Drive out the Money Changers

Some time ago, in Lynn Johnston‟s daily newspaper comic strip, “For Better or For Worse,” Grampa, whose wife passed away is in the process of closing up his own small house and moving in with his daughter and her family. Seven-year old granddaughter April is ecstatic. “Honest, Grampa? You‟re really coming to live with us!” “Yes, but I‟ll have to sell my little house first,” Grampa explains. Then he starts to reflect on the reality of what he is facing:
“Oh, my . . . now that I think about it, this is an awfully big decision. I‟ll have to get rid of some things! But when you‟re my age, that‟s what you do, April. You give up things that aren‟t so important anymore. All I really need to have with me are a few special treasures,” Grampa says, and then he picks up April and says, “ and you‟re one of those treasures!” Throughout our lives, we accumulate so many things that, frankly, bog us down on our journey to God! Not only the things themselves, but the pursuit of those things distract us from the real joys and meaning of life. They also distort our vision of the world as God created it to be. Lent (which comes from the old English word for spring) is the season for a “spring cleaning” of our spirits and souls. It is a special time to drive out whatever distracts us from the values of God. It is a time to restore an awareness of God‟s presence in every moment of our lives. What Jesus did in the temple, we must do in our lives. We must drive out the “money changers” who shortchange us on the time and attention we must give to whatever makes our lives less than what God created us to be! Think about it!