Fifth Sunday of Lent
Regardless of time, culture, and identity---certain thoughts chronically bubble forth from the human psyche. Generation after generation we wonder “Who am I?” and “Why is the sky blue?” and the origins of love.
“We wish to see Jesus” is a soulful request whispered, prayed, proclaimed, and lamented by millions of people. Consciously or not, most of us have muttered this words at some point in our journey. At a crossroads, facing great fears or deep in the desert we hunger for road sign (or maybe a color-coded detailed topographic map)! Some kind of indication Jesus is present with us here and our lives have not veered tragically off-course.
When this group of Greeks came to worship at the Passover Feast and uttered “We wish to see Jesus” we are reminded of the great complexity of faith present for Jesus’ followers even from the earliest days. We do not know the tone and can’t quite tease out their agenda. Context tells us some but more importantly we remember in Lent that questions about Jesus’ identity haunt all of us.
We gather in communities of faith to grapple with ageless questions like,
- What does it mean to “lose” my life?
- How can we be a servant and a leader?
- How do we “glorify God’s name” without disrespecting other traditions?
These forty days of Lent invite deep reflection for all of us. I pray you whisper, hope, or pray “We wish to see Jesus” this week and this search for Christ’s light among our campus community!
Rev. Rebecca Boardman serves as the ELCA Lutheran Campus Pastor for SLU & Washington University in St Louis.
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