Greetings to all in the Love of Jesus Christ:
I recently heard on the radio: “It’s time for March Madness.” What does the phrase “March Madness” mean to you? College basketball? Hundreds of people flying to southeastern Arizona to look for birds? Heavily armed, masked men invading our neighborhoods to “protect us” from our beloved neighbors? Dropping bombs, firing torpedoes, and launching missiles to secure “peace in the Middle East?”
Amidst all the madness of our times, I find myself wondering about the madness of the Roman Empire publicly executing a man who preached such dangerous ideology as “love your neighbor,” “love your enemies,” and “forgive each other.” As Christians, the month of March finds us in the midst of Lent, in the midst of the story of Jesus marching toward Jerusalem, marching toward the cross. It’s a story of the madness of the world, but also a story about how madly God loves us.
Many people thought Jesus was mad. The things he said were so counter-cultural, counter-intuitive. “Love your enemy.” “If anyone slaps you on the cheek, offer them the other one also.” “Sell what you have, give it to the poor, and come follow me.” Jesus drew crowds, but then people slunk away – intrigued, but not willing to change their lives, not willing to dive in fully. Jesus had a certain notoriety, as he does today, but deep down, many people thought he was just plain mad. And many people still do.
And yet something about Jesus was just so true, that some people kept following him. Deep down, many people know that Jesus was the way, the truth, the life – the pioneer and perfecter of a better approach to life. As Simon Peter said: “Lord, to whom else can we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Anything else, when you think about it, is madness. Violence. Revenge. Jealousy. Bitterness. Hedonism. Fame-seeking. Money-grabbing. Walling ourselves off. It’s madness to trade the beautiful, life-affirming, inclusive love of God for anything else.
As we journey through Lent together, marching toward the cross, may we dive deeply into the story of Jesus, the story of God’s love in the flesh, speaking forgiveness to us, inviting us to leave the madness of our world and welcome the eternal love that is never far from us. May God bless you.
Dios les bendiga!
Pastor Jay
Regional Minister and President
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Arizona
