You can hear an audio recording of the second scripture reading and my sermon entitled,
“ No One Can See the Kingdom of God ...in the dark! ”
being preached, by CLICKING HERE.
Dear People of Light,
Just a short time ago, we were talking about how
Jesus makes US the “light of the world,” when he declares that we are “salt of
the earth and light of the world.” And
in a “flash” …it’s become Lent.
In fact, by the time you’re reading this, we’re sunk,
nearly two Sundays deep into Lent!
You know the darkness does not overcome the light
…but in Lent, the darkness appears to be winning—with Jesus walking toward
Jerusalem and soon to be crucified, to die, and be buried. In fact, when this happens, doesn’t the
darkness win?
Ask Pilate, who I think leaves Jerusalem that
year thinking that he’s solved this Jesus-problem by putting him to death, even
though Pilate was never convinced Jesus was the problem!
Lent isn’t a story about the darkness
winning. I know you know this.
But like the darkness not overcoming the light, as
we hear our story, as we read our story, it sure seems as if the world gets one
over on Jesus.
Lent is not a story about how bad we are and how
much we need to repent for. Lent is our
reminder that despite what seems to be happening, God isn’t losing! Despite the fact that Jesus is arrested,
tried before the religious leaders, tried before the civil authorities, and put
to death …God is busy writing another ending.
The story God is writing is that God’s great love
for us isn’t thwarted.
God loves us all the way through who we are and
whatever we have done, or what’s been done to us or through us. God loves us all the way! So that when the crowds cry death, when
Pilate can’t find any way around it, when the hammers fall, and the nails
pierce, when breaths fade, and his body slumps, when his side is breached, when
he is dead, and the stone is rolled—God is busy writing another ending.
Love wins.
The light is the forever reminder.
Even when the darkness thinks
it has the upper hand—even when we think the darkness has the upper hand! It’s God’s hand, with a pen in hand, writing
about love.
You are the beloved of God. …NOT the bad of God.
You can hear an audio recording of the second scripture reading and my sermon entitled,
“ A Walk on the Wild Side ”
being preached, by CLICKING HERE.
You can hear an audio recording of the second scripture reading and my sermon entitled,
“ Lent Is Not Up to You ”
being preached, by CLICKING HERE.
You can hear an audio recording of the second scripture reading and my sermon entitled,
“ America Needs A Neighbor ”
being preached, by CLICKING HERE.
You can hear an audio recording of the second scripture reading and my sermon entitled,
“ Salt and Light ”
being preached, by CLICKING HERE.
You can hear an audio recording of the second scripture reading and my sermon entitled,
“ This Sermon Had no Title ”
being preached, by CLICKING HERE.
Dear People Fishers (…at least, that’s what Jesus
promises to make us, as his followers),
Jesus is the light of the world, but the world is
still dark.
The darkness does not overcome the light, but at
times, even for days …I wonder.
And now in these glad epiphany days of light and
revelation after the birth of Jesus, we will soon turn toward the season of
Lent. We are just celebrating the birth
of Christ …and now our attention and focus turn toward his death. …It doesn’t seem fair.
Lent is a time—it seems—in which we may think we are
preparing to observe the darkness winning.
Jesus, in his final days of living as a human being on earth, is
arrested, beaten, mocked, and murdered; Jesus dies. Lent is the season in which Christians
prepare to observe these realities once again, to remind ourselves of the
story, to be witnesses to God’s activity once again, to be able to tell the
story that love wins. But unlike
Christmas, Easter, or Pentecost, it’s not a celebration.
Lent is also a season for following Jesus.
“When Jesus heard that John had been arrested ...he left Nazareth and ...began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” (Matthew 4:12-17)
Grace, I suppose.
Jesus reminds us that repentance is the right reaction to the kingdom of
heaven; and Lent is a season of penitence.
Following Jesus means turning toward God, turning our back to the ways
of the world, and proclaiming what we know to be true—Jesus Christ is the light
of the world and is walking on the road to the kingdom of heaven. We know, following Jesus, leads us to God’s
promised kingdom.
Even when the world seems dark. …Especially when the world seems dark.
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday; this year, on
February 18th. Lent lasts 40
days, ending on Easter. We spend that
time reading, praying, watching, and following.
And we witness that the darkness does not overcome the light.
Love wins.
The light is a reminder. Even when the darkness thinks
it has the upper hand—even when we think the darkness has the upper hand!
We are the light of the world, too.
We are the light of the world,
You can hear an audio recording of the second scripture reading and my sermon entitled,
“ Jesus Walked, John Watched, Disciples Went, Believers Told ”
being preached, by CLICKING HERE.
You can hear an audio recording of the second scripture reading and my sermon entitled,
“ About Getting Wet in Church! ”
being preached, by CLICKING HERE.
