|
|
Ash Wednesday Mark 1:9-15
In the Old Testament there were three significant events in the life of the Hebrew people that really shaped who they were and laid the foundation for their relationship with God. These three events are fairly easy to remember and are intimately connected. Baptism then Wilderness then Promised Land. If you remember, when God freed the Hebrew people from slavery in Egypt, the first thing they had to do was pass through the waters of the Red Sea. God parted these waters and the people walked across on dry land. It was a powerful statement about who God was and every one of the Hebrews experienced it. In essence, this was their baptism. Immediately after crossing the Red Sea, they experienced what can only be described as a wilderness experience. They were driven into the desert, where there was no food, no water, nothing but rocks and sand. Oh how they longed for refreshment and relief from this wilderness. Many times they complained to Moses that it was too difficult and that they would rather go back to Egypt and be slaves than endure the adversity of the desert. Yet despite the hardship, those 40 years were very formative for the Hebrew people. The wilderness was a time for the Hebrews to learn was it meant to be completely dependent upon God. The wilderness was a lesson in faith because they didn’t eat if God didn’t provide the manna or the quail. They didn’t drink unless God provided water from a rock. They didn’t know where they were going unless God led them by a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire during the night. For a time, they had to forget about everything that wasn’t vitally important and they had to learn to focus on the only thing that really mattered – dependence upon God. This wilderness experience shaped them as a people and they never should have forgotten what it was like to be completely dependent upon God alone. Following their wilderness experience, the third significant event that really laid the foundation for who they were was entering into the Promised Land. When they set foot in the land flowing with milk and honey, they realized that God is faithful to his promises and that he had given them a marvelous gift. They had been shaped and molded and were now ready to receive all the benefits that God had to give them. These three events were significant to the Hebrew people and they are the same three events that Jesus experiences in our short gospel lesson for this evening. Like with the Hebrews, these three events laid the foundation for Jesus’ ministry. Jesus is baptized in the waters of the Jordan. He is immediately driven into the wilderness and tempted by Satan. After spending his 40 days in the wilderness, Jesus emerges, ready to proclaim the Good News. Baptism – Wilderness – Promised Land Tonight marks the end of the Epiphany Season and the beginning of Lent. Perhaps it was coincidence, but the focus during the Epiphany season was on Baptism and how God reveals himself to us through Baptism. Last Sunday, I talked about what a mountaintop experience it is when God reveals himself, however we can’t stay on the mountain forever. Following the example of the Hebrews and of Jesus, it is now time for us to move from Baptism into the Wilderness. Lent is a season of 40 days, meaning that it is a time of reflection, of testing, of temptation, and like the Hebrews in their wilderness, this is a time for us to learn complete dependence on God. In this wilderness of Lent, we will focus on what is really important in life, and through our Lenten wilderness experience, we will be molded into something different. We will be called to repentance so that we can properly receive the Good News of Jesus’ resurrection, in essence, enter our Promised Land. For the next 40 days, we will be using rocks to remind us that we are wandering in the wilderness. Rocks represent the dryness and harshness of the desert, the longing for refreshment, and complete dependence upon God. As you leave the worship this evening, you are asked to take a dry and dusty rock and to carry this stone around in your pocket. It will have rough edges and pieces of it might even break off. They are dark and dusty, just like the ashes you are wearing on your foreheads. Carry this rock around in your pocket and let it remind you to depend upon God for your needs in this season of wilderness. In the Baptismal font, you will also notice some different rocks. These smooth, lighter colored stones are in the water. They have already been shaped and molded, the rough edges have been smoothed away. They are harder and stronger and you can’t break any pieces off of them. These smooth stones will remain in the font throughout our wilderness experience to remind us that God is shaping us and molding us so that we will be stronger and more faithful. On Good Friday, we will lay our dry, dusty, rough stones at the foot of the cross. That evening, as we leave in silence, each of us will reach into the waters of the font and receive a smooth stone. Having our rough edges smoothed out and returning to what is important is God’s gift to us in the wilderness. Following their wilderness experience,
the Hebrews entered the Promised Land and their horizons were expanded
beyond their wildest expectations. When Jesus left the wilderness, he
began to proclaim the Good News with boldness and with conviction. As
we journey through the wilderness and as we enter our capital campaign,
let us keep our eyes on God, knowing that in the end, we will have our
horizons expanded and be better equipped to proclaim the Good News with
boldness and conviction. Welcome to the wilderness. Let us repent and
learn how to depend on God. |
