Lent: Seeking God In Dark Times (Lent 1)

Genesis 9: 8-17 & Mark 1: 9-15

Roger Lynn

March 10, 2019

1st Sunday in Lent

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If a survey were taken about which of the church seasons is people’s favorite, I suspect that Lent would not be at the top of the list. With their darker and more somber tone, these forty days preceding Easter take us into territory we’d usually rather avoid. Traditionally this season has been a time for prayer, reflection, meditation, and sacrifice. We are challenged to face some of the hard realities of life and view them from the perspective of faith. Lent offers us an opportunity to discover meaning in Jesus’ journey to the cross. 

When we pay attention to the world around us, this season always seems particularly appropriate, for there are challenging circumstances to be faced. Whether we focus on the violence which seems to be endemic in our culture, or the ongoing threat of terrorism, or the ravages of disease and hunger and poverty and homelessness which afflict so many people, including sometimes even our family and friends, we long for the light of God to break through the gathering storm clouds and bring new warmth to our living.

Both scripture texts for today speak to such longing. We are assured that in the midst of dark times, God’s desire is to be in covenantal relationship with us. The story from Genesis represents an incredible insight on the part of the early Hebrew people. In this very ancient tale, we find an understanding of God which has cosmic implications. This earliest of covenant accounts describes God establishing an eternal relationship with all of creation. Not just with a particular people in a particular time, but with the whole earth and all that it contains forever. It is an understanding of God which later generations kept forgetting, but that fact makes it no less remarkable. God loves us and seeks to be in relationship with us and will never give up seeking to establish and re-establish that relationship. This will always and forever be true.

That was, in essence, the same message which Jesus came proclaiming, both through his words and his actions. And what makes that message so powerful for the season of Lent and these dark times in which we find ourselves is that God’s love is promised not in spite of the dark times, but in the very midst of them. Being in relationship with God does not save us from life’s difficult experiences – it saves us in them. Jesus goes to the Jordan to be baptized by John and experiences a profound insight into his connection with God. “You are my son, the Beloved. With you I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:11) Then, out of that encounter, Jesus is driven first into a wilderness experience of temptation and then back into the world as he begins a ministry which will be filled with conflict, danger, and ultimately death. And he begins this ministry with a proclamation of good news. “God’s time is ripe. God’s reign is at hand. Turn around and embrace the good news of God’s love.” (Mark 1:15) He says this not as some kind of naive denial of the dark times, but in full recognition that God’s love is big enough and broad enough and deep enough and eternal enough to see us through whatever dark times the world can throw at us. 

Following Christ will not end our suffering. It will not leave us rich and happy and problem free. Indeed, taking seriously God’s call in our lives may very well lead us into the very heart of dark and dangerous times. And just in case we might be tempted to forget that reality, there is a cross hanging on the wall behind me as a reminder of where Christ’s path can lead us. But that is not where the gospel ends – it is where it begins. We find the strength and the courage to face the darkness because we know that we are not alone. “Believe the good news” Jesus says. Appearances to the contrary notwithstanding, God has not abandoned us. Even when we cannot seem to find God because of the darkness, God can and will find us – indeed, has already done so. 

The language which Mark’s Gospel uses to describe Jesus’ baptism and wilderness experience makes it abundantly clear that God is actively, even aggressively, seeking to establish and maintain the connection between heaven and earth. The heavens were “torn apart.” The spirit “drove” him in the wilderness. Even the descending of the dove is more akin to being smacked in the forehead than to a gentle touch. Nothing, in heaven or earth, will get in the way of God reaching us.

In Lent we pay attention to the ways in which we seek after God. And the journey begins with the recognition that God has, in fact, already found us and absolutely refuses to let go. We can face these dark times not by ignoring them and pretending that everything is just fine, but by opening our eyes and our hearts to the presence of God who is with us in this and every circumstance. Let us walk with confidence down whatever paths Christ will lead us, trusting that we do not walk alone.