When we were kids, obedience was the law of the land. Decisions were made for us when it came to fair play, the daily schedule and what was for dinner. And, if we ever had the nerve to question the almighty, she would simply respond “because I am your mother and I said so.” Though this was not always the easiest or in our eyes the most fair response to our demands and questions as children, there was something comforting in hearing those words: because I am your mother. It was not until I became older that I realized her strictness was devotion, her rules were love, her decisions were in our best interest and that obedience to her was merited if not because of these things, then just because she was our mother.

 Obedience is the theme running through our readings today. In Jeremiah, God, like my mother, proclaims His love for His children very directly – “I will be their God and they shall be my people.” Here God establishes the new covenant. He says this one is different as He will not take us by the hand but rather write His laws on our very hearts. We are given the freedom to be obedient to Him. The Letter to the Hebrews highlights that this obedience is not without suffering. In fact, we hear that despite being Son in his very nature, it was in suffering itself that Jesus learned true obedience to the Father. I am always drawn to this image of Jesus in the garden contemplating His eminent passion and death. Jesus asks, begs, the Father to find another way. That is me. Yes, Mom, I understand these are the rules of the house… but what about what I want? Yes, Lord, I want to follow you… but is there an easier way?

 “Whoever loves his life, loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. Who ever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be.” Obedience to God means suffering. If we look up from our lives and do not see the cross, then we must turn around for we have strayed away from Jesus. Yet, let us not lose hope in the knowledge that our suffering is temporary. The grain of wheat that falls and dies does indeed produce much fruit. My childhood taught me that moments of suffering lead to goodness, that trust in my mother brought me mercy and safety. This Lent, perhaps we can reflect deeper on our life experiences to see how very close we were to God in those moments that challenged us the most. Maybe we can simplify what it means to follow the Lord, bringing it right back to the foundation in our covenant together: He shall be our God and we shall be His people.