It's Time!

 This sermon was written for our Sunday morning service on 18th February 2024 - the First Sunday of Lent. The gospel was Mark 1:9-15.

I can’t quite believe it’s Lent already!

It seems like only the other week we were celebrating the end of Christmas, and now, here we are, already preparing for Easter.

Oh – hang on – it was only the other week we were celebrating the end of Christmas. Just 14 days ago, Fi and Caroline led us in our Candlemas service. That time between Christmas and Lent really has been a whistlestop tour this year.

Perhaps less so for us in the Church than for those who work in retail though. I distinctly remember Jen messaging me when she was shopping on 6^th January to say that she’d already seen Easter Eggs for sale!

 

Time really is relative, I guess!

 

Knowing that doesn’t make any of it feel less of a rush, though, does it? I have to be honest, I’ve not really had time yet to think about what my Lenten discipline this year is going to be.

 

We get that sense of being rushed in our Gospel today as well. Mark’s gospel often really does have a sense of immediacy – almost like a small child excitedly trying to tell you a really important story, but unable to keep themselves from skipping to the end. And this morning is no exception.

Our gospel this morning was only seven verses long. And in those few words, Mark manages to cover off Jesus’ baptism, his casting out into the wilderness, and the beginnings of his ministry before he calls his disciples.

In contrast, when St Matthew tells this story in his gospel, it takes him one and a half chapters, with more than three times the number of verses as St Mark. St Luke – who really does like to go on a bit – goes into so much detail, it takes him 62 whole verses to cover off the same scenario, including taking the time for an incredibly long tangent about Jesus’ ancestry...

Mark is in a rush though. He has no time to delve into the details. It’s reflected in his words as well. Things happen ‘immediately’ in the story. And they happen with force. Listen:

“Just as [Jesus] was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart…”

“the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness…”

“Now, after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee… saying ‘The time is fulfilled…’”

 

And there, at the end of our gospel reading for today, we hear the reason why Mark is in such a rush: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe in the good news.”

 

“This is it!”, says Mark. “It’s happening!” It is immediate – Mark uses this word 41 times in his gospel. It’s only used 18 other times in the whole of the rest of the New Testament. You’d only find an equivalent word four times in the entirety of the Old Testament. Our gospel reading this morning uses the Greek word ‘euthys’ (‘immediately’, ‘just then’, or ‘straightaway’) half as many times as the entirety of the scriptures that Jesus himself read used an equivalent word.

 

There is no time to waste, says Mark. God’s kingdom is here, now, and it is forceful.

In our gospel, God’s kingdom tears the heavens apart. No doubt Mark is thinking of the psalmist as he writes this – “Oh, that you would tear the heavens and come down!”. Well… it’s happened. So, now what?

In our gospel, God’s kingdom drives Jesus out into the wilderness. That’s the same word used when Jesus himself casts out demons. When he clears out the temple of the money-lenders. God’s kingdom picks Jesus up by the scruff of his neck and throws him into the desert. The kingdom is near – there is little time to prepare, so go and do it now!

In our gospel, what is the trigger for Jesus’ ministry to start, once he has completed his preparation time? It’s violence; John’s arrest and execution. That demanded an immediate response, as violence always does. The kingdom will not wait.

 

The arrest of a holy man; the same trigger that will kick-start the events of Easter; that will cause – not just the heavens – but the curtain of the temple, and even the earth itself to be torn in two.

And God’s kingdom will not wait. It will not be held back. Easter Sunday is coming, and it will change everything.

It’s happening, says Mark, so prepare ye the way of the Lord. Immediately!

In the wilderness, make the way straight. Straight away!

 

Workers building a road through the mountains

That is God’s message to us today. Have you felt the ‘gentle nudge’ of the spirit with something God is asking you to do? Is there something tapping away at the back of your head with an ask from God? A call to forgive someone? A call to give; time, money, skills? A call to move into a deeper, more meaningful relationship with God? A call to learn more about Jesus, and become more like Jesus?

Now is the time! Not when you’ve finished your next project. Not when you’ve got that new job. Not when you’ve got a bit more time on your plate. This is no longer a gentle nudge. This is the spirit grabbing you by the scruff of your neck and picking you up, and throwing you out of your comfort-zone to do the work of God. This is what Lent is for; to prepare the way of the Lord!

 

The kingdom of God has come near. And, like a mighty wind, it will not be stopped.

The time is now. It’s time to prepare the way of the Lord. It’s time to get excited! It’s happening!

 

…and you thought Lent was all about giving up chocolate! Well, just you wait and see…!