Lent greetings Calvary,

As this season began, a feeling arose in light of the gospel for the first Sunday in Lent: the devil tempts Jesus in the wilderness three times, and each time, Jesus refutes the temptation. There’s a message about discipleship in there, but I couldn’t find language for it.

Then, in listening to a podcast called Jesuitical, a Jesuit priest put words to this feeling. Father Patrick Gilger, S.J., said: We don’t get to choose whether or not we’re going to worship something, but we do get to choose what we’re going to worship, and how.

Take a second to read that again, if you need.

There’s plenty of stuff we could worship: power, money, sports, alcohol, politicians, being well-liked, keeping the status quo, things we’ve been told to believe, our own opinions— none of these are necessarily bad or sinful. But sin does happen when these things pull us from loving our neighbor.

What Lent focuses on, again and again each year, climaxing during the Three Days of Jesus’ betrayal, death, and resurrection in Holy Week, is who it is we worship, and what God at work in the world looks like.

The God we worship became incarnate as Jesus, and loved this entire world to the point of death, yet rose again despite our violence. Along the way, in the example of Jesus’ life, through the voices of scripture’s prophets, and in the scripture stories of people throughout time, God calls us to a life of discipleship.

We are called, by nature of who we say we worship and in whose name we are baptized, to clothe the naked; welcome the stranger and immigrant; care for the most vulnerable; look after widows; provide for the poor; visit the imprisoned; set the oppressed free; love our enemies; pray for those who hate us; and bring healing to a hurting world. That ain’t easy, friends! We sometimes—maybe even often—fall short. But if, despite the biblical history and witness of the Church, that doesn’t all sound like good news, God might not be the only one being worshiped.

Which is to say, in the words read on Ash Wednesday: “Return to the Lord your God, who is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.”

This season, there’s plenty of opportunity to do just that!

Pastor Zach ☩