The season of Lent is upon us! So often, our culture can limit the journey to a single discipline, that can answer the question “What are you giving up for Lent??”
One of the challenges with this focus, however, is it doesn’t take seriously the invitation of Ash Wednesday to make this a holy season of self-examination, penitence, prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, and by reading and meditating on the word of God.The “what are we giving up for Lent” takes us to an individual, isolated place. Our giving up is ours - a personal choice, personally executed.
And that means we’re missing a key aspect of Lent - that it’s not intended to be a solo journey.
Lent is not a season where we are meant to go it alone, but rather as a time for us to connect with one another – and God – through the journey of intentional acts and prayers as we aim to avoid temptation.
Now this is not to say our acts are meant to be bragged about – quite the opposite!
But we are invited to connect with one another, with trusted spiritual companions, in order to get the most out of the experience, and to keep ourselves accountable.
The people we are with can ask us the hard questions – in love – and encourage us to stay the course – just as we engage with them to help them keep that narrow road.
Let’s think again of those acts that the Ash Wednesday prayers invite us to:
Self-examination: to take a deep look inside, while also having someone else share what they can see and discern… as we know that different perspectives – even of ourselves – can help us better understand the bigger picture of who we are and what we do.
Penitence: This is an easy one to overlook when we’re alone; we’re human after all, and no one likes to dwell on their faults. Yet we also know that when we come together and ask God’s forgiveness, it can be a powerful and poignant time. It’s why in our collective confession here in worship, we have that pause for personal reflection. Humbling ourselves before God and asking forgiveness is easier to do when we share the experience.
Prayer: One of the first things that can get overlooked when our schedules fill up is prayer; so having a defined time to pray with someone ensures that this remains a priority. We don’t want to let the other person or people down!
Fasting: Ask anyone who is striving to make lifestyle changes: giving up bad habits, establishing healthier choices, whatever - they’ll likely tell you it’s easier when there’s support. Fasting together provides support and accountability – and encouragement when we fall off the wagon!
Almsgiving: We all want to reach out and assist; yet if there was no one to receive there would be no need to give. It can take another person to open our eyes to the needs of the community and the multitudes of ways that we can respond.
Reading and Meditating on the Word of God: Studying scripture is a gift, and a blessing to our literate society – how much more can we wrap ourselves up in study when we can share our insights and thoughts – and hear other takes on the word of God!
So: Lent is a time for being together: for embracing how we can be community.
Our world is more disconnected now than it has been for some time, so we need to be more intentional about establishing, maintaining, and re-creating ways to make meaningful connections.
Rather than being overwhelmed by all this, the scriptures today remind us that this is not the first time in the history of the faithful that we have needed to be creative in our expressions of faithfulness.
The Genesis passage opens with the post-flood Covenant. A lovely passage that folks may remember from our Sunday School Days.
That it is a covenant - not merely a contract or agreement - is important, as in covenants God’s presence is upheld through a sacred commitment being made.
Also, a covenant is to be unbroken – as the consequences of breaking it carry some rather eternal ramifications.
This covenant is also not just about one family, or one species: this is a covenant between God and Noah – and Noah’s Son’s – and all of Noah’s ancestors (which is to say all of humanity at all times) – and all of God’s creation.
This is powerful, the promise of eternal relationship and interconnectivity with all of the cosmos being celebrated as precious and beloved by the divine creator!
So naturally; it’s all about relationship: and within relationship, we benefit from each other, and we support one another, and we bear responsibilities to each other, and we do it all in the love of God.
Peter’s letter is sent to Christians who are in exile - who had to flee their communities and yet who maintain the connection to each other through the church.
This letter has made the rounds to many who would have been feeling alone, in order to encourage them to not lose heart.
What a meaningful message for the diaspora to hear: that the power of Christ’s redemption well overpowers that of the Roman authorities; that their place in God’s heart is assured for all, through the mystical union and communion of being the body of Christ.
The love of Jesus brings us to God: throughout all times and circumstances, we are all in this together.
So again; it’s all about relationship: as we benefit from each other, and we support one another, and we bear responsibilities to each other, and we do it all in the love of God.
Then our Gospel passage – it’s jam-packed with Good News.
The baptism of Jesus - with the community, in the Jordan, by his cousin - Jesus is celebrating the gift of connection with his family, the disciples, the entirety of the worshiping community through shared geography, culture, and ritual.
As the veil is torn apart the Spirit of God moves freely – and elegantly – between realms, reminding us exactly of the covenant with Noah, and all generations, and how God remains present to all God’s people – at all times! It’s all about relationship.
What a stark difference as Jesus is immediately driven way from that community to be isolated; and we know that Temptation happens when we are alone.
While Mark doesn’t dwell on the specifics of the temptation, he does give us comfort that through rough times when we feel alone, God’s presence can be found. Jesus was alone but not lonely: the wild beasts – they’re part of the Covenant. The angels that tend to him? Also part of the covenant. All the living things he encountered: part of the Covenant.
What was NOT part of the Covenant was the tempter - the devil.
This being was overpowered because it was alone; having removed himself from the community of God, and thus from the benefit of relationship with God’s creatures… a sad and pitiable situation to put oneself in.
This passage ends highlighting the power of returning to community; for repentance, and believing the good news.
This is a return to a holy relationship; where: we benefit from each other, and we support one another, and we bear responsibilities to each other, and we do it all in the love of God.
So here we are, as our stories continue the narrative of God, together.
We are spiritually connected in the community of the faithful that is stronger than all that divides us, that is more pervasive than any temptation, that is timeless and freely offered.
Our Lenten journey reminds us that we are in Covenant with God, and with every human being and every animal and every living thing, interwoven in beauty and delicate connection.
Lent binds us to one another with deep intention and care, when we open our hearts and minds to the journey.
This Lent, I pray that what you give up is isolation or separation,
that you delight in new ways to genuinely connect with someone God loves;
knowing – always – that we are together in the love of God – who journeys with us.
- anna blaedel from Enfleshed
We make home in this world by companioning each other,
learning how to live with and for each other.
We come home in connection.
We find home in relation.
We know we are home, when the live things everywhere are free to sing,
and forage, and nest-held, protected, delighted in, able to rest and grow and fly.
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