WE GATHER IN GOD’S PRESENCE:

Lighting the Candle:

Jesus said, ‘I am the light of the world.

Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness

but will have the light of life.’ –

Greeting:

The Lord be with you AND ALSO WITH YOU

Call to Worship

from Psalm 25, a Psalm of David

O Lord, I come before you in prayer.
² MY GOD, I TRUST IN YOU.
⁴ Make me understand your ways, O Lord!
TEACH ME YOUR PATHS!⁵ Guide me into your truth and teach me.
FOR YOU ARE THE GOD WHO DELIVERS ME;
ON YOU I RELY ALL DAY LONG.
⁶ Remember your compassionate and faithful deeds, O Lord,
for you have always acted in this manner.
⁷ DO NOT HOLD AGAINST ME THE SINS OF MY YOUTH

OR MY REBELLIOUS ACTS!
Because you are faithful to me, extend to me your favor, O Lord!
⁸ THE LORD IS BOTH KIND AND FAIR;
THAT IS WHY HE TEACHES SINNERS THE RIGHT WAY TO LIVE.
⁹ May he show the humble what is right!
May he teach the humble his way!
¹⁰ THE LORD ALWAYS PROVES FAITHFUL AND RELIABLE
TO THOSE WHO FOLLOW THE DEMANDS OF HIS COVENANT.

We Sing TiS 111 Praise to the Lord, the Almighty… 5vv

Prayer

Gracious LORD,

the words we sang as a litany of praise to you

serve only as a springboard

for our desire to acknowledge you as the One

Who remains compassionate and faithful,

even during our times of covenant faithlessness.

We gather in your presence intentionally,

in diverse places,

but in community as a baptized people

appealing to you through our resurrected Lord

for reconciliation and a good conscience;

grant us all that is necessary

for our participation within your kingdom

which is always so near…

therefore we pray:

followed by the Lord’s Prayer

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours

now and forever. Amen

Welcome

WE LISTEN FOR A WORD FROM GOD

Prayer for Illumination

HOLY AND MERCIFUL GOD,

THROUGH YOUR HOLY SPIRIT

INSTRUCT US

THAT WE MIGHT RIGHTLY UNDERSTAND

THE WORD OF TRUTH

AND FIND OURSELVES AS PEOPLE

WHO REFLECT THE LIVING WORD,

JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD,

AMEN

Scripture

GENESIS 9:8-17

⁸ Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, ⁹ ‘As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, ¹⁰ and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark. ¹¹ I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.’ ¹² God said, ‘This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: ¹³ I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. ¹⁴ When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, ¹⁵ I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. ¹⁶ When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.’ ¹⁷ God said to Noah, ‘This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.’

1 PETER 3:13-22

¹³ Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good? ¹⁴ But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated, ¹⁵ but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an account of the hope that is in you; ¹⁶ yet do it with gentleness and reverence. Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame. ¹⁷ For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God’s will, than to suffer for doing evil. ¹⁸ For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring youto God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, ¹⁹ in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, ²⁰ who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight people, were saved through water. ²¹ And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you—not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, ²² who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him.

Reader: this is the Word of the Lord

Response: WE HEED AND REJOICE, O GOD!

MARK 1:9-15

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 for forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.

¹⁴ Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, ¹⁵ and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.’

Reader: this is the gospel of our Lord

Response: PRAISE BE TO YOU, LORD JESUS CHRIST!

Prayer of Confession:

We approach God as a new covenant people

obligated to love God and neighbour:

Jesus calls us to love the Lord our God with all our hearts

We confess how hard this is at times, O Lord…

Lord have mercy…Lord have mercy.

Jesus calls us to love the Lord our God with all our soul

We confess succumbing at times

to some of our modern idols, O Lord.  

Christ have mercy…Christ have mercy.

Jesus calls us to love the Lord our God with all our mind

We confess to being pre-occupied

with ungodly matters at times, O Lord.  

Lord have mercy…Lord have mercy.

Jesus calls us to love our neighbour as ourselves

We confess to merely loving only ourselves at times, O Lord.

Christ have mercy…Christ have mercy.

Assurance of Forgiveness (1 Peter 3:18, Mark 1:15)

The Apostle Peter informs us:

For Christ also suffered for sins once for all,

the righteous for the unrighteous,

in order to bring youto God.

We come in repentance,

confident of the inbreaking of God’s kingdom within and among us,

trusting in the Good News

that through Christ our sins are forgiven us;
so we say with joy in our hearts: Thanks be to God!

Passing the Peace.. as we raise our hands in blessing to those unseen…
The peace of the Risen Lord be with you all  AND ALSO WITH YOU.

We Sing: Tis 591 Forty days and forty nights

Contemporary Word

TEMPTATION

Before Jesus goes anywhere,

before he preaches anything,

before he heals anyone,

Jesus goes into the wilderness.

Apparently not necessarily something he did casually,

like just taking a stroll…

we read:

And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness.

 ¹³ He was in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by Satan;

and he was with the wild beasts;

and the angels waited on him.

The language is forceful and unambiguous.

The Spirit “drives” Jesus or “thrusts him out” (Gk. ekballein)[1]

Now, I’ve thought about going into the wilderness.

For decades now…

thought about it, and thought some more about it…

Looked through the old Army Disposal Stores

for equipment, clothing…

Through the decades this has morphed into

secret pleasure trips into Camping, Boating and Fishing…

With the occasional seductive visit to Kathmandu…

the Ritz of wilderness stores…

Of course I am thinking of the Tasmanian wilderness,

Or the hiking tracks on the Southern Island of New Zealand…

Not the dry desert style wilderness

into which Jesus was driven…

Only a few days ago

I was chatting with new neighbours a few houses down,

intrepid travellers, our age,

and Margaret mentioned her visit to Birdsville,

and hiking up a local ‘red hill’

from the top of which

she could survey the Simpson Desert stretching out

apparently infinitely,  before her.

Dry, timeless, hot in the day, not so at night…

now that’s more like the Judean wilderness…

Anyway, I would get out catalogues

and dreamed of palatial tents,

shoes that could easily see me up and down mountains,

jackets good enough for freezing temperature,

tiny, tiny little stoves with gourmet freeze dried meals.

Of course, as I thought about these things,

it wasn’t really the wilderness I was preparing for;

it was camping.

When Joana came on the scene,

Camping dreaming became caravan dreaming…

She likes home comforts…

and now caravan dreaming

has become motorhome dreaming!
(We are even now planning

a week Motorhome drive around Gold Coast and hinterland,

to test the reality of its supposed attractions,

before committing to a prolonged hire in May/June).

We have lost our sense of the wilderness.

We talk about camping in the wilderness—

with a boat, a camper and a generator,

these days perhaps a solar panel or two,

to run the microwave and hair dryer.

The wilderness is not that place. 

The wilderness is not anything you can get ready for.

It is precisely the point of the wilderness,

that you cannot get ready for it

because you do not know it.

The wilderness is where you are lost,

where you lose yourself,

where you do not know yourself. 

The wilderness is not static,

It is alive and always looking

where to encroach on our lives…

The wilderness for Jesus and his contemporaries

was a life-threatening reality.

Real as the wilderness was,

it also figured deeply symbolically within their psyche,

their personal, religious and national self-understandings.

These three aspects of their identity were closely intertwined.

It was in the wilderness that Moses,

approaching the ‘burning bush’ 

received his call to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt (Exodus 3).

It was in the wilderness that the generation of Israelites

freed from Egyptian oppression,

wandered from place to place for forty years;

denied entry into the promised land by God

because of their lack of trust in God,

as evidenced in their fearful grumbling and complaining

at their spies’ report of the possible conflict

which awaited them across the Jordan (Numbers 14).

It was through the wilderness that the way of the Lord

had to be made straight,

so that those exiled in Babylon could return

to the land of their forebears (Isaiah 40).

It is the wilderness which will be transformed

from a threat to life,

into a life-giving paradise of abundance and peace

as the sign of God’s reign on earth

(Isaiah 35, 43, 51; 11:6–9; 32:14–20; 65:25 !).

This influenced early Christian understandings

of the significance of the line:

and he was with the wild beasts;

From early Christian times onward,

interpreters have also seen the picture

of Christ in the wilderness with the animals

as an antitype, (opposite to) of Adam in the garden.

Although wild animals suggest the dangers posed by the desert regions, the association of this understanding,

with the concluding reference to angels

who ministered to Jesus, makes a tamed,

now companionable animals interpretation, possible.

The argument is that the enmity between humans and wild animals, which was a consequence of Adam’s fall, does not apply to Jesus.[2]

Nevertheless, others[3], using texts such as Psalm 91

For he will give his angels charge of you to guard you in all your ways.

On their hands they will bear you up,

lest you dash your foot against a stone.

You will tread on the lion and the adder,

the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.

(Ps 91:11–13 RSV.

and Isaiah 13 where he speaks of judgment against Babylon,

It will never be inhabited for all time, and no one will enter it for many generations; the Arabs will not pass through it, and shepherds will not rest there. Wild animals (θηρία) will rest there, and the houses will be filled with howling, and Sirens will rest there, and demons will dance there, and ape-demons will dwell there, and hedgehogs will build their nests in their houses. It is coming quickly and it will not delay.

(Isa 13:20–22 LXX, the Greek version of the Old Testament)

argue that Jesus is pitted, with the angels,

against Satan and wild animals, i.e. demons,

Certainly Jesus comes out fighting from the wilderness,

blending proclaiming the good news of God,

 ¹⁵ and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled,

and the kingdom of God has come near; 

repent, and believe in the good news.’ (1:15).

with the casting out of demons (1:39).

So here Jesus finds himself driven to this wilderness location,

with its real threats to life

and its rich symbolism for life!

The abruptness of Jesus’ relocation

from Jordan River into the desert

has commentators recalling Elijah and Ezekiel…

The statement “And immediately the Spirit

drove him out into the wilderness”

is reminiscent of the passages in 1 and 2 Kings

and in Ezekiel according to which the Spirit of God miraculously transported the prophet from one place to another…[4]

Others argue that the sequence of events

from the baptism of Jesus

to the Spirit’s driving Jesus into the wilderness to confront Satan corresponds to a traditional model attested in the book of Job: declaration of divine approval,

followed by satanic testing (Job 1:8–12; 2:3–6).[5]

Some commentators divide Mark’s gospel[6],

following its introduction, 1:1-13,

into two sections based on general location:

The first,     Galilee, 1:14-10:52.

the second, Jerusalem, 11:1-16:8.

Given the significance of wilderness within Jewish history

and biblical revelation,

and the focus on wilderness in these introductory verses,

I would, if not totally rebut ‘introduction’ as a label,

at least name it as a first location

from which the other two inevitably flow.

As others argue, the wilderness experience

shapes Jesus’ sense of his ministry and mission

building on his identity affirmed at the moment of his baptism,

with the divine voice exclaiming:

you are my beloved son, with whom I am very pleased! (1:11).

We must remain focused –

 on the story as passed on by Mark!

We cannot avoid recalling the details Matthew and Luke give us,

but Mark presents the struggles Jesus faced in a different manner!

He offers clues within the story as it unfolds

to inform his listeners of the content of the wilderness encounter

between Jesus and Satan…

Jesus is the Master we are called to follow.

We need to know `

how Jesus negotiated those forty days in the wilderness.

Because Mark, unlike Matthew and Luke,

does not explicitly say how Jesus counters the satan;

he has to provide his ongoing story with sufficient clues

to give us that information.

The first comes in the Beelzebul controversy (3:22–30),

which shows what the result of initiation ordeals must be.

When Jesus strides into ministry casting out demons

(1:21–28, 32–34,39),

Jesus’ enemies charge that he does it by Beelzebul’s power (3:22).

Jesus responds that it is impossible to plunder a strong man’s house without first tying him up (3:27).

The outcome of Jesus’ temptations—

and therefore the intended outcome

of our own wrestling for kingdom discipleship—

is for it not to be a pact with the powers of darkness.

Rather, Satan must be bound!

The second clue explains to us the shape of the vocation

Satan is trying to persuade Jesus to sidestep.

At Caesarea Philippi, Peter identifies Jesus as the Messiah.

Jesus counters with the first prediction of his passion and resurrection. Peter rebukes Jesus, and Jesus rebukes Peter:

“Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things” (8:29–33).

Satan is trying to get Jesus to keep his eye on earthly advantage. Whatever else happened in the wilderness,

Jesus lets go of human things

and refuses to grasp ready-made saviour roles.

Instead, Jesus discerns a radical calling

that explodes common sense by passing through the disastrously bad (crucifixion)

over into the unimaginable, supranatural good (resurrection life).

A third clue warns of the importance of spiritual wrestling

and describes its dynamics.

Mark’s Gospel implies that Jesus bound Satan at the beginning (3:27).

But in the Gethsemane story (14:32–42),

Jesus struggles for clarity at the end.

For three rounds, Jesus wrestles and prays through his ambivalence: “Abba, Father, for you all things are possible;

remove this cup from me;

yet, not what I want, but what you want” (14:36).

Then Jesus rises resolute and strides through his passion

the way he earlier marched into ministry.^[7]

Already we recognise how these incidents in Mark’s gospel

parallel the conversations Matthew and Luke provide.

Jesus in the wilderness for forty day,

confronting the Satan

in the company of wild beasts and angels,

gains the insights and calling to take on the challenge to:

“Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight”…

He wins!

I recall a youngster in a confirmation group,

-obviously quite some years ago now!-

asking the question:

‘but how can you say, Jesus won?

He was still crucified!’

Exactly!!

Do we dare to win?

WE RESPOND TO GOD’S WORD

We Sing TIS 242 – LORD OF THE DANCE (5vv)

Offering

setting aside our gifts to support the local and wider work of the church

and bless our gifts in an act of praise…

We Share Our Community Life

 News and Notices

Pastoral Concerns And Prayers

Prayers Of The People

As we pray,

we remind ourselves when our prayer life seems a wasteland:

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. ²⁷ And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God (Romans 8:26)

Gracious God,

Your spirit intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words…

We pray for the kingdoms – the nations of this world…

Grant wisdom and compassion to all their rulers,

however they attained their power,

that our kingdoms may include much of Your Kingdom…

Their reign reflect your reign…

LORD hear us, HEAR OUR PRAYERS,

HEAR OUR SIGHS FOR GRACE THAT CAN WORK GOOD FROM ILL…

[pause]

Gracious God,

Your spirit intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words

We pray for people, near and far, who suffer loss:

loss of loved ones, loss of a marriage, loss of any relationship, 

loss of work, loss of health, loss of hope…

grant them your mercy and peace.

LORD hear us,HEAR OUR PRAYERS,

HEAR OUR SIGHS FOR GRACE THAT CAN WORK GOOD FROM ILL …

[pause]

Gracious God,

Your spirit intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words

We pray for all who have heard your call,

Sensed your touch,

And like us responded to live as disciples of Jesus.

Grant us all your grace and courage

that we might discover the joy

of the riches of living within your kingdom…

LORD hear us, HEAR OUR PRAYERS,

HEAR OUR SIGHS FOR GRACE THAT CAN WORK GOOD FROM ILL

[pause]

Gracious God,

Your spirit intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words…

We pray for all who live in dangerous places,

all who live dangerously for the sake of the Gospel.

Grant them discernment and courage

to choose well for life each day and every moment…

LORD hear us, HEAR OUR PRAYERS,

HEAR OUR SIGHS FOR GRACE THAT CAN WORK GOOD FROM ILL …

[pause]

Gracious God,

Your spirit intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words

we pray for the leaders of your church

within the multiplicity of denominations

which make up your body on earth…

May they and we, recognize your claim over us,

our accountability to you

for our living as citizens of the kingdom of heaven…

Grant that compassion and kindness,

wisdom and integrity might guide decision-making…

LORD hear us, HEAR OUR PRAYERS,

HEAR OUR SIGHS FOR GRACE THAT CAN WORK GOOD FROM ILL

[pause]

Gracious God,

Your spirit intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words

We pray for each other as a church community,

for those of us

who struggle with the physical requirements of daily living,

who hope for relief from pain

who pray for the healing offered by medical treatment

and that healing only you can offer,

who trust you for the provision of their daily bread,

the meeting of daily costs of shelter, clothing and food…

we name these known to us

•  name silently or aloud- 

Grant them the peace and courage you offer through your Spirit.

HEAR OUR PRAYERS,

HEAR OUR SIGHS FOR GRACE THAT CAN WORK GOOD FROM ILL

Gracious Lord, grant we continue to serve you well with great joy,

Through Christ our Lord, AMEN

WE GO TO SERVE GOD

We Sing  TiS 609 may the Mind of Christ My Saviour

Sending Out

Go as a people

who know God’s covenanted promise to preserve life

because we catch sight of the rainbow in the sky!

Go as a people

who know that as Christ experienced beasts and angels in the wilderness,

so we will recognize both in the wildernesses of our lives!

Go as a people

who know that the Spirit may drive us into uncomfortable situations

where we may well suffer for doing good!

Blessing

The grace of this same Jesus.

the love of this same God

and the companionship of this same Holy Spirit

encourage and protect you…

AMEN, AMEN, AMEN

---

[1] Edwards, J. R. (2002). The Gospel according to Mark (p. 39). Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: Eerdmans; Apollos

[2] Perkins, P. (1994–2004). The Gospel of Mark. In L. E. Keck (Ed.), New Interpreter’s Bible (Vol. 8, p. 535). Nashville: Abingdon Press

^[3] Collins, A. Y., & Attridge, H. W. (2007). Mark: A Commentary on the Gospel of Mark (pp. 151-153). Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press

[4] Collins, A. Y., & Attridge, H. W. (2007). Mark: A Commentary on the Gospel of Mark (p. 153). Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press.

[5] Garrett Susan R, 1998 The Temptations of Jesus in Mark’s Gospel pp. 55–56 Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.

[6] Tolbert, Mary Ann 1989 Sowing the Gospel:  Mark’s World in Literary-Historical Perspective Minneapolis:Fortress

^[7] Adams, M. M. (2008). Theological Perspective on Mark 1:9–15. In D. L. Bartlett & B. B. Taylor (Eds.), Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary: Year B (Vol. 2, pp. 46–48). Louisville, KY; London: Westminster John Knox Press.