Here are the readings for the 5th Sunday in Lent:
Ezekiel 37:1-14; Psalm 130; Romans 8:6-11; John 11:1-45.
Around here the daffodils and forsythia are up and blooming and the tulips are just starting to show their colors. These are signs of spring. Today, the sun is even out. In other parts of the North America, snow still lingers or blows as it drifts and piles up. Such is early spring.
These readings this week remind me of new life - of life breaking forth - and also point towards resurrection (although one might argue these are more about resuscitation than resurrection). But for me they also ask the question: What binds us?
What binds us? Lazareth comes out of the grave bound, and Jesus commands the crowd the "unbind him." Somehow Lazareth needs to be set free. Yet, Ezekiel seems to be binding up the dry bones with ligaments and muscles and ... The dry bones need to be bound to be free.
Such is the paradox of life: We need boundaries to be whole, and yet sometimes our boundaries cripple us. How do we set appropriate boundaries? What binds us, for good and for ill?
During this time of Lent, may we experience good bindings of compassion, love, humor, and justice.
During this time of Lent, may we experience the wisdom and courage to correct those bindings that limit us and others.
Blessed Be,
Joel
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