February 20: Jesus Preaches in Galilee
♫ Music:
Day 7 - Tuesday, February 20
Title: Jesus Preaches in Galilee
Scripture: Mark 1:14-15
Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
Poetry: The Wind
By Christina Rossetti
Who has seen the wind?
Neither I nor you:
But when the leaves hang trembling,
The wind is passing through.
Who has seen the wind?
Neither you nor I:
But when the trees bow down their heads,
The wind is passing by.
TURN AND BE SAVED
We read here that when Jesus began preaching, He took up the call of his kinsman, John the Baptist: Repent. For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.
But Jesus added to it, The time is fulfilled
And it is: He Himself brought about the fulfillment.
And now, as Lent begins, we are reminded that His call then is one we still need to heed today. Our Lord says, Repent.
And we must.
This is not abstract: Repent. No, really: repent. Examine yourself. Examine yourself even against the exacting and strict rule found in the scripture, not against the weak virtues of your neighbor. Confess your actual sins to the actual God, and ask for His mercy. Intend to forsake evil and do good. Forsake not just the individual acts, but forsake your habits of sin—that comforting sin you turn to time and again. The one you wrap yourself ‘round in like a blanket, seeking comfort from the cold. Forsake it, and turn to the Lord.
There is another, better source of comfort: the Comforter Himself. Com-fort; it means “with strength.” The Holy Spirit is the One who strengthens you, when you turn and ask to be filled with Him, rather than letting yourself filled with the weak and beggarly substitutes offered by the world, the flesh, and the devil. You can gorge yourself on those substitutes, but it is like eating disease and drinking damage: they will leave your body wracked and ruined and starving.
God offers real food and real drink: bread that actually satisfies, wine that actually strengthens.
The Holy Spirit, our Comforter, is like the wind, and goes where He wills. “Who has seen the wind?” asks Rossetti, “Neither you nor I.” But you know when the wind has passed by—and if you have known any of the Lord’s saints, you have seen the wind-carved, Spirit-carved beauty of their lives; you have seen the light in their eyes that reflects back the bright glory of a place that needs no created light, because the Lord is its sun and its stay.
Trust that what is in the Kingdom is better than what is outside. Trust that the feast that the Lord sets upon His table is a better portion than the weeping and gnashing of teeth that awaits those who remain outside His gates.
Trust that the Lord is your portion. That to follow Jesus is to find everlasting life. That He Himself is that everlasting life.
Trust that the Kingdom of God is at hand.
Turn. Repent. Look to the Lord.
And the Lord will turn to you. He is ever-ready to forgive, and is rich in mercy.
He will be rich in mercy towards you.
Prayer:
Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners: Grant your people grace to love what you command and desire what you promise; that, among the swift and varied changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
The Book of Common Prayer
Jessica Snell
Biola Class of 2003
Editor of Let Us Keep the Feast: Living the Church Year at Home
Information about the artists, poets, lyrics, artwork, composers, and musicians in the Lent Project may be found on the “About” tab located next to the “Devotional” tab.
About the Artwork:
Christ Preaching (La Petite Tombe)
Rembrandt van Rijn
1652
Etching, engraving, and drypoint
15.3 x 20.5 cm
About the Artwork:
This etching does not refer to any specific event in Christ's preaching, but illustrates Him as a “teacher.” He appears to be engaged entirely in conveying His message and His listeners are attentive. In the foreground, Rembrandt included the detail of a small child doodling on the ground with his or her finger, which one could understand as a reference to Jesus’ own writing on the ground when He challenges those ready to stone the woman found in adultery. (John 8:6-7) The name of this etching, La Petite Tombe, was first used in the 18th century to refer to Nicolaes de La Tombe, who probably commissioned the work.
About the Artist:
Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669) was a Dutch painter and is considered one of the greatest artists of all time. His contributions to art came in a period of great wealth and cultural achievement known as the “Dutch Golden Age.” He is most famous for his portraits, but Rembrandt's greatest creative triumph is exemplified in the numerous scenes he painted from the Bible. He is often praised for his understanding and empathy for the human condition, which he observed in his hometown of Amsterdam. His self-portraits form a unique and intimate autobiography, in which the artist surveyed himself without vanity and with the utmost sincerity. Rembrandt's foremost contribution in the history of printmaking was his transformation of the etching process from a relatively new reproduction technique into a true art form. His reputation as the greatest etcher in the history of the medium was established in his lifetime, and never questioned since. Few of his paintings left the Dutch Republic while he lived, but his prints were circulated throughout Europe, and his wider reputation was initially based on them alone.
About the Music:
“The Kingdom of God” from the album Laudate Omnes Gentes
Lyrics:
The kingdom of God is justice and peace
And joy in the Holy Spirit.
Come, Lord, and open in us the gates of your kingdom.
About the Composers/Performers:
Taizé is an ecumenical monastic community located in Burgundy, France. Founded in 1940 for refugees of the German occupation, Taizé has since become a refuge for people from around the world seeking peace and unity. The brothers welcome pilgrims into their community to share meals and sing together. The songs of Taizé are short, easily memorized phrases from various languages, sung over and over in contemplation. This repetition allows the meaning of the songs to sink deep into the soul and to continue in the quiet of the heart long after the music stops.
About the Poet:
Christina Rossetti (1830-1894) was a Victorian poet known for her simple, lyrical work. She published poems in the feminist periodicals The English Woman’s Journal and Victoria Magazine and in various other anthologies. Today her poetry is regarded as some of the most beautiful and innovative of the period. Critical interest in Rossetti’s poetry was renewed in the last decades of the twentieth century, a resurgence largely generated by the emergence of feminist criticism. Her work strongly influenced the works of writers such as Ford Madox Ford, Virginia Woolf, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Elizabeth Jennings, and Philip Larkin. Critic Basil de Selincourt stated that she was "all but our greatest woman poet … incomparably our greatest craftswoman … probably in the first twelve of the masters of English verse." Rossetti's Christmas poem "In the Bleak Midwinter" became widely known after her death when it was set as a Christmas carol by Gustav Holst and then by Harold Darke. Her poem "Love Came Down at Christmas" has also been widely arranged as a carol.
About the Devotional Writer:
Jessica Snell is a writer who graduated from Biola University and the Torrey Honors Institute in 2003. She’s the editor of Let Us Keep the Feast, a book about celebrating the Christian church year at home. Her work has appeared in Touchstone Magazine, Christ in Pop Culture, Daily Science Fiction, and many more. She and her husband live in sunny Southern California with their four children.