Fifth Sunday in Lent

March 17                    NOTES FOR REFLECTION             Fifth Sunday in Lent

Texts:  Isaiah 43:16-21; Philippians 3:4b-14; Psalm12:1-8

Theme:  The obvious choice is "Anointing at Bethany"; something a little more imaginative might be "Letting Go of our Baggage", or even "God is Doing a New Thing", or "Through the Eyes of Faith".

Introduction.  We are now just a week away from Palm Sunday, the so-called Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, and the start of Holy Week.  If we have been keeping a holy Lent we will have been spending at least some time in self-examination, focussing on ourselves, on what we have been, and what we have been doing, thinking, and saying.  Looking back, in other words, retracing some of our footsteps.  Now the call is to let go of all that and to focus, not on what we have being doing, but on what God is doing.  For the people of Isaiah's time is was a call to understand that God acts in new ways.  For the people in exile it would have been natural for them to look back to the time of slavery in Egypt and to pray earnestly and frequently for a new Moses to lead them (back) to the Promised Land.  But God was doing a new thing: God was working his liberation purposes out this time through a Gentile, a man who had no idea that he was God's chosen instrument, a Persian leader called Cyrus.  For us Isaiah's message points also to the even more unexpected way in which God has worked out his liberation purposes through Jesus Christ.  And St Paul, through the eyes of faith, sees this new thing that God has done, and forgets the former things, those things he had previously put such store in.  Mary of Bethany reminds us that to look through the eyes of faith is to look in love at the One who is Love.

Background.  I am writing these notes just a few hours after the news from Rome that a new pope has been chosen.  That's all the excuse I need to refer to a sermon I preached two weeks ago in St Barnabas, Warrington.  The readings set for that Sunday were Isaiah 55:1-9; 1 Corinthians 10:1-13, and Luke 13:1-9.  At the time Italy had just held its General Election and the Cardinals were beginning to head for Rome for the papal election.  I noted that the world media clearly assumed that all the same power-games, faction-building, horse-trading, plots and sub-plots would characterise the papal election as they do general elections (not only in Italy).

Against that background I told a little parable about one cardinal called Cardinal Humilius.  He genuinely believed that he should earnestly seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit as to whom God wanted as the next pope.  However, every time he prayed the name of a particular cardinal, Cardinal Smartas (with the benefit of hindsight I would now change his name slightly to Cardinal Smartipus) came into his mind.  This created a real dilemma for Cardinal Humilius because he had heard a great deal about Cardinal Smartipus, and what he had heard about him left him in no doubt that Cardinal Smartipus was totally unsuitable to be the next pope.  He could only assume that heaven was not as well informed as he was on that matter.  Being a man of Scripture as well as prayer, Cardinal Humilius prayed, "But, Lord, I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints under his jurisdiction."  [To save you the bother, I'll tell you: Acts 9:13.]  What, I asked, should Cardinal Humilius do when it came time to cast the first ballot?  My advice to him on that occasion was to reflect on the readings we had that day.

This week's readings would have been just as helpful, and the outcome of the conclave suggests that possibly, just possibly, enough of the cardinals were listening to the Holy Spirit rather than the media.  At the very least we can say, that virtually all the media got it wrong.  With the probable exception of those based in Argentina, no one seemed to predict that the Archbishop of Buenos Aires would be the new pope – even though they are now telling us (8 years after the event) that this man came second to Cardinal Ratzinger in the last election.  How they could possibly know that remains a mystery – unless, of course, the butler did it.

The media led themselves astray because they did not have in mind the concerns of God, but human concerns: Mark 8:33.  They were looking for a younger man with plenty of energy, a good administrator with the strength to cleanse the Curia, a man with great personal charisma who could command world attention (by which they meant provide plenty of good copy for the media), and, above all a man who would and could single-handedly change most if not all of the Church's social teaching on issues such as gay marriage, abortion, contraception, and so on (while at the same time abhorring any thought of an hierarchical monster for whom collegiality was anathema.) 

Well, it's still early days, of course, and most of us don't yet know what sort of pope Francis the First will turn out to be.  But the early indications suggest that he is a man known for his humility, a man of prayer, a man who identifies with the poor, a man who believes that he is there to serve rather than to be served, a man rather like St Francis, which means, of course, a man rather like Christ.  Who among the world's media would have seen that coming; and who among them now will be celebrating the election of such a man? 

To them who will not hear what the Spirit is saying in this week's readings, and to the Church who should, the messages are clear.  For the first time for over 600 years a pope retired on grounds of frailty and ill-health.  For the first time in the history of the Church the new pope hails from South America.  "See," says the Lord God through the prophet Isaiah, "I am doing a new thing.  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?"  Or are we blinded by the former things, preferring to go on dwelling on the past?

Imagine, if you will, that neither Peter nor Paul had been martyred: instead they had been nominated for the new position of Bishop of Rome (pope to us).  How might that first ever conclave have decided the issue between them?  We can be pretty sure what sort of case could have been mounted for Paul.  He is the man who can bridge the gap between the Jews and the Gentiles.  His Jewish credentials are exemplary: "circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless."

"Hang on!  'Persecuting the church'?  He's actually put that on his CV?"

 "Well, yes – but let's forget the former things, let's not dwell in the past.  Look how he has spread the Gospel to the Gentiles, Corinth, Thessalonica, Galatia, Philippae, and even here in Rome.  And what a mind!  Who among us can hold a candle to him when it comes to theology?"

Certainly not Peter.  The man of bluster, of wild promises and lost nerve.  The man who shied at the first sign of danger to himself, on the choppy waters of Lake Galilee and in the garden of the High Priest's house.  The man who earned his living through the sweat of his brow, and was not the sharpest tool in the shed by any means.  Even if he did write the epistles that bear his name, their theological content does not match the thought and depth we find in St Paul's writings.  And yet, they chose Peter, perhaps because he had been with Jesus from the beginning and in his own, very human way, he truly loved him more than all the others.

Rather like Mary of Bethany.  And, hopefully, Pope Francis the First.

Isaiah.  As always, it's helpful to read a few verses either wide of today's passage.  Start at verse 14.  Here is God's statement of Intent.  None of the tender concern we associate with the pre-Exodus intervention.  No assurance that God has heard their cry and has compassion for them.  Here is just a plain statement: this is what I am going to do.  And who am I to make such a statement?  Verse 15 is equally emphatic: in relation to Israel, God has a fourfold title.  Then our passage begins with Isaiah's editorial comment, reminding his audience that God is the One who rescued them from slavery in Egypt; yet this is surely one of the former things they are to forget, the past on which they must not dwell; for those who look back will never see the God who goes ahead of them, doing new things, making new ways through the desert of their dried up faith.  And the verses that follow today's passage show us just how dried up their faith has become.

Taking It Personally.

·         What mental, physical, social or spiritual baggage do you now need to forget?  Do you have a tendency to dwell in the past?  Ask the Holy Spirit to bring into your mind anything in the past that might be holding you back in your faith journey

·         What new thing is God doing in your life?  Can you not perceive it?

·         Focus on verse 21.  End with a time of praise.  Give thanks for the other members of your local church community.

Philippians.  We are often reminded of the dramatic way in which Peter, James, John and Andrew abandoned their means of livelihood to answer Jesus' call.  Here we get a glimpse of the same sort of sacrifice Saul/Paul made.  Everything he was and everything he had studied and worked so hard for over many years – and the prestige he would have enjoyed in Jewish circles – he suddenly threw away as so much rubbish.  Elsewhere he gives us an agonising list of the injuries he suffered in the course of his ministry.  But yet he is still focused on the future: the ultimate "prize", certainly, but also on his own need for continuing spiritual growth.

Taking It Personally.

What has your commitment to Christ cost you so far?

• With verses 5 and 6 in mind, write out your equivalent "credentials".  [Baptised in infancy, of good Christian stock, of the tribe of Anglican...]  In which of those do you take pride, and which of those do you consider rubbish?
• Read slowly through verses 12-16.  How would you compare your present commitment to the faith journey?  Will you bear this in mind the next time you are about to criticise St Paul?

 John.  Notice the mastery of the author before we go any further.  Six days before the Passover (in John's timetable, five days before the Last Supper) Mary "washes" Jesus' feet, as he will wash his disciples' feet at that meal.  Here Judas protests: there he allows his feet to be washed without demur.  Judas steals from the common purse, yet criticises Mary for making an offering that must have cost a few bob.  "Do you understand what I have done for you?" Jesus will ask his disciples.  Here it seems only Jesus understands what Mary has done for him.  And as mentioned above, we should notice what is going on in verse 9.  Not everyone has gathered to see and hear Jesus: now Lazarus seems to have equal drawing power.  He could be well on the way to his own reality TV series.

Taking It Personally.

• A wonderful passage for the prayer of imagination.  Put yourself in that little house in Bethany.  Who else is there?  What is the "atmosphere" like?  Is there tension and foreboding in the air?  Is Jesus looking at ease, or is the strain of what lies ahead beginning to show?  What about Martha – is she serving gladly and gently, or is she still emitting martyr's vibes?  Are you keen to have a good look at Lazarus – or even ask him to tell his story (again!).  Watch as Mary performs her service for Jesus.  Can you smell the aroma of the nard?  Is it pleasant or rather stifling?  How do you feel towards Mary?  Now look at and listen to Judas.  How would you describe his appearance and the tone of his voice?  Now hear Jesus' rebuke: how would you describe his tone?  What do you think of the visitors hanging around, trying to get a glimpse of Lazarus the Miracle Man?
• What have you learned from this visit to Bethany?