"Tight lines" is a blessing fishermen offer each other, a wish for lines taut with the weight of good fish. May God grant that the lines written here be taut with His blessings.
Thursday, 04 December 2008 | |||
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A Way for the Light | |||
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Our digital camera is getting old, as such things go, over
six years. Every once in awhile, particularly if it's outside in the
cold, the automatic lens cover won't open all the way. I have to warm it
in my hands and even pry gently to persuade the little sliding doors to
open and let in the light. John the Baptist appears in Mark 1:1-8 as a not so gentle persuasion to open up one's life to the light of God appearing in Jesus Christ. Though the primary image here is that of smoothing and straightening a road for the Messiah's arrival, we could also picture it in terms of making a clear path for the light coming into the world. We clean camera lenses to remove dirt which obstructs the light. John the Baptist calls for our lives to be cleansed of sin in preparation for seeing the light of Jesus. Baptism was the symbol of that cleansing. John's arrival is the beginning of Mark's gospel. Verse 1 merely states the title for what begins with John, "the good news of Jesus Christ." There is no birth story in Mark, no background at all leading up to Jesus, except for John the Baptist's message. For Mark, all the good news of Jesus starts with a call to repent and receive God's forgiveness. Knowing and welcoming Christ begins with a changed, cleansed, open heart, into which His light can clearly shine. We won't increase Christmas light in our lives by hanging more strings of bulbs on our houses or by touring holiday displays of illumination, as fun as those sights can be. Knowing and enjoying the birth of the Savior requires cleaning a spiritual path for His light, by asking forgiveness for wrongs we've done and seeking to address the good we've left undone. May we all have enough light now to know how to prepare for His light to come. | |||
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Profile |
I am the pastor of Valley Covenant Church in Eugene, Oregon. I love to flyfish and hike along the beautiful rivers in our area. I welcome your comments as I share sermon work in progress and occasional other thoughts.
Thank you for visiting this blog. I invite you also to visit my web page.
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