What Pastor Jon Preached on Sunday, September 27th, 2009

The 17th Sunday after Pentecost
Numbers 11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29 • James 5:13-20 • Mark 9:38-50

"John said to [Jesus], "Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us." But Jesus said, "Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us. For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward. "If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell, where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched. For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another."

Who gets in? Who gets out? Who determines who is in? Who has the authority to say who is out? All of us have a tribe, a family, a group of friends…a church…where we band together, where we have to make decisions about who gets in and who goes out.

High school is definitely one of those times when it is a big deal whether you are “in” or “out”. Which posse, which tribe one belongs seems as important as life and death. Mary knew this all too well—because she knew she no longer knew where she fit in. When her boyfriend Dean came out to her as being gay, Mary thought the best way to make sure he did not become excluded was to “convert” him back, and so they became sexually active. Mary knew Dean faced isolation if he came out at their Christian high school—complete isolation, complete loneliness. No more tribes for him any-more. So what should happen to Mary? She got pregnant. She couldn’t believe it! She was trying to be helpful and help Dean fit “in”, and now, she would be cast out just as much as he was. Where was God now? What should she do?

When two people at school found out about Mary being pregnant, two very different responses came out. Hillary Faye—popular, blonde, beautiful, the “perfect” Christian, a bible study leader—she prayed for Mary to repent from her “backsliding” ways, and confronted her to try and cast out the evil in her in Jesus’ name. Cassandra—piercings, tattoos and all, smoker, bad student—knew what it was like to not be “in.” Secretly in the bathroom, she would check in and talk with Mary about how she was feeling, and would visit her at home on the weekends—knowing no one was hanging out with her anymore.

Hillary could not believe that Cassandra this nobody was suddenly treating Mary as if she walked on air. She could not be hanging out with this person who was infecting this school with her sinfulness.

But Hillary did eventually come around to see: Mary had done something she regreted, but God was not far from her. God was right there in Mary’s womb. God drew near to her in that place in her where the pain and regret and fear were all tying her in knots. The love of Christ was not there in her being blameless or belonging to the right “in” group, that love was in the arms that gave Mary a hug; in the eyes that did not avoid her when she walked down the hall; and in the mouths that tried to speak to her with love.

Neither Hillar nor Cassandra were in charge of how they came to respond to Mary’s situation, as told in the film "Saved!" God moved in them, God poured out God’s Spirit in them to move them where God moves: not in setting up barriers, not in putting limits on where God is and where God isn’t. God stirred in them to see beyond being “in” or “out” , because they were all both “insiders” and “outsiders.” God stirred up God’s womb-ing blessing in Christ, to bear with and make lighter for Mary the weight of such a heavy load.

As we look at the church—who is “in”, and who is “out”? Who decides who is in charge? Who has authority to speak in situations like Mary’s? Where do we draw the line on who is “one of us” and who isn’t?

Jesus draws the line at his very self. Jesus is the authority who is in charge. We are not in charge—and thank goodness! Because of Jesus, our decisions about who is in and who is out go directly through him—not through our own ways; for left to ourselves we choose to separate who we deem to be “worthy” and “not worthy.” Jesus does not let even us get in the way of anyone coming to him and from doing deeds of power in his name. Jesus, who knows all of our hearts, blesses those who stumble through his wide embrace that wombs the whole world.

The Israelites in the wilderness thought they were in charge. Really, it was God. They thought they knew who could prophesy and who couldn’t. Eldad and Medad, they can’t prophesy, Joshua protests. The Israelites thought God owed it to them to feed them with something more tasty than manna, food more like what they had back in slavery. But God came down and lifted up the Spirit upon Eldad and Medad, and on the seventy elders. God raised them up to do what God could not do alone. God had the authority to bless all of these people with their gifts for ministry. Moses didn’t decide—God decided to gift the people with the Spirit, to bless them and equip them to share in the work of doing deeds of power in God’s name.

The disciples also wanted to be in charge. They wanted an agenda that was the virtual opposite of Jesus! They don’t want the power of Jesus’ healing extended to people who aren’t a true disciple like they are. The disciples after all, have earned their place, they believe—just as we believe we have, who have been following this Jesus in this place for so long. The disciples all expect to have prominence as followers of God’s very Son, and will have a place with him as he ascends to greater power. To all this, Jesus says, “Do not stop [those who cast out demons in my name who bring healing to others in my name]...Whoever is not against us is for us.” (Mark 9:39-40) It is not the disciples who have authority to say who can and cannot perform the work of Jesus; it’s Jesus who has the authority to put no barriers between himself and any who wish to join in doing powerful deeds that extend God’s healing wholeness to sinners. Jesus takes charge of the disciples not by making membership to the in-group the defining requirement for being a disciple. Following Jesus is more than just following the crowd, it’s about nothing stopping anyone from bearing the name of Jesus to share God’s generous, gracious mercy and forgiveness with all—whether they are “in” or “out”.

We do not direct our way as disciples—Jesus directs us. Jesus wants to give us the power to be bearers, rather than gatekeepers of his love for all—for backsliders, the broken ones…the ones bearing a cross. Jesus remakes the church by blessing not just the loyal few but by blessing anyone who “gives…a cup of water to drink” to the thirsty in Jesus’ name.

When we extend a hand of peace in Christ’s name to a stranger—Jesus has the authority to bless that deed of power as a sign that Jesus can bring us together in a way that nothing else can. When we pick up the phone or ring the doorbell of the lonely classmate or the forgotten neighbor in Christ’s name, Jesus has the authority to bless that deed of power as a sign that Jesus takes away any stones that keep us locked inside. And when we see someone express a spiritual gift of administration, artistry, evangelism, faith, hospitality, leadership, mercy, teaching, wisdom, writing, service….when we see such a gift and speak affirmation of that gift as a gift from God , we put Jesus in charge of the church—we put in charge Jesus who blesses everyone with gifts to share in the building up of the body of Christ!

Jesus is in the driver’s seat of the church and of our lives, and we are along for the ride. He is at work in us all, both in here, and out there. May we have the courage to follow wherever deeds of power done in his name may lead us. Amen.

What Pastor Jon Preached on Sunday, September 20th, 2009

16th Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 25)

Jeremiah 11:18-20
James 3:13 - 4:3, 7-8a
Mark 9:30-37

"They went on from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it; for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, "The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again." But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him. Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, "What were you arguing about on the way?" But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all." Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, "Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.""

Children can say the darndest thing sometimes, can’t they? Dana Carvey has a great story about one of his own kid’s surprising moments. Dana used to be one of the comedians on Saturday Night Live, and, might I also add—a Lutheran! Dana was fond of talking about Lutherans as “Catholic Lite”! Once he did a piece of stand up where he was talking about his kids, Tom and Dex. And he said, “you know, my kids…sometimes they say the strangest things, like this other day, Dex out of nowhere came up to me, looking real sad, and very curious and said….’Daddy, does God have feet?’” Dana talked in that bit about how kids are at the very same time the most beautiful thing that ever happened to him…and yet also the most frightening and scary thing that happened to him! Even as a parent, when you’re at your wits end, when you have no more patience left for them, they can come up with the cutest words or act of kindness that completely melts your heart. I’d bet that already, Sunday School teachers—have had some of those moments, after 2 weeks of Sunday School, and they’ll continue to happen throughout the year.

Well just like kids can be adorable and beautiful, like Dana said, they can be a handful. They can have rough days where the tantrums just do not stop coming. There can by days when all we seem to be saying is, "no! no! no!" to our kids. As one author puts it, the funny thing is that we as adults think we grow out of this tantrum-throwing. But, we find our own socially acceptable ways to throw tantrums too: one-upsmanship, belitting of someone else, bragging…. We all at our worst moments can “act out”, trying to get our unmet needs and desires met in any way we can.

Just as we deal with the tantrums of kids, Jesus deals with all of our tantrums too. The disciples, who continue not to get it, as they do not get it throughout the Gospel of Mark, continue to act out when they hear Jesus talk about dying and rising again. Jesus is walking ahead of them and hears their tantrum, an argument about which of them is the greatest, and he receives it all. He doesn’t avoid it—all the complaining, arguing and competition—he doesn’t let it get to him. But he does hear it. And then he does do something with it. He turns it upside down, and inside out. He takes that pent up energy of the disciples and re-focuses their energy onto something else. He introduces something new into the mix that stirs up that fear and anger of the disciples but now along with that fear and anger the moment has also been stirred up with wonder and possibility. As the disciples bicker, Jesus puts in front of them a child.

Jesus puts before them a vulnerable, weak, dependent….child. Kids in the ancient near east were not necessarily seen in the cute, cuddly, adorable way that we have in our modern culture. They were the most vulnerable and weak people in society:

• The infant mortality rate was 30%
• 30% died by the age of 6
• 60% died by the age of 16
• and 70% of kids had only 1 or no parents by the time they hit puberty

Jesus places before the disciples and before us the ones who are helpless in their dependence upon us to survive, to have life. Jesus places the helpless before us, and everything else fades away…nothing else is more important in that moment. All we see among is this precious but fragile gift of life…a fradgileness that Jesus holds.

Jesus this day comes to us, and puts the helpless and the weak--the ones also so full of wonder and joy--and holds them inour midst. Jesus cuts through our tantrums to lift up these children, who cry out to be received....God breaks through into our lives not in greatness, not in fame, not in attention, but in the simple, humble weakness of a child. He holds us and puts before us a fragile, precious gift. As much as the gift children are can be difficult, they are a gift that can so often say and o those things that remind us why Jesus blessed them.

The amazing piece of what Jesus does here is—it’s not that Jesus holds a child, it’s when and how he holds the child. It’s as if in doing this very simple act, Jesus exposes the disciples to be just as naked and helpless as this very little one he holds out in front of them.

This is the work of God in Christ—the work of exposing and revealing who we are, our powerlessness, our pride, our weakness so that God can find God’s way into our hearts…through Jesus…who is holding the weakest parts of us....holding we who are weak...right there in our midst for all to see. Jesus turns us from our own needs and desires, to find that our own needs and desires are met not in serving ourselves at the expense of others; not in serving others at the expense of ourselves…..but in both giving and receiving from one another. In asking us to welcome these little ones, these helpless ones, Jesus offers us such a rich treasure….for children have in store such an amazing and rich gift: a heart that are full of wonder and amazement, ready to be shared with us.

What child is being put in front of us today? What helpless, needy ones is Jesus placing before our eyes, turning our heads from our selves, calling us towards a small gift of fragile life that is waiting to be received? In this surrounding community, where children are such a priority and focus, Jesus is lifting them up—no matter how cranky or how many tantrums they get—and is asking us to welcome their gifts they have to share with us. How might we welcome and receive the strange and scary but yet amazing gift God gives us in this community? God empowers us to welcome and bless to speak words of thanks and love to kids who all have something to teach us.

We are not greater than these gifts of children, or which ever gifts of fragile life exist around us, nor are they greater than us. For God in Christ has made us all God's children. We serve one another—we are enriched by one another. The beauty of receiving the helpless is that they have as much to give back to us as we have to give back to them. This is the ministry of mutuality to which Jesus puts before us this day, a ministry where none are first, none are last, and where all are welcome. For it is in giving our welcome that we will receive, just as it is in dying with Christ, that we are born to eternal life.

At the very end of the credits of Dana Carvey's comedy piece I referenced earlier, at the very end of the credits, when all the producers and directors and tech people have been thanked, a screen comes up, and it says: "Yes Dex, God's feet are very big. And God loves you very much." Amen.