Year B Lent IV Numbers 21:4-9; John 3:14-21

With the probable exception of those born blind, most human beings have, to a greater or lesser extent, a fear of the dark. For varying reasons, this can be magnified in childhood. I remember as a child being terrified that something scary lived in my bedroom closet. To this day, I don’t understand why my parents wouldn’t let me have a nightlight, but they allowed me use of the family flashlight instead. Much to their chagrin, I routinely ran down the batteries in that flashlight making sure no shadow monsters were emerging from the closet and into my room.

One great comfort, when dark nights and monsters seemed threatening, was my mother. Though some children have not had it so, for most folks, mothers are a comfort, and a support for us for as long as they live. Even after they leave us to go home to God, their positive influence can remain. Mothers are people who bring us joy, and here we are today, in the dark, cold season that Lent can sometimes become, on a truly glorious and joyful Sunday.

In the Episcopal/Anglican Church, the Lutheran Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and in any church that uses liturgical colour altar and pulpit hangings, as we do at Mystic Side, today is the day for the colour Rose, that which honours Mary, the mother of Jesus. Episcopalians call today the Sunday of Refreshment. In some denominations, especially among our Roman Catholic friends and neighbors, the Fourth Sunday in Lent is known as Laetare Sunday, from the Latin word meaning “rejoice.” In Great Britain, today is Mother’s Day. What a happy day in the middle of a penitential season. No fear of monsters in the dark today.

The people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food.” Then the Lord sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died.

Now there’s something of which to be truly afraid.

Anyone with any sense will stay away from snakes, but the Children of Israel were suddenly set upon, taken by surprise, by snakes that bit them, so that many of them died. Yes, indeed, a real-life type of monster. This happened because the Israelites were grumbling against not just Moses, but God. Big mistake! But we can’t really blame them – they were wandering in the desert, hungry, hot, thirsty. They may have been desperate. They may have feared a death of another kind before the snakes arrived.

Of course, we know that God heard their cry – heard it as one would hear a child waking a mother, or a protector, out of fear – and God had Moses set up the bronze serpent on a pole and those who would look on it would live. Our reading from Numbers talks about a real fear of bodily harm – a fear of death in a natural way. Yet, underneath that natural fear was darkness, a darkness brought on the Israelites by cursing God. Under their fear was their sin of not believing that God would keep the promise of bringing them to a land of milk and honey.

Jesus said, “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life.”

In today’s Gospel reading Jesus speaks of Moses, of snakes, and of being lifted up, as Moses lifted up the bronze serpent. His words are frightening, and those who heard Him must have felt they were in the dark as to their meaning. Jesus said a number of things that were confusing and/or frightening to His followers, and none more so than in the time period from which our Gospel reading comes, toward the end of His life, when He hinted at what was to happen to Him.

To not understand, and certainly the disciples did not immediately understand what Jesus was telling them, is to be in the dark. This can be frightening. Yet, understanding what Jesus is saying, the news of His coming death, would also fill His disciples with fear. Which way does one turn? Where is comfort? And Jesus follows His first statement, with this one.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but may have eternal life.

And there it is! The great Truth! Jesus lifted up on the cross has saved us from our sins, the sins that spell death for us, and in His resurrection has won for us eternal life. It is this news, filled with love, that takes away our fear. It is the sort of love our mother might express to calm us, to reassure us in the face of the terrifying.

In today’s Gospel we are offered darkness and light – the darkness of fear at the impending execution of Jesus, and the joy at learning the way God loves us.

Lent is a time when we are called on to look at the contrasts within ourselves, particularly the dark places. We don’t like looking at the dark places, and it is human nature to shy away from them and hide them from our conscious mind. Many people don’t like or use the word “sin”, because for them it holds such negative connotations. But that only shows that we don’t understand. Another way to look at our darkness might be to call it a place where we have hurt Jesus, where we have offended God. That makes it easier, to think of hurting someone we love, and to want to make amends.

Because of human nature it can be difficult to clearly see our darkness. There is a tendency in some people to focus in on what they think is their darkness, to become so obsessed with it, they actually never see the really dark places within their souls. That’s one of the tricks of the evil one, to distract us from the Truth. We are all sinners, but there’s no reason to think of or to want ourselves to be superstars of sin.

To find the darkness in ourselves we need to start by looking for the little places, the hidden places, where resentment, impatience, envy, holding grudges, and many more seemingly insignificant (but really major) sins hide. We like to rationalize – these “little” things cannot be what God wants us to be sorry for – but they are! We realize just how powerful these sins are when we try to let go of them.

For example, to stop cursing may be difficult but not impossible. To forgive a perceived slight from years ago, let go of that prick of envy against someone who has achieved or been given something we wanted for ourselves – these tasks are much harder to accomplish. And, as God sees and loves the little things we do for good, He also sees and is offended by the “little” things that dwell in our darkness.

Why is it so hard to see and deal with our sins? Because it isn’t easy to confront our human nature, our fallen selves, and make the often difficult changes (no one likes change) Jesus tells us we need to make to be His friends. But we are reassured that we have a Helper in overcoming our darkest nature – as Moses held up the bronze serpent so all who gazed on it might live, God lifted up His Son on the cross, that we might gaze upon Him, love Him, and be saved.

God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.

This Lent let us decide to seek out our darkness, those seemingly “little” and “unimportant” things we’ve been holding onto tightly, and even nurturing, those sins that keep us from drawing closer to our Lord. On this bright fourth Sunday in Lent, a Sunday of rejoicing, let us choose the Light.

And this is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the Light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”

Let us pray:

Lord, open our hearts and minds by the power of your Holy Spirit, that we may hear with joy what You say to us each day. Guide us, O God, that in Your Light we may see Light, in Your Truth find freedom, and in Your Will discover peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.