January 10 2021 Mark 1.4-11 “Arise and Repent” Pastor Jacqueline Hines

 January 10 2021 Mark 1.4-11 “Arise and Repent” Pastor Jacqueline Hines

 

This has indeed been a week of drama. Our confidence remains in God. Though the mountains fall into the sea and the earth give way, we will not fear so Psalm 46 reminds us. We are here to worship! Listen to Donna reminding us of a tune to be a blessing. 

The Gospel of Mark tells us that John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. ⁵And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 

Have you ever heard of such a thing? A crowd gathered to repent in order to have their debt of sin forgiven. If you have ever attended an old fashioned tent meeting or revival service, you may have heard a fire and brimstone preacher warning listeners they were going to hell if they did not stop all that sinning, but Heaven awaits them if they turn from their wicked ways and bow humbly before God. Such preaching used to be quite common.

Things have changed in America, for the moment anyway. From age to age such fierce preaching gives way to more merciful and perhaps a more light-handed and lenient gospel. Whatever the case, God’s word does not change. Whether we understand it completely of not, whether we wholeheartedly accept and abide by it or not, whether we want it or not, God’s word does not change. God’s call for love and justice and mercy and forgiveness are always a part of God’s conversation and command to us. The call may be gentle. It may be firm, but God’s voice is always resounding.

There may still be some preachers around whom some of us experience as tormentors attempting to scare us straight -  straight out of hell and hopefully into Heaven.

Some do it with manipulation. Some do it for money. Whatever John was doing in the wilderness, the record says that everyone in Jerusalem and Judea were coming, confessing their sins and standing in line to be baptized. (Of course it was not every ONE.) At times, we hold the bible to an unreasonable standard. In our daily conversation, we may say everyone or all the time, but it is a matter of speech to emphasize, rather than to quantify. So, we dare not reject a holy God who may speak to us in ordinary language, who speaks in whatever way God chooses. We dare not make excuses for neglecting biblical studies based on our expectations.

In any case, we have to wonder. Did John scare the devil out of them? Were they sincere in their confession and conversion or were they just playing church? Were they following the crowd for culture’s sake? Maybe they were seeking attention or being dramatic? We cannot always know what is in a person’s heart.

John isolated himself in the wilderness. Verse 6 says,⁶Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 

If you ever find yourself isolated in a dark and dreary wilderness, seeing John would be of great comfort to you. You would know by the way he dressed and by the way he acted that you were very important to him and that he had something respectful to say that would be especially meaningful to you. He wore camel’s hair –

the symbol of a man powerful and prophetic because he walked in the spiritual disciplines and devotion of God. His powerful words would mesmerize your mind and quiet the roar of your worries to a whisper. You would recognize them as coming from the depths of God’s loving heart to you.

John wore a leather belt around his waist.

In other words, he was girded up, braced and embraced by a surround-sound stereo of truth. God knows the truth is just what you need to be healed and strengthened for every journey forward.

John told everyone in verse 7 that Jesus was coming and Jesus was more powerful than he was and that he was not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of Jesus’ sandals.” John could say, “I look powerful and by God’s grace, I am powerful, but keep a look out, for the one who is coming after me who is even more powerful. I am not worthy to touch him.

I heard that once a little boy accidentally touched a U.S. president’s shoe. Security must have been on the alert because touching someone of such importance is a criminal offense even for a little boy.

John had learned to let go of his pride. He knew that only when he humbled himself really lowly-like that he would be in a position to be lifted up to the perfect place that God had designed for him.

There comes a time in our journey when we also know in our hearts that there is someone more powerful than we will ever be and no matter if we lower ourselves enough to barely reach his feet, we will still have much farther to go before realizing the height of his greatness.

We are sinners. We mess up. We have to constantly clean up our act or we will risk spiritual infection and disease. Isn’t spiritual sickness just like this virus that is running wild in our world today? Sin is everywhere. Just like lawyers, doctors, politicians, sociologists, preachers, theologians, regular people, and psychologists are working day and night to get rid of the virus. Some who practice their faith in an almighty God are also working day and night to get rid of sin, too. We cannot help, at times to fear that we will be the next victim of some unknown evil lurking in the shadows of our lives. Still, we fight to curb the infection of sin and sickness.

Sin, like the virus, can be so overwhelming that we have no choice but to look beyond ourselves to a higher power in order to get rid of the terrorizing consequences.

There are two words for sin in the scriptures.

One means to miss the mark as in not hitting a certain target. The other means to trespass as in to cross a line that should not be crossed.

We are sinners. We come short. Practicing our faith makes us grow and mature so we can make our mark.

God’s word can help us, even heal us. No prayer may leave us with no spiritual power. Little prayer little power. Much prayer, much power. We come short.

When we go too far in our rebellion or ignorance. We step into a mess. We fall into the mud pits and sewage holes of this world. Sin assaults our psyche, bends our brains, and insults the good life that God has given us. We may become motley, dirty, stained, sin sick, aching for righteousness, and if we are in our right mind, we want to be cured, refreshed, cleaned up, and made new. Or, we may feel angry enough to break something like Moses did, we may run away like Jonah or like Lot’s wife, we may turn our back on a path that leads us to safety.

The crowd that came to be baptized by John was trying to start fresh and go in the direction that God was leading.

John tells them “⁸I have baptized you with water; but he (Jesus) will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Our baptism is a very powerful symbol of our recognizing that as the song says “We fall down but we get up.” because God is always available to help us clean up our act and continue on the journey with Jesus. I am reading a book by a lecturer at the Yale School of Public Health. The book is entitled Clean.

Preventative medicine doctor James Hamblin starts off by saying, “I never shower anymore.” This doctor’s basic premise is that we are wasting our money on lots of products like perfumed soaps that leave us dirty with toxic chemicals and that take the oils out of our skin and hair. Then we use expensive conditioners that put the oil back in.

He says not showering did not make him smell bad, but the times he did smell bad his research showed that it had more to do with stress, sleep deprivation, and generally not thriving, more so from not applying some fancy deodorant.

It is true. We become clean inside and out when we live a healthy lifestyle which includes eating well, spending time in nature and keeping our stress down. God helps us live a lifestyle that is clean because it is holy.

We cannot stay clean on our own. Each time we baptize a baby we remember OUR baptism. We remember as Isaiah says “Even our righteousness is as filthy rags.” We need God’s tender care on a daily basis. We cannot remove the stains of our sin without the help of God. Baptism reminds us that we need God in our life.

Jesus left Heaven’s glory and came to us in the flesh. Even he was determined to be baptized as verse 9 tells us. 

⁹In 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.”

Something spectacular and wonderful happens to all of us after we are baptized. We are reminded that we are beloved. God is pleased. It is good to please God, for God is so good to us. Have you counted your blessings lately?

Whatever we do today, we do not want to socially distance ourselves from God or spiritually distance ourselves from the family of God. If we wash our hands for twenty seconds to remove any unrighteousness and filthiness from our souls, wouldn’t we lower the risk of contamination to ourselves and those near and dear to us? Instead of singing Happy Birthday, try saying the Lord’s Prayer, or Psalm 23 or saying “I surrender, Lord.“

Together, we can do this. Remember your baptism and give thanks that we serve a God who makes us clean and new each day. Amen.

Let us pray. Lord of love, we give you thanks this day for cleaning us from the messes we make so easily and so habitually. Bless us to look beyond each other’s faults in order to see their needs, to take the plank out our own eye before trying to take the speck out of our neighbor’s eye, to come empty so that you can fill us as you see fit. Have mercy upon those who suffer. Send us to be keepers of our brothers and sisters, to feed the lambs and take care of the sheep, to take nothing for our journey but instead to depend on you.

The Lord be with you and make his face to shine upon you and give you peace.

Next week we go to I Samuel 3.1-20 with the message “Arise and Hear.” If you would like to make your contribution to the great ministry and mission of Bethel, the website is bethelumcchurch.com. 

Or you can send it to 952 Bethel Church Road, Spring City, Pa. 19475. God bless you!