On the Way to Wonder

Mark now leaves the Upper Room and records the disciples walking with Jesus to the Garden of Gethsemane, to the Mount of Olives.  Mark 14: 26-31.  The author has not stopped talking about betrayal.  He tells us about Judas plotting with the chief priests.  He tells us about Jesus warning Judas at supper as they eat.  Jesus continues to predict as they walk, “You will all fall away!”  These words ring through history with a truth we like to deny, as Peter did, in our modern self-centered world.  We try to prevent failure on all fronts of our lives.  We wear masks, invent vaccines, zoom church services, lay out Bible reading strategies, and often surround ourselves with like minded people.  It is possible to become insulated in our daily routines and become spiritually overconfident and lazy.

         Peter sees himself as loyal, brave, and committed so denies the reality that he could fall away.  Not me! Is his cry.  What is the gum, the glue in relationship?  Lent and the Passion story confronts us with the ugly truth that all my piety, all my good intentions, all my beautiful mountain top experiences will not erase my human weaknesses.  What keeps me in relationship with God is not my goodness but his faithfulness.  My life is in God’s hand and he faithfully holds me and reaches out to me, even knowing I am a sinner, even knowing what lies in tomorrow, even knowing I will stumble and fall.  Pretty humbling.

         Like Peter we pledge to be loyal unto death but perhaps our prayer should be, Lord help me be faithful unto death – help.  Are there areas in your life today where you want to be faithful and not fall away?  Perhaps we would be wise today to review our spiritual armor and seek God’s help in using it.  The helmet of salvation protects our thoughts.  The belt of truth helps us be honest and wise.  The breastplate of Christ’s righteousness guards our hearts.  It is not us but he who is righteous!  May we have feet wearing shoes for peace not vengeance.  The shield of faith wards off the darts of lies from the enemy.  And of course we need the sword of the Spirit of God, the word of God, for we are weak.  We will fall away more than once.  There will be dark days.  But Jesus is faithful and walks with us during those dark times.  May we hold on to that truth and know that we can always return for his arms are open and he is praying for us.  Thank you, Lord.

Continuing to the next verse, after Judas is confronted with his betrayal, his sin, Mark 14:22-25 continues the report telling how Jesus, “as they were eating,” knowing what was unfolding, and the horrors before him, takes bread and wine and institutes communion.  Interesting.  In the midst of drama, Jesus transforms the ordinary into means of receiving grace.  The ordinary bread of a meal becomes his body.  The ordinary wine or drink of the meal becomes his “blood of the covenant.”  We are charged to “remember.”

         Theologians have debated the exact meaning of this and denominations have formed.  Many consider this sacramental while others consider it a ritual of remembrance.  Anthropologists call it a ritual of intensification.  I will leave it for theologians to sort that out, but I would rather focus on the truth that in the midst of trauma, when we feel so unworthy, when we are so guilty, God reaches into our life and offers forgiveness and blessing – grace.  Communion was given in the midst of political drama, religious drama, and friendship drama.  Jesus charged his disciples to remember, not because they were being so good and being rewarded for their wonderfulness but were being given a way to transform ugliness into grace as in the ordinary elements in our hands we remember Christ’s presence with us.  A beautiful sunset or sunrise breaks across the sky and for a moment we commune.  We sit by the bedside of a sleeping child and realize we are blessed.  We receive a card in the mail from a distant friend and we are connected.

         Many ridicule Christianity as a promise for eternal bliss while putting on blinders to the trauma of this world.  We are accused of avoiding life.  Lent takes us into the trauma of life and reminds us of God’s presence even as, like Judas, we are plotting betrayal, or like Peter we are bobbling between false courage and real flight, or we are like the disciple who fled naked.  While we are sinners, Christ gave us communion and the ordinary bread and wine remind us of his covenant, his faithful love to us, to bless us.  Remember!

         As we go about today, may our eyes be open to God’s presence in the ordinary, may we hear the song of grace in the background, and may we touch the “other” with the love that we have been blessed with – in the midst of our journey.  Remember Christ’s commitment to you! Blessings.

It is now Thursday evening and the Passover meal in the Upper Room.  Mark skips the foot washing and goes straight to the meal where Jesus says openly, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me – one who is eating with me.”  Does God’s foreknowledge, his understanding of history and of our nature, predetermine that we must sin?  That is a question theologians have debated for centuries.  And I would suspect that we ordinary people do too.  That cake just jumped into my mouth.  I couldn’t help myself.  My family is alcoholics and I love drink.  We present this sense of fatalism and in essence dismiss our responsibility.  But Walter Wangerin Jr suggests that this confrontation of Judas and later Peter, forewarning them of what is about to happen, is really a three-fold gift. 

         God’s understanding of our nature and our weaknesses is a gift of knowledge, acknowledges our free will and leaves the responsibility of our actions on us.  Judas now knows that Jesus knows what is going on “stealthily” and Jesus has named it – “betrayal,” sin.  Even as Judas is eating with Jesus and acting like a friend, Jesus is the true friend telling the truth.  When I trained to be a chaplain, my teacher said, “The best gift you can give the patient is to be a true mirror.”

         Jesus does not force Judas to betray him and gives him now the chance to reconsider his actions and turn.  Jesus acknowledges Judas’ free will.  Knowing is not doing.  Realizing how angry I am is not sin as anger is an honest response to offense or grief but it is when I pull the trigger and carry that anger to action that sin enters.  Judas now has choice and voice.

         Thirdly Judas now assumes full responsibility for his action.  Jesus has given him an out.  Judas could confess and repent, but he didn’t.  Even after the deed he could ask for forgiveness, but he didn’t.  No one forces us to eat too much, drink too much, or hurt our friend.  “The devil made me do” seldom is a sufficient or satisfactory excuse. 

         The Lenten journey is heavy as we realize that God knows, we have free will, and we are responsible for our sins.  Likewise we are faced with the truth that God still offers us forgiveness, we are not robots, and we are valued “friends” given responsibility.  As we go to church tomorrow we will hear the Abraham Covenant – the promise made to Abraham over a 25-year period that God’s plan is to bless him to be a blessing.  That is still God’s plan for Lent – to bless us with knowledge, choice and responsibility.  Thank you Lord that I am not a robot but your “friend.”

In honor of Black History month, I offer as my Saturday hymn the first recorded spiritual,  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7T8qwVjfvms, the famous song  “Were You There.”

Day Nine of Lent

Mark 14: 12-16, it is the day before Passover, Thursday of Holy Week, and preparations for eating the lamb are underway in many houses.  But Jesus is a “wanted” person.  He is wanted by religious leaders to kill him.  He is wanted by some of the common people for healing.  His own group includes a traitor, Judas Iscariot who has joined with the religious hierarchy.  Tension is mounting.  Where will he celebrate the Passover? 

         Jesus sends two disciples into Jerusalem to look for a man, not a woman (and what is that about?) carrying water.  They are to follow him to a home where the owner will show them an upper room already prepared.  The owner has already anticipated the need or been alerted and is willing to welcome Jesus and the disciples into his home.  Like the unnamed woman who anointed Jesus’ head, this owner has no name either. His actions will define him too and this evening will be remembered.

         In the first 16 verses of chapter 14, two nameless people have shown love to Jesus, not come begging for a healing, an exorcism or a favor. Their actions, their generosity remind us who they are.  I am challenged by these nameless people to ponder my actions and their motives. In Kenya I was never called by my name as that was socially inappropriate.  A name has power.  At the dispensary when asking a patient her name, she would turn to her neighbor and ask her to tell us!  These two people are nameless also.  I doubt history will remember my name but possibly my grandchildren will?   Returning to the States, the bank teller would address me by a shortened version of my name and yet I did not know him while Kenyan friends just addressed me as “mother of ….”  It is easy to be a friend when there is no cost but another thing to be a friend during hard times.  “Actions speak louder than words.” 

         Perhaps today we might reflect on how our actions define us.  Like the servant, are we willing to look silly carrying a jug of water like a woman?  Like the owner of the upper room, are we willing to share our wealth?  Let us take a few minutes and think whom we might bless.  Perhaps there is someone you could send a postcard of appreciation to or a deed of kindness that is unexpected.  Someone in your world needs the affirmation of love acted out.

         The two disciples do as Jesus instructed.  They went to town and there was a man carrying water.  The man did lead them to a home with an upstairs room.  The owner was not surprised at their request as the room was furnished and ready.  All the disciples had to do was get things ready for Jesus.  All we need to do is get things ready for Jesus to do his thing!  Blessings as you help today, even if I don’t know your name.  God does! 

We are still pondering Mark 14 and how the author sets the scene and the plot to the Passion story.  It’s two days before Passover, a big holiday.  The religious leaders are looking for a stealthy way to arrest Jesus because they don’t want a demonstration.  Jesus is staying with friends just outside Jerusalem where an unnamed woman shows deep devotion, anointing his head with perfume.  Up to now we have seen squabbles within the disciples over who should be first, just what the plan is, but nothing divisive.  Mark 14:10-11 tells us that in the wake of the shock of Jesus defending this woman and the extravagant waste of money, Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, the keeper of the money, goes to the chief priests to betray Jesus.

No more scene setting, it is time for the cameras to roll and events are put in motion.

         Why would someone who has seen so much of what Jesus has done and who knows whom Jesus is, set his heart to betray his friend?  History has debated the motive for the act.  We too look for cause when something goes wrong, where does the blame lie?  Shall we form a commission to investigate?  Who shall we call for witnesses on either side?  We are watching this process unfold in our government as we deal with the Capitol demonstration turn riot turn insurrection.  Why did this go wrong and what were the intentions?  How could Judas abuse his power and trust?  Different theories have been offered – was Judas offended by Jesus’ generosity because as the keeper of the money, he “borrowed?”  More recently we wonder if Judas was just trying to force/encourage Jesus to make his move to power.  Mark gives no comment or insight.  The motive is not important.  Often we do not know what went wrong.  Having done everything right, a diagnosis of cancer comes.  Having followed the rules, our car slides on the ice and great damage results.  Having masked and distanced, some still gets the virus.

         Ultimately “who dun it” does not reverse the event, no amount of money replaces the life, and revenge while sweet for the moment does not erase the memory.  During Lent we remember we are dust and bad things happen, bad things happen to good people.  The “justification”, finding the cause, of the “evil” may not be as important as the spiritual justification that comes from forgiveness given as we honestly confess the evil we have done.  Judas Iscariot and Peter both betray Jesus as we shall see and both are terribly repentant but one commits suicide from guilt and the other finds forgiveness.

         We talk about those “skeletons in our closet,” those actions that we hide and just cannot come to peace with.  Perhaps understanding why we did those things of the past is not as important as being forgiven.  Judas reminds us today that we are dust and we do sin for whatever reason.  As hard as we try, we fall short.  We’re not perfect.  Take a few minutes to examine your heart today to see if there is not a need to confess, a broken relationship that needs healing, or a wrong that could be righted.  Sometimes just journaling if the person has passed, helps.  Guilt from the past need not taint the events of today.  We will see as the Lent story continues to unfold that forgiveness and love are available.  There is hope as we are honest.  Blessings.

On the other hand! We live in a country polarized, politically, economically, and socially.  Demonstrations and presentation of opposing viewpoints is common.  Mark sets his story of the Passion in a culture of polarization also.  The religious are preparing for Passover.  The Romans are trying to control the masses.  The religious authorities are looking for a way to arrest Jesus “by stealth and kill him” because they are afraid of a demonstration. Some, on the other hand, are welcoming him into their home and showing their love and devotion.

           As the tension mounts, Jesus is spending his evenings outside Jerusalem, in Bethany, in the home of Simon the Leper this evening.  It is assumed Simon is someone Jesus healed and has returned to his home and invited Jesus in.  The authorities seem to be afraid and are trying to control the future while others like Simon are welcoming Jesus.  Into this setting walks an unknown woman, not a man, of unknown status, and certainly without authority.  In her hand she carries an alabaster jar of perfume that she uses to anoint Jesus’ head.  Her love, her heart obedience, her lack of fear of social opinion is remembered and recorded,

         As we remember we are dust and are going to dust, this nameless, generous woman, willing to show her love and act on her devotion is noticed and reminds us we are important.  Some of the men object to the extravagant waste but Jesus defends her.  Her act is important to him and she is remembered for it.  So what do we carry in our hands today?  It may not be a jar of perfume.  Perhaps we despair that anyone knows our name or notices our presence and certainly our thoughts and our life will not be broadcast on the evening news.  It is easy to see ourselves as grasshoppers in our own eyes.  But Jesus calls this woman’s act of devotion “beautiful”.  “She did what she could (14:8).”  We may not have an expensive jar of perfume, it may only be a mop to clean up a mess or arms to enfold a crying child but when we do what we can for love of Jesus, he notices.  Let us take heart today that even though we might be unknown and powerless in the social narrative of our world, our acts of love and devotion to serve Jesus are noticed and remembered.  What do you carry in your hand today?  Blessings as you use it.

“Two days before Passover…” in Mark 14:1 continues to speak to us today.  Not only are dates important as we talked about yesterday but location and events are important.  These few words tell us that Jesus is in Jerusalem, the capital of Jewish authority, the place where the Temple was built, and the historical home of King David.  Location is important.  Riots at the Capital are treated differently than riots in the streets of our cities.  One is seen as insurrection and treason and the other is seen as a demonstration that got out of control.  Location is important and Jesus has left his home area in the north of Israel and traveled south to Jerusalem.  He is at headquarters.

         The location has a purpose, Passover.  During Passover the Jewish people remembered their captivity in Egypt at the time of Moses and how they were finally freed when the spirit of death passed over, killing the first born unless the blood of a lamb was on the doorposts.  During Lent we too reflect on our journey to freedom from sin and all the evils we advocate against.  Yesterday we heard the news that over half a million Americans alone have died from the virus.  Death walks our streets too.  Lent calls us to remember we are dust and to whom we belong.

         So were does that leave us today?  It is “before” “Passover” in our calendar year also.  What authorities speak into our lives and to what extent do they control us?  Perhaps we have compromised to save face and need to freshen up our spiritual disciplines.  What locations are special to you?  It is most likely not Jerusalem but I ponder if there is a location where you meet with Jesus to discuss in prayer his authority in your life?  I like “my chair” but others like a walk in the woods and being out in nature or a drive to that special spot where you meet with the Lord.  Lent is a time when we remember that we are dust and death will pass over us.  Tomorrow we will continue walking this journey with Jesus, reflecting on its implications for our lives.  For now, though, let’s take a few minutes to meditate on the authorities in our lives and where we go to meet with them, to wrestle over the power of their voice in our life. Blessings.

Dates help us remember!  Do you remember where you were when JFK was shot?  OK, that dated me.  My physical therapist asked me, “Who’s he?  But my generation has many memories related to that question.  For others it is the turning of the millennium or 9-11.  We celebrate anniversaries on or near that special day.  Mark 14:1 suddenly shifts the account of the life of Jesus from non-specific times references like, “in the beginning (1:1)” or “as soon as (1:29)” to specific time, “It was now two days before the Passover (14:1).”  Mark has called us to attention and given us a context for the beginning of our Lenten journey this year, our journey to the cross with Jesus.

         “Before” Passover tells me preparations are being made for a holiday and life is busy.  Two days before Christmas or two days before the wedding bring strong memories of activity, of expectations, and of relationships.  As we start our Lenten journey, let us pause a moment and remember which spiritual discipline, activity, we want to do today – read Psalm 51, journal, make a phone call to a loved one or something else we decided.  There’s still time. 

         Next what are our expectations for Holy Week before Easter?  This year it will be different because of Covid but there are other ways we can make it special in our homes and for our families.  The chief priests and teachers of the law were looking for a way to eliminate Jesus quietly, without a mess.  Are there ways we can elevate Jesus quietly and respectfully?

         Relationships are associated with any memory, even if that significant other has passed.  Are there people we want to be sure not to forget this Lent?

         “Two days before” an event we are preparing our hearts, pondering our expectations, and valuing our relationships.  We remember we are dust, going to dust and two days before, like now, we ponder how we want to make that journey.  Blessings as you prepare and remember.

Day 4 of the Lenten Journey

The movie Australia has one of those turn about endings.  As the Japanese bomb the port city, the hero thinks the heroine is killed tending communications, the heroine thinks the child is killed in the bombing of the island where mixed race children were taken and the hero and heroine have had a huge fight separating them.  Whew. Tension.  But of course the hero rescues the children from the island.  On the pier they are all reunited in extreme joy – the joy that comes when the obvious death all knew was true, is defeated.  The villain is killed and all live happy-ever-after.  It is a movie worth watching more than once.  We enter the Lenten journey with a story headed to a tragic ending.  We, the inheritors of history, know the ending, or believe the ending, but those disciples living the events of the Passion must have been devastated at the cross and overjoyed, if not confused, at the resurrection.  We travel with Jesus during lent

• because facing death is how to best appreciate life,
• because we know death is the wages of sin and we are sinners,
• because Jesus will meet us in the Galilees of our life showing us how to live,
• and because we cannot know real joy without knowing real despair.

         Happiness is momentary and fleeting.  The stimulus check came and we rejoiced and the next day the check came in the mail that used up the money.  My son will visit today but must leave this evening to be shipped out.  The vaccine shot was given but now new strains are on the horizon and I am still advised to wear my mask.  In the book of James we read at the beginning, chapter 1: 3, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when ever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete not lacking anything.” 

         Having studied the need for the trip, Monday we start Mark 14.  Today, though, let us sit back and enjoy a Lenten hymn written by Fanny Crosby and first published in 1869.

Our Lenten journey will carry us through Mark 14 to 16.  Mark 14:1 sets the scene, kind of like the opening of Star Wars and the scroll rolling in the sky.  Our context is the week of Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  We are in Jerusalem.  The chief priest and the teachers of the law are looking for a way to arrest and kill Jesus – quietly.  Interestingly, in verse 27 and 28 Jesus gives away the ending – if we’re listening.  He says, this is going to be real scary and horrible and you’re going to run away BUT, “But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”  They missed it.  The angels at the tomb repeat the message in Mark 16:6-7, “go tell the disciples and Peter, that he is going before you to Galilee, there you will see him, as he told you.”  Today we read these words as historical narrative and perhaps do not grasp the implication for the disciples and for us.

         Jesus goes before us.  He does lead the cavalry charge to rescue us after we have messed up and gotten ourselves into trouble but he also goes before us.  He knows the events that are about to unfold in this story that has become so famous but he also knows the future that will unfold.  He holds time so can predict, can walk through the events with us, and knows the meeting point after the trauma.  Mind boggling and we only kind of understand.

         Interesting is also that Jesus chose Galilee to meet the disciples, not Jerusalem.  He does not take his victory lap in the places of power that sought his life but rather says he will meet the disciples and us on our home turf in the battles we are going to face and which he fought in the first part of Mark.  He will meet us in our power encounters with unclean spirits, when we are diminished by illness, when we are scrutinized, when we are young, and when we are old, walking through death as he did.

         As we face our challenges today, let us remember we are dust. Jesus goes before us, he is with us, and he knows death is not the end of the story.  Blessings as you trust him.