First Sunday in Lent (Year A)

Romans 5.12-19 (NLT[1]):

12When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. 13Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. 14Still, everyone died — from the time of Adam to the time of Moses — even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come. 15But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. 16And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. 17For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.

18Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. 19Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.

Other readings: Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7; Psalm 32; Matthew 4:1-11

The Collect:

Abba God, whose blessed Child was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan: Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations; and, as you know all of our weaknesses, let each one of us find you powerful to save; through Jesus the Christ your Child our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

                                   

As this is the First Sunday of Lent, I thought I’d choose a different path than I’ve taken in the past. I’ve decided to reflect on St. Paul’s letter to the Romans rather than the Gospel. Besides, we all know the Gospel passage, right? It’s mentioned in the Prayer above — Jesus is led into the wilderness by the Spirit where he fasts and prays for forty days. While he’s there, he’s tempted by the Satan but overcomes each temptation.

Lent is a time of “Spring Cleaning” — of taking inventory of our lives and seeing what’s been cluttering up like dust bunnies under the bed or refrigerator. The purpose of which is to lead us to clean out the dust bunnies in preparation for the resurrection of Christ on the “first day” of New Creation. A lot of people take this time of preparation to “give up” the dust bunnies — certain foods, luxuries, alcohol, etc. — while others “take on” things to their lives — prayer, serving the poor, helping their neighbors, and so on.

Recently I saw an Instagram post that stated, “This year for Lent, why not give up self-hatred, self-doubt, and self-condemnation?” And while those are big issues for a lot of us, I’m seeing something else from Romans 5.

There are some people who genuinely hate others. They may hate others for the color of their skin. They may hate others for whom they love. They may hate others because they speak a different language or have a different political view or practice a different faith tradition. Whatever the case, some people just hate others. And, since followers of Jesus are to be like God, then they feel justified in their hatred because (supposedly) “God hates people, too” (see Romans 9.10-13).

But I see in Romans 5 (and pretty much the entire letter), Paul making the case to give up hatred of others, particularly non-Jewish followers of Jesus and their arrogant view of their Jewish kin in the faith. Previously, in chapter 3, Paul declared “both Jews and non-Jews are all under the power of sin” and “All have sinned and fall short of God’s glory” (3.9, 23). In chapter 5, he explains how that happened.

Paul stated that the “Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone” (5.18). That is, because of Adam’s failure, death spread to everyone because “everyone sinned” (5.12). Now we can debate what “death” is meant here, but it’s not the place. The point Paul’s making is we’re all the same. All of us. Even those with whom we differ. Paul is putting us all in the same basket. As he says later, “God has imprisoned everyone in disobedience” (Romans 11.32; cf. Galatians 3.22).

Certainly, some of those people who hate others could say something like, “Well, I’m a Christian and they’re obviously not.” That is, they might see themselves as somehow better than others because of some arbitrary reason. Others might feel they have completely rational reasons for their hatred of others. “They’re all murderers, rapists, and terrorists!” Or, “They’re living lives of debauchery by loving people of the same sex!”

But, again, Paul’s saying we’re all the same. All of us. “Everyone has sinned.” He’s trying to make us see that there is no difference between us and “them.” There’s no “good guys” versus “bad guys.” There’s no “pure bloods” versus “muggled bloods.” There’s only humanity. We might have different cultures, languages, beliefs, but there’s only one human race.

However, Paul doesn’t stop there. And this is his main point — “Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone” (5.18; emphasis added).

Read that again.

Because of Christ all of us now have the Life of the Ages and a right relationship with God! Certainly, we can hinder that relationship. We can act inappropriate toward others (and, by extension, God), but that doesn’t change the fact that Christ’s “one act of righteousness” brought us those gifts. As Paul said in another letter, “In the same way that everyone dies in Adam, so also everyone will be given life in Christ” (1 Corinthians 15.22; CEB[2]).

So all of “those” people we think are so different from us have all been given the Life of the Ages! They, too, have been given a right relationship with God! There is no difference between us. As Paul says in his letter to the Galatians, “There’s no longer Jew or non-Jew, slave or free, male and female. For you’re all one in Christ Jesus.” (3.28; NLT; adapted).

What does all of this have to do with Lent? 

I’m thinking this Lent, what if we “give up” seeing other people as, well, “others”? What if we “take on” seeing them as our brothers and sisters? What if we “give up” seeing the differences between us and “take on” seeing the parts that are the same? What if we think of them as better than us (Philippians 2.3)? This Lenten season, let’s “give up” our hatred of others and “take on” ways of serving them with Love and Respect.

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In the Love of the Three in One,

Br. Jack+, LC

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[1] Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation, Inc. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

[2] Scripture quotations marked (CEB) are taken from The Common English Bible. Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible.