Are there some areas of our lives that there needs to be some ‘cleaning’ happen?
Get rid of the old stuff and look towards new opportunities.
Perhaps we need to look at things in a different light and listen out for what God is saying to us.
God through Jesus offers so much, he gives us choices.
“Those who have seen the glory will never be the same again.” N C Wright.
Look to discover God’s glory in many places by first listening, then maybe our discipleship will be found in unexpected places and God’s light will shine in unexpected ways.
Lent is a time of turning towards something other than ourselves.
A time of remembering who we are in God’s eyes and what we need to do to be part of God’s Story in the future.
A time to be present for people who are not normally ‘at our table”.
The psalmist says, “We are remembered by God according to our love”.
The Adult Jesus we encounter in Mark was a busy person – but he
still had a need to find a quiet space to experience silence.
Using times of silence gives an opportunity to have deep and life giving connections with the Divine God and our inner being.
Jesus took the demons on – his actions were counter cultural.
He was not looking for fame. When Jesus confronted demons, he spoke the truth, showed compassion, spent time in prayer and enabled the service of others.
The fishermen that Jesus called were everyday peasants.
They were taken out of their comfortable places to a less comfortable place.
Following Jesus is not a one-off decision but a change of life.
It may stretch our ability in all directions and into unknown places.
Moving through this Epiphany we need to be looking for the signs that God has for us for this new year.
The fishermen that Jesus called to follow him, knew what it was like to pull fish from the chaos of the sea.
What does it mean to pull people from the chaos of their lives, the storms around them, the deep blue of the seas they are in and bring them into the order of God. ‘Called to follow’ equals ‘Call to love’ (even when we want to resist).
In this week John is giving us a theological construct.
Rather than telling us an actual historical event John’s aim is to make clear theologically what our response to Jesus should be. The Messianic time has begun; the reign of God is present.
The season of Epiphany is ‘God’s appearing to us’. We are called to marvelous things!
EPIPHANY – “an illuminating discovery” according to one definition.
The Magi were gentiles, foreigners – the opposite end of society, that came to worship the newborn king.
They came to know the blessings of being part of God’s love for humanity and creation as a whole.
Jesus is the Saviour of all people not just for those in the church.
Interpretation – people interpret the same things in different ways.
Our brains can read all the words but our hearts need to also be involved in interpretation and action.
Christmas – the birth of Jesus was a promised fulfillment for the world.
Simeon’s promise was fulfilled when he was able to name ‘Jesus’.
