Well, it has begun. Not even the vagaries of the moon can put it off any longer. Lent has arrived. Here we are in anticipation of a holy and penitential season. We can either enjoy it or be miserable. Of course, for some people that is the same thing, but it needn’t be like that for us.
When Dorothy fell out of the sky at the beginning of the ‘Wizard of Oz’ she was fearful and miserable. She had been rudely torn away from her folks in Kansas and was all alone except for her faithful dog, Toto. There, stretched ahead of her, was the ‘Yellow Brick Road’ and she knew she had to travel along it on a journey of discovery to the city of Oz where she would receive help to return home. There would be adventures on the way but, to encourage her, there was a rainbow and, of course, that famous song.
Genesis speaks of the rainbow of promise which was first revealed to Noah. He, too, had fallen out of the sky, but had a softer landing than Dorothy, on Mount Ararat where the Ark had settled after the waters of the great Flood had receded. The story is one of new beginnings, a clean sweep and the promise of a brighter future than that of the violence and wickedness that characterised the world before the Flood. ‘Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight it was filled with violence’ (Genesis 6.11)
Mark’s Gospel, too, begins with a deluge. By verse nine of chapter one, Jesus, like many others, had come to John for a baptism which symbolised a new beginning, a washing away of sin and a rededication to God. Jesus submits to this baptism and the heavens open. As with the rainbow, a bridge is made between heaven and earth and a voice confirms that this is the ‘Son, the beloved in whom God is well pleased.’ God was well pleased with Noah too. He ‘found favour in God’s eyes’ (Gen. 6.8). Like Jesus, Noah ‘walked with God and was considered blameless in his generation’. There are other parallels. The dove that figured in the Noah story is present here at the baptism of Jesus. Here it represents the Holy Spirit, the agent of peace and reconciliation. The Rainbow of promise reminds us of the covenant to live at peace with God and all peoples.
Just before he resigned, our former Prime Minister, Tony Blair, blurted out that he believed he would be accountable to God for his actions and that one day he will have to answer to the Almighty for taking this country to war six years ago this Lent. As a result of that war our world is even more full of violence and wickedness than it was. Had it not been for the rainbow of promise we might be wondering when the next deluge will hit us. Of course God has promised never more to cause such a thing to happen. He has no need to. We are more than ready to swamp ourselves in a dismal tidal wave of hate, venom and greed. Even the most conservative environmentalists tell us the polar caps are melting quick enough to make the Biblical Flood look like an April shower. Besides all this we do appear to be drowning in a sea of bad debts and recession. Can we see a glimmer of hope?
In the midst of all this Mark’s gospel tells us that Jesus strides out of a desert to proclaim God’s Kingdom. The message is plain, ‘Repent and believe in the Gospel for the kingdom of God is at hand’. You must choose between life or death hope or disaster. The bible is full of drama and hyperbole. It is a desperate attempt to get us to sit up and listen, and then we must act.
This Lent I invite you to follow the ‘Yellow Brick Road’. Set off on a spiritual adventure; use all the resources that are on offer to discover God at work in your life. Jesus was driven into the desert by God’s spirit. He fasted and prayed for forty days and was tempted by Satan. In the ‘Wizard of Oz’ story Dorothy had her companions, a scarecrow, a tin man and a cowardly lion comforted her on the journey. They share this adventure together. Jesus had his companions too. Mark tells us he was with the wild beasts and that angels ministered to him. Later he was joined by 12 others, less bestial perhaps, but certainly no angels.
There is no need to go into the desert of Lent alone. The Cathedral provides you with a programme of resources, which will make this a journey of discovery. Some of us might take to reading St Mark’s gospel through. You might even find a slim commentary of mine accessible. It is published by SPCK and called an Open Door on Mark providing for daily readings in Lent and setting questions for discussion. So have an enjoyable Lent. Make yourself a little desert place where you can be quiet and focused. Take the opportunity to re-acquaint yourself with scripture or poetry. Better still, in this year of Mark, study this amazing gospel and travel towards that rainbow of God’s love which spans heaven and earth. Look forward to gathering a few blooms of insight on the way but most of all travel with others and learn to rediscover the God that meets us in the pilgrimage to Easter via the way of the cross.
Phillip McFadyen