A Lenten Reading of Matthew - Day Four

Scripture Reading: Matthew 3:1-17 (NRSVUE) 

"Bear fruit worthy of repentance" could be a theme for the Lenten season.  John's reproach of the outwardly religious people of his day (Pharisees from their daily discipline and Sadducees from a more intellectual or philosophical bent) is one that stands the test of time.  

If we profess worship of God, does this move us to be nicer people?

If we pray regularly, does the practice lead us to reconciliation with our neighbors?

If we read the Bible daily, are we more forgiving?

John also takes a swipe at the assumption of being in God's favor via genetics when he reprimands people for claiming to be insiders because of their ancestry.  

We've struggled with matters of tribe, race and exclusion since the before written history.  Tribe and race have often been coalescing factors of preference and preferred treatment.

But an applicable statement can be found from Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech when he said, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

When we examine the fruit of everyday people - the product of their actions - we can find virtuous behavior in every color or culture.  But unfortunately, we also know that jerks come in every hue as well.  Sometimes the same person can be both saint and sinner in the same day!  Sometimes that's me.

As we are baptized in the body of Christ, let us remember that we have become siblings with virtually every color and culture on the planet.  We may not agree with each one.  We may not vote the same way.  We wouldn't put the same food on the menu when we it's our choice.  We might raise our children differently.  

But we each love as best we can.

We likely share some of the same fears and anxieties.  

Maybe the fruit that we can exemplify during Lent can be a recognition of similarities we have with others.  What if we looked for commonality with the tenacity of a detective?

As inheritors of the mantle Christian, we might find that God would be well-pleased with us as well.

Prayer for the day:

God, lead me from death to life,
from falsehood to truth;
lead me from despair to hope,
from fear to trust;
lead me from hate to love,
from war to peace.
Let peace fill our heart,
our world, our universe.  Amen.

Prayer from the Anglican Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, 20th Century

Photo by Cornelius Zane-Grey via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.