Do it this way....

This will date me a little, but I loved the Far Side cartoons. One of my favorite panels was of a kid pushing hard against a door with a sign that reads "School of the Gifted." Problem is, he should be grabbing the handle and pulling the door open since it obviously swings outwards.

There are times in all of our lives when we are that little kid. Pushing hard to do things one way even when all our senses say we should be doing something else. A popular Christian t-shirt even had a variation on this. A bunch of fish are swimming in one direction while a small little fish is facing the opposite way. The slogan: "Go Against the Flow."

So here are two images for us. One calling us to pay more attention to our surroundings and the other inviting us to be countercultural. It is odd that for many of you experiencing traditional faith communities that you may feel like you are in the midst of people trying to do both. Fortunately we are entering a season of the church year that calls us all to rethink our place in our surroundings and calls us to go against what everyone else's expectations are: "Lent."

I'm a musician so I always think of the tempo designation "Lento" which means "slow." Lent is a faith community's chance to go slow for a little while. It is a chance to reflect and discover what God is calling us to now in our lives.

As Jesus walks around the countryside, his disciples, caught up in the moment, want to know how to do lots of things. They know Jesus is calling them to something different, but they have not quite recognized how difficult the path will be that they will, and are, taking. "Let's start with something simple," they say. "How are we supposed to behave? How are we supposed to worship God? What about our money and how we give it?" These and more questions are answered, sort of, when Jesus lays out for them a simple prayer.

You can see it laid out in Matthew 6 (click on the title above to go to the scripture reading). Essentially there are a few things we are invited to do as we pray. Notice Jesus does not say how we do it (on our knees, on our heads, sitting, standing, etc.) just what we are to pray.

Pray to God, and acknowledge the holiness of this conversation.
Remember that it is God's kingdom here on earth that we are desiring, so ask that this be a reality even as we acknowledge God's presence in that discovery and accept that there is an underlying rhythm to the way things are in the world. Give thanks that the food you have. Ask to be forgiven for the many things you hold against others, and forgive those who have wronged, borrowed from, or hurt you. Ask that God intervene against the evil that is present in the world and expect God to do so. Forgive people who have broken your own boundaries and know that when you have broken a boundary set by God that you are also forgiven, however, remember to expect God to treat you the way you treat others.

There are a few more suggestions as well. My favorite one, at least the one that I often realize I am irritated about, is where Jesus pretty much says if you have chosen to follow me and it turns out to be more difficult than you thought, well, don't mope around complaining...it's part of the way things are when you follow me.

But after all of this comes a powerful statement: wherever your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Wow. Now that is something to pause and slowly come to grips with in our lives. In the next few weeks, as you look around your apartment or home, take a moment to see what you are spending time on, or what you are spending money on, or whom you are spending time with. In the midst of all those things, you will perhaps see what your treasure is. The challenge is to consider entering into a relationship with God that supercedes all those things.

Remember that kid in the Far Side. Well, what if that were us pushing the door tight so that God would stay stuck in the building we think God is in? What if instead, we take our hand away from the door and discover God is already there all around us? Remember the fish? What currents are dragging you under so that you cannot enter into a connection that can change your life?

Thoughts worth pondering...are you ready to re-connect?