Taking Nothing
A Beginning for Lent
He said to them, ‘Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money—not even an extra tunic.
Luke 9:3
How free we feel when we travel lightly! In this admonition to the disciples beginning their ministry as apostles (the ones who are sent), Jesus invites freedom in the midst of proclamation and healing.
This is not so much about the specific items we are allowed to pack on our journey; rather this is about relying on the power of God.
As we turn more and more toward the One who sends us we leave behind the old ways and turn toward the new.
For most of us those old ways were self-reliance. The new ways are God-reliance. This turning around is known as Christian detachment.
Christian detachment is not apathy or disinterest. It is caring enough to let God lead me. It is wanting closeness with the Divine above all else. It is admitting my own poverty of spirit and rejoicing in God’s abundance.
The Lenten journey we are about to begin invites us to move toward that place where we are no longer our chief resource for wisdom and direction. We are turning. We are not static. Let us turn toward God rather than away.
The journey with Christ can be more like an old-fashioned waltz than a grueling hike. There is music-the wind through the trees, the stars at night, the hum of happy activity, the blessing of relationships.
And there is invitation. God’s hand outstretched on the Cross to embrace the whole world in the dance of conversion. We are invited to this dance in so many ways, aren’t we? A request for prayer, the insistent Word of scripture, and the deep desire we feel to help others. These are our invitations to dance.
We begin our Lenten journey taking nothing so that we can experience the freedom of traveling light. Somewhere along the way, our feet begin tapping to the music of God’s kingdom, which was hidden from us before. Soon we start swaying to music and entering the dance as answer to the beautiful invitation of the Holy One.
Lent is a season for repentance, a time to see things in a new way. Traditionally, penance has been more about punishment than it has been about amendment of life. A new life is the goal of a “holy Lent.” It may be more efficacious to put on your dancing shoes than your hair shirt.
So I ask you, what is a better time to offer your heart to the One who loves you, and join in the dance?
Blessings,
Debra
Thanks for giving me something to think about during Lent
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