Thinking Through Mark - Freedom (1:4)

John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

Mark 1:4, ESV

The first signs of Christmas are now in the air. Decorated trees have been erected in various stores. Holiday drinks are available at coffee shops. Multicoloured LEDs are beginning to light up the night. Soon Rudolph and Frosty will be ringing out in malls, friends will be exchanging gifts and Home Alone, Elf and Miracle on 34th Street will be warming living rooms.  

One of the most popular Christmas movies is Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol; a story of the redemption of one Ebeneezer Scrooge who transitions from grumpy miser to generous and all around good guy. Early in the film we meet the ghost of Scrooge's deceased business partner, Jacob Marley. Attached to this pour soul is a chain: "'I wear the chain I forged in life,' replied the Ghost. 'I made it link by link, and yard by yard; I girded it on of my own free will, and of my own free will I wore it.'" Due to his love of wealth and neglect of the poor, Marley carries this great weight. It is the bondage of sin.

Sin is a chain which curses each and every human being. It is a chain we cannot escape no matter how hard we try, no matter how much good we attempt. There is no Houdini-ing our way out. 

Into this hopeless situation God sends relief. A message of forgiveness. A message of freedom. "John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins." Have you found that release yet? Repent. According to the Eerdmans Bible Dictionary: “In its fullest sense [repentance] is a term for a complete change of orientation involving a judgment upon the past and a deliberate redirection for the future.” Put your faith in Christ. Find the freedom He offers. 

In the Kitchen

 

Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.”

Jonah 1:1-2 ESV

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Is it not amazing that God chooses to involve us in His work in the world? He does not need us to communicate for Him, for he could easily shout His messages from heaven for all to hear, He could speak to us in the privacy of our homes or communicate to our minds with an inner voice. And He would be better at sharing His message than we ever could be. Not only do we make mistakes when we talk, but our own sinfulness pollutes the message. 

Imagine a father in the kitchen making a breakfast of pancakes. Imagine his young daughter wanting to help. The father allows her. She makes an attempt at reading the directions, though she misses a step and misquotes some of the numbers. She can measure the flour, though the measurement is inaccurate. The child can pour the sugar into the mixing bowl, though one quarter of it spills upon the floor. She can help her father flip a pancake on the griddle, even though it tears in half as the father is more concerned that his girl not burn herself than that he properly overturn the solidifying batter. By joining in the work, the child does not make things easier for the parent. The child gets in the way. The child slows the process. The child even throws off the taste of the meal. 

Even still, the father (if he is not in a rush and bothered by the stresses of life) is full of joy at the child's participation, for participation means learning, it means relationship, it means unity of purpose. And the child beams as she tells her mother that she made breakfast. 

God does not need us to help Him, just as a parent does not need his child in the kitchen. But in His grace, He invites and gifts us to have a part to play. 

An Honour

But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.

Jonah 1:3a

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We live with an incredible honour, though we may not always consider it so. God chooses to use us. While He could do whatever He wanted in our world while we sat on the sidelines as spectators, He not only calls upon us to be involved in His work but gives us the gifts that we need to be effective. "To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good." (1 Corinthian 12:7). 

Jonah was called by God to be a prophet. However, when he was first told by God to go to the foreign city of Nineveh, he fled. Jonah likely hated the Assyrians because of their legendary cruelty in war and due to the fact that they were a threat to his homeland of Israel. He didn't want them to have the opportunity to turn away from their sin and taste the forgiveness of God. 

We too might flee from the voice of God. Whether He wants us to be a missionary or a Sunday school teacher, a pastor or a greeter; whether He wants us to share our testimony at work or invite a neighbour to church, there are many reasons which might keep us from wholeheartedly obeying the call of God. 

Is there anything God is laying on our hearts that we have been ignoring? Any gifts we have that go unused? 

Thinking Through Mark - Prepare the Way (1:2-3)

As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,

“Behold, I send my messenger before your face,

    who will prepare your way,

the voice of one crying in the wilderness:

    ‘Prepare the way of the Lord,

    make his paths straight,’”

                                            Mark 1:2-3 ESV

Inauguration day took place earlier this week. President Trump's reign came to an end and he was replaced by now-President Biden. On that day, White House staff was quite busy. The Biden family's moving trucks were not permitted to begin unloading until after Biden took the oath of office, which means that the staff had mere hours to make the White House feel (somewhat) like home for the new residents (take a look at this article). Preparations must be made for leaders. 

The Son of God, God-in-the-flesh, was in the world. And God wanted His people to be ready for Him. So He appointed a man, John the Baptist, to prepare them. 

I find myself reflecting on the idea that this same Jesus will be returning to the earth one day. He who arrived two thousand years ago will come again. And I can't help but think that each one of us can play a role in preparing the world for His return. How are we using our gifts and abilities, our relationships, our opportunities (and more) to prepare people for Jesus' return? 

Thinking Through Mark - Good News (1:1)

There are various levels of good news. First of all, there is the good news which announces some of our daily brushes with happiness. For instance, hearing that our most loved supper is being prepared, receiving a good grade or a "well done" on a homework assignment or being told that it is time to watch a compelling television program are examples of such. 

There are seasonal or less frequent tastes of good news, which elicit (perhaps) a greater joy. We might exclaim, "Well, that is good news" when we hear that our favourite singer is scheduled to perform in our city. Or when the local grocery store is restocked with a holiday candy which adds to the joy of Christmastime. 

Taking another step, we encounter the infrequent type of good news. News of events so rare and precious that they fill our hearts to bursting with happiness. "I'm pregnant." "You've been accepted to such-and-such a program of study." "The job is yours." "I do." 

The Gospel of Mark begins with these words: "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God." (1:1). As you probably know, the word translated "gospel" can be translated "good news". The Reformation Study Bible explains that the Greeks used this term "for events such as the birth of an emperor or a major military victory." Rare events indeed. 

As Christians, we rejoice at the good news that God sent His Son into the world. That He would die for us to pay for our sins. May God fill our hearts to bursting with joy today as we reflect on this good news. The best good news of all. 

Staying Faithful

And the chief of the eunuchs gave them names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego.

Daniel 1:7

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I wonder if Daniel and his friends were ever tempted to break faith with the God of Israel? In the early days of their exile, it could have been argued that if ever there was a time to reject one’s religious upbringing and embrace another faith, this was it. 

The city of Jerusalem had been besieged and its king was defeated. Certain citizens were carried off to Babylon, along with some of the vessels of the temple. These vessels were then placed in the temple of another god! Daniel and his friends were to be instructed in the literature and language of the Babylonians. Their minds were to be filled with teachings from a pagan nation. 

And to make matters appear even more dire, their names were changed from those which gave honour to their God, to names which pointed to gods of other nations. 

One could have despaired and believed that the God of Israel had lost. That it was time to move on. Time to abandon the religion, culture and ways of their homeland. But these men remained faithful. 

I think about our culture. Christianity on the decline. Churches closing. Christians beliefs being treated as untrue, too narrow, bigoted or even evil. Some church goers might be tempted to jump ship. How can God be real when there is such a shift in the spirit of our age? How can the Christian God be real when so many people disagree with Him? 

Let me encourage us all to stay faithful. The God who proved faithful to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah is the same God who rules today. He has not changed. In the Book of Daniel, we see Him do some amazing things to bring glory to His name. His work has not stopped. 

Ruminating . . .

      Pastor Andy Stanley suggests that "our approach to communicating should be shaped by our goal in communicating."1 He then goes on to share his goal in preaching: "to teach people how to live a life that reflects the values, principles, and truths of the Bible. In short, my goal is change. I want them to do something different instead of just think about it."2 It is hard to argue with that goal. 

     Stanley's approach to preaching includes more of a focus on application than information, on inspiration than on explanation. He chooses texts of Scripture which he believes are applicable to life today. He also commits to answering the questions: So what? and Now what?3

     Andy Stanley is clearly a successful communicator and has done great things for the kingdom of God. His approach to preaching has been used to bless many people. I enjoy listening to his sermons and have personally learned much through him. And it is great that he has such a strong passion to see people live according to the Word of God. I guess I find myself asking a couple of questions though. 

     First of all, is change (on its own) a sufficient goal? What about mind renewal? What about an understanding of Scriptural truths? What about helping people think clearly and correctly? I imagine that one could simply say that all of these things are a necessary part of godly change. A person must know what a biblical command is if they are to begin living it out. We need to understand the Gospel if we are to put our faith in Christ. But would it be more helpful to have change and correct thinking as goals of preaching? 

     Secondly, is it correct that much talk about change leads to change? For all people? Do some people get turned off by spending large amounts of time speaking about application? Furthermore, can information lead to a renewed lifestyle as well? Won't being taught that eating six Big Macs a day significantly increases my chance of a heart attack help at least some people change their eating habits? 

     I guess I find myself siding with Stanley in a significant way. I like to drive at a main to do in a sermon. And he does this very well. I also want to make sure that I'm adding to my hearer's understanding (not that Stanley does not do this - it is just not his main goal). With this in mind, I would prefer to have at least two main goals in sermon preparation and delivery: change and understanding. 

1. Andy Stanley, Communicating for a Change. (U. S. A.: Multnomah Books, 2006), p. 93.

2. Andy Stanley, Communicating for a Change. (U. S. A.: Multnomah Books, 2006), p. 95.

3.  See Andy Stanley, Communicating for a Change. (U. S. A.: Multnomah Books, 2006), pp. 95-98.