Baptism of Jesus, by Ally Barrett
Jesus the Liberator (source unknown)
Mark 1: 1-28
1 The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
2 As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,
“See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way;
3 the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight,’”
who will prepare your way;
3 the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight,’”
4 John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. 8 I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
12 And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.
14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”
16 As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” 18 And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19 As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20 Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.
21 They went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. 22 They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. 23 Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, 24 and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” 25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” 26 And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. 27 They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” 28 At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.
* * *
Luke 4:16-22
16 When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”
20 And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” […] 24 And he said, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown. […] 28 When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. 29 They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. 30 But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.
A ‘cutting’ of tree wisdom (Genny Tunbridge)
If you take your daily exercise beside water this week, look out for alder trees. They are quite easy to recognise, even in winter: although the branches are bare of leaves, they carry many small, dark cones – the old female catkins releasing their tiny seeds.
Each tree species has its unique role to play – maybe we can think of this as its ‘calling’. Long before scientific explanations, humans have valued different trees both for their living qualities and for the properties of their wood when harvested.
Alder (Alnus glutinosa) loves water. Its natural habitat is the moist ground near rivers, ponds and lakes, where its roots help to prevent soil erosion. Alders grow as part of a natural process of succession, in which wetlands and marshes gradually become wet boggy woodland (alder carr), an important but transient habitat type. They are particularly good at fixing nitrogen in the soil, due to a symbiotic relationship with a friendly bacterium called Frankia alni hosted in the alder’s root system. These stabilising and fertilising qualities make alder an excellent pioneer, transforming the terrain and preparing the way for other tree species like oak to which it eventually gives way - rather like an arboreal John the Baptist!
Alder wood (though soft and porous) was known to harden, not rot, when soaked in water: our Neolithic ancestors used it to create a wooden walkway in the Somerset levels; working people made hard-wearing clogs from alder; and the city of Venice was built on alder pile foundations.
Introduction to the theme (Al Barrett)
Over the past few weeks we have explored a little of the early life of Jesus (as told in Matthew’s and Luke’s gospels), but today we’re exploring another ‘beginning’: the beginning of Jesus’ adult ministry. This is where Mark’s gospel starts. Mark plunges straight in at the deep end, as they say. He’s not interested in Jesus’ birth or childhood. His is a gospel of action: he focuses on what the adult Jesus does.
‘The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.’ In a sentence, Mark announces the essence of his gospel: Jesus is the Christ (the Greek word for ‘Messiah’, the ‘anointed one’ – the one that the people of Israel have been waiting for, longing for, over many centuries); and Jesus is the Son of God. This second title isn’t ‘news’ for us who are Christians in the 21st Century – but let’s just take a moment to acknowledge its significance for Mark’s first readers. In the Roman Empire in the times of Jesus and the first Christians, there was only one ‘Son of God’, and that was Caesar, the Roman Emperor. And in that Empire the word ‘gospel’ (the Greek word is ‘evangelion’) referred to the proclamation that Caesar reigned over the known world. So, in just a few words, Mark is telling us that his ‘gospel’ is both the fulfilment of Jewish hopes (the ‘Christ’, the ‘Messiah’ has arrived), and a radical, politically subversive message (Jesus, not Caesar, is truly ‘the Son of God’).
This week’s section of Luke’s gospel is another way of announcing the ‘agenda’ for Jesus’ adult life and ministry. Jesus is in the synagogue in his home town, Nazareth, and is given a reading from the prophet Isaiah. The words would have been familiar to his hearers: one of the many promises, in the prophets, of the coming Messiah, and what God has sent that ‘anointed one’ to do, and to proclaim: good news for the poor, release for the captives, sight for the blind, freedom for the oppressed, and ‘the year of the Lord’s favour’ – the ‘Jubilee’ year when slaves were freed, debts were cancelled, the dispersed peoples came home, and the land itself was given a chance to breathe and rest (see Leviticus 25:8-13). The ‘news’ in Luke’s story is what Jesus says after he finishes reading from Isaiah: ‘today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing’. In other words: ‘the anointed one is me, the year of Jubilee has arrived’. Again, the agenda itself is radical, political, ecological – and Jesus’ announcement that this agenda is present, in the here and now, requires his hearers to sit up and pay attention, and to work out how they are going to respond.
Mark and Luke emphasise different aspects of Jesus’ agenda, his calling, but they have much in common. In the remainder of the first chapter of Mark’s fast-paced gospel, Mark shows us what he has told us. In Jesus’ baptism, we see the Spirit descending on him (‘anointing’ him, we might say), and we hear the voice of God affirming that he is indeed ‘my Son, the Beloved’. And after his time of testing in the wilderness, Jesus comes to Capernaum (where Mark locates Jesus’ home town), and we see the first hints of the challenges Jesus will present to the ‘powers that be’: he teaches ‘with authority’ (unlike the scribes, we’re told), and with that same ‘authority’ he casts out demons (the spiritual ‘powers’ of Jesus’ world), liberating those whom those demons had been possessing and oppressing.
Our focus so far has been on Jesus’ agenda, on Jesus’ calling. But both Mark’s and Luke’s texts also shine a spotlight on how the people around Jesus respond to him. In both passages we see people ‘amazed’ at the ‘authority’ with which he speaks and acts. But in Luke, that amazement is mixed with a puzzlement that quickly turns to anger: Jesus’ Nazareth neighbours think they know who he is (‘is not this Joseph’s son?’), and they think they know how the world works, and how God works – and what they’re seeing and hearing doesn’t make sense, in their existing worldview, so they resist it, reject it, and ultimately attempt to get rid of it. We’ll see plenty more of this kind of resistance and violence in response to Jesus, as the gospels unfold.
The alternative, again Mark presents in just a few words. When Jesus comes to Galilee ‘proclaiming the good news of God’, Mark tells us, he says this: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” He calls his hearers to see signs of ‘the kingdom of God’ (‘the time’, ‘the year of the Lord’s favour’, God’s Jubilee) in what is happening around them, to put their trust in the ‘good news’ (that Jesus, and not the Roman Emperor, is truly the ‘Son of God’), and to repent – to begin the journey of exiting from the control of ‘the powers that be’, and beginning to live the life of God’s kingdom.
With Simon and Andrew, the Galilean fishermen, all of this comes down to two words: ‘follow me’. They are Jesus’ first disciples (literally ‘followers’, ‘students’) in Mark’s gospel – and their response (‘immediately’ leaving their livelihood behind and following Jesus, becoming members of his new household, family or community) is the beginning (only the very beginning!) of the journey that we call ‘discipleship’.
Reflection (Gloria Smith)
Over the past few weeks we have heard about the events of the early life of Jesus but now the emphasis is upon when he first begins his ministry. In today’s readings in the first chapter of Mark there is a lot of content to reflect upon. It begins with the baptism of Jesus and Mark is saying that the one who is going to save people is also going to be baptised before his work begins. It is interesting to wonder why Jesus needs to be baptised as he is the incarnate son of god, so why does he need to be baptised? Scholars believe it is to acknowledge the Jewish prophecy of someone coming before the Messiah to prepare the way and that is John the Baptist. It is also thought to place Jesus alongside those who were going to be baptised in his name later on. It is the perfect opportunity for God to make it clear who Jesus is.
Jesus is then cast out into the desert to be tempted just like us and he comes back after wrestling with the devil, strengthened in his resolve to do God’s work. When John is arrested Jesus then carries on John’s work and in doing so meets some of those going to be his disciples and invites them to join him. They immediately drop everything to follow Jesus, responding to God’s call. He must have been a remarkable charismatic man to have such an impact upon people on the first meeting. The disciples must have recognised something about the man Jesus, maybe they dimly recognised his divinity which then took some time before they were able to understand and accept fully who he was.
Mark then recounts the visit to the temple when Jesus drives out the demons from the young man who identifies who he is. By the end of the reading we are left in no doubt who Jesus is and what he is going to do. It is interesting that for the next nine chapters Mark tries to obscure that fact, but right at the beginning of his ministry Mark is quite clear.
This is further reinforced in Luke’s gospel when Jesus reads from the Torah and reveals who he is and what he is going to do, almost creating a manifesto, only with Jesus he does exactly what he says he will do and bring about. He uses the prophecy from Isaiah, giving weight to his claims, by saying:
‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me…..’
In that moment Jesus shares his calling with those in the synagogue but he is rejected by those living in Nazareth, because they cannot get past the fact he is the son of Joseph, the carpenter. It’s the first real sign that everything is not going to go smoothly in Jesus’ ministry; almost a sign of things to come.
Being called by God can come in many forms. Many people think it is primarily about being called to ordination or something similar within the church but the definition is more expansive than that. The dictionary defines it saying a calling is:
‘a strong inner impulse toward a particular course of action especially when accompanied by conviction of divine influence.’
It does say there is a divine influence as in a feeling that someone is being called by God but it’s not to a specific role, more to an action that can be secular as well as in the religious field.
Many of you know that I was a teacher for many years and I became a teacher because I felt a call from God to do something different with my life than being a metallurgist. The response to that call may be instant like with the disciples, but equally valid is a constant nagging feeling that you are meant to be doing something different; that your life is not fully complete. Then something may happen or somebody may make a casual comment and it becomes more certain and worth exploring in reality, rather than just in your head.
I wonder if any of you have felt just like this?
If you are sat listening or reading this, thinking ‘that is me’ at the moment, reflect upon how you are feeling and then in your own time find out more about what you feel God is calling you to. Pray and talk to somebody and see how it feels verbalising your thoughts and feelings.
Reflection (Mike Lynch)
Tom Wright’s commentary on the gospel of Mark opens with these words; You are sound asleep and dreaming, when suddenly the door bursts open and a bright light shines full in you face. A voice breaking in on your dream world shouts, “Wake up! Get up! You’ll be late!” and without more ado, the speaker splashes your face with cold water to make the point. Time to stop dreaming and face the most important day of your life.
That is what the opening of Marks gospel is like. It is a great way to start because what Mark is telling us is that’s what John the Baptist was like to the Jewish people of his day. His ministry burst in upon a surprised Jewish world. Many had been looking for a sign from God, but they hadn’t expected it to look like this. Many had wanted a Messiah to lead them against the Romans, but they weren’t anticipating a prophet telling them to repent. John was a voice, shouting across their dreams of longing for freedom. They had been told again and again the story of freedom but had no idea what freedom would look like. Each year at Passover they recited the story of the Exodus from Egypt, John was calling them, in the here and now to come through the water and be free. He was calling upon them to leave behind ‘Egypt’ – the world of sin in which they were living, the world of rebelling against the living God. They were looking in the wrong direction. It was time to repent to turn around and go the right way. It was time to stop dreaming and wake up to God’s reality.
One of the promises that Israel had held onto for centuries was that the Exodus story would happen again, God would set his people free once and for all and that would be the time when he would come to live personally with his people. This time it would be different God’s Spirit would live with people in people, becoming the air that they breathe, the fire in their hearts. John is announcing that this is now going to come true. But were they ready for it? Mark is trying to get us to sense the shock of the new thing God was doing. It raises the question for us too: where are we asleep today, in our churches, our communities, our personal lives? What might it take to wake us up?
The crowds flocked to John to repent and to be baptised, but John constantly pointed away from himself to the one who is stronger who was coming after him one who would baptise not with water but with the Holy Spirit.
Mark identifies Jesus as this long - awaited Messiah. Jesus is baptized by John in the river Jordan and at that very moment as Jesus surfaces from the waters heaven is opened and the Spirit comes down like a dove upon him and there came a voice out of the heavens, a voice for the ears of Jesus alone saying “You are my beloved Son; I am well pleased with you. Jesus is the long-awaited Emanuel, God with us, God living among us not just for the Jews but for all of humanity. So, these words spoken by God to Jesus at his baptism, become words that relate to us. When the living God looks at us, at every baptized and believing Christian, he says to us what he said to Jesus on that day. God sees us, not as we are in ourselves, but as we are in Jesus Christ. It sometimes seems impossible, especially to people who have never had this kind of support from their earthly parents, but it is true: God looks at us and says, ‘You are my dear, dear child; I’m delighted with you.’ Try reading that sentence slowly, with your own name at the start, and reflect quietly on God saying that to you, -both at your baptism and every day since.
Mark’s fast-moving account moves quickly to the start of Jesus’s ministry announcing the good news about God and saying, “The times that was appointed has come; and the Kingdom of God is here. Repent and believe the good news.” But what about the good news? There is a difference between the good news Jesus preached and the good news about Jesus. We think of Jesus as crucified and risen Savior when we hear “gospel” When Jesus began preaching that was all in the future. His good news was that God was breaking into human life and beginning the Kingdom. Life would never be the same again. What are signs that God may be breaking into our world?
One of Jesus’ early public acts was to call disciples. Mark describes this as a totally spontaneous act. He mentions no prior contact between Jesus and these fishermen. One minute they were mending their nets, trying to make a living, the next minute Jesus was calling them away from all they had ever known – turning their backs on the world. Are we skeptical about calls, would we in that situation be asking of Jesus, whom do you represent? Can we see some identification? Can you come back later? let me think on it a while. It is interesting how Jesus did call his disciples, he did not say to them, I have a theological system I would like you to investigate; I have certain theories I would like you to think over; I have an ethical system I would like to discuss with you. He simply said, “Follow me!” (or “come and see”). Do not worry about all the theological nuances follow me. The disciples did just that going against their cultural heritage, their economic self-interest, even their common sense. But this call to discipleship is for all of us not just these fishermen, all of God’s people are called to follow Jesus and to live out his life in the world.
How might you have responded to a total stranger calling you to repent or to follow?
What are the challenges in following Jesus today?
Will you be fearless in following wherever he may lead?
Reflection (Tim Evans)Calling:
One of those terms in our Christian lives that I’m not sure we always understand or we think is for ‘special’ people called to ‘ministry.’ I’m always a bit suspicious if I hear someone say that God has called them in a really clear and unmistakable way although I don't discount that may be true for some. If it’s something you're passionate about, good at, is part of who you are, enables you to be and do something positive in the world, relates to how you understand God I’m not sure you need a hotline to heaven to confirm it.
When the early disciples, that unlikely group of people, were called to be followers of Jesus then that’s the marker for all of us. We are all called to be priests and followers of the Way even if like the first disciples we don’t really understand what we are getting into. The 'secular' and 'spiritual' divide doesn't make sense either because it's less about what we do such as work for Christian organisations or be a leader in the church and more about the kind of people that we are wherever we are. If our calling is to live and be followers of the Way in God's world then all of our contexts; family, neighbourhood, church, school, work, parenting, friendships, how we spend our money and our time, who we hang out with, are where we live out what we are all called to be; people of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith-fulness, gentleness, and self-control. People who love justice and walk humbly with God. People who spot signs of the kingdom of God and help others to see that within and around them.
My own story was that really soon after having an encounter with God at University that changed my life, I encountered young people who didn’t have the same life chances as me when I started volunteering on local estates doing youth work. I met young people who didn't think their lives could amount to much or have much to contribute to the world. But I did meet people, not all of whom would name themselves as Christian, who wanted these young people to know that they were special and valuable and that given support, opportunities, the chance to believe in themselves, could do all kinds of good things in the world. I saw some of these young people's lives transformed. No one had talked to me about this idea of calling nor did I understand any kind of theology, but I instinctively knew that the cause of social justice and investing in the lives of those that felt pushed to the margins was part of what this God stuff was all about. 30 years later and it's still what drives me because I am still convinced it's a part of what this God stuff is all about.
It's why I love the gospel writer recounting Jesus unrolling the scroll of Isaiah at the start of his public ministry. He starts with a call to liberation and justice, having resisted the temptations in the desert of power, performance and status, seen as normative in the Empire of Rome and previously Babylonia. Just as I started my own life as a Jesus follower reorienting my life to being instinctively drawn to justice and liberation without having the language and biblical knowledge to articulate it. It's really true of our current context - what are we not seeing, where are we feeling bound up, where have we seen oppression at work because Jesus comes to proclaim Jubilee in him and his Way - the chance to reorientate ourselves where things have got out of kilter, to see injustice where maybe before we had been oblivious, to reconnect ourselves to God and being disciples of Jesus. When we look at the world I long for jubilee, a resetting and reorienting of how we live life together, including with the natural world, on the one planet we have been given. That my friends is not a calling given to a special few, it is given to all us as disciples, as the priesthood of all believers.
Reflection (Julia Bingham)
I wasn’t sure I was being called at the time. I felt I was motivated by my need for financial security but then a few things happened in a short space of time which now make me wonder.
I realised my part-time job would always be part time and then, when I was no longer in receipt of benefits, what would I do? Shortly afterwards, I enrolled on a 3D course, towards the end I felt a growing need to give back ‘something’ but didn’t know what. I had some thoughts around spiritual healing, but went on to do some homeless outreach work which felt more like the kind of thing I was after.
At some point my dental hygienist Carolyn suggested Occupational Therapy. That meant university and leaving my job which felt quite scary. Also I like to know what’s expected of me and I need boundaries to feel secure so really Nursing or Physiotherapy ‘should’ have suited me better than Occupational Therapy which can feel a bit ‘Jack of all trades’. Anyway, I took my leap of faith.
The journey through university wasn’t always straightforward but the hurdles were jumped (or, more often, walked around) and I got there in the end. The real challenges began after I qualified; I had no idea what I wanted to do – apart from something in mental health. I tried a few different jobs but the fit was never quite right. About 4 years after qualifying I began working in older adult mental health, specialising in cognitive impairment such as is experienced by people with dementia.
It was the right move for me but it’s not been plain sailing. Along the way there’s been disillusionment, frustration, gut wrenching sadness, and utter confusion about what exactly I’m supposed to be doing! Some days I genuinely wonder why they pay me to do this because I have no clue where I’m going, the need for my support is as clear as mud and I just can’t find my way, so I sit and listen.
After two years I feel like I’ve found my calling. It’s the stories and relationships I love; hearing how Betty makes apple pie and custard and listening to her plans for how we can spend the weekend together at her house. Betty’s Mom will cook me a meat dinner, Bet will do the pudding and I can sleep in the back room on their settee. Jeff talks about playing base guitar in the pubs around Digbeth, he tells me about getting barred, he doesn’t know why ‘honestly’ but there’s a chuckle and a wink that tells a different story. It’s the look on the faces and the laughter as people reconnect with what is important to them. It’s such a privilege to be invited into another person’s world and bear witness to the joy of what is meaningful and purposeful to them.
Has God rewarded my leap of faith by urging me towards something so beautiful? Still not entirely sure, but then I’m not entirely sure I got here all by myself either…
Questions for reflection / discussion
As I read / listened to the readings and reflections for this week…
· what did I notice, or what particularly stood out for me?
· what did they make me wonder, or what questions am I pondering?
· what have they helped me realise?
· what am I discovering about Jesus?
· how might these (noticings, wonderings, realisations & discoveries) change the way I live out my faith?
· is there anything I want to do or change in the light of this week's topic?
Poems / prayers for this week
The mud of human evil
is very deep,
it stinks forcefully,
it is full of dangerous gases,
and there was Jesus,
in front of John,
asking to be allowed
to bend down in that mud.
And John,
no wonder,
hesitated.
But he, Jesus,
he went down,
and when he came up,
the mud still streaming...
HEAVEN OPENED,
and a voice was heard...
and a new Spirit
a new life
and a new heart
were announced,
glory, glory, alleluia.
He was bathed... in light...
drowned... in God’s voice...
full... of spirit;
but what about the mud,
was he going to forget it?
... No
because once he got the spirit,
that Spirit drove him...
to do his work
in this world,
to struggle with evil
in us, ...
in this world,
in order to overcome it.
(Joseph Donders, in Imaging the Word vol. 3)
The following blessing (by Jan Richardson in ‘Circle of Grace: A Book of Blessings for the Seasons’) we have used before: at the beginning of Lent last year, and in Week 8 of Trees of Life when we explored the story of Hagar and Ishmael in the wilderness. As we approach another Lent – now knowing a little more about the wilderness experience ourselves – perhaps we can hear echoes of Ishmael’s cries and Hagar’s prayers, with Jesus, and with us.
If you would enter
into the wilderness,
do not begin
without a blessing.
Do not leave
without hearing
who you are:
Beloved,
named by the One
who has travelled this path
before you.
Do not go
without letting it echo
in your ears,
and if you find
it is hard to let it into your heart,
do not despair.
That is what
this journey is for.
I cannot promise
this blessing will free you
from danger,
from fear,
from hunger
or thirst,
from the scorching
of sun
or the fall
of the night.
But I can tell you
that on this path
there will be help.
I can tell you
that on this way
there will be rest.
I can tell you
that you will know
the strange graces
that come to our aid
only on a road
such as this,
that fly to meet us
bearing comfort
and strength,
that come alongside us
for no other cause
than to lean themselves
toward our ear
and with their
curious insistence
whisper our name:
Beloved.
Beloved.
Beloved.
Activities / conversation-starters
with young (and not-so-young!) people
· Today we are thinking about Jesus’ baptism in the River Jordan. Find some water – a puddle, a bowl, a river, a bath… - and immerse some part of yourself in it (your hand, your feet… or even your whole self). I wonder what it feels like? I wonder what you notice about the water? I wonder what it means to be baptised?
· Jesus calls his disciples to follow him, and they immediately change their way of life. I wonder what Jesus might be calling you to change in your life? Is there anything – a habit, a way or thinking, speaking or doing – that you need to leave behind?
· Jesus heals lots of people. I wonder who you know who needs healing – healing from illness or injury, or help with something difficult in their life? Draw a picture of them. As you draw, imagine showing your picture to God, and hold the person before God in prayer.
· Jesus talks about being filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. There are other places in the bible where we hear about the Holy Spirit being like the wind. I wonder what you can think of that uses the power of the wind? Can you make something that relies on wind power? Here is an example of how to make a simple windmill: https://www.auntannie.com/FridayFun/Pinwheel/
Mark 1: 1-28
1 The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.2 As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,
“See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way;
3 the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight,’”
who will prepare your way;
3 the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight,’”
4 John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. 8 I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
12 And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.
14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”
16 As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” 18 And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19 As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20 Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.
21 They went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. 22 They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. 23 Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, 24 and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” 25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” 26 And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. 27 They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” 28 At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.
* * *
Luke 4:16-22
16 When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”
20 And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” […] 24 And he said, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown. […] 28 When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. 29 They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. 30 But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.
A ‘cutting’ of tree wisdom (Genny Tunbridge)
If you take your daily exercise beside water this week, look out for alder trees. They are quite easy to recognise, even in winter: although the branches are bare of leaves, they carry many small, dark cones – the old female catkins releasing their tiny seeds.
Each tree species has its unique role to play – maybe we can think of this as its ‘calling’. Long before scientific explanations, humans have valued different trees both for their living qualities and for the properties of their wood when harvested.
Alder (Alnus glutinosa) loves water. Its natural habitat is the moist ground near rivers, ponds and lakes, where its roots help to prevent soil erosion. Alders grow as part of a natural process of succession, in which wetlands and marshes gradually become wet boggy woodland (alder carr), an important but transient habitat type. They are particularly good at fixing nitrogen in the soil, due to a symbiotic relationship with a friendly bacterium called Frankia alni hosted in the alder’s root system. These stabilising and fertilising qualities make alder an excellent pioneer, transforming the terrain and preparing the way for other tree species like oak to which it eventually gives way - rather like an arboreal John the Baptist!
Alder wood (though soft and porous) was known to harden, not rot, when soaked in water: our Neolithic ancestors used it to create a wooden walkway in the Somerset levels; working people made hard-wearing clogs from alder; and the city of Venice was built on alder pile foundations.
Introduction to the theme (Al Barrett)
Over the past few weeks we have explored a little of the early life of Jesus (as told in Matthew’s and Luke’s gospels), but today we’re exploring another ‘beginning’: the beginning of Jesus’ adult ministry. This is where Mark’s gospel starts. Mark plunges straight in at the deep end, as they say. He’s not interested in Jesus’ birth or childhood. His is a gospel of action: he focuses on what the adult Jesus does.
‘The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.’ In a sentence, Mark announces the essence of his gospel: Jesus is the Christ (the Greek word for ‘Messiah’, the ‘anointed one’ – the one that the people of Israel have been waiting for, longing for, over many centuries); and Jesus is the Son of God. This second title isn’t ‘news’ for us who are Christians in the 21st Century – but let’s just take a moment to acknowledge its significance for Mark’s first readers. In the Roman Empire in the times of Jesus and the first Christians, there was only one ‘Son of God’, and that was Caesar, the Roman Emperor. And in that Empire the word ‘gospel’ (the Greek word is ‘evangelion’) referred to the proclamation that Caesar reigned over the known world. So, in just a few words, Mark is telling us that his ‘gospel’ is both the fulfilment of Jewish hopes (the ‘Christ’, the ‘Messiah’ has arrived), and a radical, politically subversive message (Jesus, not Caesar, is truly ‘the Son of God’).
This week’s section of Luke’s gospel is another way of announcing the ‘agenda’ for Jesus’ adult life and ministry. Jesus is in the synagogue in his home town, Nazareth, and is given a reading from the prophet Isaiah. The words would have been familiar to his hearers: one of the many promises, in the prophets, of the coming Messiah, and what God has sent that ‘anointed one’ to do, and to proclaim: good news for the poor, release for the captives, sight for the blind, freedom for the oppressed, and ‘the year of the Lord’s favour’ – the ‘Jubilee’ year when slaves were freed, debts were cancelled, the dispersed peoples came home, and the land itself was given a chance to breathe and rest (see Leviticus 25:8-13). The ‘news’ in Luke’s story is what Jesus says after he finishes reading from Isaiah: ‘today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing’. In other words: ‘the anointed one is me, the year of Jubilee has arrived’. Again, the agenda itself is radical, political, ecological – and Jesus’ announcement that this agenda is present, in the here and now, requires his hearers to sit up and pay attention, and to work out how they are going to respond.
Mark and Luke emphasise different aspects of Jesus’ agenda, his calling, but they have much in common. In the remainder of the first chapter of Mark’s fast-paced gospel, Mark shows us what he has told us. In Jesus’ baptism, we see the Spirit descending on him (‘anointing’ him, we might say), and we hear the voice of God affirming that he is indeed ‘my Son, the Beloved’. And after his time of testing in the wilderness, Jesus comes to Capernaum (where Mark locates Jesus’ home town), and we see the first hints of the challenges Jesus will present to the ‘powers that be’: he teaches ‘with authority’ (unlike the scribes, we’re told), and with that same ‘authority’ he casts out demons (the spiritual ‘powers’ of Jesus’ world), liberating those whom those demons had been possessing and oppressing.
Our focus so far has been on Jesus’ agenda, on Jesus’ calling. But both Mark’s and Luke’s texts also shine a spotlight on how the people around Jesus respond to him. In both passages we see people ‘amazed’ at the ‘authority’ with which he speaks and acts. But in Luke, that amazement is mixed with a puzzlement that quickly turns to anger: Jesus’ Nazareth neighbours think they know who he is (‘is not this Joseph’s son?’), and they think they know how the world works, and how God works – and what they’re seeing and hearing doesn’t make sense, in their existing worldview, so they resist it, reject it, and ultimately attempt to get rid of it. We’ll see plenty more of this kind of resistance and violence in response to Jesus, as the gospels unfold.
The alternative, again Mark presents in just a few words. When Jesus comes to Galilee ‘proclaiming the good news of God’, Mark tells us, he says this: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” He calls his hearers to see signs of ‘the kingdom of God’ (‘the time’, ‘the year of the Lord’s favour’, God’s Jubilee) in what is happening around them, to put their trust in the ‘good news’ (that Jesus, and not the Roman Emperor, is truly the ‘Son of God’), and to repent – to begin the journey of exiting from the control of ‘the powers that be’, and beginning to live the life of God’s kingdom.
With Simon and Andrew, the Galilean fishermen, all of this comes down to two words: ‘follow me’. They are Jesus’ first disciples (literally ‘followers’, ‘students’) in Mark’s gospel – and their response (‘immediately’ leaving their livelihood behind and following Jesus, becoming members of his new household, family or community) is the beginning (only the very beginning!) of the journey that we call ‘discipleship’.
Reflection (Gloria Smith)
Over the past few weeks we have heard about the events of the early life of Jesus but now the emphasis is upon when he first begins his ministry. In today’s readings in the first chapter of Mark there is a lot of content to reflect upon. It begins with the baptism of Jesus and Mark is saying that the one who is going to save people is also going to be baptised before his work begins. It is interesting to wonder why Jesus needs to be baptised as he is the incarnate son of god, so why does he need to be baptised? Scholars believe it is to acknowledge the Jewish prophecy of someone coming before the Messiah to prepare the way and that is John the Baptist. It is also thought to place Jesus alongside those who were going to be baptised in his name later on. It is the perfect opportunity for God to make it clear who Jesus is.
Jesus is then cast out into the desert to be tempted just like us and he comes back after wrestling with the devil, strengthened in his resolve to do God’s work. When John is arrested Jesus then carries on John’s work and in doing so meets some of those going to be his disciples and invites them to join him. They immediately drop everything to follow Jesus, responding to God’s call. He must have been a remarkable charismatic man to have such an impact upon people on the first meeting. The disciples must have recognised something about the man Jesus, maybe they dimly recognised his divinity which then took some time before they were able to understand and accept fully who he was.
Mark then recounts the visit to the temple when Jesus drives out the demons from the young man who identifies who he is. By the end of the reading we are left in no doubt who Jesus is and what he is going to do. It is interesting that for the next nine chapters Mark tries to obscure that fact, but right at the beginning of his ministry Mark is quite clear.
This is further reinforced in Luke’s gospel when Jesus reads from the Torah and reveals who he is and what he is going to do, almost creating a manifesto, only with Jesus he does exactly what he says he will do and bring about. He uses the prophecy from Isaiah, giving weight to his claims, by saying:
‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me…..’
In that moment Jesus shares his calling with those in the synagogue but he is rejected by those living in Nazareth, because they cannot get past the fact he is the son of Joseph, the carpenter. It’s the first real sign that everything is not going to go smoothly in Jesus’ ministry; almost a sign of things to come.
Being called by God can come in many forms. Many people think it is primarily about being called to ordination or something similar within the church but the definition is more expansive than that. The dictionary defines it saying a calling is:
‘a strong inner impulse toward a particular course of action especially when accompanied by conviction of divine influence.’
It does say there is a divine influence as in a feeling that someone is being called by God but it’s not to a specific role, more to an action that can be secular as well as in the religious field.
Many of you know that I was a teacher for many years and I became a teacher because I felt a call from God to do something different with my life than being a metallurgist. The response to that call may be instant like with the disciples, but equally valid is a constant nagging feeling that you are meant to be doing something different; that your life is not fully complete. Then something may happen or somebody may make a casual comment and it becomes more certain and worth exploring in reality, rather than just in your head.
I wonder if any of you have felt just like this?
If you are sat listening or reading this, thinking ‘that is me’ at the moment, reflect upon how you are feeling and then in your own time find out more about what you feel God is calling you to. Pray and talk to somebody and see how it feels verbalising your thoughts and feelings.
Reflection (Mike Lynch)
Tom Wright’s commentary on the gospel of Mark opens with these words; You are sound asleep and dreaming, when suddenly the door bursts open and a bright light shines full in you face. A voice breaking in on your dream world shouts, “Wake up! Get up! You’ll be late!” and without more ado, the speaker splashes your face with cold water to make the point. Time to stop dreaming and face the most important day of your life.
That is what the opening of Marks gospel is like. It is a great way to start because what Mark is telling us is that’s what John the Baptist was like to the Jewish people of his day. His ministry burst in upon a surprised Jewish world. Many had been looking for a sign from God, but they hadn’t expected it to look like this. Many had wanted a Messiah to lead them against the Romans, but they weren’t anticipating a prophet telling them to repent. John was a voice, shouting across their dreams of longing for freedom. They had been told again and again the story of freedom but had no idea what freedom would look like. Each year at Passover they recited the story of the Exodus from Egypt, John was calling them, in the here and now to come through the water and be free. He was calling upon them to leave behind ‘Egypt’ – the world of sin in which they were living, the world of rebelling against the living God. They were looking in the wrong direction. It was time to repent to turn around and go the right way. It was time to stop dreaming and wake up to God’s reality.
One of the promises that Israel had held onto for centuries was that the Exodus story would happen again, God would set his people free once and for all and that would be the time when he would come to live personally with his people. This time it would be different God’s Spirit would live with people in people, becoming the air that they breathe, the fire in their hearts. John is announcing that this is now going to come true. But were they ready for it? Mark is trying to get us to sense the shock of the new thing God was doing. It raises the question for us too: where are we asleep today, in our churches, our communities, our personal lives? What might it take to wake us up?
The crowds flocked to John to repent and to be baptised, but John constantly pointed away from himself to the one who is stronger who was coming after him one who would baptise not with water but with the Holy Spirit.
Mark identifies Jesus as this long - awaited Messiah. Jesus is baptized by John in the river Jordan and at that very moment as Jesus surfaces from the waters heaven is opened and the Spirit comes down like a dove upon him and there came a voice out of the heavens, a voice for the ears of Jesus alone saying “You are my beloved Son; I am well pleased with you. Jesus is the long-awaited Emanuel, God with us, God living among us not just for the Jews but for all of humanity. So, these words spoken by God to Jesus at his baptism, become words that relate to us. When the living God looks at us, at every baptized and believing Christian, he says to us what he said to Jesus on that day. God sees us, not as we are in ourselves, but as we are in Jesus Christ. It sometimes seems impossible, especially to people who have never had this kind of support from their earthly parents, but it is true: God looks at us and says, ‘You are my dear, dear child; I’m delighted with you.’ Try reading that sentence slowly, with your own name at the start, and reflect quietly on God saying that to you, -both at your baptism and every day since.
Mark’s fast-moving account moves quickly to the start of Jesus’s ministry announcing the good news about God and saying, “The times that was appointed has come; and the Kingdom of God is here. Repent and believe the good news.” But what about the good news? There is a difference between the good news Jesus preached and the good news about Jesus. We think of Jesus as crucified and risen Savior when we hear “gospel” When Jesus began preaching that was all in the future. His good news was that God was breaking into human life and beginning the Kingdom. Life would never be the same again. What are signs that God may be breaking into our world?
One of Jesus’ early public acts was to call disciples. Mark describes this as a totally spontaneous act. He mentions no prior contact between Jesus and these fishermen. One minute they were mending their nets, trying to make a living, the next minute Jesus was calling them away from all they had ever known – turning their backs on the world. Are we skeptical about calls, would we in that situation be asking of Jesus, whom do you represent? Can we see some identification? Can you come back later? let me think on it a while. It is interesting how Jesus did call his disciples, he did not say to them, I have a theological system I would like you to investigate; I have certain theories I would like you to think over; I have an ethical system I would like to discuss with you. He simply said, “Follow me!” (or “come and see”). Do not worry about all the theological nuances follow me. The disciples did just that going against their cultural heritage, their economic self-interest, even their common sense. But this call to discipleship is for all of us not just these fishermen, all of God’s people are called to follow Jesus and to live out his life in the world.
How might you have responded to a total stranger calling you to repent or to follow?
What are the challenges in following Jesus today?
Will you be fearless in following wherever he may lead?
Reflection (Tim Evans)
Calling:
One of those terms in our Christian lives that I’m not sure we always understand or we think is for ‘special’ people called to ‘ministry.’ I’m always a bit suspicious if I hear someone say that God has called them in a really clear and unmistakable way although I don't discount that may be true for some. If it’s something you're passionate about, good at, is part of who you are, enables you to be and do something positive in the world, relates to how you understand God I’m not sure you need a hotline to heaven to confirm it.
When the early disciples, that unlikely group of people, were called to be followers of Jesus then that’s the marker for all of us. We are all called to be priests and followers of the Way even if like the first disciples we don’t really understand what we are getting into. The 'secular' and 'spiritual' divide doesn't make sense either because it's less about what we do such as work for Christian organisations or be a leader in the church and more about the kind of people that we are wherever we are. If our calling is to live and be followers of the Way in God's world then all of our contexts; family, neighbourhood, church, school, work, parenting, friendships, how we spend our money and our time, who we hang out with, are where we live out what we are all called to be; people of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith-fulness, gentleness, and self-control. People who love justice and walk humbly with God. People who spot signs of the kingdom of God and help others to see that within and around them.
My own story was that really soon after having an encounter with God at University that changed my life, I encountered young people who didn’t have the same life chances as me when I started volunteering on local estates doing youth work. I met young people who didn't think their lives could amount to much or have much to contribute to the world. But I did meet people, not all of whom would name themselves as Christian, who wanted these young people to know that they were special and valuable and that given support, opportunities, the chance to believe in themselves, could do all kinds of good things in the world. I saw some of these young people's lives transformed. No one had talked to me about this idea of calling nor did I understand any kind of theology, but I instinctively knew that the cause of social justice and investing in the lives of those that felt pushed to the margins was part of what this God stuff was all about. 30 years later and it's still what drives me because I am still convinced it's a part of what this God stuff is all about.
It's why I love the gospel writer recounting Jesus unrolling the scroll of Isaiah at the start of his public ministry. He starts with a call to liberation and justice, having resisted the temptations in the desert of power, performance and status, seen as normative in the Empire of Rome and previously Babylonia. Just as I started my own life as a Jesus follower reorienting my life to being instinctively drawn to justice and liberation without having the language and biblical knowledge to articulate it. It's really true of our current context - what are we not seeing, where are we feeling bound up, where have we seen oppression at work because Jesus comes to proclaim Jubilee in him and his Way - the chance to reorientate ourselves where things have got out of kilter, to see injustice where maybe before we had been oblivious, to reconnect ourselves to God and being disciples of Jesus. When we look at the world I long for jubilee, a resetting and reorienting of how we live life together, including with the natural world, on the one planet we have been given. That my friends is not a calling given to a special few, it is given to all us as disciples, as the priesthood of all believers.
Reflection (Julia Bingham)
I wasn’t sure I was being called at the time. I felt I was motivated by my need for financial security but then a few things happened in a short space of time which now make me wonder.
I realised my part-time job would always be part time and then, when I was no longer in receipt of benefits, what would I do? Shortly afterwards, I enrolled on a 3D course, towards the end I felt a growing need to give back ‘something’ but didn’t know what. I had some thoughts around spiritual healing, but went on to do some homeless outreach work which felt more like the kind of thing I was after.
At some point my dental hygienist Carolyn suggested Occupational Therapy. That meant university and leaving my job which felt quite scary. Also I like to know what’s expected of me and I need boundaries to feel secure so really Nursing or Physiotherapy ‘should’ have suited me better than Occupational Therapy which can feel a bit ‘Jack of all trades’. Anyway, I took my leap of faith.
The journey through university wasn’t always straightforward but the hurdles were jumped (or, more often, walked around) and I got there in the end. The real challenges began after I qualified; I had no idea what I wanted to do – apart from something in mental health. I tried a few different jobs but the fit was never quite right. About 4 years after qualifying I began working in older adult mental health, specialising in cognitive impairment such as is experienced by people with dementia.
It was the right move for me but it’s not been plain sailing. Along the way there’s been disillusionment, frustration, gut wrenching sadness, and utter confusion about what exactly I’m supposed to be doing! Some days I genuinely wonder why they pay me to do this because I have no clue where I’m going, the need for my support is as clear as mud and I just can’t find my way, so I sit and listen.
After two years I feel like I’ve found my calling. It’s the stories and relationships I love; hearing how Betty makes apple pie and custard and listening to her plans for how we can spend the weekend together at her house. Betty’s Mom will cook me a meat dinner, Bet will do the pudding and I can sleep in the back room on their settee. Jeff talks about playing base guitar in the pubs around Digbeth, he tells me about getting barred, he doesn’t know why ‘honestly’ but there’s a chuckle and a wink that tells a different story. It’s the look on the faces and the laughter as people reconnect with what is important to them. It’s such a privilege to be invited into another person’s world and bear witness to the joy of what is meaningful and purposeful to them.
Has God rewarded my leap of faith by urging me towards something so beautiful? Still not entirely sure, but then I’m not entirely sure I got here all by myself either…
Questions for reflection / discussion
As I read / listened to the readings and reflections for this week…
· what did I notice, or what particularly stood out for me?
· what did they make me wonder, or what questions am I pondering?
· what have they helped me realise?
· what am I discovering about Jesus?
· how might these (noticings, wonderings, realisations & discoveries) change the way I live out my faith?
· is there anything I want to do or change in the light of this week's topic?
Poems / prayers for this week
The mud of human evil
is very deep,
it stinks forcefully,
it is full of dangerous gases,
and there was Jesus,
in front of John,
asking to be allowed
to bend down in that mud.
And John,
no wonder,
hesitated.
But he, Jesus,
he went down,
and when he came up,
the mud still streaming...
HEAVEN OPENED,
and a voice was heard...
and a new Spirit
a new life
and a new heart
were announced,
glory, glory, alleluia.
He was bathed... in light...
drowned... in God’s voice...
full... of spirit;
but what about the mud,
was he going to forget it?
... No
because once he got the spirit,
that Spirit drove him...
to do his work
in this world,
to struggle with evil
in us, ...
in this world,
in order to overcome it.
(Joseph Donders, in Imaging the Word vol. 3)
The following blessing (by Jan Richardson in ‘Circle of Grace: A Book of Blessings for the Seasons’) we have used before: at the beginning of Lent last year, and in Week 8 of Trees of Life when we explored the story of Hagar and Ishmael in the wilderness. As we approach another Lent – now knowing a little more about the wilderness experience ourselves – perhaps we can hear echoes of Ishmael’s cries and Hagar’s prayers, with Jesus, and with us.
If you would enter
into the wilderness,
do not begin
without a blessing.
Do not leave
without hearing
who you are:
Beloved,
named by the One
who has travelled this path
before you.
Do not go
without letting it echo
in your ears,
and if you find
it is hard to let it into your heart,
do not despair.
That is what
this journey is for.
I cannot promise
this blessing will free you
from danger,
from fear,
from hunger
or thirst,
from the scorching
of sun
or the fall
of the night.
But I can tell you
that on this path
there will be help.
I can tell you
that on this way
there will be rest.
I can tell you
that you will know
the strange graces
that come to our aid
only on a road
such as this,
that fly to meet us
bearing comfort
and strength,
that come alongside us
for no other cause
than to lean themselves
toward our ear
and with their
curious insistence
whisper our name:
Beloved.
Beloved.
Activities / conversation-starters
with young (and not-so-young!) people
· Today we are thinking about Jesus’ baptism in the River Jordan. Find some water – a puddle, a bowl, a river, a bath… - and immerse some part of yourself in it (your hand, your feet… or even your whole self). I wonder what it feels like? I wonder what you notice about the water? I wonder what it means to be baptised?
· Jesus calls his disciples to follow him, and they immediately change their way of life. I wonder what Jesus might be calling you to change in your life? Is there anything – a habit, a way or thinking, speaking or doing – that you need to leave behind?
· Jesus heals lots of people. I wonder who you know who needs healing – healing from illness or injury, or help with something difficult in their life? Draw a picture of them. As you draw, imagine showing your picture to God, and hold the person before God in prayer.
· Jesus talks about being filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. There are other places in the bible where we hear about the Holy Spirit being like the wind. I wonder what you can think of that uses the power of the wind? Can you make something that relies on wind power? Here is an example of how to make a simple windmill: https://www.auntannie.com/FridayFun/Pinwheel/
