The Urgency of Mark's Lent - March 7
Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 41, 52; PM Psalm 44; Gen. 37:1-11; 1 Cor. 1:1-19; Mark 1:1-13
Almost out of nowhere comes the Gospel of Mark, action-packed and filled to the brim with excitement. There is no birth narrative, just a ruffian named John hanging out in the wilderness in camel’s hair eating locusts and wild honey. I’m guessing that means he doesn’t keep bees, just robs wild ones, which is even more profound. He is proclaiming to the world the importance of repentance, and then Jesus comes to visit him in the wilderness to be baptized. At that moment the heavens are torn open, a loud voice proclaims Jesus’s arrival. He is cast into the wilderness and then we experience all of Lent in just one sentence: “He was in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.”
The one-sentence Lent. No forty days of social media fasting, or readings of books and reflections. No agonizing stories, sermons, or visions. All we get is one sentence that includes Satan, wild beasts, and angels all in the wilderness. Mark does not waste any words. And I am left wondering what the urgency of Mark can offer our Lenten practice.
It’s an alarming yet hopeful image of Lent that we are offered this morning. Mark reminds us that in this period of wilderness, Jesus was not only tempted by Satan but residing with wild beasts. The urgency of Mark reminds us that in this period of self-examination, reflection, and repentance, we might discover that we too reside much closer to those things that we want to be freed from. It is Mark that reminds us of the proximity of evil in our own lives. We can’t ignore how close these things are, covered up with stories, images, and reflections. We live way too close to the things that work to erode the kingdom of God!
But Mark also offers us a profoundly hopeful image. Even in the closeness of those forces that work to destroy, Jesus was not alone in the wilderness. “And the angels waited on him.” For us too, in this season of self-examination, reflection, and repentance, God’s presence is there to guide us and protect us.
We are invited into a Holy Lent, and urgent practice of self-examination and yet with the promise that God is with us in all that we could discover.
John+
Questions for Self-Reflection: How do you examine your own life? What have you taken on or given up this Lent? What is the role that repentance plays in your faith journey?
Daily Challenge: It is not too late to develop a Lenten discipline. Pick something and write it down!. One fun challenge to learn more about the Church and Saints is the Lent Madness offered by Forward Day by Day. Learn more here.