Lent 5, Year C 2025

By Ben Cluff, Lay Preacher
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of all our hearts be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer. 
On the last Sunday after Epiphany, Rev. Heather asked us, “How will we make ourselves more available to God this Lent?”
On Ash Wednesday, Rev. Heather and Rev. Ted extended an invitation to the Observance of a Holy Lent, with these words, “You are invited, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s Holy Word. And to make a right beginning of repentance.”
I would ask that we keep this in mind as we consider the words of today’s gospel reading. 
And in today’s gospel, there is a lot going on here. We are in Bethany, at the home of Lazarus, Martha, and Mary. It is 6 days before the Passover. 
Lazarus’ death and resurrection by Jesus had very recently occurred. Many people of the Jewish faith had turned to Jesus upon witnessing what Jesus did. 
This fact concerned the Pharisees and high priests. This concerned to the plans for Jesus' crucifixion. The chief priests and Pharisees had given a commandment that if anyone knew where Jesus was, they should report it so that Jesus might be taken in. There was even a report that Lazarus was wanted as well for the role he played in so many turning to follow Jesus.
So we are able to imagine that there might be some tension in the air in the larger social context. And in this setting, we are presented with the scene in the home of Lazarus. 
And in the spirit of our Invitation to the Observance of a Holy Lent, I would like us to consider the individuals in today’s lesson as points of reference for our own self-reflection. 
Let us consider Lazarus - a person who has been resurrected: How many of us have had transformative experiences, experiences that have changed our lives? What have we done or not done as a result of having had those experiences? 
Did the experience open our hearts?, 
Did the experience recalibrate our gratitude meter, so speak? Did the experience change the way we see the world? And as a result, alter the way we participate in the world? 
Let us now consider Martha - we encounter Martha more than once in the New Testament. Martha is busy being in service, and maybe she is a little anxious or nervous. In today’s lesson, we are provided a simple description, “Martha served”. 
If you remember in the Gospel of Saint Luke, in the 10th chapter, 
Martha is busy preparing and serving Jesus, her sister Marysit sat Jesus’ feet. Martha complains to Jesus, “My sister left me to do all the work, tell her to help me.” 
Jesus responds to Martha, “Martha, Martha you are worried and distracted by many things.” 
How many of us keep busy to distract ourselves? Or as a way of putting our nervous energy to use? 
Yet again, how many of us are of the opinion that actions speak louder than words? 
And in the spirit of making ourselves more available to God, how many of us are mindful about our service? Are we contemplative in our service or is it just busy work?
And let us now consider Mary: We have also met Mary in the Gospel of Saint Luke, as she sits at the feet of Jesus listening to him. 
In response to Martha’s complaint Jesus says, “Mary has chosen what is better, it will not be taken from her.” 
And in today’s lesson, Mary plays such an active and intimate role in anointing Jesus feet with oil and wiping his feet with her hair. Generally, anointing being a gesture of hospitality, but here it foretells and anticipates Jesus’ death and represents a preparation of Jesus’ body for burial. 
Have we been successful in our efforts to quiet ourselves and listen? 
To be contemplative and available to God? Are we able to pay tribute? 
Are we able to prepare for death? 
Are we able to openly and intimately put our faith on display?
And finally, we arrive at considering Judas. He is the only one to whom we are given a peek into his thoughts and motives, at least parenthetically. 
Our other participants are described: 
Lazarus was present. 
Martha served. 
Mary annointed. 
Judas offers up the hypocritical concern, Why was perfume not sold? The money could be given to the poor; and then parenthetically, “He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.” We are also told that Judas is the one who will betray Jesus. 
How many of us have been hypocritical in our thoughts, words, and deeds?
How many of us have been dishonest? Deceitful? 
How many of us have been less than loyal, Or downright betrayed a person; a loved one? 
Or betrayed a principle? 
We are five weeks into this Lenten journey. Next Sunday is Palm Sunday and we enter Holy Week. 
How are you doing? 
Are you ok? 
How are we doing? 
Now that we have entertained these questions through the participants in our gospel reading; 
How have we accepted the invitation offered on Ash Wednesday, all those weeks ago? To engage in self-examination and repentance? 
Bolstered by our faith, this self-examination, this taking stock or inventory does seem to require some honesty, open-mindedness, and willingness. 
Some old teachers of mine have made the following analogy to this discipline; 
“A business which takes no regular inventory usually goes broke. Taking a commercial inventory is a fact-finding and fact facing process. It is an effort to discover the truth about the stock-in-trade. One object is to disclose damaged or unsaleable goods, to get rid of them promptly and without regret. If the owner of the business is to be successful, they cannot fool themselves about values.” 
As we approach the final weeks of this journey, are we able to thank God from the bottom of our hearts, that we feel we know God better?
Do we feel as if we have indeed, made ourselves more available to God? 
Those same teachers of mine, that I mentioned, taught me this prayer that I have found helpful, particularly on the heels of time spent in self-examination: 
“My Creator, I am now willing that you should have all of me, good and bad. 
I pray that you now remove from me every single defect of character which stands in the way of my usefulness to you and my fellows. Grant me strength as I go out from here to do your bidding. In Jesus name, Amen.” 
4th Edition The New Oxford Annotated Bible, Oxford University Press 
Alcoholics Anonymous, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. 
Gospel of Saint Luke 10:38-42
Isaiah 43:16-21 
Philippians 3:4b-14 
John 12:1-8 
Psalm 126 

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