Back to the Garden
Mark 1: 9-15
This morning I’d like to ask you to imagine a beautiful crystal glass water pitcher. It is an elegant piece of glass, handmade and crafted with care, outlined by fluid lines and graceful curves. It sits gently on a table in your home, near a window full of light, and is filled with fresh, clear cold spring water. When it catches the rays of the sun, the sparkles of light reflect and dance off the walls nearby, and when you see it you know that this handmade piece is a priceless creation of unsurpassed beauty.
Now imagine that one morning some bits of dust and dirt fall into the pitcher, and the once clear water turns cloudy. You notice the pieces of dirt floating around the water and then settling down onto the bottom of the crystal water pitcher.
Early in the afternoon you see that someone decided to dump a can of cola into the crystal pitcher. The cloudy water fizzed and bubbled around from the added carbonation before it was absorbed into the water and then settled down. The caramel coloring from the soda turned the cloudy water to a much darker shade, and you notice that the water that once tasted so light and refreshing now looked much heavier from the high fructose corn syrup that had mixed in with the dirt and the dust.
Later on in the day, just as the sun began to make its way around the room, you notice that there are no sparkles of light reflecting off the walls. Upon closer examination you discover some very muddy water sitting heavily inside the crystal pitcher. Next to the pitcher you find an empty container of cheese wiz and spam, and you realize that it might be pretty difficult for the sun to shine through this mixed up and messy mixture. You gently take the handmade pitcher and begin the process of cleaning and restoring it to its original morning beauty. You return the pitcher to its place by the window, and almost immediately it catches the rays of the sun which begin their afternoon dance.
Every one of us is an elegant crystal water pitcher, handmade by God, crafted and created with tender care. Paul asks in Corinthians, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
And the Psalmist cries out to God, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” (Psalm 139)
We are an elegant crystal glass vessel that was crafted with purpose, tenderness and great care by the Master Creator who declared that all things created were good and wonderful. If we go back to the garden and reread the creation stories, we find that all things that were created, including human beings, were blessed by God who said that all was good.
I wonder if we think as much of ourselves as God does. Do we think that we are fearfully and wonderfully made? Do we take care of ourselves as if we were created and crafted by God?
Think for a minute of all the things that we put inside of ourselves and how they might affect us physically, emotionally and spiritually. Each day we eat and drink things that affect our body and spirit.
Most likely there are many times when we all eat too much junk food, processed food and saturated fat, sugary drinks, alcohol and other drugs that do us more harm than good. They become like particles of dust and dirt that build up over time and cloud our thinking and slow us down.
Most likely there are times when we watch too much violent television or entertainment. We stay glued to some of the most horrific news stories shown to us in living color or described in great detail in the news papers. If you think about it, we deposit all those images inside of ourselves as well. And those images stir us up emotionally, just like a carbonated beverage and can make our thinking darker, more anxious and more depressing.
And most likely there are times when we engage in too much gossip, too much complaining and too much anger and when you add those to the mixture inside of us, we stop reflecting God’s sparkling and radiant light.
Today is the first Sunday in Lent which is a season of reflection, introspection and contemplation. Lent is a journey of the heart which leads us to Holy Week with all its passion, pain and triumph. Our text from Mark tells us about the intentional time that Jesus took at the beginning of his ministry to go out into the desert and prepare him for the journey that was ahead. Mark was man of few words because he gets right to the point:
At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert, and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him. (Mark 1:12-13)
Lent is a journey of our body, mind and spirit, which are elements of ourselves that we give to God as we seek to be disciples of Jesus Christ. Lent can be an intentional time – a time to think about all the many things that we put inside of ourselves and it can be a time to make better choices, healthy and holy choices that affect our body, mind and spirit. We can choose to give up something for Lent like processed foods and scary movies, or we can choose to add things to our lives such as eating healthy foods and cultivating healthy attitudes. In Galatians we read that “the fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23) These are what we ought to be cultivating during this Lenten season, for when these shine through us, they can cause our hearts and souls to sparkle and to dance.
However this is not a healthy eating class or a health segment on the Today show. I am not going to tell you how to eat or what to watch. This is worship. This is a holy and sacred time where we come to worship our Creator through music, prayer, words and silence. We worship together in a community of faith with people whom we have grown to love. A question as we come to today to the Lord’s Table - is do you believe that you are fearfully and wonderfully made? Do you believe that you are an elegant, graceful, crystal piece of fine glass that will sparkle and reflect the love of the Creator, the light of Jesus Christ and the strength of the Holy Spirit from deep within you? Do you believe that you are worthy, created and crafted with care?
Go back to the garden and remember that you are part of God’s plan.
Go back to the garden and remember that God in God’s most infinite wisdom has a plan and a purpose for you – and that you are worthy and wonderful.
Go back to the garden remembering that it wasn’t the apple that caused the problem – it was the desire for power and the temptation to be like God that got humans into trouble.
Go back to the garden for your Lenten journey and put your body, your mind and your spirit in God’s strong and gentle hands, for you are a handmade and priceless piece of creation and God loves you.
Amen
Rev. Deborah J. Blanchard
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