The starting point
8th March 2024
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And 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. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the one I love; I delight in you.’
And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.
Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.’
Mark 1
A couple of weeks ago I went to a talk by Jane Williams. She happens to be married to Rowan Williams who used to be the Archbishop of Canterbury, but she’s a well-known church teacher herself. She was using various pictures of the life of Jesus to help us think about our journey through Lent.
This is the first one she showed us. What do you think about it? It’s not a modern or realistic picture but it does show one view of the story. Notice the dove, the Holy Spirit – and can you see the hands, representing God the Father?
In our story, Jesus hears the Father speak to him ‘You are my son, the one I love – I delight in you.’ Right at the start of his ministry, Jesus is reminded of who he is – the son who God loves, and delights in. Notice that this is before Jesus has done anything – he is loved not because of what he has done, but just as who he is.
This can be a good place for us to begin when we think about Lent or any time when we are looking to grow with God – like our Busy Person’s Retreat. Before we start making resolutions or trying to develop new habits, Jane said that we should remember who we are. We are the ones God loves and God delights in us.
I read something recently which I found really helpful:
Walk in confidence – for there’s nothing you can do to lose the love of God. And walk in humility – for there’s nothing you can do to earn it.
If we begin by remembering who we are – the loved children of God – then that can help us as we face our fears and our temptations. After his baptism we’re told that Jesus was driven out into the wilderness and after many days there he faced three temptations. He was tempted to turn stones into bread – to use his power to satisfy his own needs. He was tempted to throw himself of the temple and then be rescued by God – to demonstrate God’s love for him. And he was tempted to bow down to Satan in return for all the kingdoms of the world – to let go of his relationship with God for the sake of getting control.
Jesus is able to resist these temptations because he is rooted in the knowledge of who he is – he is the loved child of God. So he can trust God to meet his needs. He has no need to put God’s love to the test or to demonstrate it to others. And his relationship with God is more important than all the kingdoms of the world.
We may also be tempted to try to meet our own needs – whether it’s by comfort eating when we are stressed – or trying to do our work or study in our own strength – and forgetting to trust. We may be tempted to prove our importance in different ways. And we may be tempted to give up the most central thing in our life – God’s love for us – for the illusion of control and power. Remembering that we are the loved children of God can help us too.
There’s a lovely line in a prayer we sometimes use in church during Lent:
In these forty days you lead us into the desert of repentance, that through a pilgrimage of prayer and discipline we may grow in grace and learn to be your people once again.
It echoes what Jesus said when he came out of the wilderness: ‘The kingdom of God has come near – repent and believe in the good news.’ When we are able to accept, deeply and fully, the good news of God’s love for us, then we are set free to repent – to turn around from the dead ends that we end up in – and to learn to walk again in the way of life.
Spend a few moments reflecting on the words God says to us:
You are my child, the one I love. I delight in you.
As we travel through this Lent, Lord, may these words to sink more and more deeply into our minds and hearts and souls.
You are my child, the one I love. I delight in you.
Lord, help us to learn to turn away from everything that draws us away from your love.
You are my child, the one I love. I delight in you.
Lord, when we are anxious or fearful, give us confidence in your love. When we think that it is all down to us, give us the humility to trust in your love alone.