Message 03-05-06

Series: Lectionary [Lent]

Scripture: Mark 1:9-15

Title: Enter, Center, Presenter

Intro:

We enter the time of Lent now, so that we can center ourselves on the fullness of God’s love – slowing down to look at it clearly, so that we can be present at the celebration of Easter – fully taking in the wonder of it all, so that we can present the truth of Easter to the world around us.

We enter so that we can center and become both present and a presenter of God’s active love.

Lent is the time to do this. Lent comes from an old English word and it refers to the lengthening of days. As we go through the days that lead up to Easter the daylight gets longer and longer. For some people this is a time of discipline where they decide to stop something or to give up something they normally do or enjoy. They give up a piece of their lives so that they can join in a time of sacrifice. Sacrifice is an action that says "no" to the world or to pleasure and "yes" to God. As they go through the time the days get longer and so essentially their sacrifice can demand more of them. This is a time for following Jesus, seeing his sacrifice in our behalf.

So, let’s gather our Scripture around us and consider how Jesus led the way for us.

Study:

Entrance

As far as we know Jesus was a carpenter, a construction worker most likely, for the first 30 years of his life. The Bible tells us that he was a "tekton" which we normally translate "carpenter". It means builder and can also mean stonemason but the tradition is that he was a carpenter, essentially a construction worker who spent most of his life working with his hands building and rebuilding things.

So, this construction worker comes out of the northern hills of Israel and goes to the river Jordon and travels south. There’s a good chance that he knows this trip well. We’re told in the Gospels that he and his family went to Jerusalem each year to celebrate at least the Passover. He travels down along the river to a place where his cousin, John, has started an outdoor ministry. John is a prophet in the old style of that word.

We’re told that John was in the wilderness. When the people of Israel talked about wilderness they immediately thought of the east side of the Jordon River. The image we have then is that John stood on one side of the river, on the wild side, and yelled to the people on the other side.

He was calling them to walk out of the kingdom of God because they recognized that they didn’t really belong in it. They were sinners. They didn’t have any right in the kingdom. Well, to walk out of the kingdom of God was to walk through the River. They had to walk out of the kingdom and into living, moving, flowing water. Flowing water was this sign of cleansing, especially to the people of Israel. It was a sign that God used. The flood was an image of destruction but it was also an image of life. The flood cleared all the evil away. The flood left the ground rich and fertile and life-giving. Jesus would have walked through the flood of the Jordon River and come to John on the other side. And there John would have met him, greeted him with the message that now he could repent – turn around – and return now to the kingdom, truly a part of the kingdom.

For most people this was the way the entered the kingdom that John proclaimed. Jesus did this and his followers right to this day have followed his example. So are you baptized? Have you entered the kingdom?

Center

Normally there was this time of repentance, of turning and going back into the kingdom. But Mark tells us that Jesus went further into the wilderness. Something happened. In our Scripture we read that the Spirit of God sent Jesus into the wilderness. But the word we translate "sent" is the same word we later translate "threw out" – like Jesus threw out the demon from the man. The word we translate "sent" is a word for a violent action. So, it’s not inappropriate to think that Jesus was driven out there. He had to go.

Jesus is thrown out into the wilderness and it got him prepared.

Sometimes, today, we call that centering.

I like the sound of that.

Jesus went into the wilderness and got centered.

The trouble with wilderness is that there is nothing there. There’s not just a lack of distractions, so you can sort out your mind. There’s nothing.

I’m not sure how that time was spent but I don’t really think Jesus was out there strategizing organizationally with the Father, deciding how many guys he was going to pick and where he was going to do the first miracle. The rest of the Gospel makes that kind of idea sound false, kind of hollow.

What would make sense to me is that Jesus had to shift major gears. He’s spent 30 years working, taking care of his family, maybe making sure his mom, Mary, was safe after Joseph died. Now he is going head first into a ministry that will demand that he knows what he’s doing and what he’s about at every moment. He’s got to be clear.

That’s not only an experience of organizational planning. It’s a soul searing exploration of knowing yourself and knowing your commitment and knowing who you trust. I believe that Jesus had to shift major gears in his heart and mind. He had to get his priorities crystal clear so he could walk into the next few years ready.

Jesus spent 40 days tearing himself away from the regular life he led, so that he could hear God’s voice and be ready to obey.

That’s the core of it, isn’t it?

We don’t give up chocolate so that we can enjoy Easter bunnies. Some of you are saying, "Well, actually Kohler…"

But that’s not what Lent is all about, right?

It’s about clarifying who we actually obey. This is why fasting might be part of our centering time. We aren’t going to obey anyone but God, not even our bodies. We’re not going to give ourselves over to anyone or anything above God. No god, but God.

The truth is that we could eat chocolate; we might invite the neighbors in to party with chocolate all through Lent – like the movie "Chocolat". We might make gifts and treats and get to know the inner needs of our neighbors and friends all the way through Lent – listening for God’s instruction, centering ourselves on God, not focusing on ourselves but on others.

I believe Jesus spent 40 days shifting major gears and giving himself over to obedience to God so he could face what was coming.

Because Jesus knew that Easter wasn’t the goal. Easter is the goal for us, but Easter wasn’t the goal for Jesus. The goal for Jesus was the cross. That’s where he comes to full obedience.

Present and Presenter

In order for Jesus to reach full obedience he had to have that goal insight. He had to know where he was headed and what the cost was going to be. If he hadn’t had the goal insight he would not have known that the kingdom of God was at hand. We need to remember what those words actually mean. Jesus comes saying, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand." That means right here. Right here at the end of our fingertips. The kingdom of heaven is not off somewhere far away, but right here. It was upon us.

Jesus came bringing the kingdom with him. It was all around him. It was at the end of his fingertips because he was present with the Father. God was right here with him. That’s what happened when we get centered, when we give in to God. It’s not so much a matter of giving up. It’s a matter of giving in. We give in to God’s will. We give in to God’s perspective. We give in to God’s desires and we become present, ready, with him.

If we don’t get present with God, we won’t be prepared for the cross. Remember? Remember the cross is a promise for Christians. For people who follow Jesus the cross is a promise. The cross is that moment when you die to yourself. It’s that moment when you have to decide. It’s that moment when you decide to change your net worth in order to obey God’s voice in your heart. It’s that moment when you decide to lose your best friend’s presence in your life because you have to bring justice to someone who your best friend hates. It’s that moment when you give up the chance of a lifetime for a life of eternity.

I know a pastor who wrote a letter to a junior high school teacher who was discovered selling drugs to his own students. The man was a member of the pastor’s church. The pastor was the type of man who, if he had been the one who actually was on hand and saw the teacher selling drugs to kids, might have taken the law into his own hands and beaten the man to the ground. But instead he wrote a letter and in his letter he said, "I’ll stand with you. I’ll stand in your trial with you. I’ll stand with you when you get sent to jail. I’ll visit you while you’re in jail." This pastor is a friend of mine and his letter got into the hands of a person who got it into a newspaper. He got angry phone calls. He got threatening letters. He had people at his church leave and refused to talk with him.

This was a pastor who, if he had his own choice, would have dusted the teacher off, but instead he had to obey.

And he could obey. He could love. He could provide compassion. He could help the one who didn’t deserve any of that. He could do it because he was present with his Father and so he was ready to present the kingdom of heaven to someone else.

This is Lent. It’s the time that we remember that we’ve entered the kingdom of heaven even when we didn’t deserve it. And now we get centered and ready so that we can be present… present enough to die to ourselves… so that we can be present enough to give heaven to those who truly need it around us. This is Lent. Are you ready?