No Way Lord! Reflection on the Lenten Walk… Ashes: what the fire leaves behind. Dust: what wind, rain and decomposition leave behind. What can we leave behind on this Journey to the Cross? “Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” (Mark 8:31-33) Imagine the worst news we’ve ever heard: that your community has been destroyed in a storm; finding out that your friend had been killed in an accident or has a terrible disease; the day your pet died. Did you think, at first, “It’s a mistake — that can’t be right?” Maybe that’s what the disciples thought when Jesus told them straight up, “I’m going to be killed in Jerusalem.” No way Lord! You can control storms and demons…surely you can sidestep the authorities. The people love you, man; nobody wants to kill you. And if you’re so sure that the Temple leaders will arrest you, why don’t we just stay in Galilee? Nobody’s making you go to Jerusalem! But we know some hard times we can’t dodge…that’s a Lenten lesson as we start our walk together. To get to Easter, we have to go through the Cross. When Jesus calls Peter “Satan,” he means for us to see: 1) No, I really have to do this, because it’s God’s way of complete love for his creation, and 2) It would be easy to try to skate around this one, so 3) Don’t tempt me to find the easy way out. But pray with me: “42 Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet, not my will but yours be done. Jesus’ call to us this Lenten season… ”Walk with me instead.” Walking With Jesus, Pastor Paul