It could be said that Lent is a time for reflective practice. Broadly, reflective practice involves thinking about how you do things, and trying to understand why you do what you do, and what you can do better. Our Lenten quote today comes from the pen of Scott McNight an American New Testament scholar, historian of early Christianity, theologian, and author who says, "We live in a world of evaluations, assessments, and measurements, but Jesus turns his gaze deeper because he knows that what is measurable can be faked.”
Over the recent past we have heard much of the phenomena of fake news that has entered our cultural consciousness. Yet all too often, we base so much of our individual motives and actions upon a false premise that has entered our lives disguised as a truth.
The writer to the Ephesians (4:25) advises, "What this adds up to, then, is this: no more lies, no more pretence. Tell your neighbour the truth. In Christ’s body we’re all connected to each other, after all. When you lie to others, you end up lying to yourself."
When legendary magician Harry Houdini came into a town to do his show, he often went to the local jail, gathering a crowd of people along the way. To get buzz going about his upcoming performance, he asked the jailer to lock him in a cell. Time after time, jail after jail, town after town, Houdini escaped within minutes. But one jailer had heard that Houdini was coming, and the jailer was ready.
When Houdini closed the cell door, the jailer put the key in the lock and secretly turned it in the wrong direction. He then removed the key, and everyone watched as Houdini struggled to escape—by unknowingly locking himself in repeatedly. Finally, in frustration, Houdini admitted he could not escape. The jailer then revealed his deception. Houdini had believed a lie, and the lie had held him captive. Living your life by a lie is a lot like believing the door is locked when it isn’t. On the other side is freedom. We first have to commit to some personal inner falsehood detection to experience the abundant life grace we find in Jesus.
Transforming Lord, free us from falsehood and deception, so we may know and tell the truth.
Give to us the Spirit of turning, turning from our arrogance and ignorance, turning from our exclusiveness and parochialism, turning from our unilateralism and pre-emption.
Empower us, O God, to turn toward a genuine national humility, to turn toward a respect for other religions and cultures, to turn toward cooperation and national alliances for the common good of humanity, to turn toward the way of peace.
And in our turning may new vistas of hope appear on the horizon of this world’s terrain of terror and fear. For the sake of Christ, Instigator of just peace, we pray. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment