Lenten themes

[tblairhug]

Being snowed in has gotten me thinking about Lent '11.

Ash Wed. is March 9- or thereabouts,so its time to be thinkin' 'bout
this.

Any overarching thematic ideas out there?

I'm looking for just a little nudge-- to tie the lectionary together &
get a little more oomph in worship this latewinter/early Spring.

Thanks- ahead of time.

Tom Blair

Second Presbyterian

Baltimore

[Carl]

I can discern a theme in Lent weeks 2-5 of Jesus crossing boundaries
of prejudice to genuinely relate to people as individuals. After the
obligatory Temptation story to get the Lenten season going, there's
Nicodemus (Lent 2; John 3:1-17) - theological prejudice. Then,
there's the woman at the well (Lent 3; John 4:5-42) - national and
gender prejudice, with a dash of harsh judgment on account of her
chaotic family life. Then comes the healing of the man born blind -
whom we'd call today a man with a disability, but whom conventional
society of his own day holds at arms' length because they're sure he
must be cursed by God, probably for his parents' sins (Lent 4; John
9:1-41). Finally, there's the raising of Lazarus (Lent 5; John
11:1-45) - Jesus crossing the most fearsome boundary of all, that of
death.

None of these encounters are ones that any casual observer in Jesus'
society would expect him to go out of his way to have. There are good
reasons for him to shun Nicodemus, a potential enemy; the woman at the
well, who's unclean; the man born blind, whom God has surely cursed;
and finally, Lazarus, who's so unclean (so much so, that he
"stinketh," to use the KJV language) that a typically observant Jew
wouldn't go anywhere near him. Nothing, but nothing - not even the
devil - will stop Jesus from carrying out his ministry of radical love
and acceptance.

The Lent 1 reading could be used as a general introduction for this
series, because the Devil's temptations are all attempts to deflect
Jesus from this new way of relating to people. The Devil would rather
see such prejudicial boundaries kept intact. If Jesus is spending all
his time aggrandizing himself and performing flash-in-the-pan wonders
like jumping from the pinnacle of the Temple, then how can he
demonstrate this new way of loving others, this willingness to stop at
nothing to touch people in their inmost hearts, where they are most
tender and vulnerable?

The first sermon, or perhaps even the entire series, could playfully
be called "Jesus and the Devil's Double-Dog Dare" (with a nod to Jean
Shepherd's "Christmas Story," a film many listeners may know). The
devil lays out the dare, tempting to Jesus to take the easy way out,
to abandon his mission and bring glory to himself instead. In the
ensuing weeks, Jesus demonstrates beyond doubt that he is refusing to
take up the dare.

Either the Palm Sunday or Passion Sunday readings could then be used
to wrap up the series in a larger sense, seeing Jesus' final approach
to Jerusalem as the ultimate reaching-out, as he crosses even the
boundary of his own death to love an entire city - even an entire
world.

Carl Wilton
Point Pleasant Presbyterian Church
Point Pleasant Beach, NJ

[Carl]

Maybe Romans 8:38-39 could provide an overarching theme: that nothing
can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.