7 th February: 5 th Sunday after Epiphany (Alternative)

The hour cometh, and now it is, when true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth.

‘May you live in interesting times’ is a valedictory salutation which is often used by people who think that they are being both amusing and clever. They attribute the phrase to being of ancient Chinese origin, but it is neither ancient nor Chinese! It was first recorded being used by Robert Kennedy in a speech in Cape Town in 1966. Many people see the phrase as a parting blessing, but in fact it is a curse. The expression is always used ironically, with the clear implication that ‘uninteresting times’ of peace and tranquillity, are more life-enhancing, or thrilling, than interesting ones!

Thus, if one were being cynical, it is possible to state that the past year was one of those times. Instead of a joyful start to the year of 2020, when there was a need for social cohesion to heal divisions in our society, following the general election of December 2019, the nation had to come to terms with the realities of the dreadful Covid-19 virus.

The government imposed all sorts of measures; from lockdown to tiered environments, placing restrictions on personal activities, such as limiting personal freedoms, especially that of worship. Yes, there is no need for me to continue. . .; it has been, and continues to be, a shared experience. So, I am reminded of Mrs Thatcher’s speech of the 4^th of May, 1979 on becoming Prime Minister, when she recalled for us of the words of St. Francis:

Where there is discord, may we bring harmony.

Where there is error, may we bring truth.

Where there is doubt, may we bring faith.

And where is despair, may we bring hope.

It is not the intention to discuss the events of the pandemic, but rather to discern the similarities between the unintended consequences for the people living through the difficult times of the pandemic, and those of the people who lived through the truly turbulent times of the Biblical Exile. In volatile political situations, people are not only frustrated and exasperated, but thoroughly depressed and despondent, and so the first utterances, or words, from Second Isaiah, ¹ were of a conciliatory and comforting nature:

Comfort, comfort my people says your God,

Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry for her

that her warfare is ended,

that her iniquity is pardoned,

that she has received from the Lord’s hand

double for all her sins. ²

Isaiah is considered by scholars to be amongst the latter prophets. He was indeed vociferous in his pursuit of social justice. One commentator has observed that all of the prophets claimed to be speaking on behalf of God, and that ‘keeping politics out of the pulpit’ was the last thing any prophet ever dreamt of doing! Indeed, our religion has been intertwined with politics ever since its inception; Jesus Himself being no stranger to dealing with controversial issues, and so no apologies are made for mentioning such matters.

However, in this section of the prophecy, Isaiah seeks to introduce to his people the concept of the long awaited Messiah as the ‘Suffering Servant’. As we approach Lent, and the prospect of Easter, we note that the Messiah was to share our humanity, in that:

He was despised and rejected by men,

a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;

and as one from whom men hide their faces

he was despised, and we esteem him not. ³

and the text of that argument, with its very familiar language, is developed in the remainder of the chapter.

Reverting for a moment to Mrs Thatcher’s use of St Francis’ famous prayer, and the line: ‘And where there is despair, may we bring hope’ is particularly relevant to the current situation. The word ‘hope’ is of particular interest in our distressing times. Everybody needs hope for the future and better times ahead; with indeed, with some joy and joviality. The BBC has provided the latter with its ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ series of programmes, but we as Christians can go one better, because we regularly and joyously share in saying of a Creed! However, our secular brethren are not to be left out, as supporters of Liverpool FC with their famous anthem can attest!:

‘Walk on, walk on

With hope in your heart

And you’ll never walk alone.’ ⁴

But our Lord and Saviour does bring hope: hope for the Resurrection of the body, And the life everlasting; ⁵ and what a privilege and blessing that is!

St Mark introduces us the early life and work of Jesus. ⁶ But first, he seeks to establish the credentials of Jesus; again, from Isaiah:

A voice cries:

‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord,

Make straight in the desert a highway for our God. . . .’ ⁷

and it is clear reference to the special relationship between Jesus and John the Baptist, which is further reinforced by reference to the prophet, Malachi:

Behold, I send my messenger to prepare the way before me,

and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple;

the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight;

behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. ⁸

Therefore after Jesus submitted to Baptism by John, and endured the time in the wilderness, He began His ministry in Galilee amongst the fishermen urging them to repent and believe in the gospel, with the cry or slogan: ‘Follow me and I will make you become fishers of men.’ ⁹ Surely, this was a very strange call, but by its unusual nature, it emphasised the uniqueness of Jesus, and of His call, in accordance with the Messianic traditions recorded by the prophets.

Indeed, if anybody had any doubts as to the identity of Jesus, Mark puts their fears to rest, by recounting the story of the events in the synagogue, where a man calls out and challenges: ‘What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?’ ¹⁰ And people were amazed at the response of Jesus, who healed the man of his illness, so that they questioned that which they were witnessing:

What is this? A new teaching! With authority he commands even the

unclean spirits, and they obey him. ¹¹

However, you will recall that Mark tells in the remainder of that chapter, about the healing of Simon’s mother-in-law; and that many people came to see Jesus, specifically for medical reasons, and that by curing them, he gave them ‘hope’ in their lives. But wisely, Mark moves his account of Jesus’ ministry on apace, to record how Jesus set his face towards Jerusalem, and the appalling sacrifice that the Suffering Servant was to make for all mankind.

The rich hymnology of our faith enables us to share and express our deepest emotions in song and verse. Only a few weeks ago we were at the beginning of advent, when we were able to express our welcome to the new-born Christ:

Come, Thou long-expected Jesus,

Born to set Thy people free. . . .

with / and

Born Thy people to deliver,

Born a child and yet a king,

Born to reign in us for ever,

Now Thy gracious kingdom bring. ¹²

And soon, as we approach the seasons of Lent and Easter, we will soon be able to rejoice and sing:

Man of Sorrows! What a name

For the Son of God, who came

Ruined sinners to reclaim!

Hallelujah! What a Saviour! ¹³