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During
the season of Lent you may be asked, "And what did you give up for
Lent?" This question focuses on self-denial. It is thought to be
a fine spiritual discipline to deny ourselves of something we really enjoy
(chocolate, desserts, movies, coffee, etc.) so that we can focus on what
Christ sacrificed for us.
I think it's a good question, but that's not the question I would ask
of you. Instead, I would ask, "What are you giving away for Lent?"
The difference in prepositions is the difference between sacrifice and
grace.
When I give up something, I may think that I am still in control. I decide
how much and to whom and how long. I can sacrifice something and still
remain in control of my life. But, when I give away something, it is no
longer under my control. It is pure gift that begins to have a life of
its own.
That
is how I understand one of Jesus' final acts with his disciples. At a
Passover meal Jesus got up from the table, took off his outer garment
and tied a towel around his waist. Then he took a basin full of water,
knelt and washed the feet of his disciples. This act of servant-hood foreshadowed
his death on the cross when he would give away his life.
As a Servant his life was not his own. On the cross he gave up control
of his life. On the cross he knew the pain of being forsaken and the joy
of putting his life into his Father's hands. This is not simply an sacrifice
that he made for us. This is an act of love that meant the giving away
of his whole life. And this act is pure Grace.
After
washing their feet Jesus said to the disciples, "Do you know what
I have done to you? …. If I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your
feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet…." Later in
the conversation he would continue, "I give you a new commandment,
that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love
one another."
It is clear to me that Jesus is calling us as his disciples to love not
simply in a sacrificial kind of way, but in a grace-filled way. We are
not simply called to give up something, but rather to give ourselves away
for the sake of others.
The
ELCA has adopted a new signature phrase that celebrates this grace-filled
way of living. "Marked with the Cross of Christ Forever, we are claimed,
gathered and sent for the sake of the world." This is not a sacrifice
we make, it is a life we live. This way of life is also true for congregations.
Often congregations will talk in terms of sacrifice rather than giving
life away.
When a congregation is contemplating re-development I have stopped asking
this question: "Think of what is most precious to you about this
congregation (its worship, building, etc.), are you willing to give that
up?" Instead, I now ask, "Are you willing to give that away
for the sake of the world?" "What do you have that you can give
away for the sake of this community?"
Jesus
later would tell his disciples that he is the way, the truth and the life
and that if we believe in him we will be able to do the things he does:
that we too will be able to love as he loves; that we too will be able
to give ourselves away, that we too will find new life. May we, too, trust
this in this Easter promise.
Your
Brother in Christ,
Bishop
Jim Stuck
(reprinted
from the February, 2004 I-K Synod Lutheran Newspaper)
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