Fifth Sunday of Lent (John 12:20-33)  03/25/2012

Listen to an audio recording <select here>

Last weekend we were blessed to have The Rev. Minka Sprague lead us in a wonderful Lenten Quiet Day. During the course of our time together Minka provided us with several insightful images of the grace of God, as shown in the lives of King David, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Apostle Paul, and St. Francis of Assisi. We were treated to a thoughtful day of reflection and prayer on the grace and love of God made manifest through these four people. Throughout this past week I have been particularly mindful of the reflections of Francis of Assisi, the one person of the group not mentioned in Holy Scripture. And although the life of Francis may appear quite extraordinary, there is quite a bit of his story that we might easily connect with our own story.

Francis lived during the intriguing and rapidly changing world of the 12^th and13^th centuries; the son of a successful cloth merchant. Francis spent his early years consumed with the passions and privileges that can be obtained from the money of a successful family – extravagant clothing, wonderful parties, and excellent adventures with his group of friends…often to the displeasure of his father. Throughout these days of carefree living, Francis remained responsible in his duties to his father’s cloth business. Many biographies tell the story of young Francis engaged in a business negotiation with a customer as a poor beggar arrived in search of help. Francis attempted to continue his business transaction and assist the beggar, but conducting two conversations at the same time was impossible and the beggar eventually wondered away. After completing his business Francis ran through the merchant area of town until he found the beggar and gave him everything of value that was on his person – again, to the displeasure of his father. The interaction with the beggar was a turning point in Francis’ life, but his days of fun and fancy with his friends did not end. The day that Francis met the beggar was a new beginning; a turning point that was the start of a process that continued to draw Francis more deeply into his understanding of what God was asking from him, pulling him away from the life he had established for himself.

On this fifth Sunday of Lent, we hear in John’s Gospel account of a turning point in the ministry of Jesus. Jesus tells his disciples that “the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” (John 12:23) The ministry of Jesus, as told in John’s Gospel account, has been continuously leading up to this point, “the hour for the Son of Man to be glorified.” Just as the life of St. Francis was an ongoing process of entering into a deeper relationship with God, John’s Gospel account presents us with the story of the ministry of Jesus; a story that is a journey leading to “the hour for the Son of Man to be glorified.” And that hour is the moment that always points to the journey of Christ that leads to the Cross; that leads us to recognize with undeniable clarity that the life of discipleship is not always easy, is not always obvious, but is always the path where we can discover Christ waiting for us. Jesus continues in his response to his followers: “Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit…Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also.” (John 12:24, 26) Jesus challenges us with the vivid and contrasting images of discipleship: a meager handful of grain that represents our journey of personal choices or an expansive field full of wheat that represents our participation in Christ’s ministry in the world. You might be wondering; but where to begin; how do we plant the seeds so that Christ may come in to our lives and welcome us in to his field of service?…these very questions were asked last weekend at the Quiet Day.

There is no “one answer” to how Christ invites us to follow him. There is no “one way” to hear and know how to use the gifts we have been given. But Jesus does tell us, “Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also.” Often times, the first step in following Christ’s invitation to us is a small but important step; a step that begins the many steps that will follow. We hear in Scripture that Abraham and Sarah’s first step was God’s request that they leave the land of their family to go to a distant place that God called them to – and they went on their journey. David, the young shepherd boy, took his first step as he left his flock and family to serve King Saul – and he went on a journey that would one day make him King of Israel. And young Francis Bernardone, the fancy and flashy merchant’s son, took his first step by chasing after a beggar – and he started a journey that would one day make him a saintly friar. We are on a journey as well; today a Lenten journey, but every day we are on a journey with Christ. A journey that begins with one small step; one promise to find and follow Christ through daily prayer, through service to others; or simply by being with others in new and exciting ways, ways that open up new possibilities for finding Christ in your life. As our Lenten journey draws close to the cross; may you draw close to Christ and discover new ways to follow him, for where Christ can be found, there will his servants be also.

AMEN.