Text: Genesis 9:8-17 1 Peter 3:18-22 (Series B, 1 Sunday in Lent) Ps. 25:1-10 Mark 1:9-15
As soon as Jesus came up out of the water, he saw heaven opening and the Spirit coming down on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my own dear Son. I am pleased with you"
The story was told about a bunch of hooligans of a small town in Scotland who decided to play a practical joke on their local drunkard. These hooligans seized the drunk one night, after he had been drinking heavily, and threw him into a shallow grave overnight. The drunk was unaware of where he was or what was happening only to be wakened by the town’s only siren at noon.
The loud noise woke him up from his slumber. The local drunkard crawled out of the grave. Looking around and seeing nobody, he dusted off some dirt from his clothes and exclaimed, Holy Mary, mother of God, I can’t believe this; I am the only one resurrected.
The Lenten season is once again upon us. Lent is intended to revive the Christian ancient practice of meditation to help us think, ponder, reflect, discuss, and certainly pray about the meaning of the suffering and the death of Jesus Christ. How firm are we? No need to answer. It is a thought I would like to leave with us as we all journey through this Lenten season. Today’s meditation is entitled Faith in the storm of Life” Have you ever watched trees at the height of a severe storm? There are those that sway back and forth, bending under the force of wind. The wind howls through their branches shaking them so violently that you are sure that they will be ripped off at any moment.
You are quite certain that the tree will be such a wreck after the storm - leaves stripped off; branches broken and lying on the ground. We expect that the whole tree might be up rooted and tossed on its side. But somehow, the tree manages to withstand the pulling and jerking of the wind, and apart from the loss of a few leaves, stands straight and tall when it’s all over.
On the other hand, there are other trees of similar size whose thickest branches come crashing down under the strain of the wind. In 1977, while studying at the School of Evangelism (YWAM) in Lausanne, Switzerland. The school was situated in the country just outside the city of Lausanne.
A storm ripped through the region late that fall, when we woke the next morning several trees were down they succumbed to the strong wind. Some simply snapped off like a twig. While others stood firm.
Faith is the theme as we journey through Lent. Faith is the biblical response to the truth, and believing truth is always a choice. Faith is something we decide to do, not something we feel like doing. Believing the truth doesn't make it true; it's true, so we believe it.
I realize there is a botanical explanation for why trees respond differently to the wind. But they provide an excellent illustration of life itself and the nature of the Christian faith. Both trees experienced the same adversity of neck-breaking wind.
Both are tempted to allow their limbs to snap off. Some give in and lose a lot of their branches or are completely destroyed. Others remain flexible and withstand the temptation. Their limbs remain connected to the trunk of the tree.
So it is with Faith. Faith must have an object. It's not the idea that we merely "believe" that counts; it's what or who we believe in that counts. Everybody believes in something, and everybody walks by faith according to what he or she believes.
But if what we believe isn't true, then how we live won't be right. Therefore, "Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ" (Romans 10:17). Faith is as great as the knowledge of the object in which we place our faith. If we have little knowledge of God and His Word, it will reflect on our experiences, having little faith or no faith.
In today's gospel, at Jesus’ baptized the voice of God declares, "You are my own dear Son. I am pleased with you." Jesus Christ is not basically a pantheistic individual who gradually ascended to a perfect development of his potentials as divine. No, Jesus was inaugurated at his baptism as the Son of God, the Saviour of the world. He did not go through circle of developments to be the Saviour, for in him, through him we have our being.
Mark continues, … Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert, a place of hostility. One moment Jesus is proclaimed the beloved Son of God and the next thrown out into the harshness of the wilderness. This reminds us of the sudden shifts that occur in our life.
One moment we are perfectly healthy, composed, basking in acceptance, and the next moment we find ourselves in miserable loneliness in a confusing wilderness where everything that seemed so certain has now come apart. It is out there in the wilderness that Satan tempts Jesus. It is out there in the wilderness we are tempted to give up.
The temptation Jesus faced was to break away from his Father in heaven. But He remained obedient to his Father. Jesus' temptation in the wilderness sets the stage for everything that follows. Throughout his ministry and even in his suffering and death, he remains connected to his Father in heaven.
Jesus was not like the trees succumbing to the storm, snapping off, and crashing to the ground. Instead, he was like those trees which were bent low by the force of the wind but remained firm until the storm was over.
In the world of investments, there is something called diversification of funds. It simply means you put your funds / money into different investment portfolios. It is unwise to put all your eggs in one basket. It makes a lot sense in investments. But it doesn’t work in faith matters. Believe me I have met some people who have diversified their faith into several religious portfolios. Sound strange, but it is true.
Forty three years ago, while wandering aimlessly in life’s journey in search for meaning for my existence, Jesus found me and in respond I placed my faith in him, I put all my eggs in one basket. I staked all that I had then, and now on him. Because to me there is no other Saviour other than the one declared by God at the banks of the Jordan’s River, the testimonies of the prophets and apostles. When Jesus found me, he gave me life, meaning, and purpose of my existence.
I read some time ago about a cemetery up in Indiana where there is an epitaph on tombstone which says:
Pause stranger, you who pass me by,
As you are now, so one day was I.
As am now, so will you be.
So prepare for death and follow me.
One day, a visitor walked by and scratched on the bottom of that little epitaph:
“To follow you I am not content,
Until I know which way you went.”
For me, any attempt to live by faith beyond what I absolutely know to be true is presumptuous. If I only believe what I feel, I will be led through life by one emotional impulse after another. The path of truth begins with the knowledge of God's Word. When I believe the truth and walk by faith according the little knowledge I have of God, then my feelings will line up with how I think and behave. This doesn’t make me better than any body else.
Satan uses the storms that come our way in life to break us away from God. When things aren’t going well for us. Satan uses these situations to pry a wedge between God and us – maybe an ongoing illness, a sudden death, a disagreement with someone or family breakup.
When we find ourselves in some unknown and confusing wilderness, it is all too tempting to break away from God completely. But the question is this: When the storm finally lifts, will you and I be lying on the ground like dead wood, or will you and I be straight and tall?
Jesus was tempted. You and I are tempted. There is no sin in being tempted. What matters is how we handle the temptation. And the truth is that we can handle temptation infinitely better if we remain close to our Father in heaven who has already declared us to be his beloved sons or daughters in baptism. With God’s strength as our strength we can weather the storm. Yes, Satan will tempt us to doubt God’s love. He will tempt us to blame God for storms that pass through our life. He will tempt us to take God for granted, to slacken off as members of his church, to think that we have it made and don’t rely need God. He will tempt to rely on human wisdom rather than God’s power.
He will tempt us to believe that God isn’t all that important, perhaps a little religion every now and then is okay, but not too much. He will tempt us to ignore God’s ways. And we will fall for his tricks many times because of our own choices. Remember Satan is the master of lies who will entice and coax us to follow demands.
But God has broken the power of Satan to drag us down. When He has sent us his Son to be our Saviour. Jesus died for us to give us forgiveness, and it is that forgiveness from God himself that breaks Satan’s stronghold over us. And set Jesus apart from others, these include prophets before and after.
Final thought: When's the last time we took stock of our life? I'm not talking about the resolutions we made two months ago to diet and exercise. I'm talking about a realistic appraisal of our life…our future… or ministry….our legacy.
It has been a while, hasn't it? Taking stock isn't easy. Sometimes it's downright scary. But we're called to be good stewards of all that God gives us, including our days. So as we enter this Lenten season, let’s reflect on the power God has on our lives, change those things that need changing, loving and believing what s right and true and thank God that Satan doesn’t have the last say over our lives. Jesus has won the victory.
Thanks be to God that even though we fail miserably, our God is a gracious and caring God, his love never ends. Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).
Amen.
Rev. Samuel King-Kabu
February 26, 2012