Written on February 6, 2010 at 11:44 am by Sacredise

Lent 2C

Filed under Lent, Revised Common Lectionary, Worship no comments

This week is a challenging one. There are so many possible angles from which to approach these passages – which is always exciting, because of the creative possibilities, but also tough, because of the difficulty of finding a strong focus. I’ve tried to explore a few of the possibilities, but I hope it hasn’t come out too scattered. Here are some of the ideas I’ve had in mind:

Does faith protect us? What about those who aren’t protected?
To what extent do we view disasters and suffering as judgment?
How do we move away from division and judgment to mercy, compassion and awareness of our shared humanity?

I think these issues are all connected, and so I’ve tried to treat them as parts of one idea – which can be summarised in the word “Grace”. I hope it works for you!

READINGS:
Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18: Abram’s faith leads him into relationship with God (righteousness) & God makes a covenant with Abram, promising him that he will have a son to be his heir, and descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky.

Psalm 27: A song of assurance for God’s protection and care, and a plea to live in God’s sanctuary and find refuge there.

Philippians 3:17-4:1: Paul’s encouragement for believers to stay true for the sake of Christ, and to remember their heavenly priorities.

Luke 13:31-35: Jesus is warned that Herod wants to kill him, and dismisses this as his face is set toward Jerusalem. Then he laments over the city which fails to heed the prophets (including Jesus).

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:
This week’s readings paint a picture of contrasts. On the one hand we see those who live by expediency and self-sufficiency, and who ultimately have no safe place to stay. On the other hand, are those who like Abram, David, those who follow Paul’s teachings, and Jesus, put their faith in God and find deep and close relationship with God. These are the ones who are sheltered in God’s care, and find their home, and their hope in God’s purposes. This contrast is both a promise – whatever we may have to endure, we will ultimately find our comfort and security in God – and a warning – a life lived outside of reference to God will ultimately lead to emptiness, strife and disappointment.

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
GLOBAL APPLICATION: It is easy to stereotype ourselves as good and others as bad. We speak easily of “Christian nations”, of “Christian communities”, of “Christian leaders”, and we so easily label those who disagree with us as the enemy. Jesus refuses to buy into this partisan power game. He won’t allow people to believe that God brings judgment on others to punish them for sin, and he won’t allow those who follow him to take on the role of agents of judgment. Rather he calls all people to turn to God and find grace – for we all need it. What might our world look like if, instead of working so hard to identify and protect ourselves from our “enemies”, we began to understand that they have the same hopes, dreams and struggles as we do, and that they too are loved by God. How can we begin to shift our world from opposition and conflict to mutual grace and compassion. It would appear, if we are to follow Jesus, that this prophetic act may need to begin by releasing our “right to protect ourselves” and like Jesus risking that we might be crucified even as we seek to reach out to those who hate us.

LOCAL APPLICATION: There are two truths that we need to balance in our personal journey and as communities of faith. The first is that relationship with God, is a “protection” of sorts from the woes of the world. When we follow Christ, we learn ways to live well – we learn to love others and ourselves, which inevitably creates deeper and more stable relationships; we learn to devote ourselves to God and God’s purposes, which offer us meaning and fulfilment; we learn to refuse to play the games of greed, revenge and abuse of power, which controls our appetites and keeps us from self-destruction; we learn spiritual disciplines which increase our self-care and health. But, there is also a second truth – people who follow Christ are not “better” than others. God’s “blessing” is not a reward for goodness, and suffering and difficulty are not God’s judgment or curse for our sinfulness. The Gospel offers us doorways to life, while ensuring that we know that God has no favourites, and that our call is to invite all others to find life in Christ with us. How do we celebrate the gifts of following Christ, while avoiding the self-righteousness that so often characterizes people of faith? Perhaps you can explore that this week.

RESOURCES FOR WORHSIP:
Prayers:
The Shelter of Grace
We’re Not That Different

Hymn Suggestions:
And Are We Yet Alive?
A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
O God Our Help In Ages Past
How Firm A Foundation
O God Our Help (Link to YouTube video)
Blessed Be Your Name (Link to YouTube video)
God Of The Moon (Link to YouTube video)
You Are (Link to CD site where this song be downloaded free. There is also a video version available there.)