Let your will be done

 It seems awfully strange to be in the middle of Lent and yet celebrating the Annunciation a joyful event in the midst of the recognition of our sinfulness. However, as we consider this anomaly, we need to recognise that it is a good example for us to consider in terms of our own lives and our own position in light of Mary's fate filled words of obedience. For in essence these are the words that should fill our hearts at a time, such as Lent, as the journey towards the cross and the appearance of new life is a journey of total obedience that has been learnt through the trials of history, again and again by individuals. Looking back through time we can see the moments when the Christian faith produces timeless knowledge that sprouts from the minds of the influential mystics and theological giants of the ages.

Are we prepared for the obedience of Mary?

Ahaz to a certain extent learns the lesson of obedience in a somewhat awkward exchange with God (Is 7:10-13). Like us, Ahaz has determined for himself how to respond to God believing that what he thinks is for the best. God asks him to ask for a sign but he stubbornly believes that he does not require a sign and should not pester God in is this moment. Unlike other passages within the scriptures, which I am sure Ahaz was perhaps thinking of, this is not a test but a command and in refusing the command God gives the vision and speaks of the coming sign. A sign is to be seen as something that points the way forward and we so often misconstrue the sign for the end point and divert our energy towards the sign and not towards the end point to which it points. The author of Hebrews is perhaps, in an oblique manner pointing to the same thing in terms of signs and signification when speaking about sacrifice (10.4-10).

The sacrifice that God wants is a sacrifice within our own hearts. The sacrifice or making sacred required to be enacted on a regular occasion is in reality something that is of significance because it points towards God's presence. It is a visible and a visceral sign that points to God's presence within the participating community. It brings to life that aspect of the Holy embodied in God's presence as we make things sacred. Yet, if we are to dwell on the act of sacrifice in this manner we obscure the real sacrifice that we do not wish to make for ourselves and that is the sacrifice of our own selves. An act of faith in the ultimate other. We cannot bear the thought of the loss that comes with such a sacrifice as it means or rather, we think it means, a total loss of self. The possibility of such a loss is too much for us to bear within our hearts and minds. Yet, this sacrifice is our surrender to God of ourselves which we proclaim at the end of each Eucharistic service. Those words said in such a routine manner that they have in reality become meaningless to ourselves until we are confronted with the response that Mary gives.

We have engrained within our very being the notion of self, for those of us from a Western European heritage or those that have been caught within the educative processes of such a heritage. We have lost the ability of surrender and are unable to conceive for ourselves what such a sacrifice and stepping out in faith means. We have become the Israelites who failed to enter the Promised Land. The cultural background that is present in Mary's response is a background that gives to God obedience to God's presence and a recognition of the community to which we belong that is also in God. We have grown accustomed to the understanding that we are solely responsible for ourselves and ourselves alone. In this case obedience is no longer a discipline that we aspire to as it can lead to so many problematics within our lives. Even as children in the modern world the understanding of obedience is limited and rebelled against. Yet, for those that are called by God into a ministry of any sort the underlying discipline in that call is obedience to God's word and not to our own desires. This is of course even more so for those called into ordained ministry. So as we continue to walk towards the cross at Easter, entering into the final weeks of the journey, we need to take up our cross which is our lack of understanding and wilful neglect of our obedience to God, so that we can understand that greater purpose that is present in such obedience.

Blindness in our thinking

 The reading from John's gospel about the man born blind (Jn. 9.1-41) is acknowledged by most modern scholars as being the sixth sign in the book of signs. The story, whilst written for an audience that was probably in the throes of separation from the greater Jewish synagogue faith system, has much to teach us in today's world. It cannot be taken literally but rather is to be interpreted from an allegorical standpoint with theological implications that resound in today's societal shifts and fears.

The analogy of being blind points to ourselves in many ways as we come together as a part of the body of Christ. The implications are many, especially for those who have an adamantine exterior and close ourselves of from what others are saying. Our first port of call must be a recognition of ourselves as but mortal. At the start of Lent during the imposition of ashes there is a stark reminder of this in the words "Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return". If we truly recognise this then we must also recognise that in our mortality we cannot encompass the understanding of God in totality. The author of the story is pointing out to those within the synagogue system that their conceptions are just that and no matter how many rules that are put in place, God will always appear in the place that is the most unexpected. We cannot be and are not the sole arbiters of what is perceived to be the truth as we ourselves do not know the fulness of God and indeed are not God.

Open the eyes of those who are blind to your presence

Given our own blindness in many things how do we respond to this story today? Perhaps, one of the things we need to remind ourselves of is that we need to become Christlike in our responses. In grappling with issues that are going to divide communities we actually need to respond with compassion and understanding. To often we have two responses, fear of power or instant come back knowing that we are right. This is the flight or fight response. A most basic flight response of those on the rim of the circle, so to speak, is to huddle down and be like the parents in the story comfortable where we are and having no wish to upset the powers who are deemed to have authority. There are too many situations in our current world that offer these two responses and only these two responses. We are bearers of the faith in Christ who is in God and as such we bring the light of truth into the world through our actions and our words. If we are too thoughtless about those around us then we will fight with little regard as to its effect on the community (Perhaps, the recent formation of the Diocese of the Southern Cross reminds us of this in a fundamental manner). Equally as inappropriate is the approach that means we bow down to what the hierarchy says. We stay in our comfort zone and there is little disruption to our way of life and we have little regard once more for those around us who are questioning or are in need. Instead of thinking of novel ways to be Christlike to the world around us we fall back on what we are told to do and blindly follow.

The community of faith is not asked to build walls to keep people out but rather it is asked to open our fences and see God in the other. In doing so we begin to realise that we have been truly blind to God's presence amongst us and our own need to change. In the face of adversity and challenge to our thinking we need to be open to the newness of life that God brings in the form of Christ's light in our hearts. Let us truly open our eyes to God's work in and through the other as we explore our own frailties in the presence of the other. Our danger today is to create the leper's boundary rather than to accept the leper into full community. This is particularly relevant as we move forward in terms of the proposed referendum and the Voice to Parliament. It is likely that old wounds and historical grievances are likely to colour our views. Yet, we must not be blind to God's justice and God's peace which comes through the love of the other and not through our own perceptions.  

Water is life for the Community

 Life or at least the human body and most organic matter is composed of between 55-60% of water. We cannot live without water and in some regions of the planet water is the single most important commodity that is known. It is not therefore surprising that in a desert environment that water is the first thing that is asked for and required, for life. In trekking through the desert the people who have come out of Egypt request of Moses this most important of commodities (Ex. 17.2). On a hot day trekking through northern Israel Christ stops for water at a well that is quite important in the history of the Faith (Jn. 4.6) resting there while the disciples go to find food at a nearby town.

Our drop of water sends out ripples into the community

There are a large number of things that are going on in the discourse between Christ and the Samaritan woman at the well. Much as been spoken with regards the various themes that run through this passage and their meaning. Many of them are around the taboos that are being broken during the course of the dialogue. Perhaps for us today the underpinning theological and cultural roots of this event are of little importance but rather the more important practical understandings that are raised regarding our own lives in the here and now. Like all of us the Samaritan woman had been culturally conditioned into her thinking, especially when it comes to the use of water. The legacy of the past and our own cultural backgrounds govern how we respond when it comes to the use of water. For many of us living today we expect that water will come out of a tap, it is resource that is forever there and ever will be. In lands like the Samaria and other places in the Middle East this is not as given as we would like to think. In Christ's time even more so and sources were closely guarded resources for the disparate communities. Hospitality was paramount within such communities but fear of the stranger was just as rife. In this irregular social interaction these realities war in the background of the discourse, especially as Christ seems to know more than the local woman. The offer of an eternal life giving source of water has both faith and practical implications to us. The faith implications are with regards our own acceptance of Christ but this has an automatic practical implication for our lives.

Christ's call to us is reflected in relational community in our lives. We are asked to specifically love our neighbours as ourselves as second to love of God. The reality of this for us is a reality based on ensuring that the least amongst us gets the resources that they need. This reflects our love of neighbour and obeying the will of God. It creates for us a willingness to accept the other into our lives irrespective of their view point or their understanding. This acceptance of the other grants to all the means for life and is an eternal well of life as we bring God's presence into the lives of those around us by all that we are in community. How does this apply to our resource that is vital for normal life? The Bishops of the Riverina (Anglican) and Wilcannia-Forbes (Catholic) wrote a joint statement in 2020 that quoted Laudato si', the Pope's encyclical, from which I quote:

"Even as the quality of available water is constantly diminishing, in some places there is a growing tendency, despite its scarcity, to privatise this resource, turning it into a commodity subject to the laws of the market."

If Christ calls us into community how can the view of the individual (private) dominate our thoughts. Like the Samaritan woman we seem to be more concerned about the security of our life's water (faith and otherwise) and its retention for us personally. We need to move from a self centered understanding and box to one that has no definitions other than that which Christ and God imposes, which is outside the box. The growth of the middle man to obtain economic advantage has removed our understanding of God's gift to humanity. If we are to live life as Christ we need to remove our controls and give thanks for what God gives to us whilst sharing it with the other, knowing that God will provide for all. We need to totally re-think how we utilise water and the gifts that God has given us, sharing with all irrespective of their understanding of God, for all are made in the image of God. The Samaritan woman moved beyond her own pre-judgements to bring God's presence into the community. In moving through Lent we also need to move beyond our own understanding into God's presence so that we too may share God's love with those who are our neighbours without imposing our understanding. We also need to re-think how we are to share our resources and not hoard them for ourselves only then will we begin to participate in the life eternal offered by Christ.

Metanoia re-turning to God

 At the heights of Charismania and even today we shudder, or at least I do, when someone asks "Have you been born again?" asking of course if you had accepted 'Jesus' into your life. For any Christian of faith this is undoubtedly the most inane and disrespectful question to ask. In the end it becomes boring and embarrassing, perhaps because of the overly enthusiastic manner of the asking or maybe at the end of the day thinking 'I am a Christian, why do I need to be tagged by these embarrassing invitations to a charismatic event I know I will just shrivel up and die at?' or some other similar thought. I always felt that their tag along lines were fatuous and boring not really portraying the reality of Christian life. Rather it appeared to be a summons into a frivolous and superficial life that had little to do with the way of Christ and more to do with their understanding of what a Christian was. Yet, Christ asks us to be 'Born again' and as Nicodemus asks 'How can someone be born when he is old?' (Jn 3.3-4).

If we are to think of these things in any manner of depth we start to realise that what puts people of from the question "Have you been born again?" is the earnest frivolousness of the poser of the question and the embarrassment felt for their misunderstanding of the question.  The question is real and needs to be thought about especially when Christ is surprised at Nicodemus' ignorance. The real response that Christ is trying to elicit is a turning or rather a re-turning towards God, in essence being born again to God. A conscious movement of metanoia, the re-establishment of God's commandments in our hearts so that we can live them rather than mouth them.  Looking back towards the end of the age of Charismania  the turn off was with regards the embarrassing debacles that many found themselves trapped into and what in reality turned out to be major scams, which lacked any real re-turning. All that it created was a hit in terms of negative publicity for faith in and of itself and in reality turned people away from God and not a re-turning to God. The failure of so many is in the misunderstanding that the call to be born again is a one off singularity that bears no relation to our lived lives.  This is not true because our lives are only human the call is a constant one that is repeated every single day.

The blind lead the blind like lemmings off a cliff but Christ leads us to re-turn to God and new life 

The call of 're-turning' is a long and hard journey as Abram found out (Gen. 12ff).  All that Abram had was a promise from God.  All that any of us has is a promise from God.  God does not promise us an easy life all that God asks of us, in return for his promise, is faithfulness.  God knows that we are only human and have the failings of all humanity. Christ is our example of a life that is to be lived in God, re-turned to God and lived with God; born again.  All we have to do is follow.  We follow where God leads this does not mean that we are lemmings following blindly as we run off the cliff.  Our paths are not always paths that are conducive or even easy but so often we are pulled from what God calls us to by our own petty minded wants and wishes.  It is when we focus on these that we are again reminded that we need to re-turn to God.  In focusing on God we begin to live lives that are filled with the Spirit and bring hope into the lives around us.  If we begin to believe that it is 'our' ministry or 'our' leadership, or 'our' sermon that is changing lives then sadly we have missed God.

Lent is a time for us to re-turn to the path that God calls us to.  It is a path filled with struggles, low places, high places, places of sadness and places of joy but it is a journey that God calls us to.  It is the journey to the resurrection and new life.  It is a journey that calls us to be 'born again' and 'again' and 'again'.  Each time we turn from God's purposes we turn from new life, each time we go our own way we turn from new life.  Just as our initial birth is both a joy and hard labour so our re-birth is joy and hard labour.  Lenten journeys ask us to reflect on who we are, what we have become and to re-turn to Christ-likeness on the long path to God.  Too often we indeed act as lemmings rather than as intelligent beings made in the image of God rushing after this saviour or that only to find disappointment.  God constantly calls us to re-turn and a new birth.  A change in our lives so profound that we ourselves are changed.