Lenten Journeys

Gerhard Forde in his book, Where God Meets Man, describes the human condition as like being in a fenced area. There is only one way out, and that is through death and the cross. Into this arena comes a ladder. Faced with the cross, humanity tries to climb the ladder and storm the gates of heaven. The trouble is that it is a one way ladder and what humanity is trying to do is go up the down staircase. The purpose of the ladder is not for humanity to find a way around the cross, but rather for Heaven to come and show us the way. Kelly Fryer in her book, Reclaiming the “L” Word, points out that God always comes down. In Barbara Rossing’s book, The Rapture Exposed, she even points out that in the last days, the New Jerusalem comes down to earth, and then points out rather tongue in cheek that she doesn’t know where those who are being raptured up off the earth are going, but if God is coming down to earth, it might not be so good.

The Lenten season is a journey not embraced by all of Christendom. For many the message is climbing the ladder of proper behavior and belief, of living such an exemplary life of faith and proper belief that at the right time, God will rapture you up off this earth where you can have a front row seat on the pain and suffering inflicted on your friends and relatives who did not head your warning. This theology is never quite stated in that way. But often the grace of God and the cross of Christ are for the purpose of giving you the strength to climb the ladder with your behavior and belief and present yourself pure and holy at the gates of heaven.

Lent is not about escape. It is about picking up your particular cross, the burdens in your life, and walking with Jesus. It is a journey that does not take us away from the difficulties we, and our fellow sojourners face in this world, but deeper into them, knowing we are not alone. We are surrounded by the body of Christ in one another and the love of Christ not even the darkest moments of our lives, but especially in those darkest of times. Lent is the acknowledgement that ours is not a singular journey in this life. We are called into an “us” world where our calling is to continue as the children of God in the daily recreation of God’s world. “Born again” and “Rapture” is about me. Lent is about “us,” and caring for this creation from which we were formed.

Easter comes early this year. It’s timing is based on the cycles of the moon and March 23rd is only one day past the earliest it can be. As we look around there is still plenty of break-up to happen. As the weather warms we discover, as did many on Huffman Road last week, that life can sometimes be filled with some pretty nasty potholes. Coming home the other night, the car in front of me slowed way down and went way around a large puddle of water in the road, I followed the path of that car in front of me. Only then did I see a real axle buster of a pothole in the water. Following others who know where they are going, most often because they have been through it before, can be a real God-send. As the children of God we are called to not only follow Christ through the potholes in life, but in the process, help show others the way. In Easter, Christ shows us that even that cross and death we fear so much, is only an event in a life with Christ. On the other side of that cross, Christ shows us that life continues. Armed with that knowledge, and knowing it is a gift given to us by Christ, life on this side becomes a journey “with”. A journey with Christ each and every day and a journey with our brothers and sisters, defined in the story of the good Samaritan as anyone Christ puts in our path.

We are not raptured off this earth, we are called to care for it. We are not born again leaving others behind, we are born from above, called into a loving and caring relationship with our brothers and sisters in Christ, as Christ would define them. Our Lenten journey is a journey into ever deepening relationships, with the God who created us, with our brothers and sisters with whom we were created, and with the earth from which we were created. The Good News is that even after Easter, the journey continues.