My Lenten Journey 2

Mark 8:31-37 (The Message)

30-32 Jesus warned them to keep it quiet, not to breathe a word of it to anyone. He then began explaining things to them: "It is necessary that the Son of Man proceed to an ordeal of suffering, be tried and found guilty by the elders, high priests, and religion scholars, be killed, and after three days rise up alive." He said this simply and clearly so they couldn't miss it.

32-33 But Peter grabbed him in protest. Turning and seeing his disciples wavering, wondering what to believe, Jesus confronted Peter. "Peter, get out of my way! Satan, get lost! You have no idea how God works."

34-37 Calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for?"

This is the first of a set of scripture readings from "Journey to Hope," a sort of Lenten devotional and sermon series available at http://www.gbod.org/. It is taken from a version of the Bible called "The Message," which seems to be a more modern, but perhaps less literal, translation.

Here is what these verses mean to me, in terms of Lent.

"Journey to Hope" asks people to look at Lent as a journey (obviously). Most of the time, when I travel on journeys with my wife, we have our ending destination in mind. There may be an occasional "let's just get in the car and drive" kind of trip but, for the most part, when we get in the car, we know exactly where we are going. We are both on the same page when it comes to the final destination. We don't always agree, however, on how it is that we're going to get there. My preferred routes tend to be more circuitous, while my wife more often wants the shortest, fastest way from point A to point B. When we're truly far apart on how we're going to journey to a certain place, conflict often arises.

In a sense, I think that's what's happening here between Peter and Jesus. Peter had bought into Jesus' journey in terms of his final destination - sitting at the right hand of God the Father. But Peter didn't like the roads that Jesus was planning on traveling in order to get there. Jesus then rebuked Peter, telling him that he wasn't in the driver's seat, Jesus was. "Don't run from suffering," Jesus said. "Embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how." Jesus went on to tell Peter that self-sacrifice was the way to save "your true self."

My Lenten journey will be (I hope) one of self-sacrifice. In so doing, I pray that I find my true self and more about the mission that God has for me here on Earth.

God, please help me keep you in the driver's seat during this Lenten time and beyond. May you take me along the right paths so that I can find and save my true self. AMEN.