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The Lenten Practice – The Celebration of God’s Covenant

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A Sermon Preached at the ACK St. James Parish Buruburu during the first Service (Kiswahili Holy Communion Service) on Sunday 18th February, 2018.

Lectionary Readings:

  • Psalm 25:1-9
  • Genesis 9:8-17
  • 1 Peter 3:18-22
  • Mark 1:9-15

Introduction

During the period of Lent, Christians are called to take a spiritual journey of transformation through reflection and repentance. Lent is not just an exercise of abstinence from physical food but spiritual practice leading to spiritual transformation. “Lenten Practice…” calls us to “The Celebration of God’s Covenant with Humanity”; the covenant of life and not destruction; the covenant of grace and not vengeance; the covenant of reconciliation and not separation.

When we talk about “The Lenten Practice – The Celebration of God’s Covenant”, it means:

  1. The Celebration of God’s Grace

Because of sin, humanity deserves God’s anger, vengeance and punishment. It is not in God’s best interest to destroy His creation or to punish His people. However, due to sin, God is compelled to punish the sinner:

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Ezekiel 18:20a “The souls who sins is the one who will die.”

Because of sin, God destroyed the first world with the flood –

Genesis 6:9a-14 “Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God. 10 Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth. 11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. 12 God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. 13 So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. 14 So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out.”

I believe this was the most painful decision for God to make; destroying all that He had declared as “…very good…” (Gen. 1:31).

A reading of Genesis 9:8-17, gives a picture of a God who mourned the destruction of His creation as a punishment of humanity’s sin; it gives a picture of a God who regrets His action of a near termination of the whole creation due to humanity’s sin; and it paints a picture of a God who seeks a solution to save His creation.

Genesis 9:8-11 “8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: 9 “I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you 10 and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth. 11 I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.

God was remorseful for His actions and swore in a covenant that “…Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.”

When we talk about “The Lenten Practice – The Celebration of God’s Covenant”, it means:

  1. The Celebration of the Defeat of Sin

Through God’s covenant with humanity, God provided away out for humanity to defeat sin. Sin can be overcome, sin can be defeated and sin has been defeated through Christ Jesus.

1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit,”

The fact that …Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous… does not mean that an individual is exempted from the responsibilities and the consequences of sins. However, away has been provided by God, Himself, for the forgiveness and the overcoming of sins.

We can escape the consequences of sins through “The Practice of Lent”. Lenten period, offers us an opportunity for reflection, humility, brokenness and repentance.

David felt the weight of his sins and the pain of separation from God. And during his Lent experience, he turned to God with the powerful repentance words:

Psalm 25:1-9 “1 To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul; 2 in you I trust, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me. 3 No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse. 4 Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; 5 guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. 6 Remember, O LORD, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old. 7 Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you are good, O LORD. 8 Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways. 9 He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.”

  • Sin brings shame
  • Sin brings defeat – Absalom’s rebellion

When we talk about “The Lenten Practice – The Celebration of God’s Covenant”, it means:

  1. The Celebration of the Transformational Mandate

“The Lenten Practice…” leads to a spiritual-rebirth; spiritual transformation leading to transformational mandate. We have been called to be transformation agents but the actual involvement in the transformational activities is birth by “The Lenten Practice…” Friends, successful spiritual transformers birthed by The Lenten Practice.

In Mark’s gospel, the synoptic writer – the evangelist Mark, gives us a clear evidence of the sequence of events that launched Jesus into His ministry of spiritual transformation:

Mark 1:9-15 “9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” 12 At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert, 13 and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him. 14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!”

  1. First: He was baptised in River Jordan
  2. Second: He was filled with/by the Holy Spirit
  • Third: He was affirmed by God the Father
  1. Fourth: He was led by the Holy Spirit into the desert for “The Lenten Practice”
  2. Fifth: He began His ministry of spiritual transformation

The Lenten Practice leads to a spiritual rebirth so that we can become spiritual transformation agents.

Conclusion

Lent is that time of withdrawal; a momentary withdrawal from the world around us and have self-reflection. It is that time of coming out of the self to see the self though the holy eyes of God the conviction of the Holy Spirit.

As we observe this year’s Lent period, may we truly enter into “The Lenten Practice” which leads us to “The Celebration of God’s Covenant” of the preservation of life. It is God’s will not to destroy His creation but to give life and to preserve life.

Amen!

1st Sunday of Lent 2018

Your brother in Christ Jesus

The Rev. Simon J. Oriedo

Curate at the ACK St. James Buruburu – Nairobi, Kenya