February 18, 2024
St. Andrew Church
Rev. Anne McAnelly
1st Sunday in Lent
First Lesson: Mark 1:9-13
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.
Second Lesson: John 1:1-9
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. 9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
Today is the first Sunday of Lent, the season we prepare for the death of Jesus before his glorious resurrection. This year we are doing something different. We will be moving through Lent looking through the eyes of Mary Magdalene. She was a pivotal person in scripture and one who has not always been represented fairly or correctly. So, each week we will look at another piece of the story so that when we get to Easter, when Mary sees the risen Jesus in the garden, the full force of that will be evident. We will be focusing on Mark and John’s gospels, the first and last gospel written. Before I read John’s account, I ask you to close your eyes and consider what this reminds you of. Where else have you heard imagery like this? John 1:1-9
What did this remind you of? Genesis, the creation story. What stood out? In the beginning, God, creation, life and light. Jesus was added to the creation story; the Word was with God and was God. Jesus was with God, Jesus was God. Of course, we know Jesus is the Word, because later John writes, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (1:14). The light and dark elements of creation are expressed by John who bore witness to the light- the light of Christ. This might not be new to you, but I learned recently that the gospel of John has been considered a retelling of the creation story. Not just this part, the prologue, but the entire gospel. One example, on the third day of the gospel (indicated by “The next day”) Jesus changes Simon’s name to Peter, the Rock (1:42). The rock on which Christ’s Church will be built (Mt. 16:18). As you recall, in the creation story on the third day, the water receded, and dry land appeared (Gen. 1:9). Ground/ rock appeared on the third day in the creation story. Peter is named the Rock on the third day in John’s gospel. Peter is the Rock on which the church is built and the one who proclaims Jesus the Messiah in the three other gospels. Now that is a big deal, because declaring the theological truth about Jesus, that he is the chosen one, the Anointed One, the Messiah is a high honor indeed. It is not an accident that Matthew, Mark and Luke all have Peter as the one declaring Jesus as the Messiah, and Jesus calls him the Rock on the third day of John’s gospel.
I need to apologize up front for this sermon series. I am very excited about where we are going on this Lenten journey. But I also know it might be a little nerdy, scripturally dense. Each week will build on the next, so I invite you to read the sermon online, if you miss a Sunday. But I pray you will stay with me. We will be exploring new ground. It might even be a time when dry land appears. We might be creating a new understanding, where old understandings recede, and a new one takes shape. I ask that you have an open mind as we embark on this wilderness journey. A Lenten Journey.
Lent always starts with Jesus’ time in the wilderness. It marks the end of his private life and the beginning of his public ministry. Matthew and Luke speak of the tempter and the devil who tempts Jesus to:
- Make bread out of stones to relieve his own hunger
- Jump from a pinnacle and rely on angels to break his fall.
- Worship the tempter in return for all the kingdoms of the world.
But we get none of that in Mark. We just heard the shortest wilderness account in scripture. Two whole verses. And the Spirit immediately drove (Jesus) out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him. Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness, at the insistence of the Spirit. God must have wanted Jesus to have this time with wild beasts and temptation.
We are embarking on a wilderness experience of our own. Rather than beasts and Satan we will be looking at scripture and revelation. Merriam Webster defines wilderness as “a bewildering situation.” When information comes to light that alters key players in the Bible it feels like a bewildering situation. I believe the Spirit led people into this new discovery now.
Over two years ago this journey began for me. Diana Butler Bass has a weekly writing called The Cottage. She is one of my favorite theologians and speakers. She shared a sermon on new Biblical scholarship about Mary Magdalene. It is titled, All the Marys. There are several Marys—not least, of course, Mary the mother of Jesus. But there is Mary of Bethany. There is Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and Mary the wife of Clopas. And of course, Mary Magdalene. When I listened to this sermon in my office and just stood up so excited about what she said, it blew me away! I was amazed by this new understanding of who Mary Magdalene might be. We then had a Bible study session to discuss this sermon and what it means for our understanding of faith and key figures in the New Testament. Yet every time I tried to explain it, it felt bigger than me, yet it also felt true, right. So we will be hearing pieces of this account throughout Lent, looking at scriptures that tell this profound story.
The Musical Hamilton brings to life the characters of the American Revolution. We have considered this time to be of national history, but not necessarily compelling. But Lin Manuel Miranda transforms that with his catchy lyrics. Hamilton is young, scrappy, hungry just like his country. King George is a ruthless monarch with a maniacal laugh. George Washington is a wise military leader who puts his country above himself. In the first song of Hamilton, as all the characters are being introduced, Burr foreshadows where we are going by saying, “and I’m the fool who shot him.” Meaning Hamilton. That startled me, but we quickly moved on, being engrossed in the drama.
To that end I will share with you that Mary Magdalene is not who we have always thought her to be. She is not a woman with loose morals or even a prostitute. She is not from the village of Magdala. She is not Jesus’ romantic partner, even though Jesus Christ Super Star had her singing, “I don’t know how to love him” and Dan Brown created a fictitious divine lineage. Our wilderness journey will shine a light on who Mary is and what role she played in Jesus’ ministry and life.
Diana Butler Bass writes, “Now you might say to yourself, I thought she was from Magdala…A lot of people, especially if any of you have ever been to the Holy Land, you might have gone to the little village that’s right on the sea of Galilee. And there’s a church there, the church of Mary Magdalene. And some very nice tourist guide has said to you, “This is the place that Mary Magdalene’s from.” But there’s a really weird problem with that. That village wasn’t known as
Magdala in the first century, and so that’s something they forget to tell you on the tour. And nobody is quite sure where that village would be if there was a village called Magdala…When we call her Magdalene, Mary Magdalene, is not Mary from Magdala. Instead, it’s a title.
The word magdala in Aramaic means “tower” (All the Marys, July 17, 2022). So much like Peter is called the Rock, Mary is called the Tower. Jesus calls these disciples these names, Peter the Rock and Mary the Tower.
We will unpack this in weeks to come, but I hope you sit with this new information and see if that feels like you are embarking on “a bewildering situation.” Are you feeling like you are on your own wilderness journey. Because when we alter what we have always known to be true it can be unsettling. Trust that Christ’s light will shine on this as we move through Lent, the darkness will not overcome it. Amen.
