Lenten Reflections

Apologies for my protracted absence; though, this is not the first time so I wouldn't be surprised if the 5 people who read this are rolling their eyes thinking "This is old hat!" Lent is a journey that I could not have imagined and I am immensely grateful for it. Marble Collegiate Church makes their Wednesday Worship (WeWo) sermons available via iTunes podcast ... if you have a spare 20 minutes on any given day, check out any one (or all!) of the sermons in the "Jesus Asks..." series.

I have been keeping a journal during Lent and have mulled over whether not post excerpts from it here. I'm still undecided but this morning's entry is still haunting me so I'm going to share it:

Was it not necessary that the Messiah should
suffer these things and then inter into his glory?

--Luke 24:26

Luke 24 tells a surreal story. It gets at the heart of Christianity: regardless of what the Gospels say Jesus did or what his followers did after his death, did Jesus rise from the dead? Did he have a body of flesh and bones in which he could eat fish? And yet, could he prevent people from recognizing him, even as they spoke to him? How would that work?

Eventually, he leads the disciples out for a blessing and is taken up into heaven. Did he levitate, got out in a puff of smoke, or dissolve as though he was in an old-sci flick? Where did he go? And if he indeed had a physical body, what became of it? Is he (and his body) in some physical realm currently? If not, when did his body disappear? Once he was out of sight? When he left the atmosphere? And then...

Does any of that matter? What is the nature of a "gospel"? Is it an account of "factual" history or merely stories and theological statements. If Jesus did not appear in bodily form, what "really" happened and why do the Gospels seem to tell a different story? Does it matter if his body did not walk out of the grave? Where is it now?

Do I follow Jesus because his message resonates with my soul or because I believe he was sent from God and thus want good favor?
What motivates me?
Is it even possible to do (or believe) anything without the grace and ower of God?

Lent is a time of prayer and reflection. Sister Perry was right when she said the answers might be more questions.