The Scripture Readings this week are:
- Mark 1:14-15
- Mark 8:31-38
The Sermon title is Is It Time?
Early Thoughts: When? Now? Tomorrow? Last year?
And what will we do about it?
According to Mark's Gospel Jesus starts his ministry with the words "The time is fulfilled". Some other translations read "the time has come". It is probable that the arrest of John precipitates this. But time for what? The time for the Kingdom of God it is here, now among you.
A few chapters later Jesus is pushing his friends about what it means to live into the Kingdom of God which has come near. He talks about arrest and suffering and death and life. He talks about losing life to save it. He talks about taking up an instrument of execution. His friends are less than impressed.
Is it time for the Kingdom? Is it time to give up life to save it? Is it time to pay a price for a larger goal? In 2021, entering the 2nd year of a global pandemic (and I write this on the day when the USA is expected to pass 500 000 deaths due to Covid-19), what is it time for?
I think there are many possible answers to go with that last question. But first a digression. Whenever I read about time in Scripture I call to mind two words: chronos and kairos, Greek words that talk about two different understandings of time. Chronos is the word that would talk about time as we usually talk about it. It is the root of words like chronological or chronometer. I think that when we talk about the Kingdom or Reign of God we are talking about kairos. Kairos speaks about the time being right, about the opportune time.
So if the kairos is fulfilled or come what is it opportune for? Here in 2021 what is it the right or opportune time for? Is it time for the cross that leads to life?
Sometimes the time is right but the people are not ready. I think this is where Peter finds himself in the second passage for this week. Peter is not yet ready to hear what it means to champion the Reign of God in the midst of the Reign of Caesar.What Jesus describes is not what Peter thought he was signing up for (although I often wonder if Peter had a clue what he was signing up for that day by the sea).
Pandemic restrictions have led us to give up many things in the name of short-term pain for long-term gain. It may not be to the level of taking up a cross but it is still a level of sacrifice that many of us would not have chosen back on February 28, 2020. We do it not only because we are ordered to, we do it because we love and care for our neighbours. It is my belief that if we are acting faithfully as citizens of God's Kingdom than everything we do needs to be done for the fulfillment of the Kingdom, and of the love which underpins that Reign. When we give things up, when we take things on, we do it for the sake of the Gospel -- each in its' own time.
Walking on the road with Jesus is not always fun. Sometimes Jesus leads us into dangerous, even scary, places. But Jesus calls us to follow in the service of a larger gain. Maybe it is time after all?
I wonder how all these thoughts will coalesce into a sermon in 6 days? But I have some time after all....
--Gord
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