We are all tempted. A day doesn’t go by without us feeling the pull of temptation. Temptations can be small. Maybe it’s to hit the snooze button again and just roll over. Temptations can be subtle. Maybe we are still upset at something our spouse said or did yesterday. Anger spills over into starting the day with a passive-aggressive, “What would your Royal Highness like for breakfast in bed today?”
Whether the temptations are small and seem to hurt no one, or big and harmful to others and ourselves, our natural state is to do what we please without worrying about the impact on others. We like free speech, even if what’s said cuts others to the quick. Or worse, gets others to bring out their worst selves. Human nature is to protect ourselves, satisfy our physical needs and not let anybody tell us what to do. We’re just “doin’ what comes natcherly”. God knows we can do better, and God wants to help.
Lent is a great chance to get back on a better track. Lent’s purpose is to draw us closer to God through repentance and the confession that needs to accompany it. Its purpose has remained the same over the years.
Christians have been practicing fasting before Easter since the 1st Century AD. By the fourth century, Lent was well established as a 40-day fasting period. We’re used to the question “What are you giving up for Lent?” Some wear their fast like a merit badge, or a practice that flies our Christian flag. But I wonder how many of us sit down, shut off the news, junk TV and social media and say to ourselves, “This is time to take a hard look at how I’ve been doing. Time to examine what temptations I’ve been giving in to, what grudges I’ve been holding on to, even, who have I hurt?”
We now call our prayers of confession, reconciliation. It’s a softer word than “confession.” And besides, we aren’t really criminals just because we love Cheetos, fries, and Dinosaur Bar-B-Que. ‘Reconciliation’ can seem more like we’re given permission to “cut a deal” with God. “I’ll cut back the coffee if you get me the promotion.” I don’t think that’s what God has in mind. God is giving us a chance to repent, urging us to turn our face in another direction and get back in tune with the program, God’s program.
The Old and New Testaments both stress repentance and the importance of confession. Not necessarily how you confess as long as you confess to yourself and to God, that you acknowledge you’ve done wrong, and you mean to correct that behavior. Mainline Protestants don’t view confession as a religious rite like Jewish atonement or Catholic confession, but all monotheists require that confession and repentance come from the heart.
The Bible tells us why. For example, today’s reading from Joshua takes place at the end of the 40 year journey the Israelis took from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the land of Canaan. Joshua tells us it took 40 years because the generations born in slavery needed to die off and be replaced by a new generation born on the journey. Israel had been in Egypt for over 200 years. And as slaves for many of those years they had become passive and dependent. Even though the forced labor was hard, they were soft. They left Egypt as a slave culture and were fearful of what lay ahead.
On the journey through the desert they constantly complained about bad food, scarce water – and their feet hurt. They griped and complained to Moses and each other. They were not ready for the conflicts they would face in the promised land. So God extended what could have been a few months’ journey to forty years. By the time the Jewish People reached the land promised by God, they were a new generation born on the road and they were a lean, tough, fearless nation, eager for whatever lay ahead.
We are to understand this not just as the historic event it was, but as forecasting the voyage each of us takes through our own life. We’re born fresh through baptism as we start our journey. We shake off our old petulant, gossipy, fearful human nature, lace up our Nike’s and fearlessly hit the road.
Hah. As if. Fat chance. Our old human nature does not die off that easily. It clings to us and it takes pretty darned near the whole journey of life before we finally show up spiritually lean, tough, fearless and eager for whatever lies ahead.
We are strengthened along the journey by the life-supporting nourishment of confession and repentance. This sets our faces resolute in a better direction. Our Psalm teaches us the rewards of confession. “Happy are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sin is covered.” “While I kept silence, my body wasted away, my strength was dried up.” That’s a pretty good description of depression as well as guilt. But the Psalm goes on, “Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not hide my iniquity. …and you forgave the guilt of my sin.” Our Psalm concludes the benefits of confession with, “Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.”
Confession and repentance aren’t a sacrifice where we give God something to please God. Confession and Lent itself are gifts, sustaining manna from God feeding us on our journey through life.
These readings help us take a fresh look at the familiar parable in the Gospel of Luke. The parable of the wise and merciful father, the ungrateful and bitter older brother and the happily forgiven younger brother. We usually know it as the Parable of the Prodigal Son.
The father freely gives his beloved younger son the freedom and resources to take off on his journey of life. Dad was fully aware of the dissipation and errors the son would make satisfying his human nature. The father is supportive of the son starting out and allows him the exercise of his free will. He hopes the young man will both stay alive and “come to his senses” at some point on the journey. The father so loves the son, he allows him this freedom as he leaves, then waits expectantly, hoping for his son’s safe return. But notice, the father, just like our Father God, has hope, but not certainty that he and we will return to Him.
The older brother plays it safe. He takes no risks, but stays close to the father at home. The father loves that older son and cares for him and appreciates him. But the younger son had a plan and the determination to put it into action. We will never know what is in the father’s mind as we do not and cannot know the mind of God. We do know that the father could have prevented the son from leaving on his journey, but he didn’t stop him. Indeed, the father advanced the son’s inheritance to fund the journey.
Later, when the father saw from a distance the chastened, beat up, ragged son returning home, he rejoiced. Filled with compassion, with caritas, love for his child, he ran to him, met him where he was and ministered to him. He put his loving arms around the son, who confessed fully and freely. “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly, bring out a robe – the best one – and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And the great celebration began.
The bewildered older brother out in the fields hears the music and dancing. He asks a slave, ‘What’s going on?’ The slave is careful what he reports to the older brother, his boss. He simply lets him know the father was so happy his child is back safe and sound that he killed the fatted calf in celebration. The older brother was prudent. He stayed close. He was obedient. He knew how selfish and wayward his kid brother was. Now here Dad was so pleased to have his brother back, he didn’t slam the door shut and refuse him a seat at the dinner table. The older brother got angry with his father and shut himself out of the celebration. He probably asked, “why are you rewarding this silly kid with a feast?”
But it’s rejoicing in the return, not a reward. Remember, how our gospel introduces this parable: “Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to [Jesus]. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, ‘This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.’” Sounds like the grumbling of the older brother doesn’t it? But like the prodigal, those sinners had turned their faces back to God, they had repented. And God rejoiced.
This fourth week of Lent we should ask, “Where am I on my journey?” We’re all on a journey. It runs from our childhood to the death of our physical bodies. It’s a free will journey full of temptations – and our natures are weak. Inevitably we will yield to some temptations. those imaginative desires of our human animal self. Jesus cautioned us to constantly pray that God lead us away from temptation. What we really want is the happiness, security and fearlessness that comes from reliance on God.
When we fall into temptation, trouble comes. Often we try to fight or lie our way out. As you know, that makes things worse. God gives us a solution. God already knows our sins. Confess. Confess to yourself and to God. When we confess our sins, God sees us coming – even if we’re still far away. God will hurry to welcome us because God really loves us. God wants happiness and deep peace for us. Make your confession alive. Make it real and keep it real. Mean it. Let God know you intend to look away from temptation now and going forward. God will give you the robe of joy, the ring of deeper faith, the sandals of knowing you are standing on the rock.
And be sure to enjoy the feast of delight God has prepared in rejoicing over your return.