Journey's Weekly Homilies

1st Sunday of Lent
March 9, 2003                                                            
Homily:  Laurie                                                            

Gen.9:8-15J
lPeter 3:18-22
Mark 1:12-15

Here it is the first Sunday of Lent once again.  Lent often seems to me to be a time for second chances.  Now is the hour to turn toward the light of God, now is the time to live our baptismal promises, so that when we renew them at Easter vigil we are fully awake and present to life.  We have six weeks to mindfully repent, turn around, turn toward or maybe just even stop in our tracks right where we are and take an accounting of our lives, to then move on in the reign of God with clearer vision. 

Some of this is work to be done internally.  Where is it that our treasure lies?  What are our intentions about living as people of God?  Where in our lives are we creating peace and where are we the cause of upset for ourselves and for others. Are we willing to turn away from those thoughts and behaviors?  Carol preached to us last week about seeing with new eyes, about approaching this Lenten time with a willingness to be a little more Christ like.

That probably means being a bit of being driven into the desert.  The desert in Mark is a place of exile from persecution and a gathering place for subversive movements.  To follow after Jesus is to walk in his subversive footprints, to question the ways of the world and to offer an alternative reality.  We know that alternative as the reign of God. We are called to repent, to turn from our privileged lives to turn towards justice for the poor.  That begins with further examination of our consciences both as individuals and as community.  Where are we complicit in cooperation with the powers that be? 

Only when we are aware of the subtle corruption that privilege and power brings to our spirits and our lives can we make choices about living in the reign of God. Part of having new eyes is seeing things as they are, combined with the vision to see things as they might be. The way of power is the way of war; the way of Jesus is civil disobedience.  The way of power is using others to your advantage, without concern for the welfare and well being of those you exploit.   The way of Jesus is use of power for the good of all who will be affected.   It is in asking these questions of our selves and our families that we will find ourselves driven into the desert.

Just writing about those questions makes my vision blurry and my resolve less than true.  Jesus emerged from the desert ready to begin his work.  Those times when our paths lie clear before us are rare.  It is our lot as human beings to be at times befuddled, confused, unsure of our allegiances, trying to serve God and mammon at the same time, being quite sure that we can get away with it.

Nancy told me a story this morning about this turning toward God and our humanness.  A man was driving at night over terrible washboard roads, full of ruts. There was no place along the way to stop and rest.  Besides, he was going to see his beloved and was determined that nothing would come between them.  It had rained heavily earlier in the day and the roads were muddy with every pothole full of muddy water.  Soon the whole car was covered in mud.  Using the windshield washers and wipers helped some, and he was able to continue on, although not at all sure that he was going the right way. He drove through the night and as dawn approached he was able to see well enough to know he was heading the right way after all. Unfortunately, the glare of the sun made it all the more difficult to see out the window. He continued driving on, glad of the light that showed him the way, but also so much more aware of the mud he carried with him. The sunlight on the windshield made it clear how little of the road he had been able to see.  He did persevere despite the mud and glare to be reunited with his beloved.  The moral of the story is this, turning towards the light our lives become more true, what also shows up are the parts we would rather ignore, or wash away. In this season of second chances, let us be about turning towards what is good and light, acknowledging the mud we carry along, but not be stopped by it. We are on the way to the reign of God.