Lent

March 19, 2022

Scripture Reading: Luke 13:1-9

At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. He asked them, ‘Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.’–Luke 13:1-5

Years ago, a woman I worked with was treated very badly by the male executives in the agency. She was clearly the best person for a job that she did not get. It was awarded to a young man with little or no experience and who had less education. He became her supervisor. She, of course, ended up doing the work for which he was paid. I stopped by her office and told her how sorry I was, and she said, “that’s OK, the executives will get theirs in the end.” Something similar to Karma is easy to find in most cultures.

Jesus is telling us that God’s justice is not an accidental coincidence. God has commanded us to love one another with no exceptions. Jesus modeled that love in his life, death, and resurrection. We are judged by that scale. We all fall short of perfection in our love and thus, we need to come before God and confess our shortcomings and seek God’s better way. Psalm 51:1-2 might be a good scripture to apply to our lives. It is ascribed to David as his repentance over his relationship with Bathsheba. Here are the first two verses.

Prayer:
Have mercy on me, O God,
   according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
   blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
   and cleanse me from my sin. 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.