when joining him would not have been our best option. But it was fruitless for him to speak when we were not listening. Heaven’s invitation is delayed until we have cleared a space in the accumulated junk that crowds our lives.

We know that during his three years of ministry at least seventy people accepted Jesus’ invitation, but almost nothing is known of the majority of them. None of them ended up rich and famous, no coin was ever minted bearing their image. Just a few tales of the lives of about a dozen of them have been recorded after Jesus’ death, yet the impact of their testimony has been felt throughout the ages even to this day.

Among the list of professions and skills discussed by career advisors in schools and colleges, discipleship is never mentioned as an option. On the scale of desirable occupations it appears it is not rated very highly, either in prestige or financial reward. It is not an easy job, in fact at times it can be downright difficult and totally consuming. Can you imagine an advertised job description - Disciple, lifelong cross carrier? Can you really envisage queues of individuals lining up to apply for this position? Yet during the centuries millions have accepted Jesus’ invitation as the strings of their souls vibrated to the touch of the master musician.

The invitation to follow in Jesus’ footsteps opens our lives to adventures we had never contemplated. It is the only soul satisfying adventure that we can undertake. Full of challenges and opportunities, with the chance to know God intimately, this is our choice that will resound throughout eternity. Follow Jesus? There are not many choices in life for which one would be prepared to die, but walking with Jesus every step of the way is definitely one.

Prayer: God, so many times you have called when I was not paying attention. Today I run with joy as I accept your invitation to follow in Jesus’ footsteps. I ask that you will hold my hand tightly when I stumble on the way or become afraid of unknown situations. Amen.

1st Sunday In Lent - A Time Of Testing

Mark 1: 12-13: Then the Spirit sent Jesus out at once into the desert, and there he remained for forty days while Satan tempted hum. During this time no one was with him but wild animals, and only the angels were there to care for him.

Isn’t it simply amazing how when we attempt to translate our dreams into realities we strike all types of problems. These problems really test our resolve. Whereas at times we grow stronger and more knowledgeable as we work through these difficulties, at other times we become overwhelmed and find ourselves defeated. The Greek word peirazein has been clumsily translated as to "tempt" whereas the accurate translation would have been to "test". During his forty days in the desert Jesus too was tested. From this testing he was able to declare exactly what was his relationship to God, as he put God first in every instance.

During school years tests are anticipated with degrees of anxiety directly proportionate to our understanding and knowledge of the topics involved. Tests necessary to obtain both driver’s and pilot’s licences expose both our areas of skill and incompetence to the examiners. Often employers demand proof of specific skills from all the applicants for advertised positions. Within families our interaction with each other prepares us for the strains that will test our commitment to relationships in later years.

As we walk with Jesus we also are confronted by situations that test us. Sometimes events arise that lead us to doubt our capability to follow Christ, or perhaps when we are challenged we wonder if in fact Jesus did call us. Once we let this thought take hold it is joined by doubts about God’s forgiveness and the amazing work Grace has already achieved in our lives. Not that we doubt God, just ourselves. When we meet discrimination or misunderstandings we sometimes find ourselves controlled by anger rather than by responding to Jesus. When we want to retaliate, to answer with sarcasm and a touch of self-righteousness, Jesus asks us to stop, let go of our indignation and forgive freely.

At times we may develop an “us versus them” mentality separating Christ’s followers from the rest of the world. This is religiosity at its worst. We put on such a cloak of religious self-righteousness that we deny ourselves opportunities for healthy relaxation, for interaction with friends, in fact from all activities in which Jesus would have loved to participate. We forget that only God can judge accurately for only God knows the entire truth about every person. God loves no person more because they have chosen to walk with Jesus. Whether we are good or bad, holy or evil, God loves each of us as if we were the only one.

We learn that petty distractions are the most insidious of all tests. Just when we are ready to spend some time with God, a crisis arises. Someone needs assistance, a waterline has burst or we become preoccupied with insignificant problems. While-ever we focus on problems we let go of our focus on God. When problems become our chief concern we need deliberately and carefully to hand them over to God, believing that God has the resources to untangle the predicament. Often as we pause to share our thoughts and dreams with God, noises form jagged shards that puncture our concentration. It almost seems as though it is impossible to be alone with God. Many times Jesus found he needed to rise before daybreak and leave his friends and hosts as he sought out God in the solitude of darkness. Tests are opportunities to grow closer to God, for they often involve conscious choices on our part. They were not designed to confuse or defeat us, yet that is often exactly what happens. It is the smallest grain of sand in a shoe that makes walking uncomfortable, for first of all it is a mere irritation that can be ignored, but as time elapses the discomfort it causes becomes the total focus of our minds. Whether we pass or fail these tests, we must never let them obscure God’s face.

Prayer: Loving God, before your ministry commenced you faced forty days of testing alone. As we face testing in our daily lives, help us to remember you are always by our side. Amen.

1st Monday in Lent - Love’s Compassion

Matthew 25: 35-36: For I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me a drink. I was lonely and you made me welcome. I was naked and you clothed me. I was ill and you came and looked after me. I was in prison and you came to see me there.

Sometimes we forget that for most of his ministry Jesus depended on handouts. He admitted he had no home - no fixed address - and he was not receiving wages while he preached, taught and healed. After his baptism and time of testing in the desert he made a deliberate choice. He left behind his mother’s home and his trade as a carpenter and became a penniless traveller. If the message of God’s love was to be taught, if he was to demonstrate God’s power to heal bodies, minds and souls, then he needed to lay aside every material thing that represented security. Material possessions sometimes can become shackles that inhibit our freedom to explore new vistas with Jesus.

No doubt there were many who saw Jesus as a reckless gypsy, an irresponsible dropout who used up resources that could have been directed elsewhere. Not only did Jesus behave like a shiftless wanderer, he encouraged other hard-working men and women to abandon their occupations, their families, their responsibilities and join them in this escapade. The comfortable, smug, self-promoting section of his society would have been scandalised by his behaviour. He mixed with sinners. He addressed women in public. He healed on the holy Sabbath day. He took traditional practices and social mores and, having shredded them, threw them to the winds. He was an agitator; he threatened the establishment. And, worst of all, he claimed to know the mind of God.

He claimed that God’s values differed radically from the values espoused by the leaders of the social and religious fraternity. He eschewed the value they placed on wealth, fame, position and learning and claimed God prizes us according to our response to human need. To give a meal, a drink or a bed - these are things an ordinary person can achieve. To visit the sick or those in prison costs little more than our time and concern. God does not expect us to donate thousands of dollars to charity to attract God’s notice or commendation. All God asks is a willingness to share what we have whenever we perceive a need. If we truly acknowledge our responsibility for one another our giving will be generous and unassuming. We will not help merely to chalk up credits on God’s slate, for how could we ever compare what we offer with all God has given to us. No, the help we offer should be compelled only by the abundance of love God has poured into our hearts.

Is our giving limited to those occasions when we receive a "tax-deduction"? Do we need to see our names among the lists of donors? How shabby our gifts would be if they were always tied to a benefit we ourselves would reap! How can we ever ascertain the gift our presence provides until we experience the loneliness isolation promotes? To sit and play with a child may in the end bring more benefits than an hour devoted to research or invention. This side of death we have no vision of those gardens in heaven that have been planted out with the fruits of our genuine love and concern.

Children give of the love and joy that are part of their temperament. Even children who have been deprived are willing to share with those who have nothing. Rarely do they stop to calculate the cost, or possible benefits at a later date. Somehow in the process of maturation we lose our willingness to share and develop, as part of society’s conventions, the habit of storing or saving our surplus. While careful economy is commendable, when we begin to hoard, when our ears and eyes are shut to the cries of those in need then at the centre of our lives, we have replaced Jesus with possessions.

Prayer: Loving God, you hear the cries of the hungry and dispossessed, the isolated and ill. Open our ears and eyes to these needs, and open our hearts to give generously. Amen.

1st Tuesday in Lent - Getting To Know God

Matthew 6: 6-7: When you pray go into your own room, shut your door and pray to your Father privately. … And when you pray don't rattle off long prayers like the pagans who think they will be heard because they use so many words.

This has often been described as the age of communication as nations across the word are drawn closer through various electronic media. The private face of every country becomes the public face seen by the world. In some instances this has enabled us to understand better the customs and cultures far removed from our own. On other occasions we have been exposed to universal shame as the results of our own policies have been revealed.

Jesus, in tackling the business of prayer - communication with God - swept away "sacred" tradition as he exploded religious myths. His attitude to prayer provided the first example of a "Keep It Simple" statement, as he pointed out that prayer is a conversation between the individual and God. If other people happen to be present the prayer is still addressed to God rather than to impress others. We all know those prayers, full of flowery words, that attempt to focus attention on the speaker rather than being a humble and earnest dialogue with God.

Jesus also debunked the notion that repetition of a word or phrase was going to catch God's attention. Neither the recitation of the Shema every morning and every evening, nor the repetition of the Shemon?h 'esreh, would open the way to God's presence. Though these prayers were often spoken with reverence or adoration, at times they were meaningless words gabbled almost as an incantation. Such prayers were always intended to focus one's attention on God. They were no substitute for the personal discourse prayer should provide.

When Jesus gave his disciples a model for their own prayers, those words we have termed "the Lord's Prayer", he never intended its use to become an obligatory part of daily life. He knew there are many to whom the word "Father" evokes shocking and horrifying connotations, and that this model was not one these people could use. God understands and invites these people to formulate other prayers that are genuine and non-threatening for themselves. In time, as damaged souls draw closer to God they will find their healing begins.

Such healing can only be initiated when we take the first steps on the road to forgiveness. Jesus linked God's readiness to forgive us with our readiness to forgive others. It is sobering to reflect that we will not be forgiven while ever we hold unresolved anger and resentment against others. God makes no allowances for attitudes to which we believe we are justified in clinging. Part of our growth as a disciple is our willingness to let go of past and present grievances and to allow God to judge what is right or wrong. This is closely linked with our acceptance of all others as beloved children of God, just as we are. God knows we are not able to carry the burden of unforgiven incidents all our lives, the sheer weight would cripple our bodies and twist our souls. Being a Christian is accepting freedom, shaking ourselves as does a dog emerging from the sea, and knowing that Christ is carrying our burdens.

God invites us to an intimacy initiated and sustained by prayer that enables us to begin the relationship that will extend through eternity. Prayer does not need words. It can be a period of silence in which we wait on God. It can be marked by waves of anguish and tears and it can include those instances where we rail at God about the injustices around us. In prayer we let go of all our masks and come to God just as we are, knowing God loves us. God does not need our confession in prayer - we need it. As part of our wholeness we need to be able to voice our failings and periods of self-indulgence. God will listen and hold us close as we confess. This is the essence of prayer, private conversations with God interlaced with love.

Prayer: God of love, give us a willingness to spend time privately with you in prayer. Teach us to listen carefully as you speak words of love, healing and direction. Amen.

These meditations may not be copied, reformatted or reproduced in any form or manner without the written permission of the author.