February 28 – The Second Sunday in Lent

I realize that yesterday’s post somehow slipped my mind and for that I apologize.  Instead of trying to backtrack and catch-up we’ll just continue.

Philippians 3:17 – 4:1

Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

Luke 13:31 – 35

At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, “Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you.”

He replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘I will drive out demons and heal people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.’ In any case, I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'”

These are two of the lectionary texts for today.  As I was reading through them I began to think, “why on earth are these two passages of scripture put together in the middle of Lent?”  The more and more I thought about this question, the more I realized that both of these passages speak deeply about the pull and tension within our hearts that Lent helps us to notice.

Paul, in writing to the Philippians tells them that there are some who, even though they may sound and act like Christians, actually live as though they are “enemies of the Cross of Christ.”  They put themselves first, they seek to glorify themselves.  To put it in context of the video I posted on friday, they are living the first story – the story of Adam.  These people fit in well with the world because they have not died to self.  But Paul says, we (those who are not enemies of the Cross) we belong elsewhere.  We, as Paul says, have “our citizenship in heaven.”  We, just as Psalm 137 declares, are living in Exile.  We live here, but our home is with Christ.

Well, what about the Gospel reading for today?  Jesus has his mind firmly fixed on the cross.  He is on his way and with this in mind you can almost hear the emotion in his voice as he calls to Jerusalem.  He describes his deep longing to gather his people together to him and yet they are not willing.  He longs for them and they reject his embrace.

It seems to me that these two scripture passages paint for us the deep struggle in our lives that is illumined during Lent.  God calls to us and Jesus longs to embrace us, but so often we are not willing to accept his embrace.  So often we’re like the people Paul describes – enemies of the Cross of Christ.  We have it stuck in our minds that we know the way God works and how he should do things.  We set ourselves up and we desire our own success and reject the mind of Christ.

The goal of Lent and the goal of the Christian life is to realize this tendency in ourselves.  As we realize our bent toward sin and self-exaltation we can begin to empty ourselves and say no to our self-will.  We can begin to set our eyes not on the glory of this world but on Heaven – the place of our true citizenship.  By doing this we can run into the arms of Christ.  This is the call of Lent – dying to self so that we may live in Christ.

Which description describes you?  Are you living like an enemy of the Cross and trying to exalt your self or are you running into the arms of Jesus even if the world rejects you?  Are you seeking to gain your life or to lose it in Christ?