Lenten Reflection 2/20

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You know well enough how the wind blows this way and that. You hear it rustling through the trees, but you have no idea where it comes from or where it's headed next. That's the way it is with everyone 'born from above' by the wind of God, the Spirit of God. "  - John 3:8

It seems to me that not everyone that's wandering is lost.  There are frequent times in life in which we really don't know where we're headed or where we'll end up.  But I think that's the way the Spirit likes to work it.   It's a way of reminding us that the only reliable road map we have in life is our trust in God.

In the recent readings from Deuteronomy, the Israelites have been wandering around in the wilderness for years already (and they don't like it one bit). And Nicodemus, too, must have felt like some kind of wanderer sneaking out in the middle of the night to talk with Jesus.  His Pharisee colleagues would have thought he was mad - and a traitor.  But the spirit is like that.  It leads us out of our comfort zones.  And though we may feel like we're lost, God's got it covered, and is showing us as we wander forth - telling us - giving us - just what we need to move forward in faith.  The Israelites in the desert were certainly not on their best behavior while wandering, yet God still brought them to a better place.  The writer of Hebrews points out that it was just the Israelites that turned deaf ears to God who died in their wandering. 

I was thinking of all this as I heard about "the Sequester" on the news for about the billionth time this morning.  Each side is accusing the other of being uncooperative.  No one wants to make concessions.  Everyone wants it their way.  It's all someone else's fault.  People are drawing lines in the sand.  They sometimes seem like children that are sticking their fingers in their ears and saying, "I can't hear you - la, la, la, la, la, la..."

It seems like our political leaders have been wandering around in the desert for quite a while now in addressing our communal budgetary problems.  It is my prayer that at least some of them are wandering around in this wilderness with open ears, minds and hearts.  In any case, I am sure that God's got it covered.  The Holy Spirit is always at work - even in the halls of Congress, the White House and the Supreme Court.  Who knows: maybe this crazy bipartisan bickering and the propensity of our leaders to make icons  -golden calves - of things that are not God (things like power and money and influence and - of course - getting elected again) will eventually nudge us all to go forward in faith instead of fear, focusing on the greater good instead of just our own interests.

Until then, I pray for our leaders ears to be unstopped and their hearts and minds to be opened to something much greater than themselves.

Today's readings:  Deut. 9:13-21; Heb. 3:12-19; John 2:23-3:15
Elsa is reading The Message translation this year.