Forty

Matthew 4:1-2
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished.

Forty

Days of fasting for Jesus

Years in the wilderness

for the Israelites

Days of rain

for Noah and co 
Days of prophesying
for Jonah in Nineveh...
Days originally set apart
for those in quarantine
Times of healing and growth
Times of creativity and innovation
Times of learning and consolidation 
In this “Lentiest Lent that’s ever been Lented”
where have we borne witness to
and where have we contributed to
Healing
Growth
Creativity
Innovation
Learning
Consolidation
And how might we emerge
into the light
forever changed
and renewed
by our experience?
For the love of God.

This is faith

Habakkuk 3:17-19
Though the fig tree does not blossom,
and no fruit is on the vines;
though the produce of the olive fails,
and the fields yield no food;
though the flock is cut off from the fold,
and there is no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
I will exult in the God of my salvation.
God, the Lord, is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
and makes me tread upon the heights.

This is faith:

To look around

and see light in the darkness

To listen carefully 

for sounds of laughter in the tears

To keep watch

for signs of hope amidst despair

To sit with grief

knowing resurrection is promised

We may not be able

to access the empty tomb 

But we know how the story ends

So

Even when...

We can’t see the woods

for the trees

The clouds obscure the sun

We can’t see God

through the mist of confusion

we can’t hear God

for the cacophony around

This I know

God is present

in the midst of deafening silence

God is present 

and emerging from the darkness

God is present

when everything else conspires

to convince us otherwise

God is present

And that is enough.

Rent a crowd

Matthew 21:6-11
The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.
The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting,
“Hosanna to the Son of David!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?” The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”

This is the time

to work out

who we are

without a crowd.

We, who are so fickle 

often drawn in by popular opinion

often dragged along for the ride

have a unique opportunity

to question

who we are

and what we believe.

In our enforced isolation

will we still cry out

Hosanna!

Lord save us!

And will religious leaders today

have any more clue

about the needs of the people?

Or will we keep on colluding

with political forces

that go with the flow

to save the economy?

This Palm Sunday

away from the crowd,

whose name is on your lips

and whose creed

is written on your heart?

Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord.

Hosanna!

Gethsemane

Matthew 26:36-41
Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and agitated. Then he said to them, “I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and stay awake with me.” And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want.” Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, “So, could you not stay awake with me one hour? Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Lord, when you were troubled

you took your friends

to keep watch with you.

You needed them close

Not for their scintillating conversation

Not even for their innate wisdom

You wanted them

for basic human companionship

So, even though they slept

Even though they couldn’t comprehend

the depth of your suffering,

their nearness was enough.

Today, when our lives are disrupted,

when we cannot be physically present

with those we need and love

show us how to support one another

Awaken in us

a new spirit of connection

that drills deep

that goes beyond what we can see

to the agony that lies beneath

And in this season,

when we linger with you

in the garden

may our Gethsemane

our place of refuge

forge in us the resolve

to deepen and sustain

the connections that we need

to see us through

this time of trial.

Solidarity

Luke 22:14-20
When the hour came, he took his place at the table, and the apostles with him. He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I tell you, I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

Bread of life

Broken, torn, shared 

Equipping

Nourishing

Sustaining

Cup of salvation

Poured, supped, ingested 

Flowing

Quenching

Freeing

Bread and cup 

Filling

Releasing

Making new

Replenishing the body 

Infusing all of life

with sacred meaning

and connectedness 

Blurring the lines

Uniting heaven and earth

Past, present and eternity

in a great cloud of witnesses

Overflowing

out of our sanctuaries

onto the streets

marking time

until all can be fed again

with the life of the world.

Maranatha!

Coming out

John 11:38-44

Jesus Raises Lazarus to Life

Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

Coming out

Not an end -

there is still a great unravelling

to be encountered

Unravelling that can only be completed

in stages

alone

and

in community

Nor is it a beginning -

All that has gone before remains

craving attention

imploring sifting

demanding confrontation

Neither an ending

nor a beginning

but a stage

on the road to healing

And the miracle in healing

is the capacity

the temerity

and the resilience

to examine the past

to greet the future

and to stay well in the present.

Coming out

one stage

on the road to wholeness.

In the right place

I have prepared a place for you

says the Lord, a place that is for you,

and only you to fill.

Approach my table,

asking first that you might serve.

Look even for the lowest tasks.

Then, the work of service done,

you may look for your own place at the table.

But do not seek the most important seat

which may be reserved for someone else.

In the place of My appointing will be

your joy.

Lord, show me the right seat;

find me the fitting task;

give me the willing heart.

(Words from the Hild Liturgy from the Northumbria Community)

God, as I wrestle with your call

in this time and place

give me humility

Humility to lay aside

all that I think I know 

and have learned

in years of service

Humility to see what it is

that you are revealing 

in this season

Humility to take up my place

as a novice

willing to learn new things.

God, as I wrestle with your call

in this day and hour

give me grace

Grace to listen to wisdom

that comes from unlikely sources

Grace to acknowledge

and amplify others

Grace to grow

in reliance on you.

God, as I wrestle with your call

in this wilderness season

give me courage

Courage to be reshaped by you

Courage to be redirected

Courage simply to be

God, as I wrestle with your call

in darkness 

and in light

may humility, grace and courage

be travelling companions

that lead me

to your healing presence

and the gift

of a seat 

at your table.

where your joy awaits.