Journey to the Cross: Thy Kingdom Come

I've decided to skip over a couple of sermons and post my Lent sermons next. Here is Lent 1. Click the title for audio. On a scale of 1-10, I give this one about a 4.5. Judge for yourself.

Journey to the Cross: Thy Kingdom Come
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Today is the first Sunday of Lent. Lent is one of the seasons of the Christian calendar. On the Christian calendar there are two major seasons, or Sacred Times. The Christian year begins with Advent which leads up to Christmas and culminates with Epiphany. The second of those Sacred Times consists of Lent, Holy Week and Easter which culminates with Pentecost. Ash Wednesday was this past week, so today we observe the first Sunday of Lent.

Lent begins with Ash Wednesday and consists of the 40 days, not including Sundays, leading up to Easter.

Growing up, I had never even heard of Lent. I had no idea what it was. As time went on I heard of Lent. I heard people asking each other, “What are you giving up for Lent?” And that’s what it became to me, time when you give up something you like.

In the last few years I think I’ve gained a little better understanding of Lent and what it means. Lent is a time when we focus on the cross. Lent is a journey. A Journey to the cross. All throughout Lent, we look forward to Easter and the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection. We cannot, however, get to the resurrection without the crucifixion. So we look to the cross. In the cross, we see our brokenness. We see our sinfulness. We also see redemption. We see salvation displayed in Christ crucified. But only because we view the cross in the context of the resurrection.

Lent is a season of reflection and repentance. It is a time when we examine the cross and the cross examines us. A time to reflect on our own sinfulness. A time to reflect on the death and resurrection of Jesus. A time to repent and prepare to celebrate resurrection and the victory over sin and death that Jesus’ resurrection won for all of us.

Over the next few weeks we’re going to journey to the cross together using the Lord’s Prayer as a guide. Today we begin our journey toward the cross as Jesus begins his journey to the cross.

Mark 1:9-15

 ⁹ In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. ¹⁰And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. ¹¹And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved;with you I am well pleased.’

¹² And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. ¹³He was in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.

¹⁴ Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, ¹⁵and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.’ 

The New Revised Standard Version (Anglicized Edition), copyright 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

In 7 brief verses, Mark’s gospel gives us a wealth of information about Jesus of Nazareth and gives us the first words Jesus speaks in this Gospel. “The time has been fulfilled. The Kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe the good news.” And with those words, Mark’s gospel tells us of Jesus’ purpose. To bring the Kingdom to earth as it is in heaven. And we have an account of what it means for Jesus to bring the kingdom to earth. It begins with baptism.

Mark tells us that Jesus comes from Galilee. I read somewhere this week that Jesus came from a third rate village in second rate Galilee. In the eyes of most, he was nobody from nowhere. But Jesus comes to the Jordan River and is baptized by John. Did Jesus have any need of baptism? Why submit himself to be baptized by John? In the early church there was a debate about this event. John’s followers claimed that because John baptized Jesus, Jesus was subordinate to John.

All of the Gospels address this issue. In all 4 gospels John, upon being asked if he is the messiah, replies that one is coming after him whose sandals he is not worthy to untie. In the Gospel of John, he calls Jesus the ‘Lamb of God’. Why would the Lamb of God need to be baptized? In Matthew’s gospel John wonders the same thing. He tells Jesus, you should baptize me. But Jesus submits to baptism. In doing so, Jesus takes another step in entering into our painful, sinful human condition. And one step closer to the cross. In our baptism, we share Jesus’ baptism.  

Jesus sees the heavens open and hears “You are my son.” And the spirit descends into him. We share in that baptism. We share in that Spirit. It is through the power of the Holy Spirit that Jesus withstands 40 days in the wilderness. Temptations. Wild beasts. Hunger. Thirst. Mark doesn’t give us many detail of Jesus’ wilderness experience. We know from the little bit that Mark does tell us that it was a difficult time. Through our baptism, we receive the same Spirit. And the Spirit sustains us as well. It empowers us to face the temptations and wild beasts of our own lives. So, just as we share in Jesus baptism, Jesus shares in our own human experience of temptation and wilderness.

When Jesus returns from the wilderness, he begins preaching the good news and saying “The time is fulfilled. The kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe the good news.” 

This message gives us a focus for our Lenten journey. Repent and believe. Refocus. Turn and trust. But what are we turning from? And what is the good news exactly? And for that matter, what is this Kingdom of God that has come near?

In his letter to the Romans, Paul tells us that the Kingdom of God is not “food and drink, but it is righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” The good news is that righteousness and peace and joy are available to all of us through Jesus. Jesus brought the Kingdom through preaching and calling disciples and teaching and healing. Jesus’ ministry on earth gave the world a glimpse of the Kingdom.

The website of the United Methodist Church has this to say about the Kingdom of God:

· We believe that the kingdom or reign of God is both a present reality and future hope.

· We believe that wherever God's will is done, the kingdom or reign of God is present. It was present in Jesus' ministry, and it is also present in our world whenever persons and communities experience reconciliation, restoration, and healing.

· We believe that the fulfillment of God's kingdom--the complete restoration of creation--is still to come.

· We believe that the church is called to be both witness to the vision of what God's kingdom will be like and a participant in helping to bring it to completion.

· We believe that the reign of God is both personal and social. Personally, we display the kingdom of God as our hearts and minds are transformed and we become more Christ-like. Socially, God's vision for the kingdom includes the restoration and transformation of all of creation.

The good news is Jesus’ message that the kingdom is near. Righteousness, peace, and joy are near. Jesus began the work of bringing the kingdom on earth. Now we are the body of Christ. We are called to continue Christ’s work on earth. We are called to do the kingdom work. We have a part in bringing the fulfillment of the kingdom. Here’s another quote from the UMC website: “And what is our role—to sit back and simply wait for God's kingdom to arrive? By no means! We are to pray earnestly for the Kingdom to come on earth (Matthew 6:10). We are to watch faithfully for any signs of its coming (Matthew 25:13). We are to put away our old selves and clothe ourselves "with the new self, created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness" (Ephesians 4:24). As renewed people, we're to do "the work of ministry" (Ephesians 4:12). As Easter people witness and serve, we take part in the Kingdom's dawning. Thy Kingdom come!”

Jesus calls us to repent and believe. To turn and trust. If we are going to aid in the fulfillment of the Reign of God, we have to repent and believe. And that brings me back to a question I asked earlier. What are we turning from?

If the Kingdom is righteousness, peace, and joy, we are called to turn from anything contrary. On a personal level and a social level. We turn from sin. Personal sin, first. We strive for sanctification. Christian perfection. Perfect love of God and neighbor. And we turn away from those things that divide society. Things that marginalize others. Hate. War. Inequality. And we trust Jesus as he leads us to reconciliation and equality.

As we begin Lent we look forward to Easter. To resurrection. To the defeat of death and sin. But before we can get there, we must face the cross. We must face suffering. We must face death. We must face sin. Which means we must face ourselves.

Lent is a time of reflection. Personal reflection first. A time to examine our own lives for those things that separate us from righteousness and peace and joy and to repent and trust Jesus. And a time of communal reflection. To examine the world around us. To turn away from things that divide and polarize. To turn toward reconciliation. To help bring the kingdom even nearer.

Thy kingdom come!