A Cycle – 2^nd Sunday of Lent 26

2 Tim.1:8b-10

Why are those closest to us relentless in their interest in our Lenten practices?  They seem to be constantly asking how your Lent is going.  Perhaps that is because every study shows by this time in our Lent many of us have failed to follow the daily prayers, devotions, and sacrifices we pledged to incorporate in our lives. We had hoped doing those things daily would make this lent different from every other Lent. This would be the year would be the year we would us grow closer to God.  Perhaps we fail because we approach Lent using an approach we have learned from childhood.  We decide what is lacking in our spiritual journey and we determine what we must do to make this Lent different from those in the past.

We are in charge and by being in charge we have ignored the first rule of growing in holiness – listening. 

At the transfiguration, Peter, James, and John were overwhelmed by the vision they were privileged to be witness.  We could dissect this gospel story for days and still not glean all the lessons it holds for us.  But we do not have days, we have a schedule to keep so homilies need to get to the point quickly.  Which for us as preachers, which is a sad reality because God’s word is rich and help us grow in holiness. 

Peter’s reaction to the transfiguration reveals much about our own humanity and our how easily we fail to grasp what God is revealing to us.   We can be certain the transfiguration was a powerful experience. It was so powerful, Peter wanted to stay here. He wanted to be listening to the interaction between Jessus, Moses and Elijah. If that happened to us, we would respond exactly as Peter did.  Which is what we hope will be the result of our Lenten journey. We want to grow closer to God during this season of Lent, 

But the instant we decide to be in control of how we are encountering God we lose the one thing we need most to grow in holiness. Surrendering our hearts, minds, strength, and soul to God. The first and greatest commandment is where we need to begin to have any encounter with God life changing.  So why does the church encourage us to pray, fast, give alms and commit to sacrifice something during lent?  One reason is to prepare us for an encounter with Christ at Easter.   An encounter that is as life changing as the prodigal son had when he returned expecting to be punished not rewarded.  As life changing as every encounter between Christ and those isolated from the community because of sin, disease, infirmities, and ignorance.   

We need to learn to listen and stop trying to be holy through our own efforts.  We need to learn how to use our past and current failures to help us grow in holiness.  No one in scriptures knows that better than Paul.  He expresses this in his letter to Timothy when he said, …bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God.  He saved us and called us to a holy life, not according to our works but according to his own design.   

Notice it is not in the works we do but, in our willingness, to believe and trust we are acceptable to Christ as we are. Each of us is flawed humans in need of a savior who will recreate us and change us because we are His beloved creation.   

Why was Moses and Elijah with Jesus?  Moses who was given the law written on tablets of stone, Moses who received a reinforcement of the covenant made to Abraham that God would be our God, and we would be His people.  Elijah who received the prophesy that God would write His law on our hearts by the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Holiness is ours not because we do things but because we are now and always sons and daughters of the most high God.  It is not because of what we do but because of what we appropriate for ourselves.

So, if you have failed to live up to your Lenten promises or if you have fulfilled them, it is time to listen. Instead of patting yourself on the back or by chastising yourself for your failures take the time today to listen. It is time to discover a new reality necessary to become as confident in God as Abrham was. As confident as Paul became after his encounter with Christ and as confident as Peter did after Pentecost.  Not the one thing they all had guiding them, inspiring them, equipping them, and providing strength to them when forces came against them – the Holy Spirit. 

You have been offered a new life by God. The opportunity to become new creations in Christ Jesus. There is only one way to achieve what we all desire and that is to be holy as God is holy.  That way is to do what all the great figures in the scriptures did and that was to acknowledge our greatest sin is to depend on ourselves instead of God.  To do what we think must be done as Saul of Tarsus did, or Peter did that day on the mountain top or even as Abraham did when he fathered a child with Haggar the slave girl.  We are too dependent on ourselves and the lesson of this day of our Lenten journey is to examen your motives and progress by how much of it is you and how much of it is of God.