SUNDAY 21 FEBRUARY, 2021

REFLECTION: "LENT - A TIME OF PREPARATION"

Genesis 9:8-17

Psalm 25:1-10   

Mark 1:9-15  

1 Peter 3:18-22

Mark reminds us of the Good News - brought to us in the life and baptism of Jesus.
Peter, in his first epistle, brings these thoughts together, reminding us that water has been a common element in many of the covenants with God and that Christ’s baptism was the culmination of these.

I trust that some of us may have been able to attend an observance of the beginning of Lent on Wednesday evening.
A key theme at this service was that we are called to stop and repent, as a preparation for Easter. 
Mark 9:15 says: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe in the good news."

​It's a humble journey, the one we begin today, this first week of Lent.
It begins so unremarkably, unlike other journeys in our lives, which probably start off with the excited packing of suitcases full of clothes that we might need on a holiday.

But it's actually a quite humble journey we begin this week.
Do you think that the journey Jesus took was a humble one? 
The scripture we read in Mark’s gospel actually sounds pretty sensational.
It starts with a baptism - featuring an outer-worldly voice - that of God.
And then there's a trek through the wilderness, littered by Satan and wild beasts, then "cleaned up" by angels.
And if that's not enough, the passage ends with a powerful message booming out from Jesus, who strides into Galilee to change the world.

​Mark's terse account of these awesome things certainly isn't all that spectacular.
In actual fact, his telling of the beginning of Jesus' ministry is remarkably understated, quite unlike the writings of Matthew and Luke.
And how about some of the gorgeous paintings we’ve seen, or the silver screen renderings by overzealous film makers?    

They are certainly quite spectacular.

​Take the baptism of Jesus.
He rose, dripping wet from the nondescript River Jordan, saw the heavens torn apart when he rose up from under the water and felt the Spirit soar into his life.
Then he heard the voice that reverberated in his ears and heart, a voice that boomed out: 
"You are my Son, the Beloved, with you I am well pleased."  
 
Pretty spectacular, I think you’ll have to agree.

Jesus sees and hears his father, but us 20th century people are usually absorbed in conversations with our neighbours or intrigued by the text messages we're sending and receiving on our mobile phones, so we don't notice anything unusual going on.
And how about his wilderness wandering over 40 days and nights?

That's pretty dramatic, isn't it?

But Mark records none of the arguments with Satan in his gospel, although Matthew and Luke do in theirs.Mark gives us no details about his hungers for food that would undoubtedly make our stomachs growl.
There is no overblown description of angels standing by their Lord.
He simply writes, "He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him."

So, it's a humble journey with Jesus that we begin in Mark's Gospel today, this first week in Lent.
At the same time, it's an amazing, remarkable, life-changing journey for us Jesus-people, for us Easter people, because we peek out of his empty tomb to watch it begin.
We know that this journey is filled with God's voice ringing in our ears and hearts, however, Satan's temptations and wild beasts are often lurking in the shadows of our lives.
On the other side, there can also be supporting angels, when we’re witnessing to others about how we follow Jesus.

Our Lenten journey begins with an undignified smudge of ash on our foreheads on Ash Wednesday.
Foreheads that may have been splashed with baptismal waters years earlier and a voice which said: "Child of God, you are sealed by the Holy Spirit, and marked with the cross of Christ forever."
"Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return."

Our travels are marked by a trail of muddy footprints, as we make our way through a wilderness littered by the issues of home, school and work, stress, sickness and sadness, confusion, chaos and violence.

So, what are we going to learn during Lent about the paths of righteousness in our own personal wilderness?

Well, first off, we can expect to learn something about enemies.
Perhaps they’ll be like the beasts of Jesus' experience in the wilderness.

Our temptations can be found all around us, but also there are real dangers lurking within us.
And even when we are able to identify our enemies, they can still tempt us to forget who we are, covenanted as beloved creatures of God.

I like to think that during Lent, we’re taking on the shadows, sparring with the more shadowy side of our lives, those areas of our individual lives and our common life crying out for light.
Where can that be truer than when our inner enemies make us feel less than what we were created to be.
Enemies that compromise our freedom, impair or impede our being in right relation with God and our neighbour?

​Penitence is what happens when we pay attention to what’s going on in our hearts.
We don’t always aim for it, but we can achieve it through prayer.

I like to think that it’s in the act of praying that we remember once again that, although we have been made in God’s image, we aren’t God.
And then we become aware of the apparent absurdity, that we could even imagine that we could actually demand anything from the Lord of the universe.

And so, we assume an attitude of humility, metaphorically, or in some congregations quite literally, falling to our knees as we confess that to him.
From there, we’re raised to the new life of grace, expressed as forgiveness, perhaps marked by some sign of peace and a foretaste of the heavenly banquet found in the sacrament of holy communion.

There’s a final clue for what we can expect in the weeks to come - and that’s in the reminder that the wilderness is a time of preparation.
We sometimes sing the song that tells us that the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness and it’s those paths that lead us to righteousness, right relationships and to the fulfilling of our covenants with God.

The people of Israel were made ready during their time the wilderness, on their way to the Promised Land and Jesus was prepared, during his time in the wilderness, for his public ministry of proclamation of the Kingdom of God.
Similarly, we’re being prepared for the renewal of our right relationship and the promise of peace on earth, that will be proclaimed by the risen Christ on Easter Sunday.
His death, burial, resurrection and ascension remind us of our eternal covenant with God.

​I pray that you’ll be granted a blessed and holy time during Lent - a wilderness time long known by the psalmists.

I pray that you may remember who you are, a beloved child of God, and that you find the renewal of righteousness or right relationship in your life.

Finally, I pray that this time will be preparation for a truly joyful celebration of God's unspeakable grace and mercy this Easter.      Amen
​Pastor Rick