Interconnected

Mark 6:14-29

I was re-watching one of my favorite episodes of a web based show that's about a couple living in a tiny apartment in New York City. In this episode one of the two main characters has insomnia. He gets up and starts playing with his collection of action figures. He is an adult and he is making his toys speak and interact all the while disturbing his wife who is tying to sleep in the other room. There is a progression of different scenarios and scenes that he acting out until the ultimate in absurdity, he is actually playing with action figures that have not been taken out of their original packaging. At this point his wife comes out to see what all the noise is all about and sees him creating scenes with these unwrapped action figures and his angry wife comes out of the bedroom and asks “are you playing with boxes.” he tries to defend himself by explaining that they could become priceless collectors items some day as she walks away irritated. Realizing he is being cut short he he says, “it doesn't have anything to do with you!”

It doesn't have anything to do with you is where he got it wrong. He was so into what he was doing. He thought he was being judged for what he was doing when in actuality, she was just angry because he was keeping her awake.

God's will for his people, for us, it to be an interconnected community. We are called to care for each other to bear on anther's burdens; to celebrate one another's victories and to mourn each others losses.

The Thing is, we are interconnected whether we intend to be or not. Our actions have an effect on the world around us. When we understand this and keep it near the front of our attention, our actions will surely reflect more clearly what God intends for us."It doesn't have anything to do with you" is not a way we are called to live.

Jesus, when he was teaching his disciples, would use the actions of others as an examples. When he saw a farmer planting seed, he used that as a metaphor on the different spiritual paths people take in this world. Some seed falls on the path, some seed falls on shallow soil, some seed grows among the weeds, but some seed falls on fertile soil. Another time Jesus points a widow putting her last two cents into the temple treasury and explains how that small amount of money was significant because it was all she had and not what was left over. These two people mentioned in scripture may never have met Jesus. They may never have been aware that they were in the presence of the very incarnation of God, yet by their example, as recorded in scripture,they have had an effect on the culture of the wold for the past 2000 years.

You may know your purpose in life and are living it out. You may have such a close walk with God that in every moment you know what God's will for your life is. Even so God is using you for purposes that you are not aware of. By your example people know your heart. It's not just the kind word that you speak to the one that needs to hear it, it is the witness to that moment that is also blessed. It is the encouragement that is passed on from person to person that started from God and passed through your lips.

There is another side to this as well. Because you bear the name of Jesus Christ there are many in the world who think that know your heart. For those of us who have experienced the living Christ within us can, in moments of clarity, recognize the Christ residing in each other. But for those who have not experienced this and have no interest in experiencing this, of those people, there are some who will judge you negatively and put you into a certain category in their mind so they don't have do deal with you. They may speak disparagingly about you. They will say all sorts of things about you. They might even ask you to not be so “Christian” in the way you speak.

But wait! We want to protest. My faith has has nothing to do with them! We want to be connected to God by his grace. We just want to love God and our neighbors and be obedient disciples. Why should anyone care or have anything to say about the way we live our life?

It's because we are all interconnected whether we want to be or not. My faith and your faith has an effect on the world around us.

In the Scripture lesson today we see a great example of this. If you remember from last week Jesus went to his home town and healed a few sick people but couldn't do as much as he normally did because of their lack of faith. He sent out his disciples to bring the Good News about the the Kingdom of God and they were, in fact, very successful. “They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.”

This is where our scripture lesson for today picks up. King Herod heard of it, for Jesus name had become known. Some were saying “John the baptizer has been raised from the dead; and for this reason these powers are at work in him.” but others said, “It is Elijah.” And others said, “it is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.”

Then there was a flash-back. The writer of the gospel tells the tale of how John the Baptist met his end. I wont tell the story again. We have already read it. But it is a story of selfish desire, of revenge, of ridiculous abuse of power which ulimited in the death of a man who's only crime was speaking the truth. Herod was at the center of it. It was his actions, his decisions and ultimately his direct order that lead to the death of John the baptist. He knew it was wrong, but he did it anyway.

Like in television the flash-back is intended to give us some background on the current scene. This flash-back was so long that oftentimes when I read it I forget what was for. The current scene is that King Herod is hearing about Jesus and what is happening in his kingdom. And Herod in his guilt over what he did to John the Baptist is thinking that John has been raised from the dead. He made this assessment when he heard of the success that Jesus and his disciples were having in their ministry.

Can you imagine? As you are being obedient to Jesus someone that you have never met nor will likely ever encounter being affected by what you do? The disciples were sent out in pairs by Jesus and their success makes a guilt ridden king think that one that he unjustly executed has come back to life? What they were doing had nothing to do with Herod.

This is God at work in the world using our actions beyond what we intend. We are interconnected whether we intend to be or want to be. The love of God is so powerful and so real that it intimidates people. Jesus' radical, sacrificial love is a standard which we can never reach but one for which we should continually strive. When faced with the reality that, in the presence of His magnificent Love, we cannot go away unchanged, some prefer to stay in the dark rather than enter His light. By our presence and our willingness to be temples of the Holy Spirit the presence of God in known in the world. The presence of God shines a light on all that is unholy and that makes some people uncomfortable.

We cannot choose the actions that will have an effect on the world. We can only be obedient Disciples of Jesus Christ and let God pass out the blessings. When we look for thank and praise for ourselves, we may find it. When we submit ourselves to God's holy word we will be used in powerful ways to transform the world.

So how is it with you today? I what ways can you give yourself more completely to God? In what ways will you submit your agenda to Gods plan for you?

The photo from above is from The Tiny Apartment Show http://vimeo.com/21133949 Warning:  Explicit Content.  Not appropriate for anyone really, but it's pretty funny.