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’.
Giving birth is an ordinary process for women all over the world – maybe for some it is more vulnerable and risky.
Through the birth of this baby the world would be turned on its head,
God enters irrevocably and extraordinarily into human history to show the way of God in the world. The ‘Good News’ is that God continues to be with us in our joys and struggles.
John the Baptist may seem to be an odd character to be the one pointing to Jesus as ‘The Light’.
He came to tell people to pay attention and recognise who Jesus was, tell the story of the coming Messiah and to worn them to be ready!
Our mission is also John’s mission – in preparing for Christmas – ‘What would John do?’
