Second Sunday of Lent—Are We Running Out of Gas?

As you look at the dashboard, there are a couple of gauges that always draw my attention. They are above one another in our current car. One of these gauges is the temperature gauge and the other is the fuel gauge. It is interesting to me that these two gauges are so close because they are related to one another.

If your engine is cold, your fuel economy is poor. If your engine gets too hot, it will also lose its fuel economy. What is important to know is the proper running temperature for your vehicle. The other thing to know is how many gallons your tank holds. Keeping track of these two gauges will help you keep your car on the road and guard against engine troubles that may or may not show up on what we familiarly call the idiot lights. They also tell us when we need to visit the gas or service station for work that we might need. There are other things that we can do to help maintain our cars so that they perform at the top of their efficiency levels making sure that our fuel supply lasts as long as possible and that our air remains clean.

I think that it might be helpful to have these kinds of gauges for our faith lives. Are we running cold and inefficient? Or, are we running on empty? Do we need to exercise our faith more in order to warm up the faith engine of our lives? Do we need to get filled up so that we have the energy to do the work that needs to be done?

The temperature word in Scripture is passion. Sometimes compound elements are added. For instance, we see that Jesus had com-passion for people. We also see that his temperature gauge gets very hot when he throws the money-changers and merchants out of the temple. We see his passion in his teachings and his actions and we, with the people of his time, marvel at what he can do.

We celebrate with those who are healed by Jesus’ touch of com-passion. We receive wholeness from him from his passion of the Cross when we hear those words, that make us justified with God, “Father, forgive then for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23: 34 NRSV) And, ironically, as Jesus is filled with the Holy Spirit after baptism when the heavens are opened, so we are filled with the joy of the resurrection when we witness the emptiness of the tomb on Easter morning.

We come to the building of the church to meet with others in Bible study and other meetings in order to check our communal and personal running temperature. We come to hear and study God’s word for us and discern Christ’s passion-ate and com-passionate leading so that our temperature gauges register active and efficient distribution of our spiritual fuel, that is, the means of grace and com-passion. In doing this, we recognize that the spiritual fuel energy is not our own but something that needs to be used with spiritual passion for adequate power and efficiency.

We also come to the building of the church for times of worship when we are filled with the vision for the journey and the road ahead, understanding that what we have been given must be given away. For grace, unlike gasoline, increases as it is used.

So it is that the words of forgiveness continue to satisfy us and the meal of Christ’s presence continues to feed us with an abundance that has leftovers for the world in their elements and the service of our lives.

Like so many things in life, it is important to know where the service stations are, both for getting work done and filling the tank. It is also important to properly identify the correct gauge. It does no good to mix up your gauges.

As I pulled out of the driveway one morning, I noticed that I was almost out of gas. Two miles later, I was comforted by noticing that the indicator read half full. It was not until I got to the gas station that I remembered that I had filled the tank the day before, and I had been reading the temperature not the fuel gauge.

So we need to remember that action in ministry helps to keep our passion temperature up while there are times when we in worship come to be filled and informed about the journey ahead of us. Reading the gauge of our spiritual engines is important because we need to get moving and get warmed up, and we need to know when to get filled up. We, therefore, have opportunities for learning from our teacher in Bible study and times for worshipping our God. We need both for proper operation in the kingdom of God.

Prayer of the Day

O God, by the passion of your blessed Son you made an instrument of shameful death to be for us the means of life. Grant us so to glory in the cross of Christ that we may gladly suffer shame and loss for the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen