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'Dying to Life' (Lent, a journey to Easter & beyond)
Lent Four - March 30th
Numbers 21:4-9
Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22
Ephesians 2:1-10
John 3:14-21
In the Lenten tradition this fourth Sunday - the half way point has been called 'Laetare' meaning rejoice because a key focus is on God's grace [God's undeserved kindness in the Contemporary English Version] bringing hope in the midst of brokenness. If your community has a tradition of celebrating harvest this can be an appropriate Sunday. Healing and forgiveness could also be picked up.
In these days of Lent, and as our countryside takes on the hues and dynamics of the 'dying' of autumn, the following images may speak....
'....the small seed - vulnerable, able to be crushed and cast aside - but also bursting with potential - store houses of hope of the promise of what can become with love and nourishment and encouragement - growing onto a significant plant - offering it's fruits - spreading its branches - dropping it's seeds or fertilizing the ground with it's leaves... The seed 'dying' to release the potential within it for growth, in order to let the new life emerge - letting go it's old self to become something new....we are moving towards Easter when we celebrate that explosion of new life released by Jesus Christ. Jesus' life was a seed - planted to release the harvest of abundant life. Jesus opened up new ground for all humanity, in death a great harvest of healing and transformation began....'
Numbers....
This is a complaint story, a regular feature of the wilderness narrative. The Israelites complain to Moses, they also speak out against God, which results in divine punishment in the form of snakes. The Israelites repent and plead with Moses for help - Moses intercedes. God listens and instructs Moses to prepare an antidote. The cure? A bronze snake placed on a pole and whoever looks at it lives. Strange story - strange cure! It raises questions about belief and redemption. Facing our fears with the eyes of faith heals. No reality we create is ever without the possibility of God's redemption.
It is interesting to note that to this very day, the symbolism of the snake has a double meaning: punishment and evil, as well as creativity and healing. Today two intertwining snakes on a staff serve as a symbol for the medical profession.
Psalm....
Commentaries suggest that this Psalm was written following the return from the great Babylonian exile, and was designed to be sung as an act of thanksgiving in worship, public testimony to the goodness of God who had touched and transformed their lives. Following much anguish the people had once again experienced God's unfailing and steadfast love.
Ephesians....
We read in this passage a statement of the theology of grace [v8]. It is not a result of our own efforts, but because of God's gift that we are made whole. Paul is clear that our response to such a gift will be a life of good deeds - sharing and caring for each other and living as God intended from the beginning
John....
We are so used to the quoting of v16 that we often neglect to see in the context of the desire of the writer of John's Gospel to explore and tease out the very nature of Jesus the Christ. Earlier, John's Gospel describes Christ as 'the life [that] was the light of all people' [John 1:4]. Here Christ is again equated with the light, and those who believe in him will have eternal life. We are reminded that Jesus was not sent to condemn us. Regardless of our past histories, the gift of salvation in Jesus Christ is available to all. However we must choose. If we desire eternal life, we must choose the light rather than the darkness. If we remain in the darkness we cannot then blame God for our condition. We have not been condemned by God to the darkness, but by our own failure to choose the light. The choice is ours.
Questions to ask....
- What must die in our lives in order that fresh growth and a renewed spirit might be born in us?
- What does darkness mean to you? What does light means to you?
- How do you deal with the 'magical' miraculous elements of the story in Numbers? Check it out with your children!
- How old were you when you realized that God loved you? How did your learn that? How do you experience it now?
- In the light of our faith, how do we face the fears that lurk in the shadows of our consciousness?
- What words can we speak to our communities that offer a chance of healing and renewal?
Prayer for today.... [Another reflective piece]
....the leaves tumble down,
they twirl on the ground,
dancing the Autumn death dance
beneath the great blue sky.
....the leaves seem glad at going,
sparkling in the March sunshine,
they fill the air with gentle rustling.
....one, then another and another,
on the skim down from above,
bedding the bush table before me
with comforting crunches and crackles.
....this gigantic death scene of leaves
does not smell of sorrow and sadness,
rather, the earth is coloured with joy
and the leaves make music in the wind.
Why is this dance of death so lovely?
Why do leaves seem so willing to go?
Are they whispering to each other,
urging one another to be freed?
Maybe 'you first and then I'll follow"
or: 'you can do it, go ahead'
supporting one another gladly
in their call to final surrender.
Joyce Rupp - 'May I have this Dance'
Music....
- All praise to out redeeming Lord - WOV 367
- Amazing grace - WOV 56
- For the beauty of the earth - WOV 77
- I sing the almighty power of God - WOV 40
- The great love of God - WOV 105
- The steadfast love of the Lord - SK 414
- Our life has its seasons - AA 113