Lent - Day 9, Thursday, March 5

The Scripture readings for today are rather extensive: Psalms 50, 59, 60, 19, 46; Deut. 9:23-10:5; Heb 4:1-10; John 3:16-21.

The early Psalms have a weight to them...filled with concern, sorrow, doubt, even fear. The last two shift the focus back to God's character as a security and source of our protection. Deuteronomy's text also shifts from the failure and sin -- manifested in stubborn rebellion to the ways of God -- to the reminder that God's character is displayed in his law and it doesn't shift with time. Instead his law, his ways, his character remain ever constant in shifting times of culture and history.

The writer in Hebrews calls me to "enter into the Sabbath rest" that comes through Jesus Christ. John's gospel brings it all to a crescendo: God has poured out his love and light to us in the gift of Jesus to the world in which we live.

The Lenten season is not just a reminder of the triumph of Jesus in his death, burial and resurrection. Thanks be to God for that triumph; yet, Lent also calls me to acknowledge my own doubts, my fears, my lack of faith, even rebellion against God.

The Bible has a word for what state we often find ourselves in: "Weakness". The Apostle Paul stated it so clearly in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (NASB)
7 Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself!
8 Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me.
9 And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.
10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

For much of my life I've skipped over the "weakness" part to proclaim the "power" and "strong" part. It's natural to want to avoid "weaknesses, insults, distresses, even persecutions". They are not very impressive goals to desire, are they?
When Paul wrote this passage he was completely vulnerable about the condition he often found himself in. The Greek/Roman world Paul lived in was immersed in the idea of cosmic powers - gods and goddesses - that people had to learn how to cooperate with in order to live successfully, prosperously, healthily, and safely (to name a few). Paul's background was immersed in the theology of God (Jehovah) as the God of Israel - the God who had redeemed them out of Egypt, given them his laws, and established them as a nation. God exercised power to establish, protect, and also to discipline, even to the point of the exile.

God's power is manifested in Jesus as the reality of God's Kingdom and is displayed in Jesus' works: healing, deliverance, preaching, teaching - all elements of the Kingdom that leads us to freedom in the Kingdom of God.

Yet, in the end, it is "weakness" that defines the ultimate work of God through his son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, who's death on the cross becomes the means by which God displays ultimate power - the power even over death.

I am going to write more on this theme over the days ahead. It is enough to remind us that we must learn how to embrace weakness if we are to ever get to power.

A Prayer for today:
"Father of mercy...By your Son's death and resurrection demolish our pretensions of strength, and on the ruins build a temple worthy of your name, so that all the world may know the glory of your transforming power shown in Jesus Christ our Lord."
(In For All the Saints, 633)