Most of you may have read the story of Rip Van Winkle. He had an extraordinary experience. He went to sleep for 40 years in 18th century New York. When he woke up, he found that the whole world had changed.
If you had fallen asleep 40 years ago and awakened today, you would not believe the tremendous changes that have taken place since then. Even here in Dumaguete City, I see a lot of changes since the time I was in College. For one thing, traffic is getting worst. Of course, we used to have the tartanilla as a means of transportation. To travel from here to Silliman Farm in a tartanilla was an adventure.
Even this church has seen a lot of changes. From one or two pastors to four pastors. From two worship services on Sundays to five. Indeed, changes had taken place for the last few years.
As we go through the Lenten season, it is about change — it is not like changing clothes, or changing computers, or changing TV to flat screen, or changing buildings from a small one to a big one, or changing boyfriend or girlfriend. It is not changing the way we look by having a face-lift or lipo suction.
I remember of a time when a friend asked me, “Have you noticed any change in me?” After looking at him for a few minutes, I said, “I’m sorry I could not see any change at all.” Then he showed me his nose. He said that he made it a little longer.
Lent is about change. But it is more than just changing our looks. It is changing hearts – the transformation of lives.
In the gospel of Mark, Jesus talks about changing the way we live. When Jesus went around preaching, he was always challenging people to live better. He was always crying out against their sins. He told them he was concerned about the hungry, the naked, the prisoner and the oppressed.
At a time when the basic philosophy was “An eye for an eye,” he said that they needed to love one another, that prejudice and hatred were wrong, and that they needed to learn how to forgive 77 times or in some translations, 70 times seven.
At a time when they were dominated by the Romans and the Jews wanted to fight this domination, he taught them it was important they learn to be peacemakers. At a time when the leaders of the Jews felt that they were better than the others and looked down on people who did not follow the law, he told them that we are all sinners and need of God’s mercy and grace.
He told them to be better than they are. He told them that hate is wrong, insensitivity to the needs of others is wrong, to pass by on the other side of human need is sinful, gossip is wrong because it destroys the lives of others, dishonesty is wrong because it destroys our own selves — all of these and much more need to be changed.
Deep down inside, they knew that what he said was true, but they did not want to change. And so they decided to crucify him.
There are some people who just do not want to change. It is difficult for them to listen to what others are saying. When Christ kept on reminding the people to change what they needed to do and be, they got angry.
The people knew that if Christ was right, they would have to make some radical changes in their thinking and in their actions, and they did not want to do that. And so, they crucified him.
According to Bradley in his sermon, “The bad news is that we are not called to a religion of mere
comfort. The good news is that the power of God’s love through Jesus Christ can and does unbind individuals from sin and evil and death with transformation of the deepest core of our being.”
Jesus came not to make life easy but to make men great. Thus, what we need to do is come to God with our sins and ask God’s pardon and mercy.
As we journey through the Lenten season towards the events of Easter, and look up to the cross of which Jesus died, it is a cross that reminds us of a Christ who wants us to change. We are all sinners who need to change our lives–from people who follow our desires to people who follow the will of Christ. As what the hymn says: Where the whole realm of nature mine/ That were a present far too small/Love so amazing, so divine/ Demands my soul, my life, my all.
To experience this kind of love from Jesus, we need to come to him with penitent hearts. And it is my prayer that we, too, can feel the love of God shown in Jesus Christ, loving us into life.
