Devotion - Wednesday, October 31

Ignoring that it is All Hallow's Eve and the first day of the Habitat for Humanity Build on Bowman, I want to complete my sharing of the discussions I had on Reformation Sunday with folks down east.  We were talking about a new campus ministry at Coastal Carolina University, and how there is something unique we can offer the students.

The third reform Luther brought to the Church was to remind the Church that it exists to serve, not to be served.  The Church of Luther's childhood demanded much.  Your attendance was required, your devotion was demanded.  If you had any hope of confidence in your salvation, you had to remain on the good side of the priest and the parish.

The reforms which Luther began insisted that the role of the Church was to serve, not to be served.  As he envisioned the Church, Luther saw the Church as  a place where assurances could be found, a place where fears could be quieted.  The Church would address the concerns of the people.

I do not want to be too critical of the contemporary Church, but there are often indications that the highest value is on one's ties to the Church.  We have once more made dedication to Church the indicator of devotion to God.  I am a huge fan of Church and I encouage active participation; but the purpose of the Church is to serve, not to be the recipient of folk's service.

This is a reform which matches well the spiritual quest of young adults.  Having set aside blind allegiance to institutions, they are ready for a gathering place where the concerns of the neighborhoods are addresses.  There are many ways to understand the phrase, but "Spiritual but not Religious" expresses this.

We have much to offer the world and the worlds of those who are seeking to find God.  This is but one more more way in which the Church of which we are a part is poised to respond to the expressions of promise, sought by this generation.

Devotion - Tuesday, October 30

I wanted to continue with reflections on how The Reformation themes are relevant in today's context.  A second change which came upon the Church as a result of the events in the 16th century was decentralization.

The Church into which Luther was born was driven from the top down.  The reason Luther was condemned was in large part due to the way in which he challenged the authority of the Pope.   You cannot begin to compare the Popes in recent decades with the Pope of Luther's day.  The abuse of power which motivated Luther is no seen.  The decentralization has been complete - not only in the ranks of the Protestants  but also among those who consider themselves Roman Catholic.

 

This decentralization means that while the name(s) associated with the congregation matter, it is the local community of faith which matters to us.

When I move to a new town, I would probably start my search for a church home by attending the local ELCA congregation.  The name, the tags, the shared worship book - all of these familiar things would draw me there.  But I would only stay if that particular congregation was a good match for my spiritual journey.  It is the community of faith which matters, not the names associated with that community.

Those of us who stand in the tradition of Martin Luther remember him saying, "There is but one name by which we are to be known, and that is the name of Christ.  Who is Luther than any of God's children should be known by his name?" (paraphrased)  A hold over of the Reformation is our insistence that it does not matter what the name is, what matters is that the Gospel is preached and the sacraments rightly distributed.

Denominational loyalty is never demanded of ELCA folks.  Find the place where you can hear God's voice and commit yourself to serving along side those who gather in that place.

Just another way in which the Church which emerged from the Reformation is perfectly poised to speak to the spiritual quest of the current generation.

Devotion - Monday, October 29

I had the opportunity to peach yesterday at a Reformation service at Shepherd of the Sea Lutheran Church.  In preparing for that sermon, I identified three changes which came to the church as a result of Luther’s reform.  For each, there seems to be a similar change in our culture.  I thought I would share them with you, over the next couple of days.

The first change has to do with language.  Luther’s reform allowed Sunday worship to use the language of the people, rather than the ancient Latin which was previously used.  Before this change, folks showed up, but had limited ability to understand what the priest was talking about. 

It seems we have a similar situation in today’s church.  For me to preach about Jesus as the shepherd of the sheep, I have to help you understand something about sheep and shepherds.  And (except for the few of you in Agriculture) nowhere else, in the course of your life, will you learn about sheep and shepherds.  If I am speaking to you about those in need of care and the one who lovingly cares for the vulnerable, new language may be needed.

Some panic when change faces us.  Not so for those of us who remember (and even celebrate) Luther’s embrace of change in the sixteenth century.  We will look for ways to make this change, so that the unchanging Word of God and the eternal Truths of scripture might be better understood.  We will learn to speak the language of the twenty-first century.

Sermon - Reformation Sunday - Epiphany Conference

Reformation Sunday   

October 28, 2012   

                                                            Perfectly Positioned NOT to Panic

I am delighted to be with you all.  And very excited about the possibility of encouraging you as you come together to consider a shared ministry at Coastal Carolina University.  Campus ministry is a wonderful offering of the Church, and one which has a profound impact on the lives of so many young adults.  I have just come this way from Aiken, were I spent the weekend with students from across the South Carolina Synod.  This is one of two retreats offered each year for students, regardless of where they attend college.  The spring retreat is a theme retreat – this February addressing contemporary worship and liturgical renewal.  The fall retreat is a service retreat.  Yesterday 35+ students put a new roof on the home of an elderly woman, as well as painted a Habitat for Humanity House, sorted food at the Salvation Army’s food pantry, and cleared the lawn of a disabled neighbor.  

 

I was on the roofing crew, so if I seem a bit stiff in my movements, there is a reason.

 All of that aside – I am delighted to be here.  Though there were some in the upstate who wondered whether this gathering might be canceled.  The news reports of wind and high tides associated with “Frankenstorm” made some in my part of the world panic.  “Surely you aren’t going to drive down there, into the midst of all that?” they asked.  But no call came from Pastor Bellah, so I realized that while some might have been quick to panic – you were not.  Way to go!  It is never a good thing to panic.  And those who can face the future without panic are the ones who are likely to step into a more glorious future. 

Avoiding panic is a good trait (an excellent trait) to possess as you contemplate a ministry with the Coastal Carolina community.  Those of you with college age children will be quick to agree, that so many is changing in the lives of these young adults.  It is dizzying.  What becomes frightening is when we realize that the changes they face are making their way toward us.  Moving forward with this idea of a campus ministry at Coastal will not only change the lives of the students, faculty and staff, it will make us even more aware of the changes which are coming into our lives and into the Church we seek to serve. 

The key is for us to NOT panic; for us to remain calm.  Remaining calm during times of tremendous change ought to be easy for us to do.  By “us”, I mean those who see ourselves as members of the reforming movement which began with Martin Luther and continues to our very own day.  “The Reformation” was a time of tremendous change.  And as those who stand in the tradition of Martin Luther, we are perfectly poised to assist the church as it moves through these current changes.  We are uniquely qualified to offer something to those who keenly aware of the change and the need for change.  Here I am referring to the young adults whose lives are being changed every day by what they are learning and what they are experiencing on the University campus. 

I wonder if we are even able to comprehend how differ was the world into which Martin Luther was born, and the world as it existed when he died.  To his honor, and as a great statement of his humility, Luther never claimed to be the sole agent of the reforms.  Rather, he speaks of himself as one who gives voice to what the Word of God was saying and to where the Spirit was leading God’s people.  But much did change in those brief 60 years.   

I want to review three ways in which the Reformation changed the Church and changed the life of those living during those days.  With each, I believe there is a parallel for change, happening in our own day. 

First, is the change in the language.  When Martin Luther went to church as a young lad, the Mass was in Latin.  He came to understand Latin, but his father did not, nor did his mother, or his siblings.  Few in attendance understood what was being said.  The language of the Church was old and out of date.  It was inaccessible to the people who came to the Church, seeking hope and inspiration.   

During Luther’s lifetime, the Church switched from the ancient words and phrases to the sentences which made sense to those sitting in the pews.  God’s Word did not change, neither did the eternal truths contained in those words, but the language did.  The Church began to speak in a way which folks could understand. 

One of the changes which needs to be made in the contemporary Church is another updating of language.  Sheep and shepherds made sense to those who lived in rural Israel, but make no sense to folks living among the luscious greens of the 17^th fairway.  In order to speak of Jesus as the Lamb of God, you have to explain the role of lambs, and the sacrificial language.  And, these are images which will only be found in Church.  It is time to change the language, again.  It is time to take into consideration what we know of the world and what is known about God’s role in this world. 

God’s Word has NOT changed, neither have the Truths contained in the language which has served the Church for centuries, but the language to express those truths needs updating.  This will cause panic in some – but we are perfectly prepared to face the challenge.  It is part of our past to be active in bringing such change. 

That is one change.  Another was the ways in which Luther’s reform de-centralized the Church.  The Church into which Luther was born was very much a top-down organization.  Everything had to have the blessing of the persons at the top of the chain. 

Luther challenged this.  He did not accept that the folks in Rome knew what was needful or helpful to the persons in Saxony.  If there were to be presiding Bishops, they ought be Saxon born, rather than sent to the territory by Rome. 

Clearly, we live in a time which is calling for additional de-centralization.  The ELCA has completed a study process and is in the process of implementing what is referred to as L.I.F.T.  This is more than a strategy, it is a realization that local communities need to identify local projects and then find the resources to work on them.  Rather than someone coming from Chicago or Columbia to tell you how to do this ministry, the contact you will hear from Columbia or Chicago would be to help you figure it out for yourself. 

And all of this sits perfectly with the mood and mindset of young adults.  They place hardly any stock at all in what is said about a ministry by those at the top of the chain.  They will respond much better to a panic-free embrace of a local effort to do what is right and salutary for the folks who make this place their home. 

I want to touch on one further “change” which came during the years that Martin Luther worked to reform the Church.  This has to do with purpose.  The Church in existence when he was born was very much a hungry animal, in need of being fed.   The relationship one had with the Church was to feed it.  Your presence was required; your devotion was demanded; and if you had any hope of confidence with regard to salvation you got there as a result of having stayed in good graces of Mother Church.   

Luther did what we might now refer to as inverting the initiative.  Luther reminded the Church that God came down to earth.  Luther pointed out that our God differs from the gods of other religions in that our God took on our flesh.  If Jesus’ prime concern were the hungry and hopeless, then this was to be the concern of Jesus’ Church.  The Church exists to serve, not to be served.

This is precisely the kind of talk those in their late teens and early twenties are eager to hear.  Some of said of the current generation that they are narcissistic, but this is not the case.  They are not self-centered, they are a generation desperately seeking to find the rootedness which their highly mobile and seldom at home parents were unable to provide.  My generations’ search for a better life has removed their generation from anything with a long history.   Ask this generation where they are from and they are as likely to tell you where they spent last night as they are to name a city or village where you can find others with the same last name and lots of shared family history. 

In too many instances, congregations continue to operate like those of the pre-reformation era.  They still come to us, telling us that in order to be saved this is what we must do to be aligned with the teachings of the church.  They are expected to move from where they are to where the speaker expects them to be.  But this is a generation who has already moved enough.  What they need is roots.  And a Church which is prepared to say to them, “Stay where you are.  God will meet you there.” is a church which has much to offer and wonderful things to share. 

Luther’s reforms brought a lot of panic to the folks in Rome who were hell-bent on keeping things the way they were.  But his reform opened the Church to a bright new future.  Our gathering, on this Reformation Sunday, is the perfect celebration of that tradition of reform, and it is the best of all possible launching pads for seeing how we can open up the Word of God and offer it to those who are truly hungering and thirsting for God’s righteousness. 

We are uniquely qualified to offer something to the students, faculty and staff at Coastal Carolina, and all the other colleges and universities in our midst.  We have a message which is well suited to this audience.  By remaining true to this firm foundation, our efforts will not falter.

All of that is rather theoretic and some might even say esoteric.  But, it is essential that we begin with a clear statement of why it is that we would even bother the students and the administrators with a request to allow us access.  Before I sit down, I want to briefly touch on one more line of thought.   

There is this writer by the name of Diane Butler Bass.  Her most popular book is “Christianity without Religion.”  She speaks about the need for us to move beyond institutional preservation.  We cannot reach out to this generation in order to save our church.  That would be treating them as a means to an end – to an end we desire.  If we are going to reach out, let’s make sure we do it in response to their spiritual quest, not in some fool-hearted attempt to re-establish our own.

One of the things which make it highly unlikely that this generation will be pulled into any of our self-serving schemes is the way in which the Church of Christendom operated and the way which is the way of current young adults.  The church of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries started with a clear statement of what it is that we believe.  After setting forth our beliefs, we would speak of how these beliefs were to direct behavior.  When it was certified that you believed the right things and were able to behave appropriately, then you could belong. 

Folks showed up one Sunday morning for worship.  The pastor would call on them and lay out the theological affirmations of the congregation.  While there, the pastor would take a look around the house to see if there was a Bible on the coffee table, an absence of alcohol bottles on the counter, and might even make a note of the political yard-signs out front.  If all seemed to be in good order, the person would then be invited to attend a four or six session “New Member” class.  During the class, a fuller explanation of the beliefs was set forth.  Additional members of the congregation (posing as an Evangelism Committee) might be called in to get a good look at these newbies.  Finally, at the next meeting of the Congregational Council, a vote is taken to see if these folks will be allowed to join.   

Well, you can just turn this on its head when you are thinking of contemporary young adults.  For them, the prime question isn’t “What do you believe?”  it is “Do I belong here?”  Their desire for community drives them to find a home.  Their prime concern is whether this is a place where they feel as if they fit in.  Where they will start is whether they are allowed to feel as if they have a place to belong.  

When they feel as if they belong, they will change their behaviors in order to fit in with what they see around them.  Behaviors are not changed by coercion, but by the desire to remain at home in the place they have come to trust. 

Then, after a while, they will begin to wonder about the beliefs which make this a place where they want to belong.  They will come to believe what is believed by those who allowed them to experience the power of belonging. 

All too often, the Church thinks in terms of Believe – Behave – Belong.  But this generation Belongs – Behaves – then Believes.   

This kind of change this is scary for some.  They will slip into panic mode and wonder how the Church can possibly survive this dramatic paradigm shift.  But not us.  Not those of us who stand in the tradition of Martin Luther.  Not those who realize that the Church in every age must learn new ways to speak the old, old story. 

We have a history of reform.  We know not to panic.  And we have the assurance that out of great change comes great things.  We gather this evening to acknowledge the reformation which occurred in the 16^th century.  We pledge ourselves to the reforms necessary in the 21^st century.

 

Amen.

Devotion - Thursday, October 25

For about a week, the appointed readings from the Old Testament have been from Hosea.  I am a bit surprised that I have not written about these, in that Hosea has always moved me and challenged me to ponder the depth of my devotion.

The basic plot  is that God tells his prophet, Hosea, to take a woman of harlotry as his wife.  This he does.  Her name is Gomer.  For a while, things go okay.  They have children.  But then her old ways return, she leaves Hosea, and returns to her prostitution.  Hosea goes in pursuit of her, to bring her back to the home where he and the children are waiting.

The life of the prophet is a parallel for the life of Israel and its relationship with God.  Even though God has been faithful and loving the one whom he sought has abandoned him.  Israel has turned from God and played the harlot with those who are not her God.

In our over-sex society, we read references to sexual activity and we tend to think about the sex only.  But the stories in the Bible understand than sexual activity is about loyalty and faithfulness.  It isn't simply a matter of who would share Gomer's bed.  At issue is to whom would she give her allegiance.  Many of the images in the Bible which speak of infidelity are addressing the issue of idolatry.

What we do with our bodies matters.  When God claims us in baptism, God claims all of us and all of who we are.  

Gomer's harlotry was an easy way for Hosea (and God) to speak of how the chosen one turned from God.  But playing the harlot is also what we do when we fail to use the gifts God has given us to serve those whom God loves.  When we occupy ourselves with watching TV and never set aside time to feed the hungry or clothe the naked.

Hosea's whole life is consumed with with pain associated of pledging oneself to God, then turning from God.  Too often, our lives are filled with pain because we make the same, poor choices.  We choose the bread which cannot satisfy, rather than the Bread of Life.

Devotion - Wednesday, October 24

The conversion at last night's bible study hit a thud when we reached the verse in James which spoke of doubt.  James 1:6-8 reads,

But ask in faith, never doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind; ^{7, 8}for the doubter, being double-minded and unstable in every way, must not expect to receive anything from the Lord.

What I was unsuccessful doing last night, I wanted to try to do again this morning - namely to draw a distinction between the doubt spoken of in James and the inquiries which motivate our faith and life.

All of this came back to me this morning, as I read the appointed Gospel lesson.  In Luke 7, John sends two of his disciples to ask Jesus if he is the One to come, or if they should look for another.  Jesus does not tell them what to think, or what to believe, or what to confess, he tells them to report to John what they see.  And what he expects them to report having seen is the lame walking, the deaf hearing, and the poor having good news preached to them.

The earliest Christians were referred to as members of "The Way."  Being a Christian was not a question of knowing the right things or making a particular confession or having invited Jesus into one's heart.  Being a Christian meant being on the path that Jesus took, it meant following in the way where Jesus had gone.

That way was filled with times of wondering where all this was leading.  Remember that on the night of his arrest, Jesus wondered if this was the only way.  Peter certainly reveals a disciple unsure and questioning the very way which he was attempting to follow.

I don't know the dimensions of heaven nor do I know the particulars of how I will exchange this mortal body for the immortal one of Resurrection   What I do know, and find it difficult to doubt, is that those who are part of this way have among them a caring and loving nature.  I know and never doubt that I have the expressed, written and confessed permission of my Lord to call my fellow travelers into accountability and that they have the same with regard to me.  I know that I am cared for, not because of what I can do or what I can accomplish, or because of what I might offer, but because of who I am.  Among The Way, I find a life that is the life I desire.

I am fond of the saying, "Doubt is the ants in the pants of faith."  Doubt is that which allows to move more deeply into our knowledge of God and our wisdom with regard to God's Word.  James' talk of doubt says more to me about questioning God intentions toward us.  It is helpful to remember verse 5, the one before those quoted above:  5 If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you.

 

I do not know many things, and have doubts about them.  But I will not doubt is that God is generous and forever attempting to give me what I need, and often even what I want.  This generosity is revealed in the beauty of the earth and in the abundance of grace.

Maybe I am no further ahead than I was last night.  But I am grateful for the opportunity to try.  And I look forward to further conversations with you about seeking the wisdom of God.

Devotion - Tuesday, October 23

A survey of LCM participants, UniLu members, or even the office staff might indicate that I had a pretty light day yesterday.  I wasn't around much; didn't reply to too many emails; and only had one pastoral visit.  But it was a full day.  It was a day given over to events in the community; it was a day spent with folks from other religious traditions.

The conclusion of the day was a service at St. Andrew's Catholic Church.  A joint venture, we gathered to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Clemson's integration.  The speaker was Clemson's chief diversity officer, Dr. Leon Wiles.  Organized by the Franciscan Brothers, others had pronounced roles in the gathering.  We rang the bells of the Christian tradition; we heard the ram's horn which calls Jewish community to worship; and the Imam chanted the Islamic Call to Prayer.

Today will be a bit more in-house for me.  The meetings I attend are for LCM and UniLu.  This is our busy day on the student calendar with a shared lunch, handbells and choir, then evening Bible Study.  Today I return to the flock which shares my own denominational tag and I will attempt to shepherd them toward the green pastures.  Those who are keeping track of my activity and wondering whether I am earning my pay will be pleased when this day is done.

But the life of a follower of Jesus needs to be a constant balance between these two types of activities.  We need to be together, we need one another in order to firm up our spiritual quest and to prepare us for the work we are asked to do.  There must be days in our lives when we are together, in our house, with our thoughts and affirmations.  Such days are necessary, so that we might move forward into the world, just as Jesus moved into the world.  Days spent on our home turf prepare us for an engagement with the larger world around us.  Jesus called the disciples together so that he might send them out in to the surrounding villages.

When we gather, let's speak to one another about our shared convictions and beliefs.  Let's teach and admonish one another to follow the traditions of those who have gone before.  But let all of this be a rehearsal for our work in the world.  What we learn about Jesus, in the protected community which bears his name, needs to be lived in the world which is hungering for his presence.

Devotion - Monday, October 22

This was an exciting weekend in Clemson.  Between the home football game and the hayride at the Sanders, we had a number of alumni who returned and took the time to drop by.  It was great to catch up on their current situation - where they are working, how their social life is going, and what is happening to them with regard to their spiritual journey.

I was pleased and impressed with each story shared with me.  As you might imagine the stories varied greatly.  A common theme among the stories was an appreciation for the opportunity to have been welcomed into a community and shown what it means to share life and purpose with others.

Granted, this was a random survey.  These were the folks who returned, who ventured from where ever they were parking over to the church, and looked me up to share the update.  But while the input may have come from a self-selecting sub-group it remains informative.  There was something about the experience of 

community which has remained a powerful draw in their lives.

The mark of a community is a group who remains together through time and through events.  Communities are all too often voluntary and short lived.  We join a community with too high a level of timidity - ready to bolt when something isn't as perfect as we dreamed it would be.  Christian community is a bit different.  Here, we realize that it is Christ who holds us together and we understand our shared goal of following Christ.  When the ten were offended by James and John's seeking positions of authority (yesterday's Gospel lesson) they didn't fall away.  They spoke openly about their disappointment with fellow disciples and moved forward together.

The visits this weekend spoke of the opportunity to have a community wherein our own rough edges can be exposed - with the realization that the caring community will be courageous enough to point out our opportunities for growth, while remaining very much committed to us as a sibling in Christ.

Some of those returning alum had with them children approaching the college years.  They reminded me how long I have been at this work.  They reminded me why.  I have the opportunity to see and to experience the transition which comes in the lives of God's children at a very critical time in life.  And having this transition hundreds of times, please allow me to share with you that while it may sometimes be a challenge, it well worth the journey.

Sermon - October 21, 2012

Pentecost 21 - Year B                                                                                   

Mark 10:(32-34)35-45                                                                        

 

                                                         A Kingship Like No Other

I sent out a late-night request for folks to bring their bibles this morning.  I apologize to those of you who didn’t get the message.  I was a home, without access to the new, fuller list of email addresses.  So I made use of the one old one, the one on the University server.  I think I want to get in the habit of asking you to bring your bible each week.  Increasingly, we are losing touch with our Bibles.  And while it is very convenient to have the lessons printed on the back of the bulletin each week, it limits our ability to see for ourselves the context in which the few selected verses occur.  It also prevents us from realizing that the differing texts are taken from vastly differing parts of the Bible. 

While I imagine all of us can open a bible to the section where Mark is located – how many can easily find Hebrews or for that matter Isaiah?  This is not intended to be an insult to anyone – other than preachers and church teachers who have been too pre-occupied to notice the shift and attempt to do anything about it. 

So, maybe I start to ask you to carry your bibles each week.  I certainly am going to give you a reason to have them with you today.   

Mark 10:35-45 is the small sliver of the bible printed on the back of our bulletin.  I added to my reading this morning verses 32-34 – reason #1 for you to have a fuller copy of the text.  And, perhaps, those additional three verses alter what we hear in verses 35-45.  James and John make their request of Jesus immediately after Jesus had told them (for the third time actually) that when they get to Jerusalem all heck is going to break lose.   

How might those additional three verses alter our understanding of James and John’s request?  If James and John were making their request amid the references to a “High Priest” in Hebrews 5, we might draw lessons for religious structures and procedures.  But this encounter does not happen there.  It comes, in Mark’s Gospel, after Jesus’ third attempt to explain to his closest followers what it means for them to refer to him as “Messiah,” or “Master,” or “Lord.”   It does not mean seats of honor or positions of prestige.  It means caring for others and being servant of all.

This is Jesus’ third attempt to help them understand.  If you have your bibles, and if you pre-marked the passages I referred to last night, now is the time to look at them.  Mark, chapter 8, verse 31ff is the first prediction.  Notice that this statement follows the confession of Peter.  When Peter finally gives voice to the hope that in Jesus they have found Messiah, Jesus immediately tells him, the rest of the disciples, and all of us, what his Messiahship means.  It is NOTHING like anything we have ever seen before.

Before we move on, make a note of Mark 8:32a.  (Jesus) said all this quite openly.  No secrets here.  Nothing hidden or left up for interpretation.  Jesus makes it clear, he states quite openly, what his kingship is all about.

Okay.  Move forward in your bible, but only one chapter.  Just like chapter 8, chapter 9 contains another attempt on the part of Jesus to tell the disciples what is coming and what all this means.  Chapter 9, verses 30-37.  One of the reasons I stumbled across this whole thing is that these were the appointed verses the last time it was my turn to preach.  Four weeks ago, these were the verses printed on the back of the bulletin.

Second time that Jesus stops the disciples up short and tells them what to expect when this mission he is on reaches its conclusion.  You may remember, from four weeks ago, that the addition to the story in Mark 9 is the use of the word “betrayal.”  His death is no accidental misunderstanding.  There is no confusion or inability to recognize the beauty of his sweet message or promise.  Jesus is betrayed by those who knew him best.

He is betrayed into the hands of those with power and authority.  They do what persons with power and authority naturally do.  They put an end to his disruptions.  They kill him.

But there is another betrayal in that section from Mark 9.  Do you see it?  Verse 32 says, “They did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.”  Heck yea, they didn’t understand.  Cause look at what happens next.  After Jesus speaks, and they are on their way, the followers of Jesus begin arguing among themselves as to who was the greatest among them.  Sound familiar?  It is precisely the argument to which we return when we get to Mark 10, and the third prediction of Jesus’ death.

We can assume, with some degree of certainty that James and John were around when the earlier discussion of who was the greatest had occurred.  They might have been the ones who instigated the discussion.  In Mark 10, there is no doubt.  James and John are the persons who are given faces and names and associated with the desire to look past the betrayal and crucifixion to some time of glory to come.  They want to be there, when the three days are past.  They are anticipating what life might be like for them when the rising is all the talk of Jerusalem.  They want to be “the greatest.”  Jesus reminds them that his whole live and mission to invert greatness and to speak of it as service and servant.

Open your bibles once more to Mark 10.  This part is on the bulletins, so you can see it there.  I know we like to recycle the paper from the bulletins, but take this one home with you.  And to remind you to do so, take out a pen or pencil and underline, or circle or somehow denote the part which starts in verse 42.  Here, let’s all read it together, out loud.  Verses 42-44.  Read with me, “So Jesus called them and said to them, ‘You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them,and their great one are tyrants over them.  But is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all.’”

I had you stop there, because I want to end with a lesson from the history of theological discussions.  For the first thousand years of Christian history, it was the first half of verse 45 which received all the attention.  In the early church, in the church closest to Jesus and his immediate impact upon the world, it was his taking on the role of servant that mattered.  In the next thousand years, we spent our time talking about the second half – about Jesus as the ransom.  It is as if we stopped worrying about how he wanted us to live our lives (i.e. in service) and began instead to look upon him as our ticket to the reward to come.  We ceased to hear his insistence that we take up our cross and we began to see in him our way to eternal bliss.

There are three predictions of Jesus’ crucifixion in these middle chapters of Mark’s gospel.  Over and over and over Jesus tries to tell us what is coming and what it means.  Three times he tells his followers; three times they think it is an opportunity for greatness.  Jesus calls them back again and again to insist that they find themselves in his model of what it means to be servant.

He bore the sins; he made intercession.  To be counted among his followers is to do the same.

 

Amen.

 

Devotion - Thursday, October 18

Reading Luke 6, where the Pharisees are watching Jesus for some opportunity to condemn him, I find myself wondering when and how they decided he was such a bad guy.  I know the stories, and I would like to believe I am smart enough to figure out how it all came down.  What I wonder is when they crossed a line which prevented them from receiving any additional information which might challenge their underlying assumptions about him.

It seems we cross such lines, way too often, in our lives.  We decide that this person is undesirable and thus nothing they say or do can be seen as anything other than manipulative.  We determine that that person is wrong and as a result anything which comes from her mouth must be suspect and refuted.

Surely, among the works the Jesus does, there were some actions which would have met with the approval of the Pharisees, had they remained open to him.  But that is not the picture painted for us in the Gospel narrative.  They had made their mind up about Jesus and that was that.

It is so much easier to live as a disciple when I am not living among other disciples.  Living in a community means I will be confronted with the inconsistencies between what we say we believe and how we apply those beliefs to our daily lives.  Living among other disciples means learning to remain open to another's whole person, not simply some idealized portrait of them.  Being in community is also a way to be reminded of our own tendency to fall short of the mark Christ has set for us.

I am not sure when the Pharisees crossed that line.  I don't know what causes us to cross, either.  But I am firmly convinced that crossing such lines is not the way of Jesus, nor should it be the way of Jesus' disciples.  He remained prepared to accept the current interaction as the one which mattered the most.  And, thankfully, he was always prepared to hear our confession and to allow us the opportunity to repent and begin anew.  These are traits of our Lord and Master which it would serve us well to emulate.

Devotioner - Wednesday, October 17

The Gospel lesson for this coming Sunday is sometimes referred to as the "third prediction of the crucifixion."  Our world seems fixated on "predictions" as forecast of the future.  They intrigue us, because we want to see whether the prediction will come true.

In the Gospel of Mark, these predictions are not so much about telling the followers of Jesus what would happen, at some point, out there in the future. These predictions are instructions on what the events mean, and how we are to apply them to our lives.  Jesus isn't trying to prove his divinity by "knowing" what will happen when they get to Jerusalem.  Jesus is trying to tell them how one who is united with God lives their lives.

Jesus speaks of sacrifice.  Jesus speaks of power which is revealed in service.  Jesus speaks of a union with God in which one loses self and is concerned about the other.

This morning's appointed prayer brought me back to this.  It reads, "O God, whose almighty power is made known chiefly in showing mercy and pity, grant us the fullness of your grace....."  As I prayed that prayer images of political debates and arguments flashed through my head.  We do seem to live in a world where the traits we are likely to champion are accurate predictions of the future.  We seem to be looking for strength in the ability to overwhelm and dominate.

The way of a Christian is different.  The way of Christ is humility.  Mercy and pity are our strong suits.

Devotion - Thursday, October 11

In my prayers this morning, I found myself turning the thoughts expressed in yesterday's E-Devotion on myself.  If there are some verses of scripture which are more instructive, some which serve as interpreters of the whole, how do we determine which are such verses?  In short - how do we know we are not giving undue weight to a verse because we "like" it, rather than giving it attention because it really does summarize the message of Christ?

These are the questions which roll through my head and heart every time I read Luke 4.  Jesus returns to Nazareth.  He goes to the synagogue.  They hand him the scroll of Isaiah and he reads:

The spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind,

to set at liberty those who are oppressed,

to proclaim he acceptable year of the Lord.

From this, Jesus' first sermon, I obtain my emphasis for ministry.  If this is what Jesus chooses to say, publicly, when given the opportunity, then ought not this be our message, in the world?

So many approach Christianity as a matter of spirituality.  They put the emphasis on making decisions or abiding to some moral standard.  Luke 4 tells us that our focus is to be somewhere else.  It is encouragement to make our Gospel active in the world.  The Word of Jesus is good news to the poor.

I do not want to abuse the office to which I have been called.  I do not intend to turn the pulpit into a bully pulpit, so I seek God's guidance in making sure that I have not pulled one verse of scripture out of context in order to speak that which seems pleasing to me.  

My discipleship of Jesus is very much about addressing the needs of the poor.  My devotion to The Way is firmly rooted in my belief that what God wants is for us to look at the needs of others rather than fixate on our own self-interest.

This is why traveling to Aiken to put a roof on a house is an important weekend activity for LCM.  This is why my fall is organized around the building of the Homecoming Habitat House.  And this is why spring break trips are so often opportunities to assist those in need.

To what does Jesus call us?  To some idyllic existence where organ music is constantly playing in the background?  Or to the streets where garbage piles up and angry cars honk their horns?

Read Luke with me.  See what you think Jesus would have us do.