Saturday after Ash Wednesday

Date:  March 5, 2022
Lectionary Link:  https://www.lectionarypage.net/WeekdaysOfLent/SatAfterAshWed.html
Contributor:  Jennifer Wright
 
Today’s lections speak to me of the role of fear in separating us from God and from each other. We need to relinquish our desperate attempts to calm our fears by seeking to control the world around us. Instead, we need to simply trust in God’s loving care.
Levi was financially secure in his role as a tax collector, relying on his collaboration with the great empire of Rome, despite the complete ostracism from Jewish society that resulted. When Jesus called Levi to follow him, offering no promises, no insurance, no assurance of safety or well-being, Levi simply got up and walked away from his safe life and followed his Lord and Master. I believe that, in return for letting go of his external security, Levi experienced the promise Isaiah speaks of:
               You shall be like a watered garden,
               Like a spring of water,
               Whose waters never fail.
In order to receive that promise of abundant and everlasting grace, Levi had to realize and accept two things:
-              He was sick.
-              Jesus held the only hope of cure.
I think that our society today is sick. Every day in the news, there is so much tragedy, unnecessary death, suffering, alienation, and oppression. Only if we can recognize our own sickness and accept the saving grace offered by Jesus can we be cured, individually and as a society. It is so tempting to try to retain control, to deny our sickness, and to try to create security for ourselves and our loved ones. But the overwhelming abundance of life and health and joy that God intends for us all can never be obtained by our own frightened grabbing after security. Our hearts, hands, and lives will only be truly filled once we let go and let God.