Sermon 18th February 2024 – 1st Sunday in Lent
Text: Mark 1:9-15 – Wilderness blessings
I’ve always been intrigued by the sequences of events at the
beginning of Jesus’ ministry. It begins with his baptism, then sent into the
wilderness, tempted by the devil, among the wild beasts and then ministered to
by the angels. I’ve always thought of the wilderness as a time of testing for
Jesus with the devil using that time of testing to tempt him. But I’ve thought
about a different view of the desert wilderness. The wilderness has been a
special place where God’s people came to know God’s love, forgiveness, and
daily care during their 40 years in the desert. There they were called out of Egypt as God’s
children and when they sinned they were reborn as God’s people. In their desert wanderings they met God. When they were thirsty God gave them water
from the rock. God could change a dry
arid place to a watering one. When they were hungry God fed them manna, just
one day at a time. They were not to go out and store food for themselves and
thereby feeling they had provided for themselves. This built up their faith in
God to provide the next day rather than provide for themselves. Just one day at
a time except for the Sabbath where the day before they would gather 2 days off
food so they could rest.
What a thoughtful God concerned about their rest even though
they grumbled and chased other Gods. So we can actually learn from the
wilderness to trust God, day by day. So often we look at day 40 rather than day
one. How are we going to get through this rather than taking it one step at a
time with Jesus. Isn’t that what Jesus taught in the Lord’s Prayer – give us
today our daily bread? We don’t pray – ensure we have enough bread for the rest
of our life. One day at a time. Isn’t that what Jesus taught in the Sermon on
the mount –
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, do not
worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough
trouble of its own. Or in Luke’s sermon the plain - Who of you by worrying can
add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why
do you worry about the rest?
Noah had no idea for how long it would rain. He had no idea
for how long it would take for the waters to recede. He simply listened to God
and had faith. I would think that Jesus didn’t know how long he would in in the
wilderness but simply trusted his Father who had just affirmed his love for him
in his Baptism. It’s not always easy when we face an uncertain future or if we
have determined what the future is going to be. The Old Testament is filled
with examples of God’s people sent into the wilderness. We have Abraham sent
from his hometown and family to a land that God would show him – he had no idea
at the time. We’ve had Jacob sent from his home to escape death from his
brother and along the way was blessed by God where he saw angels ascending and
descending. We see Israel journeying the wilderness 40 years – Elijah fleeing
Jezebel and feeling he was all alone – all the prophets – Jeremiah, Isaiah,
Ezekiel – all who lived shunned by the people they were sent to speak God’s
judgement against. We see God’s favoured King – the Shepherd David – fleeing
the murderous King Saul. And there are more – and in each case we see people
abundantly blessed by God. It’s almost like the wilderness is God’s secret plan
for us and it is Satan who doesn’t want us to enter it.
But look at what happens to Noah at the end of his wilderness
experience. God makes a covenant with Noah and the entire world: I am
establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, and with
every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals, and
every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark. I establish
my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters
of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” And
notice something incredible about this covenant: When the rainbow is in the
clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and
every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth. There seems to be
something missing.
God will see the rainbow and remember his everlasting
covenant – but there is no demand made on Noah or future generations. This is a
one-way covenant that God places upon himself. There is no “now you do this and
I will do that”. And likewise, in Peter’s letter, he speaks about the New
Covenant that God has made with us:
Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for
the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. There are no demands or
expectations on the unrighteous for the righteous. It’s similar to what we
heard on Ash Wednesday – God made him who had no sin to become sin for us so
that we might become the righteousness of God. The sweet exchange – well for
us.
In times of wilderness we might feel like we are alone and
abandoned but as we see with Jesus he was ministered to by angels. Let us
remember that when we talk about angels that they were messengers – which is
what the word angels mean. So in times of wilderness we can take advantage of
feeling closer to God by God coming near to us. Like Paul did in 2nd
Corinthians – when I am weak then I am strong because the power of Christ rests
on me. God is the active force in all these covenant actions. We are the
recipients. But you don’t have to go seeking wilderness – the wilderness will
find you – as it did for Israel, for Noah, for Jesus. We just need to be open
to the experiences which we sometimes reject and look to avoid.
They can be times of suffering.
They can be times of frustrations.
They can be times of loneliness.
They can be times of grief.
They can be times of uncertainty.
They can be times of sensing betrayal from family and friends
– and maybe the church.
The wilderness experience is different for each of us. and
often unexpected. So often we try to avoid or end times of wilderness
prematurely. It’s like when the doctor prescribes you with medication and
advise to keep taking it till it’s finished not when you’re feeling better. It
needs the full course.
So as we begin our Lenten journey perhaps reflect on those
times you’ve been in times of wilderness. Or maybe you feel you’re in one now. Instead
of fighting it perhaps listen to it – see if you can hear that small sound of
God speaking to you like he did with Elijah. The Lord passed by, and a great
and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before
the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake,
but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but
the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice, or in
some translations – the sound of sheer silence.
So may God bless you on this 40 day journey and experience
again the one who suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the
unrighteous, in order to bring you to God.
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