WATCHWORD:
Sound the trumpet in Jerusalem! Raise the alarm on my holy mountain!
Let everyone tremble in fear because the day of the Lord is upon us.
2 It is a day of darkness and gloom, a day of thick clouds and deep blackness.
Suddenly, like dawn spreading across the mountains, a great and mighty army appears.
Nothing like it has been seen before or will ever be seen again. Joel 2:1-2
That is why the Lord says, “Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts.
Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning. 13 Don’t tear your clothing in your grief, but tear your hearts instead.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He is eager to relent and not punish.
14 Who knows? Perhaps he will give you a reprieve, sending you a blessing instead of this curse.
Perhaps you will be able to offer grain and wine to the Lord your God as before.
15 Blow the ram’s horn in Jerusalem!
Announce a time of fasting; call the people together for a solemn meeting.
16 Gather all the people— the elders, the children, and even the babies.
Call the bridegroom from his quarters and the bride from her private room.
17 Let the priests, who minister in the Lord’s presence, stand and weep between the entry room to the Temple and the altar. Let them pray, “Spare your people, Lord!
Don’t let your special possession become an object of mockery.
Don’t let them become a joke for unbelieving foreigners who say, ‘Has the God of Israel left them?’” Joel 2:12-17
Meditation:
Lent
Ash Wednesday. Part of the 40 days of Lent, leading up to Good Friday. A season of darkness, but also a season of ministry for Jesus. My research for two of my stories, made me aware of significant events during the weeks before Jesus arrived in Jerusalem for Passover. These events, in the order in which they occurred, included:
- Jesus had been ministering to the towns of the Decapolis, and had arrived at the southern-most town of Gadara. There, on the hillside, He taught a crowd estimated at 4,000+ and, then, miraculously fed them. (Matthew 15:29-39)
- The next day Jesus and the disciples, as well as other followers, began the four or five-day journey walking to Jericho, 85 miles south, along the Jordan River.
- Arriving in Jericho, they stay at the home of the tax-collector, Zacchaeus, converting him and his family. (Luke 19:1-10)
- From Jericho, Jesus starts up the rugged, steep and difficult road leading to Bethany. It was at the start of this journey that He encounters Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, and restores his sight. (Mark 10:46-52)
- Jesus arrives in Bethany, at the home of Mary and Martha, after their brother was dead and buried. He then raised Lazarus from the dead. (John 11:38-44)
- Jesus arrives in Jerusalem for Passover, with a triumphal entry. His presence threatens the Hierarchy of the Jewish order. (Luke 19:28-40)
Jesus was fully aware of what awaited Him in Jerusalem, and this was on his mind during these 35 or so days. During that period, Jesus shared much with his disciples, and when asked by Jewish leaders, to show them a miraculous sign to prove that God gave Him authority, He replied, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
The disciples were not prepared to hear about their Master being killed. They had their own thoughts where Jesus would be leading them, and it didn’t involve His dying. It is no wonder that during this period many of the followers began to leave Jesus.
Well, what about us during these coming weeks of Lent? In many ways, the 40 days is an ordinary period, where life goes on. We know that Easter is there at the end of this journey, and the blessed celebration of the Resurrection which anchors our faith. Yet, this Season of Lent may feel a lot like what we have gone through this past year, denying ourselves in so many things, reminiscent of fasting.
Sometimes unremarkable ordinary life under these stresses can be rich and fulfilling. Each one of us has a different story to be told. Truly we are all looking forward to a New Easter, when life seems to take on some of the routines of the old normal, before the pandemic, and yet we pray that our lives will be richer and, somehow, different in God blessed ways.
You know that we have control over much of that New Easter. The God of Israel has not left us. As he has promised, “I will be with you to the end of the age.” That conviction alone should be sufficient to bear us with joy beyond any darkness, into the light of Easter. Be at peace, God is in charge. Amen.
Closing Prayer:
In our heart of hearts, let us pray: Heavenly Father, in Your gentleness, pry open our hearts, just a little, until we see where You can bring greater wholeness and healing to our lives. Open our minds to the conviction that what we have gone through is a blessing because within these past days are the graces that came directly from You. So, it is with gratitude, Lord, that we pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.