Hope, expectation and joy

stjohnstmarkchurchburySunday, February 18, 2018

Bible Text: Mark 1:9-15 | Preacher: Gill Barnett | Series: Lent

What is Lent about? Recalling us to repent.

A story about repentance: a painter had a job on to paint the outside of an old lady’s house.  It was a big job and he found himself using much more paint than he had anticipated or quoted for so he thinned it down a bit with water.  Then he thought, if I watering it down a bit more, I’ll actually be able to save myself some money – the old lady will never know.  And so he kept on watering it down.  The day came when he’d finished the job and as he was packing up, it started to rain.  Because the coat of paint was so diluted, the rain started to wash off what little paint there was on the walls.  And a voice came from the thundery clouds, “Repaint, repaint and thin no more.’
Wet wet wet
So on the 1st Sunday of Lent we hear about Jesus baptism, temptation and the beginning of his ministry.  We also hear about God’s promise made to Noah that the world will never again be destroyed by flood waters.  Given the abnormal weather patterns we hear about frequently nowadays, this should be a promise we all hold very dear.

Mark’s account of Jesus’ temptation is very brief – just 2 verses.  We get a lot more detail from Matthew’s 11 verses and Luke’s 13 verses.  Like the fact that Jesus spent 40 days repenting and battling temptation. Which is where we get our 40 days of Lent from.  Some commentators explain Mark’s brevity as his recognition that Jesus wasn’t just tempted for that period of time in the desert but that Jesus’ whole ministry was one of continuous conflict with the devil.

It was certainly true that demons recognised Jesus for who he really was even before his disciples.  Just a few verse later, still in chapter 1 we read that demons were saying to Jesus ‘I know who you are – the Holy One of God’ v24, whilst the people were still saying ‘who is this?’ v27.  And still later in chapter 1, in Peter’s home town Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law, healed the sick and cast out demons ‘but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was’ v34. It’s not until halfway through Marks gospel, that we hear Peter’s declaration, ‘You are the Christ’ 8v29.

But the fact remains that Jesus faced temptation all through his life, not just for those 40 days. Just like we do.  He was tempted in every way as we are, just was without sin.  He showed us how to do it.
What’s your story?
How long does it take for people to realise the truth? And these were men who lived side-by-side with Jesus.  It took ages for the penny to drop!  What hope do we have to reveal the truth in/to the world today if those who lived hand-in-glove with Jesus the man struggled to grasp the truth?  But this is what the world needs to hear – your story.  Not something secondhand or vague or something overheard.

So what is your story, your Christian journey?  What are your temptations?  What drives you to repentance and back into the arms of a loving God who came, in person, to find you?  Because this is what those around you need to hear and see, not just the words but the lifestyle to back it up.  What are you giving up or giving back for Lent?  Whatever it is do it joyfully – not half-heartedly or with hesitation but with joy and gratitude.
Isaiah
As we heard in our Ash Wednesday reading from Isaiah (and replace fasting here with your Lenten discipline):

3 “We have fasted before you,” they say.  “Why aren’t you impressed and why don’t you see our sacrifices?  Why don’t you hear our prayers?  We have done much penance, and you don’t even notice it!”  I’ll tell you why!  Because you are living in evil pleasure even while you are fasting, and you keep right on oppressing your workers.  4 Look, what good is fasting when you keep on fighting and quarrelling?  This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me.  5 Is this what I want—this doing of penance and bowing like reeds in the wind, putting on sackcloth and covering yourselves with ashes?  Is this what you call fasting?

6 No, the kind of fast I want is that you stop oppressing those who work for you and treat them fairly and give them what they earn.  7 I want you to share your food with the hungry and bring right into your own homes those who are helpless, poor, and destitute.  Clothe those who are cold, and don’t hide from relatives who need your help.

8 If you do these things, God will shed his own glorious light upon you.  He will heal you; your godliness will lead you forward, goodness will be a shield before you, and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.  9 Then, when you call, the Lord will answer. “Yes, I am here”  Isaiah 58:3-9.
Stock taking
This is what Lent is about – taking stock, clearing out the old, not holding onto stuff, identifying and resisting temptation in order to be able to live and proclaim the good news of Jesus where you are without hypocrisy.  What is it you are called to repent of?

Jesus’ temptations were real, hard temptations; he was properly tested but did not sin.  For them to be real temptations there must have been the possibility for Jesus to choose the wrong path – so there was danger and risk involved.  Jesus continued to face very real temptations through all of his ministry. It wasn’t just a one-off. Right up to the very end in Gethsemane, ‘Father let this cup pass from me.’  Jesus could have opted out but he didn’t.  Your temptations are just as real – so should your repentance be, too.

You might feel that this is trivialising your sins and undermining the value of your repentance. Is God really bothered that you have given up chocolate or watching the soaps?  But what does it symbolise?  What is the greater outworking?  Surely it must be that you come into a closer relationship with the Trinity.

9 Then, when you call, the Lord will answer. “Yes, I am here” and you know you are prepared for life on the frontline, in the real world.
Hope, expectation and joy
We will all have different Lenten experiences.  Where do they lead us?  Just have another look at the gospel reading for today.  In this passage we have the first words that Mark records Jesus saying – can you spot them?  ‘Come, repent, believe!’  And that’s the message we have to take out to the world today – come, repent, believe.

Lent prepares us and, dare I say, empowers us to make choices. To walk the walk and talk the talk confident that Jesus has done it before us and will be with us every step of the way.  Lent is a time of hope, expectation and joy.  So through our Lenten discipline, let’s live our lives in hope, expectation and joy and be empowered to share our story of the Easter victory.