lenten blog | March 27, 2025

Opening Day's Example

Throughout the year, the Southern New England Conference of the United Church of Christ reproduces the Daily Lectionary for use by churches.  These are the suggested readings for March 27th:  Joshua 4:1-13; Psalm 32; and 2 Corinthians 4:16 - 5:5.  I would encourage you to read these short selections as part of your Lenten practice.

The Red Sox play their first game of the 2025 season today in Texas.  The past several years have not been banner ones for the organization.  Improvements have been made, but holes remain.  However, on Opening Day, hope springs eternal.  The Sox won it all in 2007, 2013 and 2018, but for as fun as they were, none can compare to 2004.  I was so angry when the Red Sox were down 3-0 against the Yankees in the American League Championship that I took down my Red Sox sign in the window facing the road.  Then they clawed their way back somehow and beat New York, and then almost as an afterthought they went on to sweep the Cardinals in the World Series.  That was a feeling that would be hard to replicate.

In our Bible study group, we recently completed our discussion of the Book of Joshua and are now reading from the Book of Judges.  It’s obvious that Joshua is a stylized telling of the conquest story while Judges offers a more nuanced, historical perspective.  You’re welcome to join us at our next meeting to hear more about this.  Joshua’s conquest of the Promised Land is organized, thorough and often miraculous.  Judges does not shy away from the messier aspects of Israel’s emergence.  In the more historical account, the emergence of the people of Israel and its devotion to Yahweh their God are a slow and often times fraught journey.  When it does come about, after reading the stories about how often it may have failed, there’s a feeling of amazement and even benediction.  It’s 2004 on steroids.

Onto this we add Paul’s analogy of “the earthly tent we live in.”  Paul speaks as one who has read Plato more than once.  Paul contrasts the afflictions and burdens we experience in this life with the “eternal weight of glory beyond all measure” we hope for in the next life.  Our sufferings are for a time, says Paul, but the promised glory is forever.  This hope is a powerful motivator.  As Paul begins today’s selection, he argues its purpose is “[s]o we do not lose heart.”  Paul tells all those who face trial and affliction that as people of faith “we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen.”  Paul rejoices in the resurrection promise that God will awaken us on the other side now “clothed with our heavenly dwelling.”  I wish I knew more about medicine so that I could close this paragraph with the next step up from “It’s 2004 on steroids.”  Since I don’t, let us realize that Paul and those first believers in Corinth suffered terribly for their faith, but that same faith gave them the hope in something far greater, and that hope gave them the ability to persevere.

There are many unpleasantries in the world today.  Many things that can shock a person of faith.  Sometimes we can only see the negative.  Paul’s example today is that there is always the positive to be seen, to be trusted, and to be used as a motivator to keep up the fight, to not give in, to work toward the victory of a better tomorrow.  There’s always hope on Opening Day, and there’s always hope every day when we believe and trust in Christ crucified and also Christ resurrected.

If you would like to join us for our online Bible study, please send an email to [email protected] for the Zoom logins.
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If you’d like, here is the link to the Southern New England Conference’s daily reading schedule:  www.sneucc.org/lectionary.