Lenten Reflections: Forth Sunday of Lent

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

Matthew 11:28

Lent is a long journey. Four weeks are now in the rear view mirror. Four weeks under our feet. The soles of our shoes are wearing thin. The dust is building up on our hands and our faces are red from the sun. 

From Ash Wednesday to this point, most of us have faced many of the difficult aspects of who we really are. That's what Lent is all about.

Ashes to ashes. Dust to dust.

Humiliated. Anger. Violence. Darkness. Pain. Guilt. All by simply looking in the mirror. 

Confronting our demons. Pride. Selfishness. Arrogance. Lies. Deception. Death.

Are you tired? Exhausted? Weak? You should be. 

But keep going. 

We're together.

Unity.

United as one Body: The Body of the One we journey to meet in a few weeks, naked as we are. Resurrected and unashamed.

We unite with Christ on Easter, but we've still got quite a ways to go.     

Lent can be such an exhausting journey. We face things that stir up deep emotions within. Whether emotional, physical or spiritual, we all feel the miles that we've covered. 

Weary and burdened.

But today we rest....

Breath

Stretch

Sleep

Eat

Drink

Laugh

Celebrate

Embrace

Commune  

Today we rest.

Lord, today we rest and celebrate you. We put aside our burdens, rest our weary bones and reflect on your goodness; your grace, mercy and your love for us. Enable us to rest. Help us to turn off the distractions and refresh our minds, bodies and spirits.  Today we rest in you. Amen   

The Good Life

“A rich industrialist from the North was horrified to find a Southern fisherman lying leisurely beside his boat. ‘Why aren’t you fishing?’ asked the industrialist.

“ ‘Because I have caught enough fish for the day,’ said the fisherman.

“ ‘Why don’t you catch some more?’

“ ‘What would I do with them?’

“ ‘You could earn more money,’ was the reply. ‘With that, you could fix a motor to your boat, go into deeper waters and catch more fish. Then you would make enough money to buy nylon nets. These would bring you more fish and more money. Soon you would have enough money to own two boats . . . maybe even a fleet of boats. Then you would be a rich man like me.’

“ ‘What would I do then?’

“ ‘Then you could really enjoy life.’

“ ‘What do you think I am doing right now?’ said the fisherman.”

                                                                                                              Anthony de Mello

The World According To Norman

Some people say that they see God in art. Well, in many ways, they are right. Most of us have seen the paintings by Norman Rockwell. If not, you’re missing out on a wonderful porthole to Americana. The images depict white picket fences, children eating ice cream cones, the innocence of a child and his first puppy, and a seemingly simple view of life in America. Through these images we see a world that seems to be almost fantasy and a life that seems distant and unrealistic. Some will even say that this view of life is just make believe and unobtainable. Whether you believe that these paintings represent real life or not, one cannot help but sense a desire to possess just a little piece of life as seen through Rockwell’s eyes.

Although our culture may have drifted far from the Norman Rockwell’s vision of life, I believe that it may not be as unrealistic as we might think. In fact, I would go so far as to say that this might be closer to the lives that God has intended for us, and I believe that the key lies within “simplicity”. Let’s face it: our lives have become more cluttered, hectic and fast-paced. Whether in the work place or home, we find ourselves literal slaves to the “to do lists”. The list gets longer and longer, and we feel as if we never seem to accomplish much of anything. We work for bigger homes and have smaller families and yet never seem to feel at home as much as we would like to. Proverbs 23:4 says, “Do not wear yourself out to get rich.” We are not told to avoid becoming rich. On the contrary, God wants us to be prosperous; sometimes that means monetary wealth, and other times not. The point He is trying to make is that we should avoid focusing our lives on the idea that we must be rich to be happy and to find spiritual peace. The key to peace within your circumstances lies in the focus of your life.

We celebrated Christ’s death a couple of months ago, so we have been able to look very closely at our savior’s life and the way in which He lived. If there were any lifestyle that we should base ours on, the life of Jesus would be the quintessential example. In the book of Matthew 8: 20, Jesus talks about the cost of following Him. “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” Notice that He does not compare himself to the lifestyle of man. He compares Himself to the life of animals that have the simplest lives of all living creatures. Matthew himself was a tax collector and very wealthy, yet he gave up all he had for a life of following Christ. Now, do we need to sell all that we have in order to have a fulfilling life in Christ? Not at all. In fact, I feel that His intention is for us to have life abundantly. These extreme examples of life with Christ show clearly that our focus can only be on one thing. “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” Matthew 6:24.

To sum it up, as children of God, we should “be content in whatever the circumstances”. Phillippians 4:11. The apostle Paul lived a life of pure contentment. Even while in prison, where he wrote some of his most important works of his ministry, he knew the meaning of being content. He teaches us that we can be content in any circumstance if our lives are built with Christ as the center. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Luke 12:34.

These illustrations only touch the surface of the Bible’s teachings on contentment, money and focusing solely on God, but I think it gives us a very clear direction. The simple images of life seen in Norman Rockwell’s paintings are obtainable and real. They are not make-believe but they represent you and me and that simplicity is the key that leads to contentment.