4 Lent/ Year A/March 19, 2023
Collect of the day: Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the true bread which gives life to the world: Evermore give us this bread, that he may live in us, and we in him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
1 Samuel 16:1-13; Psalm 23; John 9:1-41
We are mid-way through the season of Lent according to the church calendar, or the liturgical calendar as we formally call it. There are a few historical traditions associated with this 4th Sunday in Lent.
(from An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church - https://www.episcopalchurch.org/glossary/)
In some church circles, notably the Catholic Church, and observed by some Episcopal parishes with a traditional Anglican-catholic piety, this fourth Sunday in Lent is known as Laetare Sunday.
The term is derived from the opening words of the Latin Mass, “Rejoice (Laetare) Jerusalem” (Is 66:10). The church is called to joyful anticipation of the victory to be won. This joyful theme provides lightening from the penitential emphasis of Lent. Since the thirteenth century the celebrant of the eucharist has been permitted to wear rose-colored vestments which express the change of tone in the Lenten observance. Laetare Sunday therefore may be called “Rose Sunday.”
This fourth Sunday in Lent is also known as Refreshment Sunday or Mothering Sunday. It was the traditional mid-Lent Sunday. It was a time of refreshment and relaxing the penitential discipline of Lent. Rose-colored vestments were allowed to take the place of the purple vestments of Lent. “Mothering Sunday” was a popular name in England for the fourth Sunday in Lent because the traditional epistle reading for the day from Paul’s letter to the Galatians states that the heavenly Jerusalem “is the mother of us all”. It was customary in some places to visit the mother church of one's diocese or chapel on this day. In other places it was customary to visit one's mother on “Mothering Sunday.” Apprentices visiting their parents on this day often took home a “mothering cake.”
(I’m still waiting for one of the fabulous bakers here at St Peter’s to bake one of these cakes for us to enjoy here on this 4th Sunday in Lent some year. But until then, come join us after the service for some other delicious refreshments).
I think we’ve probably all had an experience at one time or another…when we could use a boost…something to help get us moving in the right direction again after a time of draught or discouragement or even right now in the midst of a string of hard and heavy times for so many people…
In the season of Lent, today is the day we set aside to do just that…and we do that by reflecting on who it is that can restore and refresh our spirits…who it is that gives life to the world…
Both of those traditions that I just shared with you provide for a sacred “pause” to help us return, once AGAIN, to the source and center of our being, who gives life to the world…to take a moment to be still and rest in the presence of God, and be reminded that it is the Holy One who gives us joy and refreshment, it is the Holy One who can breathe new life into our weary souls, and it is the Holy One, the love of God made known to us in the life and teachings of Jesus, who can nourish our hearts, souls, bodies and minds to be instruments of God’s love and healing in a broken and hurting world.
In today’s gospel reading and healing story, Jesus, as he does in nearly all of his teachings, seeks to open our eyes, ears, hearts and minds to see, through the lens of God’s love, that there is surely another way for us to to live together in this world that better reflects our love for God, and one another in a way that brings peace, hope, joy, love and healing to a broken and hurting world…and as Bishop Mark noted this week in his e-news reflection: The gospel story for this Sunday is one of blindness and sight. Jesus heals vision by calling us to see beyond the limits of our sight and expectations. (Bishop Mark Lattime).
If we are truly honest with ourselves, we can see that we are people who go through this life setting up all kinds of expectations of God, for ourselves and others….Expectations, and setting goals in life, are well and good and needed…but when expectations lead to the oppression and exclusion of others, or if we keep doing something over and over, because we’ve always done it that way, or if other well-meaning expectations fail, or our best-laid plans are upended or don’t come to fruition, we often seek to blame and judge others, or we convince ourselves that there is not another way, or that we didn’t try hard enough, or do enough to make something happen or perhaps prevent something from happening.
If our expectations are solely rooted in what we envision or what we believe we have control over, when the unexpected, when the unimaginable happens, as they will, as long as we are a living, breathing human being walking this earth…it can feel as if the very ground beneath us is falling away.
If our expectations are solely rooted in what we have always known and believed, then we are blinding ourselves from seeing where God is always doing a new thing in this world all around us…
If our expectations are solely rooted in our own needs and desires,
we are blinding ourselves from seeing the love of God, the face of Christ, in every human being we encounter…We are cutting off the very lifeline that leads to healing and reconciliation which begins and ends with the assurance of God’s love, that is intended for everyone…
Imagine a world…
· where loving God, by loving one another is the expectation…
· where the expectation is that we will all work towards justice and peace and reconciliation without the need for violence of any kind…
· where the expectation is that every child is loved and cherished just as they are…
· where the expectation is that every elder is cared for with respect and dignity…
· where the expectation is that everyone has a place to lay down their heads to rest in a safe dwelling…
· where the expectation is that all would have access to healthy food and nourishment every day…
Imagine a world…where our expectations of God, ourselves, and one another, are strongly rooted in the love of God made known to us in the life and teachings of Jesus, the true bread which gives life to the world, the One who can nourish our hearts, souls, bodies and minds to be instruments of God’s love and healing in a broken and hurting world….
On this 4th Sunday in Lent, let us pause to rest, refresh, rejoice and re-envision, through the lens of God’s love, our expectations of God, ourselves and one another, and seek to align our vision with God’s vision and dream of a beloved community, here on earth, where all God’s children and all of creation are healed and reconciled to one another…
Let me close with this blessing based on Psalm 23 written by Roddy Hamilton – one that I commend to you for your daily pause with God…
In the lush pastures of life that hold meeting places with love,
may your feet know the way to find them.
By the still waters of the running stream,
may your hands shape a cup in it and drink deep from it.
In the valley of death’s shadow that ever threatens,
may your sense of life find the way through.
At the banqueting table set before your enemies,
may your cup be full and overrunning.
Like the anointing oil that runs down your head,
may the blessing that is you spill into the world with eternal promise.
In the way a shepherd’s staff warms off lameness from fear,
may trust be your protective companion on the way.
Through each day’s living as it unfolds,
may goodness and mercy make their way into every moment.
At the doorway to the house of the Lord of life,
may you recognise your home and your hearth.
And in the song that makes a dwelling-place in your heart,
may its music rise in your soul.
~ written by Roddy Hamilton, and posted on Mucky Paws. http://www.nkchurch.org.uk/index.php/mucky-paws
Hymn after sermon: (LEVAS 104 -The Lord Is My Shepherd)
Rev Julie Platson, Rector
St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church, Sitka, AK