Lent Is God's Stimulus Plan
Lent 1B
Gen. 9:8-17; Mark 1:9-15
3/1/09
Lorraine Ljunggren

From National Public Radio to the News & Observer, from MSNBC to the New York Times, and in just about every other form of public media, the headlines lately have been devoted to the economic stimulus plan adopted by Congress. We hope it will restore some balance to the economy and enable us to breathe normally again instead of holding our breath wondering what will happen next.

In talking with a friend recently about the stresses and strains all around, we agreed that Lent is God's stimulus plan. It is intended to restore some spiritual balance to our lives and enable us to realize that, with every breath we take, God is with us, a companion on our life's journey.

In her book Kneeling in Jerusalem Ann Weems writes, “Lent is a time to let the power of our faith story take hold for us, a time to let the events get up and walk around us, a time to intensify our living unto Christ, a time to hover over the thoughts of our hearts, a time to place our feet in the streets of Jerusalem or to walk along the sea and listen to [Jesus'] word, a time to touch [Jesus'] robe and feel the healing surge through us, a time to ponder and to wonder. … Lent is a time to allow a fresh new taste of God.” (quoted in Synthesis)

So, it is no accident that the First Sunday in Lent always takes us with Jesus from his baptism by John in the Jordan River into the Judean wilderness. Jesus' ancestors have intimate knowledge of the wilderness; it is to the desert that the people of Israel flee the bondage of slavery in Egypt; it is in the stark wilderness the people wander for forty years as they come to grips with what it means to be God's people; and it is in the desert the people begin truly to understand the responsibilities that accompany the covenant they have with God.

Mark's version of the story of Jesus' sojourn in the wilderness is short and compelling. Being reassured of God's favor, we're told the Spirit drives Jesus into the wilderness. It is there Jesus will be tested. Mark gives us no details of this testing but leaves it to us to imagine what it would be like to spend forty days away from all that is familiar – to spend forty days wrestling with temptations common to every human being. It is in the desert that Jesus will come to grips with his own vocation – with his own ministry – with who he is and how he is to live his life. The hot days and the cold nights provide the setting in which Jesus learns to breathe deeply of the Spirit's strength and courage – strength and courage Jesus will need whether it be confronting the powers that be or healing the many who will find their way to him. The time apart from all those whom he loves and holds dear will allow Jesus to ponder the enormity of human need in his time. The riskiness of living among the wild beasts gives Jesus a foretaste of the risks his ministry will lead him to take on behalf of others. The ministry of the angels assures Jesus that the ultimate outcome of his life's journey will be one of joy.

And, while Lent reminds us we are tempted in some way every day, and while we are often tested in ways we wish we never were, the ultimate outcome of our Lenten journey is one of joy because our ultimate destination is Easter.

But, like every stimulus plan, there is work to do before we reach our destination. In Jesus' three years of public ministry he set before us some of the many ways we are called to service by using the gifts God gives us. Some of us are gifted by nature as healers. Some of us are given the gift of sharing knowledge as teachers. Some of us are granted by God voices we're able to use as spokespersons on behalf of the voiceless. Some of us are given the gift of strong bodies to build and to carry burdens others cannot. All of us are given the gift of prayer which keeps us close to the heart of God and which binds us to one another as people of God.

I sometimes think we forget how very much God relies on us to use the many gifts we're given – so that the created order might come to reflect the dream God has for all of creation. Why else would we be given the gift of free will?

William Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury in the 20th century, once wrote, “The human will is a more adequate instrument of the Divine will than any natural force.” (Synthesis) And Charles Peguy wrote, “Every human being represents a hope of God.” (ibid.)

Think of it – each of us is a hope of God! That's an amazing thought to carry with us on the Lenten journey. And, to ponder the idea that our human will can serve God in ways beyond other natural forces is amazing and encouraging in a time when our global family is in need of encouragement.

If we were to take a poll of everyone here today and ask if the world around us is as we would have it be, I trust the answer would be a resounding 'no!' If we were to take a poll of everyone here today and ask if the world around us can be a different and far better place, I hope the answer would be a resounding 'yes!'

To find our way to a different and better world, our path will likely take us to and through a desert of sorts. But, keep in mind, “The desert experience is part of the 'normal Christian life.' In Lent we prepare ourselves to taste some of its perils and potential learnings. … One retreats not to escape a corrupt or disappointing world. [The Lenten journey] is not about changing anyone else. It is about becoming the change you would like to see in the world and in other people.” (ibid., paraphrasing Huston Smith) But, note, we have to begin with ourselves. To be an agent of change means we have to become more and more the kind of people we believe God has created us to be – people like Jesus. People of strength and courage. People of compassion and mercy. People committed to serving God by serving others of God's people.

So, as we take the next steps in our journey, think of Lent as God's stimulus plan. The forty days of Lent are intended to restore some spiritual balance to our lives and enable us to realize that, with every breath we take, God is with us, a companion on our life's journey. A journey that ultimately leads to the joy that is Easter. Amen.

©2009 Lorraine Ljunggren