“To the Test”  (Mark 1:9-15)

I love the Calvin and Hobbes comic strip.  I was reading from an old book of them the other day and took a particular delight from the first page.  In the very first Calvin and Hobbes comic strip, Calvin’s dad is working on the car.  Calvin walks up in a safari hat and says, “So long, Pop! I’m off to check my tiger trap! I rigged a tuna fish sandwich yesterday, so I’m sure to have a tiger by now!” His dad replies, “They like tuna fish, huh?” As Calvin walks off, he says, “Tigers will do anything for a tuna fish sandwich!” The final frame shows Hobbes (the tiger), hanging by his foot from a tree, munching on a tuna fish sandwich.  He says to no one in particular, “We’re kind of stupid that way.”

Each day we are tempted to be less than God created us to be.  Every time we choose what is the easiest path for us without thinking about how much more is possible.  Whenever we grab for the tuna fish when we really know better.  We get caught in the trap of temptation and we too can say “We’re kind of stupid that way.”

Our society scoffs at temptation.  Oscar Wilde said, “I can resist anything but temptation” and “the easiest way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it.” Temptation is trivialized because we believe ourselves self-sufficient.  We know and we decide what’s best for us.  I think we trivialize sin when we think of it as merely an error in judgment.  Sin is rejecting God’s hopes for us.  We think of temptation as the acceptance of evil when it is far more often the rejection of courageous good.  We are so used to choosing what is easiest that becoming what God wants us to be –  doesn’t even seem like an option.

Today is the first Sunday of Lent.  And while Presbyterians don’t really emphasise rather as the time when  people “give up” something for God.  When I was younger, I was always a little confused by this season.  It sounded to me like church people had borrowed something from God and now it was time for them to give up what they had been “Lent”.   One person turned to another and asked, “what are you going to give up for Lent, white or dark chocolate?”

Some will always try to see little they can get by with, with their faith.  But the season of Lent is one of the richest and most meaningful times in the whole church year.  Lent can become a meaningful pilgrimage of faith in which we are to be prepared and repaired in our souls in anticipation of Easter.  If we choose, it can be a time for reflection, repentance, and renewal, three essentials of spiritual growth and vitality.  That is an invitation, and another way to look at it, our test, – what will we do this season. 

Lent can be a time of grace, a time to begin again with God.  For truly, no one is so far from God that they are not welcome again in the family of faith.  Sometimes people think that they are beyond hope; that their faith is too small and their spirits too dry and their sins too great for even God to give them another chance.  But in Lent God searches for us, and brings us back into the family of God.

That being searched for and being found, that coming back changed, is a sojourn.  Each one of us is on a path with God.  Journeying is an oft used image to describe the changes we Christians encounter in our lives as we come to see God in new ways.  We say we are moving, that things are not static and unchanging. 

In Jesus’ journey, and on our journeys, we will enter times of bewilderment and temptation.  There are times of being in the wilderness.  But it is in the wilderness that we come to see the depth and power of God’s covenant promise to each one of us.

Just before this time of temptation, Jesus heard the words “you are my beloved son” as he came up out of the water at his baptism.  It was only after he goes into the wilderness that he will really know what it means for him to be God’s son. 

It seems like quite a jolt for Jesus to go from the ecstatic moment of baptism, to then being thrown out into the wilderness.  The Greek is quite clear about this, that Jesus was not simply in need of a spiritual retreat and he should go and spend sometime enjoying the woods.  He was thrown out into the wilderness by the same spirit that assured him he was God’s very own.  So even Jesus, especially Jesus, is subject to the testing and temptations of what God is calling us to do and become.

Consider Jesus’ journey to this point and look at our on lives.  How often do we feel that one moment we are on top of the world, and we can see everything clearly, and then something comes crashing in and we are tested with some personal crisis, or financial problem?  Or overwhelming doubt?  How often do we find our selves shaking our heads and wondering how things could have changed so quickly?  In the Jordan, Jesus realized that God has chosen him to be the Messiah, the promised one.  In the wilderness, he comes to see what that means, and what the “true messiah” must be and do.

In the wilderness, Jesus faced not so much an external foe as a set of internal expectations, hopes that he may have had as to what it meant to be God’s chosen.  There are all sorts of things he could have done with power that God had entrusted him with.  What would he do with his ability to heal, cast out demons, and also with the knowledge that to be God’s son would mean to die on a cross?  What would he do with all that?  How would we handle such power and such a call.  He had to wrestle with this, before he began his ministry.  He had to come to understand God’s promise, God’s covenant that was being made new through him.

This is an important idea for us in faith.  The testing was not something to be avoided, but something to stand up to.  A desire to avoid temptation led people into lives of self-imposed exile and seclusion.  To live is to face temptation or testing on a daily basis. We’re alive we know that, and we know that we’re not alone.  Our faith assures us of that.  As Jesus is not alone with his temptations, he is attended to by angels, messengers who minister to him and will help him realize his true course.  We are not alone in the midst of our tests.  That is the covenant we have with our God.  Our God will never forsake us.

Some will imagine that the wilderness is optional, only for those who are extra serious about their faith and willing to journey out into the wilds.  But it is a call to all Christians.  Without the wilderness, there is no joy of celebration.  The fact is we can not have an instant Easter.  We can’t just show up on Easter morning and shout that Christ is risen!  And expect to be able to enter into the celebration of the resurrection.  If we haven’t reflected on the void in our lives that cries out for God, if we haven’t looked into the disappointing meagerness of our souls.. then we will never really be able to celebrate the good news that death is defeated by life.  In short to miss the wilderness is to stand at a distance and look unmoved upon the greatest moment and miracle of all eternity.

As we begin this season of Lent, reflecting on our own covenant relationship with God, we look for signs to remind us that God has promised to remain faithful – even when we were faithless.  God has promised to be with us in the wilderness and in the chaos of this world.

As Jesus went through the wilderness he had a great deal to give up.  Can we give up our unattainable expectations of ourselves, others and God?  Can we give up our need of having to always be in control?  Can we give up our hardened hearts for ones of flesh?  Can we give all this up to the Lord who promises to take all these things and make them new and give them back to us?

That is the promise – this is what our faith is about.  It is to be willing to go into the wilderness with the spirit and to face all that life sets before us and all that is within us, and to stand firm with the promise that God will never forsake us. And then, and only then, will we be able to see that gift of grace, the never failing promise that comes to us.  This Lent let us look for those moments, receive them as grace and discover a richness of being emptied.  Lent can be a time of grace.  How much of ourselves will we bring to this season? How far into the wildness will we allow ourselves to go?  AMEN.

“Quiet Time”  (Mark 1:29-39)

I’ve got something of a silly question to begin with, has anyone experienced a “snow day”?  (Collect answers)  A snow day is when you were supposed to go to school or work, but then Mother Nature says SURPRISE!  (Now you have to change your plans!)  I love to op shop and I have come across a couple of books, the great snow storm of 1992 and the even greater storm of 2011.  Look at all these pictures, they are really impressive. snow on New Brighton Beach and downtown.   Now, where I come from, these books could be called “Tuesday” and “Wednesday”.   (My family has been sending pictures of the latest snow storms in the Midwest.)  

I did get to experience a “snow day” not too long ago when I caught on the wrong side of Burkes pass last winter and we had to cancel the worship service in Fairlie.  It felt weird, I was all prepared and ready to lead service, it was going to be the best sermon ever, it was communion Sunday, and it all got called off.  Instead of being at church, I sat by a fireplace and looked out the window at the beautiful scenery and read a book.   If a snow day comes, we are forced to change our plans.  For some, this is a burden, it requires a different set of chores – like shoveling.  For others, a day like that comes as a gift, proving a quiet spot – a break from the expected routines and it presents a strange, and possibly wonderful, time to be still. 

While “snow days” can’t be scheduled, or planned on, we do plan on taking vacations, (or even as a country New Zealand seems to say let’s all plan to slowdown from mid-December to mid-January.)  Have you ever noticed that sometimes a planned vacation can feel exhausting?  It takes a lot of work to get away from our work. Some of us struggle to know how to relax. For others, it is difficult to just sit, doing nothing, and simply being quiet, and for others, they go on their getaway and take everything with them: all the noise, all the commotion, all the music, all the clothing, all the stuff. They pack all their burdens in their suitcases and drag them along.   Sometimes we need to take a vacation after we return from the vacation.

Mark begins by reporting a “typical day” in the life of Jesus-it is actually one of his first days “at work” as Mark would tell the story.   Jesus teaches in the synagogue, casts out a demon, ruffles the feathers of a congregation, and cures a fever. Then he has a meal, served by the very person that he healed. Word spreads all over Capernaum. Friends tell their friends. Children tell their parents. By nightfall, the whole city is jammed around his door, says Mark.  It must have been exhausting.  We can understand why Jesus slips away for some quiet time, can’t we?

He goes to a quiet place and gets away from everybody and everything (even if just for a short while). Then he prays. We can applaud him for tending to his self-care. If he retreats for a bit of silence, the getaway promises to restore his soul or recharge his battery. No question that he needs some time away from all the activity. No question that even Jesus needs a “snow day” – or a “snow evening”.

All of us know about this feeling of fatigue. Life can be tiring and we yearn for some rest. There is physical exhaustion and mental weariness. We hear from the scriptures that Jesus was fully human, just like us. What that means is he got tired just like us.

After a hard day of doing the God’s work, he spends time in communion with God. After laboring long and hard on the Sabbath, he takes a Sabbath – and he prays. At the center of all his ministry of healing, teaching, and miracles,  Jesus pauses to speak to God, to listen for God, and to be still. 

In the story we’ve heard today, it sounds like we have a glimpse of the human side of Jesus: he’s tired, he’s worn out, he’s taking some time for prayer. Jesus knew that he needed help. He knew that he could not live in this world without God. If he was forever going to be giving out, he must sometimes be taking in. If he was going to spend himself for others, he must spend time spiritually refreshing himself. Jesus knew that it was not humanly possible to accomplish all that he needed to accomplish every day of his life in his own strength alone. He also knew that he didn’t have to. Not when the all-powerful, all-knowing, all-wise God, his loving Father was ever present, ready to provide, whatever he needed, whenever he needed it, however he needed it. All he had to do was ask. The Bible says we have not because we ask not. If we ask, we will receive.

I think that preacher is on to something. That is why this scene from Jesus’ life is more than an escape. It is more substantial than a quick trip away.

It doesn’t last long. In fact, it lasts only for one sentence. It lasts only for verse 35. In the very next verse, Simon Peter hunts for Jesus and says, “Hey, you really impressed them. Everybody is hunting for you.” And that’s why Jesus gives his unusual reply: “Let’s get moving then. There are a lot of places where I need to preach and heal.” He has discerned the work of God is not about winning popularity contests. It is about getting on with the challenges God has set before him. He worked that through in the quiet, lonely place.

It strikes me that this kind of prayerful clarity is rare. He goes to a quiet place, and his prayer is for a purpose. It is not merely for spiritual refreshment, but for guidance and direction. It’s not merely filling the tank but steering the car. “God, why am I here?” Not merely asking what others expect of me or reflecting on what I want to do. It’s asking: What does God put before me today?

So, the Gospel text today calls us in two complimentary directions: be still and get to work. Listen to God and care for others. Pray in such a way that our souls are replenished and engage the pain of the neighborhood. It is both-and, a rhythm of contemplation and action. In the name of Jesus, they belong together.

There is a balance between what we do and what we refrain from doing. Hard work invites us to rest our bodies and tend our souls. Prayerful silence clarifies our purpose and reanimates our efforts. The spiritual life is an engaged life, rooted in God and directed toward others.

So, take advantage of our reflection and prayer time today. Lean back into the arms of a God who offers to restore our souls. Listen for the whispers of grace, and trust God will equip us for every challenge. And after you say Amen, open your eyes and look around. We are called to serve a world of need. That is why God granted moments of prayer and rest. And when we get right to the heart of it, selfless service to others is the reason we are here.  Where to?  What’s next?  AMEN.