Week 1: Fast from distraction and for love of others in the beloved community.

Reflection

When Jesus sees the crowds following him in Galilee, he climbs a mountain, not to get a better view, but to draw together his closest followers so that he could form a nation of love. Just as Moses climbed Mt. Sinai to give the instructions (Torah) that formed the nation of Israel, so Jesus climbs a mountain to show that he wants to form a people who will live together in an extraordinary way.

The phrase “a nation of love” sounds odd. We think of nations as entities that maintain borders, collect taxes, and send athletes to the Olympics, but the word “nation,” which is derived from the Latin natio (to be born), hints at what Jesus wants. Jesus calls for revolution so radical that it means starting over, being “born again” into a new way of being together called the kingdom of God.

In the midst of a divided, embattled world, Jesus exhorts us to imagine a people who live in love and unity with each other in spite of real differences, a people who live a new politics (polis means “city” or “living together”). We do this not just for our own sake, but to bless the world. Jesus begins his formative teaching with the Beatitudes, a vision of who we are to esteem in this new nation.

Action (Commune)

For these first three days, we’ll focus on loving people in the new community that Jesus is gathering together.

While Jesus told us to “love one another,” he didn’t spend a lot of time telling us how to love. Instead, he talked a lot about distractions, such as money and status, that steal our energy away from love. Identify a distraction that you want to give up for the next couple of days. Perhaps you can give up television or a favorite social media app. In the time that opens by fasting from this distraction, consider ways that you might express love to brothers or sisters in Christ.

Jesus wants to gather us together into a “city on a hill” to bear light to other nations. Jesus wants a group of people who model the way of love. As you listen to Jesus, consider who you might invite to do these Lenten exercises with you. Reach out today to a friend, someone from church, and/or a small group and invite them join you on this Lenten journey. Plan a regular check-in time each Wednesday (if possible) when you can commune with these Lenten exercise partners.

As you start this “Love for Lent” journey, if you haven’t read through the overview, you might want to do so now.