A
few weeks ago I got a call from my mortgage company.
They
said they'd like to lower my interest rate by one-eighth of a point.
We'd
have to go through the refinancing process.
But
they'd pay all the closing costs.
It
wouldn't cost me anything.
And
it would save me about $15,000 over the life of the loan.
That's
not a whole lot of money spread over twenty or thirty years.
But
the offer still sounded like pretty good news.
We're
all conditioned to be wary when someone comes to us with good news.
Cautious,
skeptical, even cynical.
If
it sounds too good to be true—it probably is.
We
get so many good news calls and letters and emails.
Congratulations!
You're a winner! Claim your free trip to Hawaii!
And
if we even bother to check it out anymore, we find there's a catch.
I've
been watching the Cosmos series on DVD.
And
Neil deGrasse Tyson keeps stressing the rules of the scientific
method.
He
warns: don't believe something just because you want to believe it.
So,
why would the mortgage company want to lower my rate when I wasn't
even asking?
What's
in it for them?
More
importantly, is there some danger or risk for me?
So
I ran to Google to see if I could find any reports of a scam.
I
ran all the numbers in a spread sheet to see what I'd really be
saving.
Everything
seems to check out.
And
this is a company that I've done business with for a couple decades.
They've
refinanced my mortgage twice before—at my request.
I
guess they've earned some trust, I guess I should believe their good
news.
And
when you put it in perspective.
Those
ads and offers are all pretty unimportant.
Even
if they're true, they're pretty minor good news.
So,
how should we deal with the big stuff—the really major, important
Good News?
The
Good News Jesus brings us.
Today
we hear him say:
The
Kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent
and believe the Good News.
We've
all heard that message hundreds of times.
But
do we fully believe it?
Do
we fully understand it?
Those
familiar words may no longer be news for us.
But
a deeper realization, a deeper appreciation of them can still be
news—and Good News.
Jesus
doesn't say that the Kingdom of God is coming some day.
He
doesn't say that it's almost here.
That
it will soon be within reach.
He
says that it's at hand.
It's
here—Now.
According to the
Cambridge Dictionary at hand means:
Happening
or present at this time.
Within
easy reach.
Of
course, Jesus didn't speak English.
But
most theologians agree, the words he used meant here and now.
And
Jesus' announcement—the Kingdom of God is here—is just an
introduction.
Just
the very beginning of the Good News he reveals to us.
He
goes on to expand and elaborate on that Good News throughout his
ministry.
He
tells us that we have a God who loves us so much that He forgives our
wrongs.
A
God we can call Father, even Daddy.
A
God who was willing to suffer for us.
A
God who sends his Spirit to dwell within us.
A
God who will raise us from the dead to share eternal life with Him.
Does
this sound too good to be true?
Should
we be cautious, skeptical, or even cynical about believing this?
The
Pharisees and Scribes and Herodians were.
Many
others still are.
But
Jesus has earned our trust.
Through
his healings and miracles, through the obvious goodness of his
message,
Through
his teaching and his faithfulness to his message,
Through
his sacrifice, and through the testimony of millions and the test of
time.
The
Kingdom of God is at hand, here and now, easily reached, open for our
entry.
Jesus
instituted it two thousand years ago.
It's
not yet Heaven on Earth.
It
won't be until we help spread the Kingdom, and until Jesus comes
again.
But
this Lent is a very acceptable time to enter the Kingdom more deeply.
Jesus
has said that not everyone who calls to him, Lord, Lord, will enter.
That
it's easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for
rich people like us to enter.
He
doesn't say they're barred from entry.
He
warns that they might not choose to enter.
They
might pass up their opportunity to enter.
So
to the extent that warning applies to us, let's repent, let's change
our minds.
Let's
enter the Kingdom more fully.
This
Lent, today, now—with our prayer and our fasting and our good
works—
Let's
fully embrace, appreciate, believe, and share the Good News.
1st Sunday of Lent
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