The Bungee Cord 3-7-22

Hello,

For centuries, Christians have taken 40 days before Easter to take a solemn look at themselves in order to not take for granted the depth of God’s love for us that God, in Jesus, would take our sins upon himself, take them to the grave with him, leave them dead, and then walk out of an Easter tomb so that nothing or no one else could have any claim on us other that God. We call these forty days, “Lent”. It is meant to be a quiet and reflective time. Often people give something up during Lent to reorientate their lives to what is most important. The colors that drape the pulpit and altar are purple, a color to remind us of the somberness of this season. A season stripped of celebration.

Unfortunately, Lent comes at the wrong time of the year for people like me who get excited about college basketball, specifically my team, the Fighting Illini of the University of Illinois. Especially this year, because yesterday, the first Sunday in Lent, the Illini held onto a narrow lead over Iowa and we became co-champs of the Big Ten! We wound up sharing the title with Wisconsin, but since we beat them this year, it is clear to me that we are the true champs.

I watched the game with nervous excitement, having been an Illinois fan for so many years and have seen them fall short of their hopes over and over again. The game was close. Iowa was shooting well. We were not. But we hung in there, and when the final buzzer sounded I gave a robust shout of delight. The fans plunged onto the court. Bedlam abounded. Confetti shot into the air. Championship shirts and hats were donned. A trophy was given. “Let the celebration begin!”, shouted the Illinois basketball coach as he raised the trophy into the air.

Not very Lent-y.

There was a day, and it wasn’t that long ago, when the world gave way to the journey of Lent. In many churches there were no baptisms or weddings during Lent. Stores were closed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Fish, not beef, was the standard fare for meals. Wednesday night was held open for Lenten worship attendance. The world slowed down so that everyone could slow down and reflect on who they were and the passion of God for us in Jesus Christ.

But that is not the world we live in today, for better or worse. It is tempting to remember the “good old days” (which in truth were not really all that much “good-er” than today) and try and resurrect them, but to me, that would be like trying to sell horses and buggies in this world of electric cars.

Others say that we should just get rid of Lent. Who wants Lent, anyway. The dreariness. The focus on failure and misdeed. Life is hard enough with the daily pressures that our jobs, our schoolwork, our coaches place upon us. Better to just get rid of Lent and keep spinning on the Merry Go Round of life with a smile on our faces as we glide up and down and go nowhere.

Maybe there’s an in-between answer to the place of Lent in our world. Maybe the place to start our reflection in Lent is not on us, but maybe on this world that we have created. Maybe the place to start is not to strip these days of any celebration, but rather to strip off the glitz of the things of our world and see what lies under these things that capture our hearts, our minds, and our time. When you get right down to it, how much value or hope does it bring to your life or mine that a handful of college age men can put more balls through a hoop than another bunch of men? I will be the first to admit that the contest is exciting, the skills are amazing, and the energy is contagious. But in the end, the fact that the Illini are Big Ten champions does not add anything appreciable to my life. Maybe Lent can be a great time for us, myself included, to see how hollow the things are that we have made of utmost importance in our lives.

And then when we come to the deep and wide fissures that life’s quaking creates in front of us, we won’t just have a bunch of hollow sticks to be the bridge to make it across. We will have the words and promises of Jesus, solid girders of steel, to be the structure to carry us across. “I have come to bring you life, abundant life. I am the rock that does not crumble. I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Your sins are forgiven. I will come and take you to myself, to the place that has been prepared for you, so that where I am, you will be also.” Solid things to celebrate!

So, even though I am still reveling in our victory over Iowa, and I will be thrilled when Illinois is the NCAA tournament champion, too (which also will happen in Lent), I will see those victories with Lent tempered eyes. Eyes that will see in the cross and resurrection of Jesus a victory that makes all other human victories to be no more than a birthday candle that can be blown out, compared to the explosion of God’s grace and mercy that can never be extinguished!

Have a great week!

God’s grace and peace, (ggap)

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger

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