Have you heard about the suggested solution to our airline security troubles – that passengers be allowed, even encouraged, to fly with no clothes on? It was a joke not long after 9/11 that has received even more airtime after the botched underwear explosion of that Delta flight from Amsterdam to Detroit this past Christmas.
Homeland Security Secretary, Janet Napolitano, was recently cited as saying, “They won’t be able to hide any powders or liquids, and they’ll speed right through security. This is a win-win.” I’m pretty sure that was a joke as well, but it does make you think – even if those thoughts aren’t always so pretty. (Suddenly, it may be almost worth the risk NOT to buckle your seatbelt!)
But seriously, it makes me think about Lent, too, and our walk of faith as Christian people.
These days of Lent are about reflection and repentance. They are about coming clean before God about the sinfulness of our hearts and minds and lives that needs forgiving. These days are about laying bare our sins and our shame and our very souls so that God can redeem what we otherwise cover up, hide and fear acknowledging the most.
Still, while the thought of it all isn’t always pretty, the greatest gift of Lent is that no matter how difficult it may be to admit what God already knows, these days are filled with promise. We are invited, in spite of our sins, to be fully known before the cross. And we’re called to trust that we will walk from the empty tomb clothed in righteousness and joy, covered with forgiveness and love, redeemed from the inside out – for all of eternity – by God’s amazing grace.
See you in worship,
+Mark
