In Solidarity

Yesterday was International Women’s Day and I was pleasantly surprised by the number of men posting about it in my facebook feed. They were offering words of thanks and encouragement for women in their lives and around the world, standing in solidarity with us.

As the war in Ukraine continues I have been amazed by how quickly the people have mobilized and how organized Poland has been in welcoming well over one million refugees. People have shown up at train stations with signs of how many they can take into their homes. Mothers have left their own children’s strollers on Polish train platforms for fleeing moms to use. Food has been coordinated as well as other needed supplies. All around the world people have shown their own signs of solidarity with Ukraine, from giving to aid organizations to booking and paying for air bnbs they have no intention of visiting to putting up Ukrainian flags.

All of this I think about as I prepare worship from Mark 10:17-31 for this weekend. It’s the second Sunday of Lent and the story takes place on Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem. There is a rich man who wants eternal life and is nervous that he hasn’t done enough to obtain it. He’s a faithful Jew , adhering to the laws, but wants to make sure he’s got ‘fire insurance’.

Jesus challenges him to sell his possessions, give his money to the poor, and follow Him. The man goes away sad and grieving because he just can’t do it. He can’t imagine losing his identity, status and place in the family and community. It’s just too much. Jesus talks with the disciples about how hard it will be for the wealthy to enter the kingdom of heaven. Peter sounds somewhat self-righteous as he reminds Jesus that the disciples have all left family and job security behind to follow Him. Jesus assures them that their sacrifices for His sake and the kingdom of heaven will be rewarded.

The story reminds me that while we in the west often view millionaires as the wealthy among us, billions of people would love to live in my two bedroom apartment with a closet overflowing with clothes, internet access and clean water. Someone had been sleeping in the lobby to my building until complaints were made to the police and now that door is locked at night. My privilege and education have shielded me from being in that man’s shoes, welcoming the chance to sleep in a jail cell to escape the cold.

Are all of us called to sell everything we own to follow Jesus? In Canadian winter especially it’s just not practical. The work of the kingdom would be very hard to do if we were all nomads without housing. But I believe that living out the vision of the kingdom of heaven requires us to hold on to our wealth, status and power loosely and to remember that all we have came from and belongs to God. We should readily be sharing it, standing in solidarity with the poor and oppressed and blurring the lines of what is ours and what is theirs.

As Lent reminds us of Jesus’ willingness to sacrifice for all of us, we are challenged to not just live by the rule book but to live out of relationship to God and each other. Jesus invites us to stand in solidarity with the have nots and the suffering, and in so doing to access the kingdom of heaven and bring it among us more and more. May we have the courage and trust to follow where He leads us, leaving behind whatever stops us from embracing His vision for a renewed world.