We've set up the Pastors' Page so that the Reverends Marlowe and others from our
church can speak directly to you and with you. Comments and question about this
page can be e-mailed directly to the Reverends Marlowe. They would be glad to
hear from you.
March,
2010
Lenten
Reflections
Jonathan’s Journals
Someone has said that the Christian life is about teaming to die well. Most
people die about the same way they live. In truth, we started dying the first
day we started living. This season of Lent is all about teaming what it means to
die.
As Christians, we believe that our death started at our baptism. At baptism, the
old self was drowned. so that we might be raised to new life in Christ (see
Romans 6:3-4). This season of Lent teaches Lis to die to ourselves so that we
might live fully for Christ. We began this season of Lent my marking our
foreheads with ashes, reminding us not only of our need for repentance, but also
of the reality of our mortality: "Remember that you are dust and to dust
you shall return."
We live in a world surrounded by death. There is hunger famine, disease, war and
terrorism. But we mostly live in the denial of death. Instead of the
pervasiveness of death teaching us a lesson about life. we often go on as if our
lives would last forever. We live as if we could control the world around us
through our power. our cleverness, our technology, our money. We deceive
ourselves.
Lent is an invitation to break free of our illusions that we will live for ever
and control our own destinies. We are limited, finite human beings. We are
called to forsake our pride and instead take on the role of humble servant.
The paradox is that no one enjoys life more fully than those who know that they
are mortal. Those who remember that life is about learning how to die can let
Christ be born in them. We can say with St. Paul, "I am crucified with
Christ: nevertheless I live: yet, not I, but Christ who lives in me. And the
life that I now live, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave
himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).
True joy comes when we can die to self and live to Christ. This is the life-long
process which begins at our baptisms, and of which we remind ourselves during
the season of Lent. At any Christian funeral, we celebrate that the process that
started at baptism has finally become complete: the deceased is now dead to self
and alive to Christ. As we say in the United Methodist funeral liturgy, "As
in baptism s/he put on Christ, so in Christ may s/he now be clothed with
glory." Lent is the season of year when we intentionally allow the grace of
our baptism to be fleshed out in all parts of our lives.
The truth of the matter is that there is more life in self-denial than in
self-indulgence. Such a recognition requires the formation of a certain kind of
character within us. This kind of character is only formed slowly, over time,
through the process of following Jesus every day over many years, in the company
of other disciples who are making the journey with us.
In what areas of our lives might we need to experience a sort of death'? Is
there a habit, a grudge, a jealousy, an insecurity, a broken relationship which
we can now put at the foot of the cross? We wait for resurrection.
Peace.
