Rev-o-lution

Revised Common Lectionary: Isaiah 43:16-21; Psalm 126; Philippians 3:4b-14; John 12:1-8

Narrative Lectionary: Jesus Condemned, John 19:1-16a (Psalm 146)

The prophet Isaiah speaks to the people returning from exile on behalf of God in Isaiah 43:16-21 that God will make a way for them. As God made a way for the people in the Exodus out of their oppression in Egypt, so God will make a way for the exiles out of Babylon through the wilderness. God is doing a new thing—can’t the people sense it? Even the wild animals honor God because God provides for them in the wilderness, and so God will provide for the people. God chose the people of Israel that they might praise God, that they might know God’s mighty deeds in history, as God brings them once again into a land promised.

Psalm 126 is a song of rejoicing in returning from the exile. God has brought great joy to the people. It’s like a dream—those who went out weeping have returned rejoicing. God has restored the people the way God restores the seasonal waters in the desert of the Negev. The people who had everything taken from them except their seeds are returning with arms full of the harvest.

Paul appeals to the church in Philippi because of his background and what he has given up for the sake of Christ in 3:4b-14. He could boast of his heritage and education and experience, but he gave it all up for the sake of Christ. In Paul’s own experience of suffering and imprisonment, he has understood Christ’s sufferings and the power of resurrection. Whatever gains he may have had from his legacy and upbringing, only the knowledge of Christ as his Lord has given meaning to his life and hope for new life. This is what Paul strives for, as he has left behind who he was to cling to who Christ has made him to be.

In John’s account of the Gospel, it is Mary, Martha’s sister, who anoints Jesus’ feet in John 12:1-8. Mary, who sat at the feet of Jesus to listen and learn in Luke 10:38-42, and who wept at his feet in John 11:32-36, took a jar of perfume of costly nard to anoint Jesus’ feet. In the other three accounts of this story in the Gospels, more than one disciple complained, not just Judas, who asked why the perfume wasn’t sold and the money given to the poor. Jesus commands Judas (and the other disciples) to leave her alone, that she bought that perfume for the day of his burial, indicating that she was anointing him before death. Jesus then quotes Deuteronomy 15:11, which states that there are always opportunities to show kindness to the poor, though this is often lost in context. In the very next chapter, Jesus washes the disciples’ feet, mirroring the act of kindness and preparation that Mary bestowed upon him.

The Narrative Lectionary is following the events of Jesus’ last night before his crucifixion. In last week’s reading, Jesus was questioned by Pontius Pilate. In this week’s reading of 19:1-16a, Pilate handed Jesus over to the soldiers, having him whipped. The soldiers dressed him in a purple robe and crown of thorns, a mockery of a king. Pilate declared he found no reason to charge Jesus, but the crowds called for him to be crucified. The religious leaders claimed Jesus had blasphemed and that was enough for death, but that Pilate needed to be the one to sentence him. Pilate warned Jesus he had the authority to release him, if Jesus would back down from his words, but Jesus told Pilate that Pilate’s authority was given to him from above. It is important to remember that the community of John’s Gospel account was in deep division with their Jewish neighbors in the community, and so the portrayal of Pilate as someone who didn’t want to hand Jesus over but felt forced to is skewed. It is still clear that Pilate had Jesus whipped and beaten. The religious leaders told Pilate they had no king but the emperor, a clear call to Pilate’s authority under Rome, and yet Pilate handed Jesus over to be crucified.

Psalm 146 is a song of praise, but also contains a warning not to trust any human beings, any worldly leaders, because they will fall away, and only last so long. God’s faithfulness endures forever. God is the God of our ancestors, of Jacob, and God made the whole earth. God is the one who gives justice to the people oppressed and bread to the hungry, frees the prisoners, protects immigrants, and helps the most vulnerable, the orphans and widows among us. God reigns forever.

Worldly leaders fail us, but God’s reign endures forever. In the stories of our ancestors we know that God will make a way where there is none. God will do a new thing when only the old has remained. God will find a way where there has been no way. Jesus prepares us to serve by washing his disciple’s feet, because we will always have an opportunity to serve one another. Jesus himself was prepared by Mary who acted with compassion to him, because even Christ needs our compassion. Our worldly leaders have failed us, but Christ is victorious, because he emptied himself, becoming like us, and shows us how to love one another and serve one another.

Call to Worship (Psalm 146:1-2, 6, 10)
Praise the Lord!
Let my whole being praise our God!
I will praise the Lord with all my life;
I will sing praises to God as long as I live
God is the maker of heaven and earth,
The sea, and all that is in them.
God is faithful forever,
Reigning from one generation to the next.

Prayer of Brokenness/Confession
We come before You, O God, recognizing that we have put our trust in worldly rulers, in worldly wealth and power. We have lifted up the strong and powerful and have trampled on the poor and needy. We have failed to show compassion to one another, and therefore, have failed to be compassionate to You. Forgive us, O God. Remind us of Your commandment to serve one another, to become last of all, to love one another as we love ourselves. Guide us into Your ways of justice and mercy and restoration, and most of all, Your way of deep compassion, as You have deep compassion for us. In the name of Jesus, who was moved to tears to raise the dead, moved to feed the hungry, moved to turn tables and heal those in need—may we be moved as well. Amen.

Blessing/Assurance
God is on the move. God is always at work, in our world and in our lives. Can you not perceive it? God is doing something new in you. Listen! The rustle of the wind, the song of the bird, even the faint buzz of the electric lights—God is alive. God is amazing. And God loves you madly. Seek healing and forgiveness and work for justice and reparation. God is with you. God is for you. Go! Do the work Christ has called you to do, and know that you are loved and are not alone on this journey of faith. Amen.

Prayer
God of Compassion, remind us that You breathe life into us. You are the still, small voice. You are the one who enfolds us. You know our hearts. You know the knots in our stomachs, the weight on our shoulders, the pain in our temples. Help us to breathe deeply into Your compassion, to love ourselves. Help us to breathe Your love into the stresses of our lives and to release them to You. May we hand over our burdens, O God. May we lay them down. May we stretch out and feel Your love flow through our very veins, knowing that You knit us together, and are continuing to make us new. Heal us, O God, and help us to have deep compassion for ourselves, so we may be filled with Your compassion for one another. Amen.

Revised Common Lectionary: Joshua 5:9-12; Psalm 32; 2 Corinthians 5:16-21; Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Narrative Lectionary: Jesus and Pilate, John 18:28-40 (Psalm 145:10-13)

When the Israelites arrived at the promised land, they kept the Passover in Joshua 5:9-12. God had provided manna in the wilderness, but on that day, they ate the produce of the land and the unleavened bread they made. The manna ceased the day they arrived, but now God provided through the land for the people, a continuation of God’s promise.

Psalm 32 is a song of thanksgiving for healing and forgiveness. The psalmist acknowledges their sin before God, recognizing that they kept silent when they should have come clean, for their whole body was distressed by the weight, the anxiety. Now, they know the power of God’s forgiveness in their life since they have confessed. The psalmist instructs others to follow the way of God, to not be constrained by the wickedness of sin but to remain faithful to God and know the steadfast love that heals and protects.

Paul declares that the old has become new in 2 Corinthians 5:16-21. The old way is the human point of view, understanding death as final and Christ as a human being. Now, knowing Christ resurrected, all are a new creation in Christ. God reconciled the world through Christ, who bore our sins, and now sin has no hold on those who are faithful.

As Jesus taught people, including sinners and tax collectors, some religious leaders grumbled about it. In Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32, Jesus tells a parable (there are two other parables, the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin, in the verses omitted). A man had two sons, one of whom demanded his inheritance early and squandered it, ending up at the bottom of the barrel, feeding pigs and hungry enough to want to eat from the pods he fed the pigs with. He came to himself, knowing that if he went back to his father as a hired hand it would be better than the situation he was in. He rehearsed his speech, to confess that he had sinned against heaven and against his father, but before he could even say it, his father ran outside, filled with compassion, wrapping his arms around him and kissing him. The son gave his confession, but his father ordered the servants to bring a robe, a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet, and to kill the fatted calf. The older son was livid, but the father stated they had to celebrate because this younger son who was lost had returned. To the older son, he reminded him that he was always with him, everything he had belonged to him. This may have been a nod to the religious leaders who grumbled—they already knew God, but didn’t understand why Jesus taught sinners and tax collectors, for they desired to turn back to God, but some religious leaders had turned them away.
A note: it’s always a good reminder to remember that Jesus was not at odds with all Pharisees (see Luke 13:31-35) and that he was probably closest to the Pharisees in belief and practice.

The Narrative Lectionary focuses on Jesus’ encounter with Pilate in John 18:28-40. Jesus was brought before Pilate very early in the morning. Pilate wondered why they had brought him, what charges they had against him. The community leaders state simply that Jesus was a criminal and they wouldn’t have brought him unless he was. The leaders wouldn’t kill Jesus, but they wanted someone else to do it. Pilate then asks Jesus if he is the king of the Jews. Jesus replies with a question of his own—is Pilate really asking this, or did the others put him up to it? Pilate replies with a rhetorical question: “I’m not a Jew, am I?” Jesus responds that his kingdom is not of this world. This back-and-forth continues, with Pilate questioning, “So you are a king?” Jesus’ response: “You say I am a king.” Jesus continues with, “Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice,” and Pilate responds, “What is truth?” This conversation convinces Pilate in this moment that there is nothing he can charge Jesus with. He asks the crowd gathered if they want him to release Jesus as part of the custom on Passover or someone else, and the crowd chooses Barabbas, a member of the insurrection.
A note: as much as the Gospels sometimes paint Pilate in a more innocent light, he is the one who held all the power in these locations. He could have released Jesus, but instead sentenced him to die on the cross. Even with the anger of the crowd, he had the military power, and chose to use his power in this way.

The verses of Psalm 145:10-13 sing of the glory of God’s reign, making known all of God’s mighty deeds. God’s kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and God’s reign endures through all generations.

Some scholars have changed the title of the parable from the Prodigal Son to the Forgiving Father, because it is about the father’s actions that change everything. It is about the father rejoicing when his son recognized that there was still something better ahead of him than behind him, that turning back was better than wallowing in misery. The older son could not understand why the father would accept the younger back after what he did, and it felt like a punishment to him. Yet, it is also about that younger son and his “coming to himself.” When we remember who we truly are as a child of God, it doesn’t matter what we have done, but what God has done, and what we are doing and what we will do that can change the course of everything. And that older son: at some point, we are that older son, too, who have tried to abide by the father in everything and yet somehow it never seems enough.

Sometimes we want those who did go astray to be punished, like the older son upset at the younger son’s treatment and forgiveness by the father, though we can’t admit we’ve gone astray ourselves. In John’s account of Jesus before Pilate, perhaps some of the community leaders wanted Jesus punished because they’d longed to draw close to God and understand God’s reign in a way Jesus did but didn’t dare to under Rome’s rule. But it goes back to the parental figure. God provided for the people of Israel, and even though they went astray, God continued to provide for them and fulfill the promise. Paul states that in Christ we are a new creation, like the prodigal son—everything has become new. God is always there, waiting, with abundant love, and God’s reign endures forever.

Call to Worship (from 2 Corinthians 5:16-17)
We regard no one from a human point of view,
For we no longer view Christ that way.
If anyone is in Christ,
There is a new creation.
Everything old has passed away
See, everything has become new!
Come, worship our God,
Who makes all things new!

Prayer of Brokenness/Confession
Almighty God, we confess that we have resisted the transformation necessary to become who You intended us to be. We have declined Your invitation to change our ways, we have denied Your commandments to repent and turn back, we have reacted violently to stay the same. Forgive us for refusing to follow Your ways that call us into renewal. Call us into repentance, to come to You with the knowledge that we must change, and the courage to be transformed. Guide us into the work of nonviolent resistance that challenges the world’s systems of oppression rooted in keeping the status quo. You are the one who makes all things new, for You have made us into a new creation, through Jesus Christ. May we be made new again, and may we be part of a new revolution of love. Amen.

Blessing/Assurance
As the seasons change, so do we. We learn and grow and shed what has held us back, letting what needs to return to dust decay, so that the greenness of new life may flourish. God is restoring our hearts and making us new. God loves you, so much. Know the fullness of God’s steadfast love in your life. Let go of what has held you back and embrace the new life in Christ. Go forth, knowing you are forgiven, loved, and restored. Amen.

Prayer
God Who Provides, we give You thanks in these changing seasons. In the southern part of our world, the harvest has come, the fruits and vegetables are gathered, and we are reminded how You provide for us from the earth You made. In the northern hemisphere, spring is coming, and the new shoots are arriving, reminding us that You are the bringing of life out of death. In all seasons, we are reminded of Your abundance in our lives. Too often we live in a scarcity mindset. The world we made promotes the idea that we must have more than others to be satisfied, that there is never enough. The world tells us that we must have more than another to be successful, to have wealth and power over others. Your earth, however, teaches us that there is always enough, and to let go when there is more than needed. As You provided manna in the wilderness, and the first fruits when Your people arrived in their land, so You have provided for us. May we take only our daily needs, and give what is leftover to those with none, until all have enough to eat and are filled. May we know Your abundance is always with us. We give You thanks, Creator God, giver of life. Amen.

Revised Common Lectionary: Isaiah 55:1-9; Psalm 63:1-8; 1 Corinthians 10:1-13; Luke 13:1-9

Narrative Lectionary: Peter’s Denial, John 18:12-27 (Psalm 17:1-7)

For this third Sunday in Lent, we begin with the prophet Isaiah’s call to the people who have returned from exile. In 55:1-9, the prophet reminded the people not to return to their daily lives, but instead, to seek God in their daily life and needs: to seek God for the rich food, to remember the covenant God made with their ancestor David. When the people called upon God, other nations would draw to them, people who did not know God. May the unrighteous and wicked return to God, the prophet declares, for the ways of the people, the thoughts of the people, have not been God’s ways and thoughts; God’s ways are beyond what the people have understood thus far.

The psalmist seeks God in Psalm 63:1-8. Like someone lost in the desert without water, the psalmist needs God. They praise God because God’s “steadfast love is better than life.” The psalm invokes the body, needing God to live, a deep hunger that can only be satisfied by God, for they know God has been their help and refuge in times of trouble. The psalmist blesses and sings for joy, because God is the one their soul clings to.

Paul warned the church in Corinth that if they thought they were standing, they’d better watch out that they don’t fall in 1 Corinthians 10:1-13. Paul was concerned that the church was doing what their ancestors did in the desert—thinking they were God’s people but turning from God’s ways. Paul reminded them to learn from their ancestors who have been set as example, to not assume belonging to the body means one can do anything they wanted to. The church was being tested, Paul declared, and God would not let them be tested beyond their strength, but they must endure and be faithful to God, because the wicked ways of the world were creeping into the way of life in their congregation.

Luke 13:1-9 is a strange passage because we are missing the historical context. At some point, Pontius Pilate, Roman governor of Judea, massacred some Galileans, and had their blood mixed in with the sacrifices he made to the Roman gods. Throughout history and in various cultures, when something terrible and tragic happens, there are some who interpret that as God’s divine judgment, that the victims must have done something to deserve it. We have seen this with preachers declaring God’s judgment after hurricanes and tornadoes and other disasters. Jesus said that these Galileans were not worse than anyone else, but that death awaits anyone who doesn’t turn to God. In a similar vein, Jesus spoke about a disaster where a tower in Siloam fell and killed eighteen people. It wasn’t their fault it happened, but death awaits us all. Repenting and turning to God is the only thing that can save us from death having the final word. The second part of this passage is a parable of a fig tree. In Matthew and Mark, Jesus is the one who curses the fig tree when he observes it has born no fruit, but in Luke, Jesus tells a parable of a man who planted a fig tree, but it never produced fruit, even after three years. He ordered the gardener to cut it down. However, the gardener pleads to give it one more chance. He will clear around the roots and fertilize it. The owner relents to give it one more chance, but if it doesn’t bear fruit, it will be cut down. Jesus warns the crowds this is their last chance. They have not listened to the prophets before them. They worry and fret about things they have no control over (such as Pilate and the tower that fell) instead of doing the one thing they can control: repenting and turning back to God’s ways.

The Narrative Lectionary continues the events of Holy Week with Peter’s Denial in John 18:12-27. In John’s account, Jesus was taken before Annas, the father-in-law of the high priest. Peter and another disciple had followed along, but the other disciple (known as the beloved disciple) went into the courtyard first. When Peter was brought inside, the woman who guarded the gate to the courtyard recognized Peter as one of Jesus’ disciples, but Peter denied it. After being questioned by Annas about his teaching, Jesus was struck across the face by one of the police. Then Jesus was bound and taken to Caiaphas, the high priest. Peter, meanwhile, was questioned again about being one of the disciples, but denied it. Peter denied it a third time, even though the person questioning him was a relative of the slave whose ear Peter had cut off and was certain it was him. Then the rooster crowed.

Psalm 17:1-7 is a prayer for vindication from a writer who has avoided the ways of the violent. The psalmist knows they have stayed true and are innocent before God. They call upon God to answer their prayer, knowing they have remained faithful to God, and God will be faithful to them.

Lent is the season when we remember God’s ways and turn back to God. We remember the stories of our ancestors and learn from their lives how God has always remained faithful, even when we have gone astray. We hear the words of the prophets and the teachers in the early church that those who remained true to God knew the fullness of God’s love in their lifetime. Jesus teaches us that our lives without God are dead ends, but we do not need to use the fear of punishment to justify faith. It was not the Galileans fault, or those who died at Siloam. Without God, our lives may come to an end without much hope or meaning. With God, our lives are full, and we know that death does not have the final word.

Call to Worship (from Isaiah 55:1-2, 6)
Everyone who thirsts,
Come to the waters!
You that have no money,
Come, for there is plenty!
Listen carefully to God,
And delight in rich food that satisfies.
Seek the Lord while God may be found,
Call upon God who draws near.

Prayer of Brokenness/Confession
Almighty One, we confess that the world’s ways lead us astray. We search for bread and wine that never satisfies us, worldly desires that give into worldly measures of success. You call us to Your ways, but we chase the shiny things of this world that have no value in Your realm. May we listen for Your voice and for the true things of this world that matter: the love we have for one another, the way we care for each other and the earth You made, the pursuit of justice in order to establish peace. May we be fed by Your word and satisfied by the wellspring of everlasting life. In the name of Christ we pray. Amen.

Blessing/Assurance
God’s desire for us is greater than any desire we have for the things of the world. God will not stop pursuing you until you turn back. God knows your heart and that you long to be one with God. You are God’s beloved child. You are forgiven, loved, and restored. Amen.

Prayer
Holy One, when we look at the world, our heart breaks. We have failed to care for the earth. We have failed to pursue peace and have allowed violence to run rampant. Most of all, we have allowed others to co-opt Your name and Your words to justify hate. Forgive us all for not speaking up, for not calling out those who have harmed others in Your name. Move us to pursue Your call to justice, especially for the most vulnerable among us, for they know You, and they are Your beloved children. Help us to protect them, to pursue justice, and proclaim Your reign is one of love and never of hate. Amen.

Worship Resources for March 13th, 2022—Second Sunday of Lent

Revised Common Lectionary: Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18; Psalm 27; Philippians 3:17-4:1; Luke 13:31-35 or Luke 9:28-36 (37-43a)

Narrative Lectionary: Jesus Washes Feet, John 13:1-17 (Psalm 51:7-12)

Abram was distressed before God because he and Sarai were old and had no children. In Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18, God hears Abram’s complaint that a servant in his household is to be their heir, but God takes Abram outside and shows him the stars, that Abram’s descendants will be just as numerous, just as uncountable. God promised Abram that it someone born of his family would inherit from him. Abram believed God, the same God who brought him and Sarai from their father’s home to this new land. Abram offered a sacrifice, and God established a covenant with Abram, to give the land to Abram and Sarai’s descendants.

The psalmist sings of their trust in God in Psalm 27, that they have nothing to fear, even in the midst of enemies. The psalmist knows God will hide them from evil and deliver them, for they have made their home with God. The psalm turns to a plea for God to answer the psalmist’s prayers, that they might remain steadfast. Some have turned away from the psalmist, speaking falsehoods, and others have forsaken them, but the psalmist remains true to God and trusts that God will deliver them, reminding others to take courage and know that God will answer.

Paul writes of being citizens of God’s kingdom in Philippians 3:17-4:1. Those who live for this world are enemies of Christ, where they live by the belly, their greed, and their mind is set on worldly things. But those who are expecting Jesus as their Savior wait for the transformation of their humiliation to glory. Paul calls upon the family of the church in Philippi to stand firm, to join with him in imitating Christ.

The first selection for the Gospel reading is Luke 13:31-35. As Jesus drew closer to Jerusalem, he was warned not to go there. This passage reminds us that many of the Pharisees were not Jesus’ enemies as they are often portrayed. Many taught similar lessons and saw Jesus as another rabbi of their tradition, and warned him that Herod was against him. However, Jesus would not be deterred by the puppet ruler under Rome and told the Pharisees to tell Herod he must continue his ministry. Jesus quipped it was impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem, because Jerusalem was where all the worldly power was. Jesus longed to gather the people like a hen gathers her chicks, but the people of the city would behave as the city always had—longing for God, but unwilling to let go of the world’s ways of power and greed.

The second selection is the Transfiguration, also the lectionary reading two weeks ago. Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up a mountain with him to pray. While he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Moses and Elijah spoke with him, and in Luke’s version, they are speaking about Jesus’ soon-to-be departure in Jerusalem. Peter, James, and John are tired, but they behold this scene, and as Moses and Elijah are leaving, Peter speaks up. Peter tells Jesus it’s good they were present, and they want to make three dwellings, one for each of them. The Common English Bible uses the word “shrine” instead of dwelling, indication a sort of worship for Elijah, Moses, and Jesus. Then a cloud suddenly overshadowed them all and the disciples were terrified. A voice came from the cloud telling them to listen to the Son, the Chosen One. When the cloud lifted, Jesus was alone, and they didn’t say anything. In verses 37-43a, it is the next day when they come down the mountain, and a man begs Jesus to heal his son of a spirit. The other disciples could not cast the demon out. Jesus tells the man to bring his son to him, but not before declaring this is a faithless and perverse generation and complains about putting up with them. Jesus rebukes the spirit and gives the boy back to his father, and everyone was amazed.

The Narrative Lectionary turns to the events of Holy Week in John’s account, beginning with foot washing in 13:1-17. Jesus takes on the role of servant, serving the disciples by washing their feet. When Peter protested, Jesus insisted that he must wash their feet to prepare them for the journey ahead. Just before this chapter, Mary (Martha’s sister) washed his feet, preparing him for the journey to Jerusalem and the cross, serving him, and Jesus followed her example. Peter thought he understood at that point and tried to get Jesus to wash his hands and head. Jesus said that one who was bathed was clean except for their feet—just the dirt and grime of the day. This wasn’t baptism, this wasn’t an act of purifying or cleansing—it was simply an act of kindness and serving, and Jesus called them to serve one another with kindness as he had served them.

Psalm 57 is about a cleansing that purifies. A psalm attributed to David, the psalmist desires to be cleansed from the blot of sin, knowing they have gone wrong, and desires a new and clean heart before God, to be set right.

In this Lenten season, as we journey with Jesus to the cross, we are reminded that this world resorts to violence every time to solve its conflicts. It resorts to power and dominion over others. The way of Christ calls us into community, into hope, into serving one another with kindness. It calls us to gather with Christ and others, to seek a different way instead of the violence of the world. It calls us to look to the ancestors of our faith and their trust in God when the world seemed against them. The way of Christ reminds us that the regimes of this world rise and fall, but the reign of God’s love, the beloved community of faith, endures forever.

Call to Worship (Psalm 27:1, 13-14)
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
I believe I shall see the goodness of the LORD
In the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD;
Be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the LORD!

Prayer of Brokenness/Confession
Holy One, we confess that in our fear, we turn to the ways of this world over Your ways time and again. We turn to leaders who promise power and domination over others, instead of Your commandment to love one another, to bless one another, to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. We seek comfort in the familiarity even when it oppresses us, because we know it oppresses our enemies, too. Forgive us for our violence, for the harm we inflict upon ourselves and others generation after generation. Help us to break the cycle and to turn to You and Your ways. Help us to lay down our way of violence and pursue peace. Call us into Your ways of love and justice, a way of hope and healing, so that we might end humanity’s destructive and evil ways. In the name of Christ, who laid down his life for us and went to the cross, we pray. Amen.

Blessing/Assurance
Jesus has traveled our path, worn our shoes, rode the same tracks. Jesus’ own heart beat and bled for the world. Jesus cried out in grief and anguish, pain and loss, and still deeply loves us. We are loved by a God who knows our pain and suffering and struggle. Bring it all to Jesus, for he knows what it’s like, and loves us, and calls us to love one another. Amen.

Prayer
God of Creation, as the days lengthen in the Northern hemisphere, we see signs of You all around. The snow is melting, the ice releasing its grasp. Shoots are breaking forth from the cold earth and buds are preparing to open. Even in the midst of war and grief, Your life still takes hold, and has deep roots. May we be open to You. May we nourish the roots of Your life in us, knowing that You have made us into a new creation, a new life that takes hold in us. Everything old has passed away, everything has become new, as the Apostle Paul once wrote. May it be so in us. May something new take hold of us this season and not let us go, so that we might live more fully into Your life that you dreamed for us, a new life that begins now and lasts for eternity. In Your name we pray, Great Creator. Amen.

Revised Common Lectionary: Deuteronomy 26:1-11; Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16; Romans 10:8b-13; Luke 4:1-13

Narrative Lectionary: Jesus Raises Lazarus, John 11:1-44 (Psalm 104:27-30)

You can find resources for Lent, including a preaching/worship series called Sojourning based on the Gospel readings for the Revised Common Lectionary, and past series, candle lighting liturgies, and more here.

We begin Lent with a reminder from Moses in Deuteronomy 26:1-11. As part of his final discourse to the people, knowing he would not enter the land promised to them before his death, Moses called upon the people to take the first fruits of the land as an offering to God. Before the priests with their offerings, the people remembered that their ancestors, Sarah and Abraham, were wandering Aramaeans, a people without a home. God brought them to a new land, and then to Egypt, where they became a great nation. God is the one who brought them out of their oppression in Egypt with strength and power. Moses called the people to celebrate all God had accomplished, to celebrate with the priests as well as the foreign peoples among them God’s abundance and bounty.

While Psalm 91 is quoted by the devil in both Luke and Matthew as part of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness, it is a psalm of blessing and protection for those who turn to God. Those who turn to God have the assurance that God will deliver them from their enemies and do not need to fear death or danger. Those who love God will know God’s deliverance and salvation.

Romans 10:8b-13 is a section often taken out of context. Paul was writing to the church in Rome, to show that both those of Jewish and those of Gentile backgrounds were one in Christ. God hears the prayers and confessions of all. It is faith that saves us in Christ Jesus, not heritage or tradition. This verse is often taken out of context and interpreted in a literal way by some Christians that this confession, by these words, is what is needed for salvation. Instead, Paul was explaining that it is faith that save us, faith in Christ, faith that God raised Jesus from the dead and there is nothing that God cannot do.

In Luke’s account of the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness in 4:1-13, the same three temptations are found in Matthew, but the last two are reversed. In Luke’s account, the final temptation is the one in which the devil quotes scripture, Psalm 91, back to Jesus, after Jesus answered the devil’s first two temptations with scripture. The devil twists the scripture to question and sow seeds of doubt into Jesus about whether he was the Son of God. The devil’s twisting of Psalm 91 ignores that the psalmist speaks of those who are faithful in love to God will not face harm. Instead, the devil tries to tempt Jesus into believing he has to prove who he is. There is no one else around, so one must assume that perhaps Jesus was facing some self-doubt. But Jesus is triumphant, quoting scripture back and knowing that it is not up to himself to prove who he is as the Son of God. God knows. Jesus knows and trusts in God the Creator. The devil departs him until an opportune time.

The Narrative Lectionary continues in John, focusing on the story of Jesus raising Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha in John 11. Lazarus fell ill, but Jesus was delayed in visiting him until after he’d already passed. The disciples warned him about going to Judea because they knew the leaders wanted to kill Jesus, but when Jesus finally insisted on going, Thomas boldly proclaimed that they should go to die with Jesus. This an interesting first encounter for readers with the one later known as “Doubting Thomas,” in his boldness of faith early on. When Jesus arrived, he first encountered Martha, who confronted him, saying her brother would not have died if he had been there. However, she also proclaimed her faith, that she knew God would give Jesus whatever he asked. Jesus asked her if she believed in the resurrection, and then told her that he was the resurrection and the life, and Martha declared her belief. Martha went back and called for her sister Mary. Mary, however, went to Jesus, knelt at his feet and wept, stating that if he had been there, her brother wouldn’t have died. She doesn’t make any declarations of faith. And Jesus begins to weep. It is by her grief that he also grieves, and is moved to order the others to roll back the stone and call Lazarus out from death.

These brief verses from Psalm 104:27-30 compliment the John passage in that God is the one whose spirit renews life after death. God holds life and death in all of creation.

Luke’s account of Jesus’ temptation seems out of balance at first. We are more accustomed to Matthew, where the final temptation is the devil tempting Jesus to worship him and have the world. In Luke, the final temptation instead is self doubt. That one isn’t worthy of God’s love. Even Jesus wondered. Perhaps in his time in the wilderness, God was silent. The final temptation is to demand that God answer, to demand that God act in the way we want God to. Jesus prevails in trusting in God even in the silence. In the Narrative Lectionary, faith may have assured Martha and Jesus that Jesus is the resurrection and the life, but it was a very human emotion—grief—that moved Jesus to act right then and there. A reminder that God takes notice of us, as God did in Exodus 2:25 of the people crying out under their oppression. God hears us when we grieve, when we cry out against injustice, and is moved to act. Both of these lectionaries remind us that what we want isn’t necessarily what is best for us, but when we cry out in hopelessness, despair, crying out from oppression and injustice—God hears us. God knows. And God will act.

Call to Worship (from Isaiah 40:6-11)
A voice says, “Cry out!”
“What shall I cry?”
The grass withers, the flowers fade,
But the word of our God will stand forever.
Lift up your voice with strength,
Our God comes with power and might.
For God is our shepherd, carrying the lambs,
And God will carry us through.

Prayer of Brokenness/Confession
Holy One, we come to You in this season of Lent crying out to You. We cry out because of war and injustice. We cry out because of violence and oppression. We cry out because the world’s ways and the world’s leaders have failed us again. We cry out for You to save us, O God. We confess that we have been led astray by the world’s power and might. We confess that we have been led astray by worldly understandings of security and strength. We confess that we have sometimes been on the side of the oppressor, and at times have turned away from the cries of others. We confess we have failed to recognize Your children in the world, Your face in one another. Forgive us. Call us into accountability. Call us into the work of reparation and restoration. Guide us into the work of justice, reconciliation, forgiveness, and healing. In the name of Christ, who went to the cross and laid down his life for us, we pray. Amen.

Blessing/Assurance
God will continue to lead us out of the wilderness of oppression into the place of hope and healing. God will continue to teach us the way of repentance and forgiveness, if we are open to God’s instruction. God’s wisdom is with us: in the scriptures, the sages of old, the lessons from the past, and in our hope for the future, if we believe it, if we cling to it. Live into God’s ways. Be slow to judge and quick to forgive. Know God’s forgiveness in your life, and go forth to help repair and restore the world. You are forgiven, loved, and restored. Amen.

Prayer
Almighty God, You made this earth for all of Your children and Your creatures. You breathed life into all living things, and called human beings to care for it. We have failed time and again and resorted to violence instead of listening and healing. Our wilderness temptations are all around us and we fail all the time. O God, You still love us. You still create new life. You still work on us to forgive one another and pursue justice. O God, may it not be too late for us to change our ways. May it not be too late for humanity to resolve to do better, to repent of our power and greed and violence. May it not be too late for us. Be with us, O God, a flame fighting the wind and shadows. Burn bright in us, O God, and save us. Amen.