Exile

The idea of being in exile is a huge theme throughout scripture. The most obvious example of exile is the literal displacement of the Hebrew people by Babylon. The idea of this exile is that, since Israel did not faithfully follow God’s commands even after God sent a number of prophets to set them straight, they lost the Promised Land. It becomes clear in many of the psalms and in the prophetic books of Isaiah and Daniel, however, that the Israelites never lost hope that they would return to God’s presence and favor. While in exile, seemingly separated from God, hope was still strong.

You don’t have to get all the way to the book of 2 Kings to find Biblical exile. The theme of exile starts in the second chapter of the Bible! In the Garden of Eden, humanity (i.e., Adam and Eve) was given a command that it proved unable to follow – don’t eat from a certain tree. Adam and Eve ate the fruit because they decided they wanted to be their own God, and believed the serpent that they could be. Excessive pride was the original sin, and it led to humanity’s exile from Eden. The rest of the entire Bible is a continuation of that story; the story of humanity’s exile and the extent that God will go in order to bring us “home.”

I think of Lent as a time to recognize what it is that is keeping us in spiritual exile – what it is that separates us from God. Our Lenten fasts aren’t merely a spiritual representation of the need to resist temptation (although that’s part of it). Nor are they merely an homage to Christ’s 40-day fast in the wilderness (although that’s part of it too – Lent is complex, y’all). Our Lenten fasts are supposed to also be reminders to spend more time during these 40 days in intentional prayer and meditation on our relationship with Christ and what his sacrifice on the cross means. In Lent, we “sacrifice” that which is keeping us from a full relationship with God our creator, redeemer, and sustainer. For me, the two biggest culprits are pride (to be more honest, “ego”) and time-consuming distractions, and so throughout this season I will give up certain distractions and pray for humility and an outward focus.

Those are certainly not the only things keeping me in my own exile. The spiritual journey back to the fullness of the image of God in which we were created is not a quick-fix, but Lent is a time to intentionally identify that which, through the grace of God, we must overcome. The fact that the season culminates in Easter, the most triumphant day on the Christian calendar, is poetic and instructional. It’s kind of like being lost in the woods and suddenly seeing a familiar landmark and realizing that you know the way home; you’re still far from home, but now you have hope and renewed strength because you know that you’re going to make it back.

We are in exiles in our own world, but hope is not lost because we already know the ending of this story. Christ is risen, and because of that, our journey home has begun. Thanks be to God.

-Zack Moser