Uncharted
This Sunday we begin something new.
New things can be scary. Uncharted. Unknown.
In ancient maps, when cartographers illustrated what they knew, what had been discovered, they drew the land, the water, the topography, the geography.
But when they reached portions not yet explored, places unknown or seemingly dangerous, do you know what they would do?
They would draw lions and write in Latin:
Hic Sunt Leones.
Here be lions.
Lions were powerful. Lions were dangerous. Lions were to be avoided.
The idea was simple: this area should be avoided…because who knows what will happen if we go there.
Most of us who have stepped into uncharted territory have discovered that in the exploration, unanticipated revelations happen.
In fact, in the biblical story, from Noah to Abraham and Sarah, from Joseph to Moses, from Joshua to Rahab, from Deborah to David, from Elijah to Esther, from Mary and Joseph to Peter and Paul, these are people who stepped into the unknown. Into places that were often scary in their pursuit of God and their journey of faith.
They stepped into places where there were lions.
Lent is a season of Hic Sunt Leones.
A time when many of us step out in faith into the unknown, into places that feel uncomfortable, in pursuit of following God, journeying in our faith, knowing Jesus more, and being guided by the Spirit.
I get it. It is much easier to stay where we are comfortable…but rarely do we grow in seasons of comfort.
We grow in seasons where we are pushed, stretched, and learn to trust God in the midst of the unknown.
I know, you may be thinking…yeah, but Jesus is the Lamb of God.
Jesus is often referred to as a lamb, the ultimate sacrifice. From the Hebrew Scriptures in our Old Testament to the end of the New Testament, the coming messiah Jesus is described as the atoning sacrifice, an innocent victor who takes away the sins of the world.
If you were with us last Sunday, we talked about how the healing of the man at the pool of Bethesda happens right outside the Sheep Gate. This is likely where Jesus entered after healing the man.
Do you know what that gate is called now?
It’s called the Lions Gate. What once was the sheep is now the lion.
In the last book of the Bible, the author describes hearing a declaration about the “Lion of the tribe of Judah”, a symbol of power and kingship going all the way back to Israel’s family story, but when the author describes how he turns to see, it isn’t a lion at all…it’s a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain.
Jesus is our roaring lion and our sacrificial lamb.
He is powerful and good.
As C. S. Lewis writes about Aslan, the lion who represents Jesus in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe when one of the characters is trying to figure out if they can trust Aslan, if he is safe or not, and the response is,
“He isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”
So as we enter uncharted territory in our faith, in this season of Lent, in our journey of following Jesus, may we remember:
Hic Sunt Leones.
Here are lions.
It isn’t necessarily safe, but that lion is good. He is the King.
I hope you’ll join us this Sunday as we step into uncharted territory with two services , 8:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. Same service. Same music. Same sermon. Simply an earlier time to make room for more people. The only difference (for now) is that kids and youth programming will happen at the 10 a.m. service.
In our growing community, we want everyone to be able to worship with us, learn with us, and grow with us…and two services is how we make room.
This Sunday, February 22, I hope you’ll join us. And to sweeten the deal, our friends from Panama City Coffee Co. will be serving coffee from 8–10 a.m.
We’ll stream both services, 8:30 a.m. and 10 a.m., on our normal platforms: our website, Facebook page, and YouTube. The sermon podcast will post after the second service.
We also have physical Lent Guides available if you haven’t grabbed one yet. You can access all the Lent and Easter details, along with the digital guide, here:
https://thechapelatseaside.com/easter/
If you aren’t sure about Lent, Sarah and I released a podcast explaining it. You can listen wherever you stream, Apple, Spotify, or wherever else. Just search The Chapel at Seaside Podcast. All of our sermons, Bible study notes, and Lent conversations live there.
All the normal rhythms this week:
-Prayer on Tuesday at noon.
-Bible Study on Wednesday morning, Men at 8 a.m. and Women at 9:30 a.m.
I look forward to seeing you Sunday as we step into uncharted territory.
Hic Sunt Leones.
Blessings,
Andrew