By now you’ve probably noticed that every Sunday I start by introducing myself, and then I offer a statement of welcome, which includes a sentence or two describing who we are at First Christian Church. I do this because I know that any given Sunday, we are likely to have someone in worship, here or online, who is joining us for the first time. I want them to know they are welcome; I want them to get an idea of who we are and what we stand for; and most of all, I want them to know that, no matter who they are, this is a safe, welcoming space.
At the start of worship today, I shared with you our church’s vision statement and mission statement. These statements are important. The vision statement says who we aspire to be; and the mission statement says what we are called to do.
For vision statements and mission statements to really work, they need to be short, aspirational, and easy to remember.
I want to share a couple of examples…
Some of you work for State Farm. Do you know State Farm’s vision statement?
I looked it up…
State Farm vision statement: “to be the customer's first and best choice in the products and services we provide. We will continue to be the leader in the insurance industry and we will become a leader in the financial services arena.”
Maybe a little long, but it’s pretty good.
Another example: if you are a Star Trek fan, you probably know the mission of the Starship Enterprise: “to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no one has gone before!”
That’s a really good mission statement!
Our church’s vision statement and mission statement are pretty good as well. Let me repeat them for you:
Our vision is to be a growing church that welcomes all, grows spiritually, and serves others.
Our mission is to invite and welcome all to the Lord’s Table; to strengthen our spirituality with God and one another through prayer, worship, study, and fellowship; and to serve our community with passion.
And if you have that memorized, let me know, I’ll be sure to put a gold star next to your name!
At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus presented statements that summarized what his ministry would be about.
In today’s scripture from Mark’s gospel, Jesus says this: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”
It’s not quite formulated as a vision or a mission statement; but, like a vision or mission statement, it is a succinct summary of what Jesus’s ministry and message are all about.
In fact, the notes in my study Bible say that the entire gospel of Mark is an expansion of this one verse.
“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”
That, in a sentence, is Jesus’s entire message.
Now, there are a number of “churchy” words in that short statement. And, a lot of times, we use “churchy” words without really understanding what they mean, or without understanding what they meant to people in the first century.
Because the meaning of words varies from person to person, and words and languages change from generation to generation.
In 12th grade English class, my teacher was an austere woman named Mrs. Leonard, who reminded me a little of Margaret Thatcher. One day Mrs. Leonard assigned us the task of memorizing the first 18 lines of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.
Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote
The droghte of March hath perced to the roote, And bathed every veyne in swich licour
Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth
Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
Hath in the Ram his half cours yronne…
The first time we heard that, we asked Mrs. Leonard, “What language is that?”
And she said, “English! It’s Middle English, the English that was spoken around 1400.
And from then on, I understood that words change. Language changes.
Ancient Hebrew and Greek are as different from modern Hebrew and Greek as Chaucer is from modern English. (No one today speaks the Hebrew or Greek that’s in the Bible.) And if you want an example of how much English can change in just one generation, ask the Nussbaum’s to show you their Bible for Generation Z.
So, for today’s sermon, I’m going to do something a little different; something that, I admit, is a little nerdy. Because this statement from Mark’s gospel is so important, and because it contains several rather “churchy” words, I thought we’d explore those “churchy” words and their meanings, so that we can have a better understanding of just what it is that Jesus is talking about when he uses words and phrases like, “kingdom of God,” “repent,” and even, “believe.”
First, Jesus says, “the time is fulfilled.” That’s basically his way of saying: all your waiting has come to an end! Jesus is saying that his message isn’t about some far-off future. It’s about the present! It’s about the here-and-now. The time is fulfilled. This is it!
Many Christians today think faith is primarily concerned with what happens after we die. Yet Jesus was very concerned with what’s happening now. “The time is fulfilled.”
Which leads right into the next phrase: “The kingdom of God has come near.” Basically, what that means is that God’s kingdom is starting right now. God’s kingdom is about to begin, in this moment.
Elsewhere, Jesus is asked when the kingdom will come, and Jesus says, “the kingdom is present, within you and among you.”
We’ve already prayed the Lord’s Prayer this morning, and in that prayer we prayed that God’s kingdom may come, on earth as in heaven.” We’re ready. The time is now!
And what is the kingdom of God?
The kingdom of God is life ruled by God. It is our life together, characterized by love for God and love for our neighbor. Filled with that love, we live as God intends for us to live, and our world is filled with harmony.
The kingdom of God is the vision of the prophets: a world where justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
The kingdom of God is the beloved community Martin Luther King, Jr. talked about.
Sometimes, you’ll hear people talk about the “reign” of God, or the “kindom” of God, or even the “commonwealth” of God. That’s because, in the way language evolves, the word “kingdom” has come to mean a patriarchal society, with overtones of colonialism; and those connotations are not what God’s kingdom is about.
Because language evolves and meanings change, we’re always looking for better ways to translate and present these ideas, and while I continue to use “kingdom” language, I’m thankful for those who search for alternative language.
One more thing about the kingdom: even though it is “near” or “at hand,” there is a final aspect of the kingdom that awaits fulfillment. The kingdom has begun, it is present, it is within us and among us, but the kingdom will not be fulfilled until Christ returns. So there is still that future aspect of it.
But more often, the kingdom Christ talks about is a kingdom that is now.
Next in our statement is the word “repent.” The word “repent” often does not bring us joy, because we think of it as a negative word, a word of punishment, perhaps; a word of self-deprecation.
But to me the word “repent” is a word that signifies a new opportunity, a second chance, to reorient one’s life; to begin anew.
If you’re on a journey, and you discover that you are going the wrong way, don’t you want the opportunity to get back on the right path?
If you are using a GPS to get to your destination, and you make a wrong turn, isn’t it a good thing that your GPS will recalibrate, and redirect you back to the way you want to go?
Without repentance, we’d be stuck on that wrong path. We’d reach a dead end, and that would be it—the end of our journey.
But repentance gives us the opportunity to turn from that wrong path, and get back on the right path.
I promised last week that I’d explain why Jesus submitted to a baptism of repentance, even though he himself was without sin.
All four gospels describe Jesus submitting to John’s baptism of repentance.
And people ask: “What sin did Jesus have that required a baptism of repentance?”
But the fact that Jesus was baptized suggests that repentance doesn’t quite mean what we think it means
We live in a highly individualistic culture—the most individualistic culture in human history—so when we think of sin, we think of personal sin. Individual sin; and when we think of repentance, we think of personal repentance.
But the sins the Bible is most concerned about are the sins of society. A lot of people aren’t going to agree with me on that, but when I read the Bible, that’s what I see. Which means it’s not so much about my sin; it’s about our sin.
We, like Jesus, live and breathe in a world where greed and injustice and violence flourish. A world where profit margins are more important than protecting the planet. A world where the rich get favorable economic treatment, while the poor carry an unjustly heavy burden. A world where wealth and power and popularity put you at the front of the line.
And this sin surrounds us; it’s like the current in a stream. Even if we do nothing on our own, the current carries us along; we’re caught up in that sin; we are carried along in that current of greed and injustice and violence and racism.
In the waters of baptism, Jesus repents of all that. He turns from the way of the world to a new way, a new path. He says “no” to the ways of the world, and “yes” to the way of God.
One more word: believe. That’s an important word for us. When we invite people to join the church, we ask them if they believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God, the Lord and Savior of the world.
But it’s better when we change one word of that phrase. Instead of asking if people believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God, it’s better to ask if people believe in Jesus Christ, the son of God.
Because, in the Bible, belief isn’t just agreeing that something is true. Belief implies trust and commitment. Believing in Jesus means trusting him so much, that you’re willing to follow him, just like those disciples in today’s scripture—Simon and Andrew and James and John—who left their old lives behind to follow Jesus.
Jesus’ message about the good news was so compelling, that they decided, then and there, to let their lives take a whole new path. They believed in Jesus, and in the good news, and they repented of their lifestyle, and they started a whole new life of discipleship.
So now, let’s go back and read this introductory statement in Mark’s gospel with a better understanding…
“The time is fulfilled–it is now–and the kingdom of God has come near–the kingdom of love and justice and wholeness, the kingdom where it’s about us and not just me, where all people live in harmony and freedom; that kingdom is present, now, in our midst.
So: repent; turn away from earthly kingdoms, where it’s all about profit, and greed, and violence, and injustice…
And believe in the good news—submit to the good news—give yourself over to the good news—commit to living out the good news…
…the good news that all this is happening in our lives, and that all the brokenness and fragmentation of this world is now being transformed to healing and wholeness; the good news that violence is giving way to peace, and hate is giving way to love.
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