By Jeffrey A. Beer Jr. –
Can you believe we are already approaching the fifth Sunday of Lent? If you’re like me, you have kept some of your Lenten promises, and already failed on others. . The word lent comes from an old English word meaning springtime. Lent is intended to be a season when we draw closer to Christ by sharing in his passion, and also rely on God in a new way as we seek to better ourselves and our habits. Every Sunday after the first Sunday of lent, we have heard rather lengthy Gospels, each with the same underlying theme: transformation. Lent is like the springtime because it is a season of transformation.
3 weeks ago we heard the story of Jesus’ transfiguration on the mountain. The presence and power of God causes Jesus’ appearance to transform, and he is joined by prophets who had been dead for some thousand years.
The next week, we read the story of Jesus speaking with the Samaritan woman at the well. Through His message, and His loving presence, an entire community of unbelievers was transformed into believers. Those who previously did not know God or try to follow his ways began an entirely new life.
Finally just seven days ago we heard the story of the blind man who Jesus cured. He had lived his entire life without seeing, but through the presence of Christ was transformed from a blind beggar to a man who could see.
This Sunday, this theme of transformation will culminate with the ultimate metamorphosis- the dead coming to life again. The story of Lazarus is a well-known one. When Jesus heard that His beloved friend was ill, His disciples were perplexed by his delay in going to see Lazarus. When Jesus finally arrived at Lazarus’ home, they found he had already been dead for four days. Lazarus’ sisters tell Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died.” But Jesus prays, and performs a true miracle: he raises Lazarus from the dead.
Thus, we have seen Christ himself transfigured, sinners become believers, the blind gain their sight, and the dead rise. All of these stories have at least one thing in common- a transformation takes place when God’s presence comes into someone’s life.
In some ways, all of us are like the Samaritan woman. We are sinners, and though we may believe in God, we know that we often do not live our lives according to his will.
In some ways, all of us are blinded. We are blinded by greed, guilt or pride. We fail to see the world as God sees it.
In some ways, all of us are dead. We have allowed pain, sin, fear, anxiety, selfishness, and loneliness to cripple our faith and our joy. God created us as His perfect children, but we have failed to act in communion with Him. In falling short of the fullness of life that He promised us, it is as if we are partially dead.
So far this Lenten season, people’s lives have been changed by the transformative power of God. In the spring, we welcome light replacing darkness, and warmth edging out the cold. In a similar way, this Lent we usher in a new presence of God in our world and in our personal lives. This season is not just about celebrating or remembering this presence. It is about accepting it in a new way, and welcoming the transformation that should ensue.
So today I invite to think for just a minute: what is one area of your life where you know you are not living in accordance to God’s plan for you? In what way have you been blind to the suffering or needs of others? What has caused you to become “spiritually dead” in an area of your life? Invite God into those things. Look for the loving presence of Christ, and be open for a true transformation.
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