February 19, 2018

Mark 1:15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

Are you following the Olympics? Saturday evening I was watching the men’s skiing, just amazed by what I was seeing. They were screaming down the hill at speeds I only approach in an automobile, weaving in and out of the markers, cutting at tight angles. I guess they have been doing this most of their lives but the precision required is astonishing. One second is the difference between winning the gold and placing well out of contention. Some world class skiers fell on their runs, crashed into the barriers and were out of the competition. It didn’t matter how fast they had gone in practice or how well they had skied in the event that qualified them for this Olympics. All that counted was what they did in that run on that day. Their time had come. We sometimes think of our life with God in theoretical terms- what I believe in a abstract sense. Jesus was declaring that the big event was happening now, in his presence, and people had better respond while they had the opportunity. Lent is another reminder that “the time has come.” Our moment to respond to God is here. We do that by turning to God (repent) and believing the good news (taking a stance of trust in God’s love and mercy shown in Christ). This week, in what way might you be in the starting gate for your God event? In what way has the time come for you?