FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT

Jesus, the Christ

He is the Messiah, the Christ.

Mark has led us through the public ministry of Jesus. Yet we still are not sure who he is or why he is here. He has been called teacher, rabbi. He referred to himself as the Son of Man. He heard God call him beloved, son. And then he asks. He wants to know what the crowds think, but more than that he wants to know what we think. The identification of Jesus’ messiahship is for the few around him. The ones committed to his work, the ones willing to leave all to follow, they recognize him, or do they? What does it mean to name Jesus, the Messiah, the Christ, the anointed one?

Some will say he is king, maybe king of the Jews in the lineage of the great king David. Some will think savior, a warrior who will lead a conquering Israel as did Joshua. Others maybe dream of the whole world ruled by one who is God’s representative, God’s emperor—a world of peace and prosperity especially for those now left out of the good life. Still others may see a priest who will restore the purity of the faith and bring the people to repentance, and all of society will finally follow the law. The Messiah, some imagined, would finally restore the world to its rightful order; God’s reign would begin and all nations would know the Lord.

How would it happen? With an uprising of faithful soldiers say some; with the defeat of the secular powers and the return of rule of the godly under the banner of the Christ, thought others. But Jesus talked of suffering, of dying, of servanthood. Jesus felt called to this mission. God had chosen him to bring salvation, as messiahship suggests, but the way he described was difficult and painful. Following is hard.

How do you understand Jesus’ mission, call? Do you too have a sense of being chosen of God for particular role?

Jesus Christ, open my heart so that I too may hear and follow, may be the one God calls me to be. Amen.

SATURDAY, FOURTH WEEK OF LENT

Jesus,

Messenger of

God’s light

and love

And God called him My Beloved Son.

"Woman at the sea" Galveston Beach, Texas, summer, 1977

Let waves of the picture wash over you until you are one with it. Walk gently out. Feel the water, the sun, the sand. See the expanse of the sea.

Hear God’s words of belovedness to the Son, to you, to all you know, to all of creation. Walk in God’s light. Let Jesus be your guide.

God of light, let my journey be toward you. Guide my steps. Protect my being. Let your son, your beloved, be not only my light, but also the light of the world. Forgive our inattention, our unawareness of your glory. Transform us; renew us; save us. Bring to fruition your vision for all creation. Amen.

FRIDAY, FOURTH WEEK OF LENT

They Walked Down the Mountain

As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead could mean. Then they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” He said to them, “Elijah is indeed coming first to restore all things. How then is it written about the Son of Man, that he is to go through many sufferings and be treated with contempt? But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written about him.” Mark 9: 9-13

When Jesus talks to his disciples on the way down the mountain of his transfiguration, he urges no discussion of what had occurred on the summit until his death and resurrection. I picture them looking at one another with raised eyebrows and can hardly blame them for changing the subject to the expectation of the new kingdom: Was it to be heralded by Elijah or not?

It’s at this point that Jesus’ begins to think out loud, in a discourse that feels like stream-of-consciousness. Acknowledging that Elijah is to come, then reflecting upon the sufferings of the Son of Man, Jesus remembers John the Baptist and blurts out that Elijah has already come. He too is caught in the paradox of the kingdom being not yet arrived but already here.

Sometimes we find ourselves convinced that the kingdom of God is right around the corner, the end is near. Sometimes we assume that the kingdom that Jesus had in mind is already here and, in some mysterious way, working itself out. Jesus was able to live with the paradox of the “already, but not yet” character of the kingdom. It did not prevent him from doing the works of the One who sent him; it must not prevent us from doing the same.

Sense the tension Jesus and his disciples felt as they retreated down the mountain into the fray of living. Sense the similar tension of living today.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.

THURSDAY, FOURTH WEEK OF LENT

Jesus was Transfigured

A Meditation on Mark 9: 2-9
Sit quietly. Become aware of your breathing. Close yourself off from all that is around you. Invite God, Jesus, to be present with you as you enter the text of the Scripture in mind, body, heart, and spirit.
Imagine you are one of those Jesus takes with him to the mount of transfiguration.

Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them.
Climb the mountain with Jesus—Reach the top—rest to catch your breath. And see—dazzling white—
What do you do? How do you feel? What do you think?

And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus.
See Jesus with Moses and Elijah. Does it seem strange for Jesus to be talking with them? Do the dead know the living? What do you think they’re talking about?

Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He did not know what to say, for they were terrified.
Are you glad Peter spoke? Did he say what you wanted to say, what were you thinking? Do you have other things to say? Do you want to stay here?

Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved, listen to him!”
Are you in the cloud or just watching it? What is it like?
Did you hear the voice? What does it mean? Who speaks? Is it real? Are you—afraid, awed, excited… ?

Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus.
What happened? How do you feel now? How do you see Jesus? Who is he really?

As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
Trek down the mountain.
Do you trod or bounce or…? What do think has just happened?

Only a few saw Jesus transfigured, why? Do you know him thus glorified?

Jesus, Son of Man, Son of God, let me be with you. Teach me, walk with me, save me. Amen.

WEDNESDAY, FOURTH WEEK OF LENT

The Demons named Jesus
God’s Son

Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and shouted, “You are the Son of God!”
But he sternly ordered them not to make him known.
Mark 3: 11-12

Jesus’ reputation as a healer has spread; more and more people are seeking to touch him. Mark 3:9 gives you an idea of just how many people we’re talking about and how eager they are: “He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, so that they would not crush him…”. The Son of God, who has power to overcome evil spirits and debilitating demons, is also a fragile, vulnerable human being who could easily be hurt by the overwhelming crowds.

The juxtaposition is a poignant foreshadowing of what is to come: the scandal of God suffering on a cross, and thereby overcoming the world.

How does Jesus, God’s Son, as the evil spirits saw, continue to reflect in our world the power of the vulnerable over the demonic?

Dear Lord, I often come to you with a list of requests, even demands, and call it prayer. Although I will always continue to ask, on behalf of others and myself, grant me the restraint and patience to listen, to reflect on who you are, and to give thanks for all you do. This I pray in your name. Amen.

TUESDAY, FOURTH WEEK OF LENT

Jesus, Baptized by John,
heard a Voice of Heaven

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” Mark 1: 9-11

I don’t remember my baptism. I was baptized as an infant. I was too young to know and understand what the sacrament meant. I know I was baptized. That’s it. There’s only one baptism. As an infant, our parents pledged to nurture us within the family of faith. God gives us his love before we are able to respond in faith.

What were Jesus’ feelings when he emerged from the water? We are told what he saw and heard. What did he feel when the Holy Spirit descended and God claimed him as his own? I can only imagine. Did he feel refreshed and renewed, full of God’s love and delight?

I wonder what it would be like to be baptized as an adult: to know that God loves me dearly, that God claims me as his own; that my sins are forgiven, that God takes delight in me, and that the Holy Spirit resides in me. As an adult, I reaffirm the commitments made for me through the sacraments. Like with Jesus, God speaks to us in a very personal way.

As we remember Jesus’ baptism, take time to rethink the meaning of baptism in your own life.

Loving God, as we remember the baptism of your beloved son, we rededicate our lives through repentance, faithfulness and discipleship. Pour your grace upon us as we seek to follow your will. Amen.

MONDAY, FOURTH WEEK OF LENT

Jesus is beloved

…from the cloud there came a voice,
“This is my Son, the Beloved….”
Mark 9: 7b

Let this old photograph remind you of childhood, nurturing, love—both as giver and receiver. Remember, hear, feel. Let God be your guide.

"Mammy and The Child" Bowling Green, Ky., ca. 1915

From whom do you hear words of belovedness?

What do you hear?

How do you experience sonship, daughterhood?

How are you a child of God?


Loving God, you called to your beloved son; will you call to me? Will you speak your words of sonship, daughterhood, as you spoke them to Jesus? Let your grace, your forgiveness, surround me so that I may know my belovedness, and be able to hear your voice, and know your Son. Amen.