A JOURNEY TOWARD JERUSALEM

Have you ever been so committed to something or someone that you were willing to risk your life?

My wife and daughter were involved in a highway accident several years ago. Their car flipped end to end and rolled over. EMT's removed them from the vehicle and placed them on the grassy median with my unconscious daughter in my wife's arms. My wife prayed to God, “If one of us is to die, let it be me.”

There are moments when we are willing to risk our lives, out of love.

There are also times when people commit to premeditated risky or painful actions. I have a pastor friend whose son was suffering from kidney failure. Out of love, he underwent surgery to remove one of his organs to save his son.

Some folk commit their entire lives to challenging unjust societal structures for the sake of the wholeness and health of people. Many are these are celebrated publicly: Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rev. Billy Graham, César Chávez, Dom Hélder Pessoa Câmara, Gertrud Baer, Joan Baez, Helen Caldicott, Jimmy Carter, James Gareth Endicott, Leymah Gbowee, Kirthi Jayakumar, Wangari Maathai,  Elizabeth McAlister, Rigoberta Menchú, Óscar Romero, Pete Seeger, Nancy Shelley OAM, Ivan Supek, Evelyn Underhill, George Willoughby and Howard Zinn.ⁱ Millions of others are virtually unknown.

This is the season of Lent in the Christian calender. Lent commemorates the period of time in Jesus' life when he journeyed to Jerusalem to confront the Jewish leaders. He planned to warn them that their collusion with Rome would end in the destruction of Israel. He wanted them to experience the coming reign of God based on unconditional love. Jesus believed that this emerging reality had more staying power than the domination and violence of the Roman Empire.

Jesus knew that challenging the power structure of Israel and Rome would likely result in his execution. Yet he was so committed to his calling that he proceeded in spite of the risk. The Gospel of Luke puts it starkly in these words: “... he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem”ⁱⁱ

Many Christians commemorate the beginning of the Lenten season (Ash Wednesday) by having ashes placed on their foreheads. This is symbolic of the ancient Jewish practice of repenting by dressing in sack cloth and sitting in ashes. Many Christians also give up something pleasurable (smoking, eating candy, eating red meat etc.) to remind themselves to focus on their shortcomings when compared to Jesus' life and teaching. This is indeed a helpful way to alter patterns of living that are destructive to a person's life and faith.

I recently had a conversation with a friend that broadened my understanding of Lent. When Jesus was alive, he didn't say, “If any want to become my followers, WORSHIP me.” He said, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and FOLLOW me..”ⁱⁱⁱ This advice is relevant for all of us. Whether you are religious in any sense or a non, it is insufficient just to glorify or worship those whom you admire. You need to follow them in the actions of your life.

It is in this spirit that I offer you a duel practice during this Lenten season. Spend time during the next few weeks repenting and reflecting on your short comings. This will help you get honest with yourself.

At the same time, consider the person who inspires you – if Jesus, then Jesus; if someone else, then someone else. Study how this person, like Jesus, “ steadfastly set their face to go to their Jerusalem.” In what ways were they so committed to their calling that they were willing to face danger to be true to this calling? Then ask, “How might I emulate this person's values and practices in my twenty-first century environment?” “In what ways am I being called to “steadfastly set my face toward my Jerusalem?”

As I asked myself this question, I recalled a memory of my son. My wife and I were traveling with him on a subway that was filled to capacity. As we moved to the back of the car, a couple of people offered us their seats. We said, “It's OK. We can stand.” Timothy said, “Take the seats mom and dad. You're old.”

That struck me. “I'm old.” I have been a leader, struggling for compassion and justice most of my life. As I steadfastly set my face to my Jerusalem, I need to acknowledge the fact that my generation needs to pass the torch to a younger generation. I have seen too many leaders hang on too long. This letting go of my role as leader and assuming the role of supporter, sage and consultant is as difficult for me as sacrificing myself in the struggle.

I still feel the calling and passion of my youth. I still have much to offer. Yet I must discern how I can best follow my calling at this time in my life. There is a dying in this as I move forward in my Lenten journey. This is my way of incarnating the unconditional love that flows through the cosmos.

We Christians, in particular, are quick to theologize about the incarnation of God through Jesus. This allows us to worship Jesus without recognizing that incarnation is an ongoing process. It's not a once-and-for-all thing. Jesus said that the Reign of God was present as well as becoming. This “becoming” applies to more than life after death. It is a present, evolving and cosmic process that involves all people. In a real sense, this is the message of all major religions and spiritual traditions.

This is where I place my hope. Even in the midst of the alienation and turmoil of our age, I have hope because “Unconditional love really exists in each of us. It is part of our deep inner being. It is not so much an active emotion as a state of being. It's not 'I love you' for this or that reason, not 'I love you if you love me.' It's love for no reason, love without an object.” (Ram Dass quote)

My hope is based on the fact that millions of people, known and unknown, are “steadfastly setting faces toward their Jerusalems.” You and I are privileged to be a part of this movement.

ihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_peace_activists

iiLuke 9:51b (King James Version)

iiiLuke 9:23