Readings: Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18; Psalm 27; Philippians 3:17-4:1; Luke 13:31-35 

The byword for many of us during Lent is “must”.  It is a negative word that I suspect we would rather avoid. This past week several people have told me that I must go and see "The Passion of the Christ". The more I think about it, the more certain I am that I must give up movies for Lent. I keep telling them of my aversion to violence, and I assure them that I do know the story. For many reasons, it is not a 'must' on my Lenten journey.

However, there are some things that I know I must do.  The 'musts' of Lent are about the things in my life that will help me to discern more fully God's calling in my life and help me come to a deeper sense of commitment and fulfillment.  God continually calls us to deeper purposes.  The response is up to us.  ‘Must’ gets us beyond self, beyond words and arguments to what is real. That is what we seek on our Lenten journey.  It is what I see portrayed over and over again in Scripture.

It is there in the story of God’s call to Abram.    He knew that he must leave his homeland with his wife, Sarai, his brother, Lot, and all of their possessions.  He did not question that need, even though it was a big undertaking fraught with risks.  Through all the changes of his life, he trusted in God's promise to him, and he prospered in his new life.  Yet he still felt cheated because he had no heir.  He had to wrestle as we all do with his own inner doubts about the future course of his life.

Paul points out some 'musts' to the people of Philippi. He warns them that there are enemies of the new faith.  Greek society was not unlike our own.  It was decadent; the Philippians lived with constant temptations.  There was a huge gulf between rich and poor.  It was a society obsessed with sexuality.  Paul questions the way these new converts are living.  He suggests what they must do.  Follow his example.  Make good choices.  Understand the meaning of the cross in their lives.  Allow Christ to transform them and all of creation.

The Pharisees come to Jesus to tell him what he 'must' do. "Get away from here," they tell him.  "For Herod wants to kill you."  Jesus has other ideas.  He realizes the little time that is left to him to accomplish God's plans.  Nothing can stop the completion of what Jesus is about, not even death itself. 

What follows is a whole range of human emotion. "Go tell that fox for me. Tell him about the work I am doing.  Tell him how I am healing the sick and casting out demons."  They are words spoken in passion. His response is full of contempt, a direct challenge to authority.  Then his anger gives way to a lament. "Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it!"  Jesus begins to realize that his mission may exact the highest and most terrible of costs. 

How does the word 'must' figure in our lives this Lent?  What must we do?  What are the things that make us weep and sing?  What are the things about which we can be passionate?  What must we do to alleviate the doubts and fears that threaten to overtake us?  How do we stay on the journey?  What do we do when that "three o'clock in the morning voice" wakes us up and has us asking, "How am I to know what God wants of me?"

God took Abram outside.  He showed him the larger picture. There under the stars they recovenanted together.  With that new covenant came new hope.

Paul offered himself as a role model for the people of Philippi to follow. He gave them a reason to stick to the life of faith.

Jesus struggled with his feelings of anger and frustration.  There follows a lovely moment when we are allowed into the humanity of our Lord. "How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!" It is a moment of deep compassion for the human condition.  Jesus travels a lonely road; it is a path he must follow.  Without that sense of compassion at our human frailty, would he have had the heart? 

How does the word ‘must’ figure in our lives this Lent?  One of the ‘musts’ is to allow God to take us outside of our stunted selves so that we can look at life in a bigger way.   Like Abram, we may try to remember God’s promises.  But we become overwhelmed with life.   We are reassured for a while, but the old insecurities come back.  None of us can know the future.  Lent is a time to move beyond words, beyond arguments, beyond our own efforts, to trust God and know that God will be there.  The knowledge that Abram was graced by God is at least a hint to us that we may expect the same grace. 

Another ‘must’ for us this Lent is to proclaim God’s love.  What can help us as Christians to stand firm when everything is in turmoil?  God is the reality by which we measure life’s meaning, its value, its significance.  Like the Philippians, we seek models in our lives to imitate and lifestyles to copy.  In our materialistic society it is easy to make choices that kill the soul.  Our choice as a Christian is crucial, for we are called to emulate Christ.  Jesus’ path was one of suffering and death.  Do we ever wonder why our paths should be so smooth and our way so easy?  While we claim to follow Jesus, most of us find little in our journey through life that resembles suffering or sacrifice for the sake of others.  Are we called during this Lenten season to stand up against society to make it just and equitable?