1 Lent, Yr B (2024) The Rev. Karen C. Barfield
1 Lent, Yr B (2024) The Rev. Karen C. Barfield
Genesis 9:8-17 St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church
Psalm 25:1-9
Mark 1:9-15
In the name of the one, holy, and living God:
Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifying Spirit. Amen.
Our gospel writer, Mark, is a man of few words,
yet he provides us with quite vivid imagery!
David Lose, a Lutheran pastor, makes this commentary on Mark’s language:
“Consider that in Mark,
the Spirit did not lead Jesus into the wilderness,
but drove him there.
“Mark employs a verb that has a more violent sense than we might imagine….
“Of course, perhaps we should not be surprised
that the Spirit whose entrance rends the heavens to tatters [at Jesus’ baptism]
now drives forth – even “kicks out” – Jesus into the wilderness.
“This is a sober and, I think, helpful reminder
that Christian faith is not a panacea,
it’s not an answer to all of our questions and problems,
and it’s certainly not an invitation to the easy life.
“Baptism into the Spirit of Christ
is to be called to,
indeed driven into,
an adventure that will include testing,
challenge,
and temptation.
(http://www.davidlose.net/2018/02/lent-1-b-lenten-courage/)
After Jesus is driven into the wilderness,
he is tempted by Satan,
accompanied by wild beasts,
and waited on by angels.
In just seven verses we have a whirlwind tour through baptism, trial, and calling.
In Jesus’ baptism, he is claimed as God’s beloved and anointed by the Spirit.
He is then driven into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan
and to live alongside wild beasts…
all the while being tended by angels.
And then he begins his public ministry,
proclaiming the Good News of God, saying,
“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near;
repent, and believe in the good news.”
For Mark, the beginning of the Good News is that the kingdom of God has come near…
and it has come near in the person of Jesus.
John the Baptist was the herald.
Jesus is the main event.
Baptism,
trial,
and ministry…
they are all linked.
I suggest that our lives, as Christians, are not quite so different.
In our baptism we are claimed by God,
as God’s beloved…
and we are anointed with the Spirit.
And then all along our journeys in life,
I would guess that from time to time we feel accompanied by wild beasts…
and at other times feel tended by angels.
And sometimes, perhaps, we experience both at the same time…
just as Jesus did!
And all wrapped up in the midst of this is our calling to life in ministry as followers of Jesus…
proclaimers of the Good News that God is with us and offers us abundant life.
At this time in our liturgical year…the beginning of Lent…
it is a time to slow down a bit and take notice of the wild beasts,
while also taking some comfort in knowing that angels are tending us as well,
perhaps providing a little courage on the journey.
On Ash Wednesday we use ashes to remind us of our mortality:
“Remember that you are dust,
and to dust you shall return.”
The presence and awareness of death can sometimes lead us into darkness.
It can also serve to re-invigorate our life…
to look afresh at where God is at work in our lives…
within and alongside us,
and through us.
Years ago, I heard someone give a talk in which they said that we exchange each moment of life for something…like turning in a chit for time.
Lent provides us the opportunity
to step back
and think about what we are exchanging our time for.
We may want to ask ourselves:
What are the things in my life prevent me from living abundantly?
What are the things in my life
that keep me from saying “yes” to God, my neighbor, myself, and creation?
Or, conversely,...what are the things I might want to take on to say “yes?”
We have several folks who can no longer get to church
but still very much feel a part of this community.
Perhaps one way we could say “yes” to God is to give them a call, or drop them a note,
or see if they would like us to come visit.
I imagine that for some, loneliness feels like a wild beast these days.
Perhaps in retirement or as our bodies age,
we feel like our God-given gifts are not being put to good use.
Maybe that feels like a wild beast.
And perhaps the angel appears when we realize the good we are doing
or find a new way to share our gifts with others.
Perhaps our job is our job,
but the love and support we offer our families and friends
is where we are sharing our life-giving gifts at the moment.
Sometimes the wild beasts in our lives loom so large we cannot see anything else…
God’s work in and through us can be obscured!
Lent provides us the opportunity to see anew where the Spirit is alive and well in our lives.
One thing I love about Mark as a writer is that he just jumps right in and says it like it is.
All within a short span of time we can feel claimed and blessed,
accompanied by wild beasts,
and tended by angels.
Jesus teaches his disciples to pray with the words:
“Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
“For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,
now and forever.”
We all have times of trial:
times of testing,
challenges,
feeling overwhelmed or overcome by loss.
But, as Jesus reminds his disciples in both word and action:
the kingdom, the power, and the glory belong to God!
Jesus – and we – are tempted by Satan and accompanied by wild beasts,
but we are also tended by angels.
“The time is fulfilled,” Jesus says.
“The kingdom of God has come near.”
“Repent,
and believe in the good news.”
My friends, our gospel story’s reality check is that,
as we already know,
we will encounter suffering in our lives…
suffering and death are inevitable.
And, we are also accompanied on our journeys by God,
who loves us,
and claims us,
and offers us abundant life.
As much as we find space on our Lenten journeys to name our challenges and temptations,
let us also find space to celebrate our gifts.
Angels accompany us…
sometimes we recognize them, and other times we do not.
And sometimes,
known or unbeknownst to us,
we serve as angels in the lives of others.
Let us be open to the work of God’s Grace in and through us!
God calls us to be agents of love and Grace in this world,
accompanying others on their wilderness journeys.
The Passion story teaches us:
Jesus lived, suffered, and died.
And on the other side of death, he was raised to new life.
So, too, with us…
both figuratively and literally.
So, we live and work in love,
knowing that God’s reign is near.
The time is fulfilled.
God always draws life from death.
I pray for each of us a most holy Lent,
in which the Light of Christ will reveal our dark places,
heal our wounds,
and propel us into the world in love.
Amen.
