Lent
March 29, 2020
Scripture Reading:
John 11:1-45
When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, ‘The Teacher is here and is calling for you.’ And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there. When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’ When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. He said, ‘Where have you laid him?’ They said to him, ‘Lord, come and see.’ Jesus began to weep. So the Jews said, ‘See how he loved him!’ But some of them said, ‘Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?’ –John 11:28-36
What indeed is it that we want? Do we want all that God has to offer and all that money has to offer tied up in a pretty package handed to us on a golden platter? Jesus said, ‘No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. (Matthew 6:24) It is an interesting conundrum the option to serve God who loves us completely, sustains us in a world designed to meet our needs, and hopes that we fulfill all the possibilities innate in our creation and still we want more. The scripture above ends with the words of those who want more. It reminds me of a scene from Jesus Christ Superstar where the crowds are clawing at Jesus as he walks through their world wanting more and more. He eventually gives his life for all. The real problem is our taking bits and pieces from God and from the world afraid to commit fully to either, hoping to pick and chose only the pieces that fulfill our present desires. Are we afraid of the wholeness God offers?
You can have anything you want
You can drift, you can dream, even walk on water
Anything you want
You can own everything you see
Sell your soul for complete control
Is that really what you need?
You can lose yourself this night
See inside there is nothing to hide
Turn and face the light*
Prayer: Lord, make us whole; make us one. Amen.
Excerpt from Pink Floyd song What do You Want from Me? Written by Dave Gilmour / Polly Samson / Rick Wright see at https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS852US852&sxsrf=ALeKk03WJKzRZXK9wxoqSK18vv606rfD7w%3A1585406974741&ei=_mN_XoXsLIG6sQXT56rgCA&q=what+do+you+want+from+me+lyrics&oq=what+do+you+want+f&gs_lcp=CgZwc3ktYWIQARgCMgQIIxAnMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAOgQIABBHOgYIABAWEB5QgE1Y7lVgi2xoAHACeACAAVyIAesDkgEBN5gBAKABAaoBB2d3cy13aXo&sclient=psy-ab
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.