When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. Luke 9:51
This year the date for Easter in the churches of the East and West coincide and so this week Christian communities together entered into Lent. It only happens every 11 years or so. The quest for a common date for Easter is ongoing and remains a priority for many.
Lent is a time to focus on the path of Jesus to Jerusalem.
There is a key transition point in Luke’s Gospel. After Jesus is rejected by a Samaritan village, Luke tells us that this happened because ‘his face was set toward Jerusalem’. Hans Conzelmann’s book called Die Mitte der Zeit (The Midpoint of Time) draws attention to the pivot point of Luke 9:51. What follows, described as the ‘journey narrative’ is the longest section of the Gospel (Luke 9:51-19:27). Those who are with Jesus are invited to trust God and find their meaning and identity in the invitation to “follow me”. They are not to be distracted and to not look back.
These are hope-filled invitations for us today. In the discouraging discourses, and in the harsh words that surround us – we can trust God. It is easy to be distracted, both personally and as communities. We find confidence in looking forward and remembering that our hope and life is in following Jesus – even towards Jerusalem.
In 2025 we can enjoy the reality of our united and common Lenten and Easter focus. Our Christian communities do differ in our expressions of faith, ecclesiology and history. Beyond these differences is our Lenten and Easter unity and it is our prayer that in this unity we may grow and strengthen.
Rev John Gilmore
NCCA President