Grounded (2015-03-22, Lent)

5^th Sunday of Lent, 22 March 2015

• 2 Jeremiah 31:31-34  • Psalm  51 • Hebrews 5:7-9 • John 12:20-33  •

[__01__]    Being grounded is good news. That is, being grounded in the ways of the Gospel, being “grounded” in the methods of our Savior’s faith and love is good news.

[__02__]    Sometimes, of course, we object to the experience of being grounded because it indicates a lack of freedom, or time of confinement, the red card of soccer, the penalty box of ice hockey.

Being grounded means, perhaps, a delay or a restriction.

If we were about to board a flight on United or American Airlines and if the plane had mechanical difficulties or if there were a snowstorm in late March (that never happens), we could be grounded/stranded at Newark or JFK.

For young people – or for us when we lived under the direct supervision of our parents – we did not welcome “being grounded”.  We would not be able to go out, to see our friends, perhaps because we had not followed some instruction.

This would be the penalty box or red card from our mother/father as referee.

[__03__]  However, in the method and language of our Savior, being grounded is good news.

That is, in order for Jesus to be raised up, to be resurrected, he was first GROUNDED.

As we profess in our Creed (Nicene Creed), he suffered death and was buried.

Jesus dies on the cross for our sins. As St. Paul writes to the Corinthians:

“For our sake, he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that

in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 

(2 Corinthians 5:21)

[__04__]    Jesus, the Son of God, unites himself to our human nature – as true God and true man  / divine and human – he takes our sinful nature, puts these sins to death, so that he and you and I could rise to new life.

Being grounded is good news.

And, this is the Gospel message of John this Sunday:

“Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” (John 12:24-25)

 [__05__]   At times, in the Gospel, we observe a lack of roots or stability -  or grounding in the disciples.

For example, consider that Jesus was denied three times (3x) by Peter.  These denials are Peter’s responses to the suggestion that he – Peter – is an companion / friend of with Jesus. They have overheard Peter’s Galilean accent; they have seen Peter in public with our Lord.

So, naturally, Peter is associated with our Savior. Yet, Peter does not wish to be grounded, to be located, to be confined to the latitude and longitude of our Savior’s prison cell or even his neighborhood.  Me? From Galilee? I do not know the man.

Sometimes, for us to know the Lord, to know his will for u s, we simply are called to accept where we are, who we are … in our lives. It is good news to be grounded.  We can bear great fruit in this ground, this earth.

[__06__]  For example …consider the example of Martha and Mary, at their home. They are Martha an Mary, the 2 sisters of Bethany. Jesus visited them at their home.

What we observe is the activity – and altitude above the earth – of Martha – at least 10,000 or 30,000 feet, whereas Mary sits at the feet of our Lord listening.

In prayer, we are called to come down to earth. It is Good News to be grounded.

[__07__] For example, consider the parable of Lazarus, the poor beggar and rich man.

Lazarus, the beggar is – to say the least – grounded and located at the rich man’s doorstep. We could imagine that he would have to leap at least a few inches (or feet? ..vertical jump?)  off the ground to evade Lazarus.

Am I – are we – evading – escaping – opportunities to be generous.

It is good to be ambitious, to work hard, to have aspirations, to make money.

At the same time, don’t we do all of these things not only for our own flight and freedom but also for the security of others, …

..it is Good news to be grounded