A sermon preached by the Reverend Canon Dr. David Anderson, at St. Jude’s Church, Oakville on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, Lenten Feria.
Title: ‘Renewed Purpose for a People on the Way.’ Text: Deuteronomy 4:1, 5–10 & Matthew 5:17–20.
I speak to you in the + name of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
By the time we reach the middle of Lent, something shifts. The early resolve for spiritual discipline has softened. The wilderness feels long. The practices we began with energy now require intention. And perhaps most of all, we begin to feel the limits of our own strength.
The middle of Lent is the time when the Church needs to hear again that Lent is not a solo expedition. It is a communal pilgrimage. We walk it together.
And today’s readings — Moses speaking to Israel, Jesus speaking to the crowds — remind us that God’s way is always given to a people, not to isolated individuals. The Law, the Prophets, the teachings of Jesus: all of them are invitations into a shared life, a shared witness, a shared purpose.
“Hear… so that you may live.” (Deuteronomy 4)
In Deuteronomy, Moses stands before a community on the edge of a new beginning. They have wandered for forty years. They have known hunger, hope, frustration, and grace. And now, as they prepare to enter the land, Moses says:
“Hear the statutes and ordinances… so that you may live.”
Not “so that you may survive.” Not “so that you may impress God.” “So that you may live.”
Moses is reminding them that God’s way is not a burden but a gift — a way of life that leads to flourishing, justice, and communal well‑being. And then he says something remarkable: “Keep them and do them, for this will show your wisdom and discernment to the peoples.” In other words: When you live this way together, the world will see something beautiful. Your communal life will become a witness. This is not about moral superiority. It is about visibility. It is about a people whose shared life reflects the character of God. And then Moses adds:
“Make them known to your children and your children’s children.”
This is not nostalgia. It is continuity. It is the passing on of a way of life that sustains a community across generations.
The middle of Lent is a time when Moses’ words can land with fresh clarity: You are a people on a path that leads to life. Keep walking it — together.
Jesus and the Fulfillment of the Law
Then we turn to the Gospel, where Jesus says, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets.” It is as though he hears the same question Moses heard: What does it mean to live faithfully as a community? What does it mean to walk in God’s way together? Jesus answers: “I have not come to abolish, but to fulfill.” Fulfill —to bring to fullness, to bring to its intended purpose. Jesus is not discarding the tradition. He is revealing its heart.
Think of a seed. The seed is not abolished when it becomes a tree. It is fulfilled. Everything hidden within it — the shape of the branches, the shade it will cast, the fruit it will bear — all of it comes to fullness.
Jesus is saying: I am the fullness of what God has been doing all along. I am the living expression of the Law’s deepest intention. I am the embodiment of the justice the Prophets longed for.
And here is the mid‑Lent encouragement: Jesus fulfills the Law not only in himself, but in us — as a community. He does not cut down the tree. He brings it to the fullness of its life. He does not tear down the house. He turns on the lights.
A Righteousness That Exceeds — A Communal Calling
Jesus then says, “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees…” It sounds daunting — until we remember that Jesus is not calling individuals to heroic moral achievement. He is calling a community to a different kind of life. The scribes and Pharisees were experts in boundary‑keeping. Jesus is interested in heart‑shaping — and heart‑shaping happens in community. This exceeding righteousness is not about quantity. It is about quality. It is about a way of life that reflects God’s heart.
And here is the truth we need perhaps especially in the middle of Lent: This kind of righteousness grows in us together. It grows through shared practices, shared commitments, shared courage. It grows when we carry one another.
If you feel like your personal Lenten discipline has faltered, take heart. The deeper work of Lent is communal, not individual.
The Law as a Pathway to Shared Life
When Jesus says that not one stroke of the Law will pass away, he is not threatening us with divine scrutiny. He is reminding us that God’s desire for human flourishing — communal flourishing — has not changed. The Law was always meant to shape a people who live differently:
- a people who care for the vulnerable
- a people who honour the dignity of every person
- a people who refuse to let power become a weapon
- a people whose shared life is a sign of God’s presence
The Prophets were always calling Israel back to this communal vision: justice that rolls down like waters, mercy that is embodied, not theoretical. Jesus fulfills the Law by living it from the inside out. He fulfills the Prophets by becoming the justice they proclaimed. He fulfills the covenant by forming a new community — his Body — to carry this life into the world. Mid‑Lent is the moment to remember: We are that community. We are that Body. We are called to this shared purpose.
What This Means for Us — Renewed Purpose in Mid‑Lent
So what does this mean for us, here, in our parish life? It means that Lent is not about individual achievement. It is about communal alignment. It means that our practices — prayer, generosity, repentance, truth‑telling, our care for vulnerable neighbours — are not private exercises. They are ways we strengthen the fabric of our shared life. It means that our commitments to reconciliation, inclusion, hospitality, and justice are not optional extras. They are the very shape of the righteousness Jesus calls us into. It means that when one of us falters, the community holds the rhythm. When one of us grows weary, the community carries the song. When one of us loses heart, the community keeps the fire burning. The middle of Lent is not a time for discouragement. It is a time for recommitment — not as individuals, but as a people.
A Word for the Heart
Perhaps the most important part is this: Jesus is not asking us to do this alone. The fulfilled Law is not a burden placed on our shoulders. It is a life shared with Christ. It is the Spirit shaping us from the inside out. It is the slow, patient work of becoming a community whose instincts are aligned with God’s heart.
There will be days when we feel small, or weary, or distracted. But Jesus does not measure us by our failures. He invites us to begin again — together.
The Invitation
So hear the invitation in Moses’ words and in Jesus’ words today. “Hear… so that you may live.” “I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.” They are not two messages. They are one melody, played in two keys. God is calling us — as a community — into a life where mercy is abundant, where justice is shared work, where generosity is our currency, where love is embodied in our common life. A life where our witness is visible. A life where our hearts are being reshaped. A life where the world can glimpse, through us, something of God’s beauty. The Law is a path. The Prophets are a compass. And Jesus — Jesus is the one who walks with us, illuminating each step, revealing the heart of God in every gesture, every teaching, every act of love. Not abolishing. Fulfilling. Bringing everything — including us — to life.
Amen. +
