Friends, last week as we began our Lenten journey together we talked about how it’s helpful to have companions in any journey, and while alone time can be good, not to try to face too many of life’s challenges alone.
This week, we hear this theme again, almost repeated in extremes: Pharisees come to Jesus and warn him that King Herod wants to kill him, and tell him to get out of town. Jesus laments that Jerusalem tries to ‘go it alone’ or survive on its own power, rather than listening to messengers of the Lord. Abram laments to God that he has no children, and wonders what will become of him and his name after he dies--and God answers in an admittedly bizarre way. And Paul asks the church members in Philippi to join him in rejecting the status quo, reminding them they are citizens of heaven as well as citizens of Rome.
All Alone?
I think these all describe situations where you could feel very much alone. After all, if someone powerful wants you dead for doing what you’re doing, or maybe simply being who you are, then how could you not feel alone? Or, if you’ve tried to do everything right in life, and feel like you have nothing to show for it--not even a family, you could feel very much alone. Or, if everyone else around you only seems to care about things that don’t really matter, whether that means keeping up with the Joneses or simply ignoring the people who are suffering in the community, the people you see and are moved with compassion to help--well, you could also then feel very much alone against the world. Even the Psalm talks about having an entire army camped out against you--and who wouldn’t be alone or feeling afraid in a situation like that?
So it’s probably not surprising that in all of these situations, the person who felt most alone turned to God. Abram was not afraid to question God about why he had no children after so many years of trying to fulfill his side of his covenant with God. Paul reminds those Philippians that they are not alone even if they are rejected by society around them, because they will be glorified in Jesus, and not forgotten. And Jesus himself is bold to tell the religious authorities that would drive him out of Jerusalem, that he is confident of God’s task for him, and sort of tells those authorities what to go do with themselves, to put it mildly. (After all, when we really read the Gospels, we realize Jesus wasn’t all that meek and mild!)
Taking Courage
So, what does this mean for us? Are there times when we feel like we are all alone for trying to do what is right? Are we afraid to take a stand, or to follow in the footsteps of Christ, because of what others might think? Lately, I’ve heard the story of Rosa Parks come up multiple times, of the woman who sat down in the wrong section of a racially segregated bus, and refused to move--even when everyone else on that bus wanted her to. That act had to have been terrifying--and yet, she changed the world. Or, closer to home, I think of Pastor Woody Carey, and how in the early days of AIDS, he opened his arms and his church’s doors to give care and hold funerals for those who were sick and dying. This was not at all acceptable during those times. Yet--are there equally times where we might find ourselves compelled to act in ways that the world thinks are foolish, and yet we seek to transform this same world through our actions of love? How about when we reach out to accept a person that our friends or social circles wouldn’t be caught dead with? How about when we talk to another religious group that everyone loves to hate?
Let us ask ourselves, as we seek to grow in our own faith, or even as we seek to grow this church--where are those people today who are on the outside, who are likely feeling alone in this world? Who are the people it seems foolish to associate with? What may God be calling us to do in our lives, in our families and homes, in our workplace, or even at the gym, to promote actions of love rather than isolation? I do not think that the answers are always evident or easy, but that in due time, and with God’s help, we may be able to see what we haven’t seen before, and to act in ways we never thought possible before. May you be equally filled with that vision, that imagination, and that courage, to go forward in love. Amen.
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