Lent

March 20, 2020

Scripture Reading: Ephesians 5:8-14
For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light— for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly; but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,
‘Sleeper, awake!
   Rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.’

The new normal in our culture seems to be that truth is what we make it. Of course, such a philosophy is not new at all.  Titus Flavius Josephus is one of the most respected historians of the time that Jesus was on the earth. Now historians and theologians look back on his work as still very helpful, yet they read it with an eye for how much he was trying to please the Roman authorities or at least avoid their rancor. People of faith sometimes scorn politics, but all life is caught in political intrigue.  We humans tend to look out for our own wellbeing, wealth, and power that may or may not have anything to do with political parties or government.

for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. Striving to be transparent is a counterpoint to creating our own truth. When we each are transparent to others in our motives and aspirations, we are forced to face up to whether our ideas and actions are good and right and true. Our striving for transparency models for others the cleansing power of truth made know. It may not be pretty, it may not be what we perceive as good and right, but it opens the door to the righteousness in our interactions that God so desires for us. Justice starts with our recognizing our own practice of injustice.

Prayer: Lord, during this Lenten season open our hearts and minds to search for our own transparent truths so that once discovered we might test them as fitting within your world of love and justice. Create in us clean hearts so we might better reflect your righteousness. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.