[Mr Dean: thank you for your warm words of welcome.  I know I speak for each one of us of the Malines Conversation Group when I say that we are very moved by the use of the Mercier chalice and the Malines ciborium today as we share communion together. Such gifts exchanged between our two communions are powerful symbols of our desire for unity. They speak more powerfully than any words]

We Christians have turned a specific corner with this Sunday. We are now more than halfway through Lent. We are now turning in anticipation of celebrating Easter. We can see the light at the end of the Lenten fast.

Lent is a time of soul searching for Christians. It is a time of reflecting on our lives. A time to be honest with ourselves. It is a time to turn away from those things which do not bring life to ourselves and to others. But Lent is certainly not a time to be gloomy, even if we know we need to amend our lives. No matter how much I might be a work in progress, no matter how much each of us is a work in progress, God remains steadfast. God never breaks faith with us.

It is fitting then, at this midpoint in Lent, that our readings from scripture give us powerful images of God’s generosity, of the abundance of God’s provision for us. Our readings today are readings of promise and of consolation. They offer us some refreshment, they offer us hope. Indeed they give us images of feasting.

But our readings also offer us words of wisdom that speak very much to the challenges of our own day. They invite us to pause and to ask ourselves: where do I stand? What do I stand for? With whom will I stand? They are an invitation to search our hearts and to ask ourselves: what do I truly value.

Hope is certainly what our world needs now, as much as it ever has. The landscape all around us is shifting. Nothing seems too stable. There are so many places in our world where it is not safe to stand. There is political chaos. Borders between nations are up for grabs. We see this in every corner of our world. As a Canadian I ask myself: what will become of my homeland? And that is to say nothing of nations at war.

And the planet itself is in a state of churn: the devastating earthquake in Myanmar reminds us vividly that human life itself, human flourishing, is precarious. Our planet is in chaos.

And yet our scriptures invite us to trust that God wants none of these things for us. Not war, not the brokenness of this earth, not the displacement of peoples from their homes. God wants only that all people have life and have it in abundance. God’s longing is for our flourishing.

Our first reading tells us of the first time the ancient Israelites celebrate the Passover in their homeland. It is a tiny snippet of a much longer story. They have fled enslavement in Egypt and survived generations in the wilderness. Now, at last they have arrived at their own homeland. It is a good land.

The land itself is a symbol of God’s generosity and care for them. They no longer need the mana fed to them in the wilderness, now they are in a land of plenty.

Only a few verses on in this book, immediately beyond what we have read today, Joshua is commanded by the Lord to take off his sandals. He is told by the Lord that the land on which he stands is holy.

God’s generosity is the very ground on which Joshua stands. It is as if the Lord has said to him: ‘stand here, stand still here stand still for a moment. Can you understand what I have given you?’ Only if you understand what I have given you, will you understand how much I value you – you will understand your worth in my eyes. This place is the symbol of my faithfulness to you.

And then our second reading. The parable Jesus tells his followers is also a story of wandering, of hunger, of coming home and of feasting.

There are two brothers, both of whom have a lot to learn. The older brother stays at home. He believes he has acted justly and responsibly. And on the surface of it, he has. Any of us here today who have slightly reckless younger siblings might feel rather sorry for this brother. Here he is, doing what he believes to be the right thing. But he just does not understand the deeper value – that underlying his father’s generosity there is a deeper truth. The recognition of the immeasurable value of each person, including this rather wayward younger brother.

And the younger brother simply does not understand his own worth. That might sound ironic – he has just squandered his father’s money recklessly. He has been utterly humiliated. He has the good sense to turn around and head home, to ask for forgiveness. But even then he misses the point. His father does not want him to become his hired hand, he simply wants him to be who he is: a much loved son.

Neither son has really understood the true meaning of their worth. The older brother in his own insecurity is so blinded by resentment and jealousy that he cannot welcome his brother home. And the younger son believes that in order to return home he must become a servant – he cannot believe that his father will welcome him for who he truly is.

Two brothers not really sure where they stand or why – with a lot to learn.

At some point last week a quotation popped up on my Facebook feed. It was a quotation taken from Daniel Berrigan – an American catholic priest and peace activist. Berrigan first became well known at the time of the Vietnam war. The quotation that popped up was short: ‘know where you stand, and then stand there’. It seems very apt for our time. It has been running through my mind since.

It is one thing to think we know where we stand. It is quite another thing to stand there when this becomes costly, when the ground seems to be shifting under our feet. We can only stand still in a place, stand fast, if we truly know why we are there – if we are committed to the ground on which we stand. – what are the values upon which we stand. What is the ground.

On this fourth Sunday of Lent we have had two readings that touch on the themes of place, of belonging, of God’s generosity and the immeasurable worth of each and every person.

If we – each one of us – stand fast in the place of God’s generosity we might just bring about a world in which everyone has a place, not just of safety but of feasting.

May it be so.