Lent 1 2015

1 Lent 2015

Well everyone, I found out that I’m not the only one who likes Lent?! Apparently, there are others who also enjoy the intentionality and focus on their spiritual lives—or they’re just passionate about eating fish on Fridays…

Whatever the case, Lent is a time when we concentrate on some of the deeper work of the spiritual life. We’re given an opportunity to dig-in, and really tend to those places in our lives that need special work, or attention.

And we start the season with this story from Mark’s Gospel about the baptism of Jesus—and, of course, because it’s Mark’s Gospel, we have this sense of apocalyptic urgency. So, along with everything happening “immediately” in Mark’s Gospel, in this particular account of Jesus’ baptism, it says that Jesus is immediately driven out to the wilderness by the Spirit. Oddly enough this is the same terminology used when Jesus is “driving out demons.” So, there is this real sense that the Spirit is driving Jesus with an overwhelming kind of power and authority. And, if you’ll remember, power and authority are sort of themes for the Gospel of Mark—specifically the power and authority of Jesus. In this case, then, it seems that the Spirit’s working is somehow irrepressible, and Jesus is whisked into the wilderness in an almost violent way.

 Well, unlike other Gospel accounts, we’re not given the gory details of his 40 days in the desert—but even in short form we get the impression that it was difficult. After all, we’re told that in the end, angels came and tended him…which is no small thing. All the same (tired or not), Jesus emerges from the experience victorious, and full of the mission he’s been called to—namely preaching the Kingdom of God.

But, of course, there’s more to this story; because, to those who would have been steeped in the history and tradition of Israel, this period of 40 days would have reminded them of Israel wandering for 40 years in the wilderness. This was a time in which Israel learned to be more than escaped slaves from Egypt, and become God’s chosen people(we might question whether or not they ever really learned that identity).

These 40 days would also bring to mind the 40 days that Moses was on Mt. Sinai where he received the Law—one of the signs of the covenant relationship they had formed with God.

The point is, there are a lot of connections to be made…and this isn’t accidental. After all, as we read in the 1^st Epistle of Peter (and Paul, also echoes this), that there are things about Jesus—his life and passion—which we’re called to read our own lives onto… In other words, Jesus becomes a kind of personification (or embodiment) not only of Israel—but of all humanity, as well.

 So, if we can buy into this idea that Jesus is kind of the embodiment of what humanity could be—like, literally the sacrament of humanity (sacrament being an outward and visible sign of an inward and invisible grace, right); then all that Jesus does—including this time in the wilderness—has much broader meaning than Jesus simply proving himself.

What this means, then, is that by remaining faithful to God, and succeeding against the temptations of Satan—Jesus succeeds where not only Israel failed, but even Adam—the very  representation of humanity, and (let’s not forget) also a son of God (obviously in a different way—but, the point is well taken, I think).

Anyway, where I think all of this makes for a really good entry into the season of Lent is that as we’re being compelled (maybe even driven) by the Spirit into this season of Lent; I think we should take comfort in the fact that we’re going where Jesus has already gone.

I also think that this should put our baptism into an interesting perspective. Because, it’s as if our baptism is the prelude to being driven beyond a life of safety (and selfishness?). But it is at the same time the place in which the Spirit drives us out into the world—the wilderness—to be tempted and tested by every day of our lives. And, if we’re able to allow ourselves to be humbled, and try to remain faithful; I think we find that we emerge from the trials of life more ready to do kingdom work.

 It’s my sense, then, that this is what Lent is really about—expectation of resurrection life, and practicing for Kingdom work. This is the reason that we work to find those places of shadow and neglect in our lives so that we can tend to them. This is the time when we look more closely at our lives and slough off the non-essential things which have ceased to be life-giving (that’s assuming they ever were…). In all honesty, Lent could be considered a time of rest and revitalization (if we allow it to be). In fact, I think Lent is a bit more like the angels tending to Jesus than it is a time of trial and temptation. Because, as each of us know, when the season is over, and we’ve put away our seasonal disciplines; we have to step back into regular life. Actually, the Spirit will “drive us out” to regular life, and that’s where we’ll find out what we’re made of… So maybe this season really is a gift—a time of recognizing who we really are, and who God is calling us to be—just like Israel had to do.  

However, in the meantime, throughout these Lenten days, I invite you to consider (as the great Evelyn Underhill says) the meaning and demands of poverty in spirit; purity of heart; and the kind of obedience that should be characteristic of a child of God… Because only then can we detach from, what she calls, the “unreal and self-regarding interests with which we usually fill up our lives (Belshaw, 18).”

 Finally, as a last bit of wisdom of Evelyn Underhill, she says we begin all of this work by “[f]irst lift[ing] up our eyes to the hills, then turn[ing] to our own potato field [to] lightly fork in the manure (Belshaw, 18).” With all due respect to Evelyn Underhill—if any of you are anything like me, there should be no shortage of manure for my potato field this Lent…but it’s my hope that we’ll all emerge from this season (no, be driven from this season) full of renewed vitality and energy for kingdom work.