Today is Fat Tuesday. Yesterday a lumber yard caught fire in Edwardsville, Illinois, and some 1,300 homes lost power in zero-degree temperatures. Similar losses of power throughout the entire state of Texas. I’m watching all this sitting in front of my fireplace. Who’s fat?
I began yesterday’s Seminary class with a prayer for the homeless and for those whose homes have insufficient heat in these frigid temperatures. Prayed for first responders and social workers who minister to hurting people. Again, I’m doing this on-line from the comfort of my home. Who’s fat?
Unemployment benefits will expire March 14, but I’m ok. Almost 500,000 have died from Covid, but I’m still alive. Maybe you have lost someone you love to the pandemic. Maybe you’ve lost your job, your power, your hope. You have oh so much loss and hurt to lay before God as we transition into Lent, but what about those of us who are getting by?
Yesterday’s Seminary class pondered 1 Kings 17. Famine in the land. A widow preparing a last meal before she and her son die. Elijah comes to her, not to anyone else who was hurting, comes to her, tells her to have faith, and she’s taken care of. Then her son dies. She’s bitter. “How would you preach this text?” I asked. The students were stymied. So much in this story is just not right. Who’s fat?
Today is also called “Shrove Tuesday.” Shrove is the past tense of shrive, to obtain absolution by confessing and doing penance. Are we going deep when we who are relatively well-off talk about our sin? “Only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:23). A senator told fellow senators, “We have luxury and avarice, public distress and private superfluity; we extol wealth and yield to indolence… Each of you focuses on his individual interest.” What American senator said that? None, it was the Roman Cato 2000 years ago. “All have sinned and are still falling short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
The widow’s son was raised to life, and we will be in the resurrection of all flesh. Our hope is not an excuse for complacency. You have to think about your own situation, but here’s the sin I’ll ponder this Lent. Not knowing enough about life for the disadvantaged. Not doing enough to help. “We have sinned…by what we have left undone” (from Confession and Absolution, Lutheran Service Book, 167).