Wednesday, March 10, 2021

Wednesday in the Second Week of Lent

Susan Mennel

The Collect of the Day

Give ear to our prayers, O Lord, and direct the way of your servants in safety under your protection, that, amid all the changes of our earthly pilgrimage, we may be guarded by your mighty aid; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Readings: Deuteronomy 4: 1-9 Psalm 78: 1-6 Matthew 5: 17-19

All three of today’s readings are excerpts from scriptures relating to the Law.

The Old Testament lesson from Deuteronomy, the fifth and last book of Moses (c. 1500 B.C.), is essentially a long list of laws.

Psalm 78 (c. 1000 B.C.) is a history of the “stubborn and rebellious” lawlessness of the people in the Promised Land. It’s like reading the front page of a 2021 A.D. newspaper.

Even in the Gospel, the Law gets big attention. Matthew records Christ’s words about it, as part of his long Sermon on the Mount:

“Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished...”

Taken out of context, this is a perplexing passage. Within the Gospel context, Jesus follows these words with examples that reveal what “fulfilling the law” would mean. It’s not just outward obedience to the law. It’s an inward transformation of the heart from anger and hatred and self-seeking to a heart filled with love and forgiveness and generosity.

I was still unsettled by today’s readings until I suddenly remembered one of the jokes of my faith-filled father. The ending adds the vital dimension missing from Matthew’s account. I laughed and regained peace in a moment of grace, so I’ll share it with you.

My dad’s story was about a newcomer to heaven who started to walk straight through the pearly gates.

“Whoa! Stop right there!” said St. Peter, standing nearby. “You can’t just walk through those gates! You have to have 100 points to get in there.”

“How do I do that?” asked the man. Peter told him to think about it.

“Well, I did teach Sunday School for a year.”

“Good!” said Peter. “That’s 5 points!”
The man thought some more and said, “Well, when I was farming, I had a neighbor who was sick at harvest time, and I harvested his crop for him.”

“Good!” said Peter. “That’s 5 points!”
Then the man said that he had just remembered his year of working at the Salvation Army soup kitchen.

“Good!” said Peter. “That’s 5 points!” After a long pause, the man said:

“I can’t think of anything else. I guess if I’m going to get into heaven, it’s just going to have to be by the grace of God.”

“Great!” said St. Peter. “That’s 85 points!”