First United Methodist Church
April 6th, 2025
Rev. Lauren Hall
Embracing the Imperfections of Life and Faith: We are Fragile
In our journey through Lent, we have been working on a “toolbox” of spiritual practices which help us to slow down, regain control of our spiritual center, and notice what’s going on in our families and in the world around us. Last week we embraced our fear of vulnerability = making room for God’s love because we are good enough. This week we explore the reality that we are fragile, [like the seeds in this seed packet].
Fragility is not only OK, it is also necessary. By knowing and respecting our own limited nature, our vulnerability to the forces of life, we are able to see and be with those who are hurting. It is in this space that we embrace God’s unconditional love.
In Ecclesiastes 3 there is a verse that says there is “a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.” (3:8) When Christ came into the world, it was filled with hatred and war. Part of his mission was to show us the way to live differently. He gives us directions to the peaceful kingdom that God originally intended and which he has come to restore.
The kingdom of God is at hand, Jesus announces. He came to defeat all that would separate us from God and from one another. Any time we sanction hatred in God's name, we are rejecting the core of our faith tradition. It’s painful to hear some of the hateful rhetoric that permeates the public conversation in our nation today. People often disregard the individual as they work to achieve their own agenda – although Jesus had a mission to save the whole world, he used an approach that focused on each person as a sacred and holy child of God. As Christians, it’s important that we don’t lose sight of this focus.
If Ecclesiastes is true and there really is a time to kill, it is this type of rhetoric that needs to go away. I remember in Basic Training, I was given a T-shirt that had our platoon’s motto on it: “Kill or Be Killed.” At the time, that’s exactly what it meant and it made a lot of sense to me. But now as I think about it through the lens of Jesus, I interpret this statement as saying, “Kill the hate within your heart, or be killed by it.” And don’t wait. If there were ever a time to sow seeds of reason and love, the time is now.
So, let’s jump into our gospel, and see how this understanding of time informs our reading.
Jesus and the disciples are having a feast at the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from death in the previous chapter. Mary spends a fortune on perfume and uses it to anoint Jesus’ feet. Instead of being his normal, humble, self-less self, he allows Mary to anoint him with this very expensive perfume.
Judas gets angry and makes a comment about wasting money that could have been used for the poor. And Jesus responds, “Leave her alone. You will always have the poor, but you will not always have me.”
That’s the basis of the gospel story, and everything in it is a little weird. None of it really lines up with Jesus’ mission and ministry. What we do see is an expression of love and an expression of hate.
Judas, of course, wasn’t happy with what was going on. The little note about him being a thief is not as important as his inability to trust in Jesus. Like many others, Judas expected the messiah to look and act like King David; but Jesus was a former carpenter who preached social justice and didn’t follow tradition. Like the crowds who welcome Jesus into Jerusalem, Judas expected Jesus to throw out the Romans; instead he witnesses Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion.
As Judas becomes increasingly frustrated by Jesus’ inability, or unwillingness, to do what he wants him to do, he begins his plan to betray him – he walks away from everything Jesus has taught him and places his trust instead in the Jewish Law and established government.
How often are we in danger of doing the same thing? Do we, like Judas, have expectations of God that are based on what we think is right? Do we expect God to answer our prayers as we would like, to favor our political candidate or sports team, to love only those whom we are comfortable with?
Or are we prepared to be surprised as God does the unexpected? Because here’s the thing – God regularly loves to do the unexpected with, for and through ordinary people like us. Take a look at the person sitting next to you. Is this the person God might work through next? Or is it you?
God may be about to use any of us in a surprising way to care for our neighbor, to offer a listening ear, to be a faithful witness even in the work environment, to stand up for those who are less fortunate, or even to resist peer pressure at school and offer an alternative to those observing. Who knows? What we do know is that God is regularly about the business of surprising us with where God shows up, who God uses, and what God accomplishes.
The storms we experienced this past week are a strong reminder of the fragility of life. Whenever we face these types of disasters, especially now, since we have just emerged from our own catastrophic experience, we begin to rethink what is important, how we spend our time, and what we want to spend our time and energy on. We are more willing to extend mercy when others don’t meet our expectations and recognize that even we fall short from time to time. We want to savor life, and we should. Every moment is precious, and every moment is an opportunity to grow – to break open and sprout – to face the elements of the world we live in and to grow and to thrive and to learn and to nurture and to heal.
Just as a gardener tends to a plant, we can care for ourselves and each other, fostering environments where vulnerability is met with understanding and support. Over time, a plant flourishes and bears fruit-- its openness proving vital to its purpose and beauty. Similarly, vulnerability, though daunting, often leads to profound growth and connection.
As we complete our Lenten journey, begin Holy Week and prepare to celebrate Easter, take notice of what God is doing, and even as death is assumed to have the last word, God shows up and Jesus is raised from the dead.
Jesus’ followers expected his crucifixion to be the end of the story; it turned out to be just the beginning. Amen.
