First Sunday in Lent February 19, 2018 Year B
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First Sunday in Lent February 19, 2018 Year B
Trinity Church Hartford
The Rt. Rev. Andrew D. Smith
9 In those days the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13He was in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.
14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, 15and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.’
It’s the 40 days that Jesus spent in the wilderness the forms the paradigm for the forty days of Lent, which we began on Ash Wednesday.
“40 days” is Bible-speak, code, for a long long time —Tink of Noah of whom we read this morning, and the dirty days and nights on the ark, Israel homeless for forty years in (another) wilderness, and the forty days between the Resurrection and the Ascension, indicating that Jesus was with the disciples for quite a while after he was raised from the dead.
So, now, the gospels say that Jesus spent forty days int he wilderness. He was alone. the Bible doesn’t record that Jesus was DOING anything out there — just that he WAS there with himself, with temptations of the world and also with the angels (God).
And at the end of that time he came out, a changed person — stamped by who he is and ready to take up the mission God had given him: to proclaim the good news.
Forty years ago — almost to the month — I took the opportunity to be alone in the same wilderness near where we think Jesus spent his long, long time— not for forty days but one day.
I left Jerusalem on an early morning bus and headed down the Dead Sea valley. The bus left me off where there was nothing but a signpost and a side road. I was going to climb the mountain to Masada, the desert fortress Herod had built as a last defense. At the bottom of the snake path was the warning sign: Be certain you are fit and equipped with water and food; you could die on this path. The silence during the climb was like nothing I had experienced before; the only sounds were the rock crunching under my boots, my breathing, and my heart beating. I was utterly alone, with my thoughts — and, strangely, with God.
There have been other times too, alone, in silence, with God. The second night in silent retreat at Holy Cross Monastery. On snowshoes deep in the White Mountains. Silence. Deep awareness. God.
And those times have marked, changed, my life with God, forever.
Have you had times like this too? (I hope so!)
What I have come to realize as this Lent season began is that I haven’t had that deep alone-ness, apartness, with God, for a very long time. It’s been as if life, especially in recent years, has been on cruise-control — marked I hope by good works, and nourishing relationships — but without that com-munion and closeness with God which can bring such insight and change to the way we live.
And Jesus regularly went off alone, sometimes with his disciples, to places where they could be apart. We read recently of his leaving Capernaum early in the morning to pray alone, and how the disciples hunted all over the countryside looking for him. Remember their going to Gethsemane, apart to pray.
So I thought, what if we pledged in Lent not to find but to make time, say once a week?, perhaps at home, to be alone, in silence, just oneself, open to God?
With the phone off the hook, tablets and smart phones turned off; no radio, no tv, no computer, no facebook, or twitter, or texts; no chores, no busyness, just to be apart by yourself, by myself, and be open to God.
As with Jesus, I am sure alone there will be temptations — distractions, desires, doubts: Recognize them, and ask, God, where are you in these things? There may be inspirations — the Spirit being in there — working to impart revelations, and even new purpose. There may be peace. And joy.
While thinking on these things, other things also have filled my mind: about the ways we are living in this world, and especially the ab-use of power. Persons in corporate authority, abusing others, Hollywood, Washington — officials in all branches of government, computer hackers in St. Petersburg, the new outbreak of atrocities and massacres one tribe against the other in eastern Congo, in the church, domestic violence ..
The violence happens over and over — a pattern now becoming ingrained and are we becoming inured?
What has struck me, all of us?, most especially this past week is the violence of white males with assault rifles shooting our children — while we refuse to ban and put outside the law the owning of these weapons whose only purpose to take life and take it massively.
How I wish our whole culture, the whole world, would go take time, go to the wilderness, face its ways, and God, and be changed into new life and purpose!
With the families now in Florida, with so many, I cry out, When will we ever learn?
We don’t allow citizens to own armored tanks or howitzers or machine guns, can’t we see how wrong it is to allow assault rifles and bump stocks, for anyone?
A mental health issue? Can anyone see where we as a nation are funding mental health care? And could that ever prevent violence which arises from within deep and hidden thoughts and fears?
A self-defense issue — against a potential enemy or even our own government? As one co-worker in New York, who served in Viet Nam and with the CIA told me, don’t be fooled: if we wanted to get you we would get you.
Come on, America! Come on, world!
A retreat time for all humankind is unreal, but maybe if we took time, apart and away, in silence, seeking God, God would rouse us (me) to do something to work to change maybe this one part of our culture, our policies, our codes.
Our children, those who have been killed and those who survived, now are begging us.
Maybe that’s too specific, but as Jesus and the prophets railed against how their ages turned their backs on God’s love and sovereignty, mustn’t we also?
Is it too much to ask? To begin with ourselves, and our forty days of Lent. Rather than race along on cruise control, like a train about to jump its tracks, let’s do what Jesus did: Make time. Apart. Outside the normal stuff of life. In silence. To be with God.
And like Jesus, find ourselves affirmed in who we are and who we are called to be — children of God, together the Body of Christ — and to proclaim, by word … and action.
The time is now. The Kingdom of God is near. Stop, world. Repent. Believe the Good News.
Dear God, as Jesus went to the wilderness and faced temptations and found you there, so may we there go, and know ourselves to be called to proclaim the good news, through our Savior Jesus Christ.