“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”
Mark 1:1
What do you make of lent?
Is it daunting and you don’t understand?
Is it something you don’t really care about?
Is it a hopeful, exciting time to do something new?
Lent is often seen as a time to give things up. A time to go without chocolate, social media, tv and the like.
It could be a time to let go of things that are ‘toxic’ and do things that you love or that will make you feel good. It could be seen as a bit of a cleanse, a new beginning, a fresh start.
These things may be good and well. But as we begin going through Mark’s Gospel this Lent, we see a new beginning that is a way bigger deal than any of these things.
Mark’s new beginning is all about ‘the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.’
‘Gospel’ simply means ‘Good News.’ This new beginning is an announcement of what has been done.
And it’s about ‘Jesus Christ, the Son of God.’
As we read Mark, we’re going to read Good News about what Jesus HAS DONE. He’s done what we never could, to provide a true new beginning.
We’ll see his public ministry; teaching, healing and making disciples, but it all leads to his death on a cross.
Why was that necessary?!
Because our biggest problem is our sin. It’s truly toxic and would ruin us all. Because of sin, all people are heading for an eternity in hell, separated from the one true God.
If our biggest problem is our own sin, then lent is a time to consider the only solution for it.
Do you believe that your biggest toxic problem is your own sin?
The Good News is that Jesus is the king who came to save his people by dying on a cross. Jesus took sin so sinners like us might find true life. We can only be cleansed of toxic sin by putting our faith in Jesus.
Do you really believe that Good News today?
That’s where we begin lent. We begin by looking to Jesus. If we start lent by thinking about what we can do, or what we should do, then we’ll only be bigging up our pride if we succeed, or feeling rubbish when we fail.
We’ve called our series ‘Love So Amazing’ – taken from the hymn ‘When I Survey:’
“Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all.”
As we start this lent, let’s pray that first we would know the Good News of what Jesus has done each and every day. Let’s preach the Gospel to ourselves daily. Let’s share this Good News with each other, and with others we meet.
Let’s see Jesus and all he has done and live in response to that. Let’s make sacrifices for him, give him our souls, our lives, our all, because he has done what we never could.
Let’s begin lent with the good news of what Jesus has done.
A thought to remember: Begin lent with the good news of what Jesus has done.
A question to ask: How does hearing the good news of what Jesus has done change you today?
A song to sing: When I Survey