You are My Beloved – Mark 1:1-11

The gospel of Mark doesn’t have any stories about Jesus’ birth. Instead Mark cuts straight to the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. He tells us about the work of John the Baptist who was an apocalyptic preacher attracting quite a following on the edge of the Judean desert. What you may ask is an apocalyptic preacher? Apocalypse simply means a revelation. Put simply he was telling people that God was doing something new, and more specifically God was acting to bring in a new ‘God ruled’ era on earth. The existing world had gone rotten and it was time for God to act. John was a no holds barred sort of guy who told it straight. He seemed to have a hot line to God, and was fearless in his condemnation of all that was wrong, including telling the local ruler that he was looking after himself and building fine palaces while the common people suffered. He also got personal and said he needed to sort out his private life and cease his womanizing. That sort of attack would later cost him his life.
John was giving voice to some common beliefs that saw history divided into epochs and eras. The book of Daniel talks of four eras or empires that had been and raises the apocalyptic hope that the ‘God ruled era’ would soon be upon us. The new kingdom would according to one of the Jewish writings look like this:
“The earth will belong equally to all, undivided by walls or fences. It will then bear more abundant fruits spontaneously. Lives will be in common and wealth will have no division. For there will be no poor man there, no rich, and no tyrant, no slave. Further there will be no big guys and no small guys. All will be on a par together.”
John preached that this time was here, and the God era was about to begin, so people needed to get ready and sharpen up. It wasn’t business as usual, it was time to get serious about turning to God and making a new commitment to the ways of God. As a sign of this he invited people to be baptised, to wash away the old and enter into the new. He invited people to symbolically leave the old ways behind and make a new commitment to listening to God, and entering into a new relationship with God. It is a message we need to hear especially as we enter a New Year. While we may come to church regularly on Sundays, many of us do precious little else to intentionally nurture our relationship with God. God remains a distant figure in our lives that we call upon in times of trouble but which we can largely ignore for the rest of the time. We like to live chameleon type lives and fit into our community rather than standing out in some way for Jesus. We like to live our own way rather than making time for God to shape our living. I think John the Baptist still speaks to us calling us to look again at our lives, and to look at our commitment to God and the new kingdom he came to announce.

Jesus was related to John. They were cousins. It’s always seemed a bit odd to me that Jesus would come to John and be baptised, and I think the gospel writers also found it a bit odd. They are at pains to point out that John was simply the foreteller, and that the baptism of John was one of washing away the old while Jesus would bring people into a new relationship directly with God’s Spirit. For Jesus it was not a sign that he needed to repent and change direction but that he stood with the people of his time as he stands with people of all time in their need to take a new direction in their lives.
Scholars think that probably people undertaking John’s baptism would take a bucket and walk out into the river and pour the water over themselves as a sign and commitment to the new way. As Jesus does this something dramatic happens. In one of the great God moments of all time Jesus experiences the heavens opening and the Holy Spirit descending upon him as a gentle dove. What a video camera might have recorded I have no idea, but it is a wonderful image of heaven and earth coming together, and God being fully present. In that moment the voice of God speaks these awe inspiring words: “You are my son, the beloved. In you I take great delight.”
They are wonderfully warm words, affirming and encouraging words. They are words that would cause a tear to form in any child’s eyes as they are spoken over them. They are words that I think launched Jesus’ ministry in a way that no other words could. They are words direct from the heart of God.
“You are my son, the beloved. In you I take great delight.”
Beloved! My dictionary defines this as greatly loved and dear to the heart. It speaks of a deep and unconditional love. From this point on in his life Jesus would speak of God as Abba, which has that close intimate meaning that we give to the word ‘daddy’. The voice of God was a quiet but mighty voice of affirmation and closeness, and it was this close ‘I believe in you’ relationship with God that sustained and filled Jesus with life and love and power for his amazing ministry. It was this voice and promise that was at the very centre of his spirituality. It was this voice and this word of affirmation that gave Jesus the strength and courage to be the unique person he was.
I want to suggest something radical to you toady. As you hear this word ‘beloved’ know also that it is not just Jesus that is being addressed by God. I am reminded of the story of creation that we find at the beginning of our Bible. On the sixth day after the creation of night and day, the sun and the moon, and all living creatures, God creates human beings. Unlike the previous five days where God is pleased with what has been created, on the sixth day with the emergence of human beings like you and me, the Bible says God is exceedingly pleased and happy. There is great delight in heaven with the creation of human beings like you and me. It seems from the very beginning all human beings bring delight to God, each of us are called God’s beloved, and each of us has a special place in God’s heart.
You and I are also God’s beloved. You and I are dear to God. We may be specks of cosmic dust but you and I are loved with a love that will not let us go. God delights in you and God delights in me. You know I often have trouble believing this because the voices of the world speak loudly….. ‘you are no good, you are ugly, you are worthless, you are nothing in the vast depth and width of the universe’. These voices are subtle but insistent in our world, and they lead to self rejection, and a deep feeling that my life is of little value. Even when I have seemed strong in my self sufficiency and others around me are strong in their affirmation, underneath the nagging question remains: ‘if they really knew the real me would they still love me.’ That agonizing question found in the shadows of our souls haunts most human beings I know. If you look inside I’ll be surprised if you don’t find such a thought lurking somewhere. Maybe you also think God does know the real me and God must be pretty disappointed. Maybe you have been taught that primarily God is a stern judge who keeps a record sheet of all our wrongs. If you think that way can I respectfully tell you, you have got it wrong. Can I invite you to ponder the truth that God delights in you, and that you are God’s beloved.
We need to hear this truth, “You are my Beloved”, proclaimed by God. Like Jesus we need the heavens to open and a voice to whisper to us of this life changing and empowering truth. We need to know that the very creator of the universe calls you and me ‘beloved’. This is a spiritual truth that can only be uncovered as we reach out to God and as we listen to God in our lives. For me I hear this voice when I make time to be still, silent, and alone. In the deep silence of eternity where God lives I have sensed this overwhelming warmth and love of God for me. The heavens have opened and the voice of God has spoken, “You are my Beloved”. Despite all my shortcomings, which are many, I have this deep sense that my life matters to God, and that my life is held in the arms of love.
When I know the truth of this voice I am set free of the need to prove myself, or the need to seek the attention of others. I am freed from the need to put on a mask in front of others. I am freed from the need to compete or put on a show. I can relax in the love of God, free to be myself. I find myself listening with genuine concern to others, and I sense the wonder and beauty of creation more easily. I have more confidence in my gifts, and sense that I can make a difference in the world. My life has meaning and I am drawn into the life of God’s amazing grace and love
“You are my Beloved, and I delight in You”.
This I believe was the deep strength and good news of Jesus Christ. If we heed John’s words to turn to God, expect to hear this voice more clearly. It is the voice at the heart of our spiritual life, a life lived in union with God.
I pray you will make time to hear this voice often, and that you will allow it to bring joy and freedom into your life. I pray that others will come to know this voice, and its power to change lives and change the world.

Dugald Wilson 8 January 2012