RECONCILING REALITY

The following video transcript has been lightly edited

My week was a bit of a mash up. Had some parts of it that were really wonderful. Some parts of it that were sad and, and challenging, and of course some parts that were dreary. Had some great time with my kids, celebrated one of our kid's birthdays. Those moments are just fun and joyful. But there was some sad, hard things too.

One of my friends, longtime friends, had a heart attack. Another friend of mine that I know took their life. So those are the things where it's like it interrupts your life, there's a sadness, a brokenness. And then of course in the midst of all that there's fun things like shopping and snow blowing and paying bills.

And in those moments it just feels dreary, like can't we get past this, can I be done with this part? And so I think it leaves all of us wrestling and asking questions like, what is life really? And so in that, it expresses this desire, this need to somehow reconcile this reality, what we call life.

We're beginning our season of Lent, and Lent is to Easter what Advent is to Christmas. It's a season of preparation, preparing. So in Christmas you prepare for the arrival of Christ. In Lent you prepare for the death and resurrection of Christ. And so this season is about us connecting to our need. Our need for God.

Our need for God to do things like reconcile this world. We're going to look today at a passage in Mark. Mark 1, in which Jesus ministry begins. And it's Mark 9:1-15 and it happens to break out in three different sections. The first is that Jesus is baptized by John, and Mark says that the heavens are torn apart, that the Spirit descends, that there's a voice of God that says, This is my Son, who I love.

Second, Jesus, from there, goes out into the wilderness for 40 days, and overcomes the temptation of Satan, and is able to be with the wild beasts, and says that the angels care for him. And then finally, Jesus arrives and announces his ministry, and he says, The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news.

And what we see in this is that God offers how to reconcile this reality in three different ways. One, we learn that God sees us through a lens of love. Two, that the things that threaten human flourishing have been overcome. And that finally, we're to know that God is near. God has come near and that God continues to be near.

So let me tell you about it. So when Jesus comes up out of the water, having been baptized, and God the Father says, this is my son whom I love, that's true for you and I. In the way that God the Father sees Jesus is the way that God the Father sees you and I. The infinite God of love loves us infinitely. Loves you and me.

This is so important because I think all of us are sort of wrestling through life wondering, are we enough? Or struggling with shame or afraid to engage our emotions. Wondering, am I really loved? Do I belong? Am I okay? And the incredible message of Christ is that all are loved. You know, Zach Bryan has a line in one of his songs that says, "we're all running from something inside of ourselves."

And I think that that's true. You know, for me, I find myself running to prove my worth. So it's a striving and always like, have I done enough? Can I be more successful? Maybe for you, you're running from insecurity or shame. For some of us, we're just running from our feelings. We don't want to feel those things.

But how might we shift? How might we shift the way we view ourselves if we remember that God loves us? How might we think differently about ourselves if we saw ourselves through the lens that God sees us? God sees us through the lens of Jesus. And so God sees us in a way that he says, you're loved. I know for me, when I can connect to that, when I can remind myself of that, it slows me down.

I'm not just always sort of rushing and pushing. And in the slower pace, I get to connect with people and the wonder all around me and appreciate things like the way the light glistens off the snow or see my wife and my kids in new ways and fresh ways. Like I really see them and their people as people, and it adds a fullness to my own life.

And so while you are wrestling with this reality that you're in, know that God loves you incredibly. And let yourself see you through that same lens, so that you can find greater peace and contentment.

The second part, as Jesus heads off into the wilderness. We see that one of the ways that God reconciles this reality is by conquering the things that threaten human flourishing. So the things that make our world broken is that it is the wilderness. It's this place of wandering and unknown and uncertainty.

You and I struggle with this constant temptation to try to find Life and things that bring us death, to try to be our own God, to control. And we see that Jesus overcomes each of those in his own resistance of Satan.

And then this last little bit, that Jesus was with the wild beasts. I love it because in Isaiah, the idea that the lion and the lamb would be together, that the wild beasts would no longer be a threat, but there would be reconciliation and restoration. And so we see that that's another thing that happens that the threat of violence and insecurity and uncertainty in this world is overcome. So Jesus has done all of this.

Now, that kingdom, that future, that reality has arrived, but not fully yet. And so you and I live in the now, knowing that we still live in the wilderness, but we live and are able to have peace and contentment and presence because we believe that we are part of a wave. That the wave of God's restoration has been kicked off in the person of Christ and will carry throughout history bringing restoration to all of creation. And so we can see ourselves through the lens of love and we can have confidence that restoration is the future. That the things that have prevented human flourishing have been overcome by Christ.

Finally, the last part, Jesus shows up for his ministry. And he announces, the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news. And this is incredibly good news. The good news is that God has not abandoned us, but that God has come in the person of Christ. Now this will require repentance for us, and repentance is simply this idea of turning around, seeing differently, seeing with the eyes that see the kingdom of God and pursuing that.

Pursuing things like love, and mercy, and kindness, and humility. And the good news is that God has rescued all of us in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. And that that wait is over. And while it hasn't entirely arrived, God continues to be present with us. And that's what Lent is all about. It's about us connecting to the nearness of God, the love of God. reminding ourselves that we need a Savior, that we need rescuing too.

And so my challenge to you for Lent might be to give up something. You're like, ah, and the purpose of it isn't just to give up something. The purpose of it is as you give up something and you miss it, it reminds you of what you really need.

And that's a God who reconciles this reality. Maybe prayer or journaling. Or spiritual reading would be a better exercise for you to connect with the nearness of God. I think those are great things to do in the midst of Lent too. But recognize that the reality that we live in, this thing we call life, it needs reconciling.

And the good news is that Christ has done it. That God sees us through the lens of love. And so you and I are God's beloved. That the things that threaten human flourishing have been overcome. And that God has come near. And God's nearness continues to empower our life day to day. Hey, I hope you have a great week and I look forward to connecting with you next week.

Take care.