Fifth Sunday of Lent—The Windshield

Sometimes I forget that, just a few years ago, cars did not have air conditioning. We only had floor vents, vent windows, and fan. Today, without the vent windows or floor vents, we depend on air conditioning to regulate our comfort.

As amazing as that is, it is even harder to believe that the car was invented without a windshield. Hats, goggles, scarves, dusters, and gloves were part of automobile wear. Quickly though the windshield became an essential part of the driving experience. Later space program technologies merged glass and plastic to give us the modern molded transparent shield that, by protecting us from the elements, insects, and flying debris, makes modern highway speeds comfortable.

There is that problem of being able to see through it. Rain, snow, fog, frost, and dirt impede our vision and make driving dangerous. Windshield washers, wipers, and defrosters are standard equipment because it is important to be able to see clearly where we are going.

One day while driving I encountered part of the monarch butterfly migration. At first, I saw the many beautiful butterflies. Then in seconds they were all over my windshield obscuring the road. I felt sad by the many deaths recorded on my windshield, but so grateful for the windshield fluid and wipers that saved my life.

Similarly, although we remember the days before the ELCA and before women were able to be ordained and although we remember changes in the way we worship and the frequency of celebrating Eucharist, we often forget that there was a time before God’s justifying work in Jesus. There was a time when we tried to live righteously enough on our own to merit God’s eternal love. It did not take long, historically speaking, to realize the need for a better way of seeing God’s way for us.

With the cleansing waters of baptism, with wipers of forgiveness, and the defrosting breath of the Holy Spirit, Christ’s window to God’s resurrection world is revealed before us, and we can clearly see through the debris that would obscure our vision.

One of the earliest commands of the church, given to Paul for his Gentile ministry, is to remember the poor. We are reminded of these words from Galatians when, at the end of worship, we hear, “Go in peace. Remember the poor.”

In a world without windshields, the poor are to be avoided, but looking through the windshield of Christ, the poor are given to us as a gift and an immediate ministry opportunity. Social injustice and prejudice become opportunities for speaking the gospel and lifting up the social dead into the possibilities of resurrection living.

As we drive along the ways of Christ’s glorious leading, let us be mindful of the vision ahead and remember that our view is through Christ, in his suffering death and resurrection.