This sermon was based on Mark 1:4–11. It was shared in the online worship service with the Innisfail and Springbank United Church.
In our house, the seasons of Advent and Christmas was best described as settling down for a long winters nap. We did not get nearly enough exercise, and we watched too many classic movies. One was the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the epic High Fantasy novel written by J.R.R. Tolkien in the 1940’s.
The Lord of the Rings is an epic quest about bearing a heavy load. A magical ring exists, and whoever possesses the ring becomes consumed by it, driven by an unquenchable thirst for power and conquest. In anyone’s hands, any of the different peoples of Middle Earth, possessing the Ring would fuel the temptation for conquest and destruction. The ring must be returned to the magical furnace where it was forged, and destroyed. As the one person with the least aspiration for conquest, our hobbit Frodo accepts the quest.
The burden is too great for one person, or one hobbit, to bear, but is necessary to save the world. Our hobbit, Frodo, has done nothing wrong to bring on this hardship. Completing this task is a necessary evil that everyone was thrust into, and Frodo says OK, I’ll do it.
His quest is extraordinarily difficult, full of temptation, the allure of power, driving him to the brink of insanity and despair. He feels that he must accomplish such a dangerous mission alone, with no help, to avoid hurting others. At many times Frodo is on the verge of giving up, and he blames himself for not being strong enough.
This sort of conflict, bearing an enormous, unfair burden, is all too common. This is the helplessness that one feels when a loved one endures a chronic illness. One’s mind recycles stinging questions of Have I Done Enough? Could I Have Prevented This. Have I Done Something Wrong? Why Me?
The mental toll is crippling. It wears us down and stops us dead in our tracks. Much like the story of our hobbit friend on his quest. Is there any way out?
Another heavy burden is for one’s country to be occupied by a foreign government. This was the case in Israel during the time of our Scriptures. The Romans wanted the fruits of the fertile land in Israel, so they came in by force and occupied the country. The foreigners did not worship God and made their lives very difficult. The Jewish inhabitants may have felt that God had abandoned them.
The scholar Jeremey Meyers [1] proposes that the people of Israel somehow felt that they brought on this oppression because their faith in God was not strong enough. They took personal ownership of the larger transgressions in society. The leaders of that day proposed that God would deliver Israel from the oppressors if the people of Israel had stricter adherence with the Law of Moses, more perfect prayer, and more perfect observance of the Sabbath.
This brings us to the first part of this morning’s Scripture: John preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. If we think this is about being forgiven for being rowdy at the bar on a Friday night, then we have this all wrong. Meyers proposes that the forgiveness of sin is about letting go of the notion that the people of Israel have done something wrong in the eyes of God.
The forgiveness, or release, of sin is to let God carry that burden, and not to feel that it is their own fault that a foreign government is occupying their land. This baptism does not remove the Romans from the country, but it does allow the followers of John to get on with their lives, understanding and truly living with “It is not my fault.” The removal of a burden is the beginning of healing.
The second part of our Scripture is the Baptism of Jesus. So much happens in three sentences.
In the first breath, Jesus receives the baptism of repentance from John, and lets God carry the heavy, unjust burdens of society.
Then Jesus receives the most incredible gift from God, the Holy Spirit. The essence of life. Not a beating heart or a gassy tummy. The spark that makes life worth living. The energy to do great things, to help ones neighbour, to try something new, to risk failure and say “but we tried, and it was a good failure.” With this, God is well pleased.
This is a gift that can only be received by one who is ready to receive it. One that is not weighed down with guilt. Someone that can say “not my circus, not my monkey” and let God carry the weight of whatever sin is deemed rampant in society. A gift that allowed Jesus to make changes, and to instill change in others.
That is what was going on in that dusty old book sitting on the Communion table. How does this story, first scribbled down 2000 years ago, apply to us here and now? This country is not invaded by an oppressive, foreign government. On the contrary, we are descended from the occupiers.
Our burdens are more personal. We may be saddled with a loved one that is dealing with a chronic illness. It is John’s baptism that immerses us in a new way of thinking, and to realize I Have Done Enough, It Is Not My Fault. Released of these chains, the Holy Spirit fills us can drives us do something truly awesome, like sharing coffee and a cinnamon roll with our loved one.
There are many other oppressive forces and burdens that we are tempted to own. Think about what we can do when God picks up our turbulent thoughts:
- A mother is unemployed. It is not her fault. What can she do? She can mentor others and share her knowledge.
- A brother feels alone and helpless. It is not his fault. What can he do? He can commit to an on-line fitness class and feel better about himself.
- A friend goes through a painful divorce. It is not their fault. What can they do? They can hold the children and say You are Loved.
We can do something that makes our lives, and the lives of others, better.
Getting back to the Lord of the Rings…
Our favourite hobbit, Frodo, does not carry the entire burden himself while on this quest. He does have some help. You will have to watch all nine hours of the trilogy to see what this help looks like, and see how that glimmer of hope, the Holy Spirit, appears.
With that, God is well pleased.
Amen.
[1] Jeremy Meyers, https://redeeminggod.com/baptism-of-repentance-forgiveness-of-sins/
