Wanted: Adventurers

Mark 10: 17.

My two oldest children made this swing.
Life is pretty easy here in Ludington, Michigan. 

Imagine you are living in the first century in Palestine. Whatever prosperity might be there is sopped up by the Roman occupation. Imagine trying to survive. Some are are fishermen, some are builders. While the desperate have resorted to tax collection and prostitution. It must have been a harsh environment. It still is a harsh environment. 

Now imagine if Jesus put an ad in the local paper, looking for disciples. It might read something like this. seeking adventurers. Wanted: individuals who are willing to work for little to no material reward. Where the possibility of rejection is high and success is uncertain. You will at times feel powerless and walked upon. You will face very real dangers including bodily injury and even death. However you will become an heir of the King. You will inherit the promises of God. You will find the meaning of life and you will discover the specific purpose for your life. Requirements include, loving God first in your life, letting go of your own notions of power and control, trusting in Jesus as Lord and loving your neighbor.

Who would answer the ad? Who did accept the invitation? It was the laborers, the tax collectors, the outcasts and the powerless.

There were followers of Jesus who had some power and wealth. Joseph who provided the tomb for Jesus' body after the crucifixion, Nicodemus the Pharisee who asked all those questions in the dark of night. There was a Roman officer who demonstrated faith who may have carried the message of Jesus to others. They all were praised by Jesus for coming close to the truth. But these aren't the people that Jesus lifts up as examples. Jesus lifts up the one that feeds the hungry, gives water to the thirsty, cloths the naked and visits the sick.. Jesus says the greatest man born of a woman was John the Baptist because he told people to turn away from sin and turn toward God.

There is a funny thing about we humans. Like other creatures of the earth we are afraid to die. But unlike other creatures our fear moves beyond and instinct to preserve our own life. We think about it. We ponder it. We avoid it while we prepare for it.

We make sure we are in a position to prolong our lives as long as possible. We go to the doctor, we make sure we have food and shelter. To make sure we have food shelter and medical care we get jobs and make money and save money. We build retirement accounts and pensions. We invest in real estate and business. We do all this to have what we need and want. We do this ultimately to avoid death.

But Jesus has a different perspective. Jesus in the Gospel according to John say, “I am the door. If anyone enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture.” This tells me that, like pasture animals, God will provide for us. God will protect and guide us.

I cannot wait for the election to come. Not that I am overly excited about it but because I am so tired of the political ads. I don't even mind political ads per se. But when they are obviously lying about their opponents or misleading about various proposals it leads me to believe that they don't have my best interest at heart. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;” Jesus says, “I have come so that they may have life, and my have it abundantly.”

Jesus wants the best for you. Jesus wants us to have an abundant life. To know that we are loved, protected and cared for. Jesus wants us to know and love God. Jesus want us to know our purpose it this life and he wants us to participate in the life to come.

The problem is that we are often like the young man that approached him in today's scripture. He ran up to him, fell on his knees, and said, “good teacher, what must I do do to inherit eternal life?” This seems good right. Wouldn't we love that kind of enthusiasm? Wouldn't we appreciate a new believer in Jesus to be that open to following the Lord? But Jesus brings him back down a bit. Jesus says to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.

Enthusiasm is good but not ignorant enthusiasm. Jesus never took on a disciple that didn't know the cost of following him. Jesus was always clear about what it meant to be his follower. It isn't easy. There will be suffering involved. You will surely be ridiculed perhaps even rejected. Some may even give their lives for their faith.

I don't regret my service in the Army Reserves and Michigan Army National guard. But I can see that I had an enthusiasm when I enlisted that I would not be able to muster now. After all these years I am more able to count the cost. The adventure enticed me. The ideals of patriotism and service called me. But I didn't fully count the cost.

The rich young man was not ready for what Jesus was offering. He knew there was more and he wanted more but he couldn't see clearly just what Jesus was offering. He only saw an unreasonable demand.

When we follow Jesus we must count the cost. The rich young man came to Jesus claiming that he had followed all the commandments since his youth. This young man has done things his life according to his own power. He had wealth to make his life comfortable. He exerted his will to follow the Law of Moses. He was the one in control of his life. He was the one in a position of power over his own destiny. He was fully relying on himself for his own salvation and Jesus recognized it. The young man new he was missing something. He must have sensed an emptiness in his life. He must have had an awareness of his life being incomplete. The Holy Spirit must have directed him toward Jesus as the source of life. So he sought Jesus out. He asked the question, “what must I do.” in the question itself reveals his own delusion. What must I Do? What action should I take? In what way can I exert my power to attain the prize?

So Jesus cuts to the quick as he so masterfully does goes right to the source of this young man's power. His stuff. His earthly abundance. His life insurance policy. Jesus told him to sell his possessions and give the money to the poor. In the young man's eyes Jesus was taking away his power. Jesus was taking away his ability to save himself. In reality Jesus was offering a way to be freed from the illusion of false power. Selling your stuff and giving away the money to the poor is not a requirement to get into heaven, but relinquishing control over your life to God is. This was the only way that this young man would be able to do this.

How difficult it is for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God! Or the powerful person. Come November the race to be number one in power will come to an end. But we know the first will be last and the last will be first in the Kingdom.

So How is it with you today on your journey as a disciple? We all have a certain degree of earthly power and control. Are you willing to set that power aside to let Christ rule in your hearts? The cost may seem high. The demand may seem excessive. Don't be afraid. God will take care of you.  

Healing Not Condemnation

Mark 10:1-16

Sometimes scripture says things wedon't want to hear. Sometimes scripture has a tough word that gets alittle too personal. This passage deals with divorce. I am nottelling you anything new when I say that 50% of all marriages end indivorce. That means that over 50% of you have been affected bydivorce I have never been divorced but my life has certainly beenaffected by it. I have seen the pain of failed relationships. Ihave watched people struggle with the process of ending a badmarriage. I have felt some of the consequences of divorce The actof ending a marriage is not really the problem. The act, the divorceitself, is merely a symptom of the brokenness that is the realsource of the hurt. It is the brokenness that causes all the damage.

The word love written in many languages.  These were Embroidered on a stoll which became a wedding gift at a wedding I officiated recently. 

We are broken people. We have brokenrelationships. What God intends for us us not always what we do. Wefail! We trip! We get stuck down there in the ditch in the muck andthe mud, and Jesus comes along and reaches out his hand and pulls usup out of it.

Now would you rather that our Lordwould come along and say, “Well, you're down there in yourbrokenness. You are stuck in the muck and the mud, and I want you tobe okay with it. I want you to lay there and think that the mud isokay, that you can live with it and that tripping and falling wasokay.” or does Jesus say, “You know, you tripped because youweren't paying attention. You fell because you were not holing myhand. But that's okay. I'm here now. Take my hand. Come up out of themud. Let me clean you off.”

Hear me. I am not saying that thelegal procedure of divorce is the point that fall. The divorce isthe symptom and a consequence of human brokenness.

I officiated a wedding a few yearsago. A very young couple. The man was an idealistic dreamer. Thewoman was a recovering heroine addict. There was a lot of brokennessto start with. I didn't help as the officiating pastor. I didn'tcouncil were I could see real problems down the road. I didn't findfor them the support they would need. I, as their pastor failed inmany ways. My brokenness, the communities brokenness played a partin the eventual divorce of this young couple.

We can't change what happened in thepast. We can't fix that. But from here on we can refocus and recommitour lives to Jesus. We can do better. We continue to let Jesus livein us and we continue to find life in Him.

The Pharisees were not interested inhelping anyone who was broken to come up out of the mud. They wereinterested in making sure that everyone followed the law as preciselyand as thoroughly as possible because that was their job. That wastheir understanding of their relationship to God. When everybodyfollows the law correctly then God is pleased. According to their wayof thinking. Now that wasn't God's way of thinking. God came, in theform of Jesus, to let us know that its not about following the ruleslaid down its about loving God first in your life. Its about lettingGod live in us and finding life in God.

During this teaching there were somewho were bringing their little children to be blessed by Jesus. Jesuswas right in the middle of a teaching! He was right in the middle ofhis discourse. He was expressing the will of God. He was settingpeople on the right course. So his disciples, thinking they werehelping the Lord out, said no to the people bringing their children.We are doing important things. We are learning form the Lord. ButJesus said, “Don't stop them!” “Don't prevent them coming tome. It is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs to.”

We are supposed to have a child likefaith. We are supposed to Trust God completely as our Holy Parent.We are supposed to draw sustenance from our life in God. We are torest peacefully in the strength of Gods presence. We are to seekguidance by the wisdom of God through the written word and therevealed word. This is the ideal way to be a human. To be a childto our Holy God.

Did Jesus intend that day to give adiscourse on divorce? I don't think so. Should we be talking abouta doctrine of divorce in the church? No. I don't think so. Remember Jesus' purpose and promise in the Gospel of John. In thethird chapter it says “for God so loved the world that he gave hisone and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish buthave eternal life.” That is the most memorized verse in all ofChristian scripture. It all about having that childlike relationshipwith God through Jesus Christ. But remember the 17^thverse as well. For God did not send the Son into the world tocondemn the world, but to save the world through him.

These words of Jesus on divorce arenot words of condemnation. He was asked, challenged and tested. Jesus merely stated the reality of the situation. Jesus offered somepretty straightforward words on the subject. The thing that thePharisees know and that Jesus knows and that we all know. It thatdivorce, the end of a marriage, the end of a relationship is not ahappy thing. It may be a necessary thing. It may be the only choice.It may be the way things are, but no one ever is happy about thecircumstances that lead to divorce

Jesus is lifting up the ideal. Jesusis lifting up the way things 'ought to be'. I cant think of anyonethat would disagree that when two people come together before God topublicly profess their love and devotion to each other that that loveshould last forever. That's the ideal. Jesus is just stating theobvious. No one should impede that. No one should deny that. Butthere is human Brokenness. There is human weakness that comes intothe equation.

The good news is that Jesus is God. That Jesus is the God of new life and new beginnings. No matter howwe have failed, no matter how human brokenness has shaped our lives,Jesus continually invites us to find life in him.

50% of all marriages fail. That's notthe shocking news to me. The shocking part is that with thatknowledge, 100% of brides and grooms believe it wont happen to them.

In the last month I officiated twoweddings. Statistically speaking, one will make it. If I thoughtabout that long enough I might be discouraged in officiating any moremarriages. But when I think about it a little more, I think what anamazing thing it is to make that kind of commitment to another humanbeing. God gives us the ideal. God gives us the target for our lifetogether. In marriage we get to practice showing patience, lovingkindness, generosity. In love we protect, trust, hope and persevere. What a gift that is, to love another as God loves us! It is betterto take aim at this target, to try our best at the risk of missingthe mark than to never try at all.

Of course we need not be married topractice loving each other unconditionally. This is our calling asGod's children. It's just that that special relationship of marriageis a very special proving ground.

This is Wold Communion Sunday. Allaround the world today Christians of every sort are participating inthis Holy Sacrament. We enter into the Mystery of God. This breadand this juice, somehow, by the power of the Holy Spirit becomes forus the body and the blood of Jesus. We eat this meal and the HolySpirit dwells within us. We sit at God's Table and we share a HolyMeal together. What ever divisions we have made and what everdivisions we have inherited are dissolved in this meal. All areinvited and all are welcome here. No matter how any of us havefailed in the past it is forgiven. This is a day of new beginnings.

So, How is it with you today? Nomatter what came before this moment, no matter how many successes orfailures God has an unrestrained love for you. God is waiting foryou to love him back in the same way. God is inviting you to be hisChild. God is inviting you to trust in him, to lean on God'sstrength and wisdom in your life. God is inviting you to follow himin His way.   

Pine Trees and Apples

Mark 9:38-50

My popcorn harvest

 

“Have salt in yourselves , and be at peace with each other.”

Here it is the last day of September 2012. Its the season of harvest. The work of planting and of preparation is literally coming to fruition. The soy beans look just about ready. The apples, the corn, the pumpkins will all soon be brought in. each plant bears the fruit that it always has. A pine tree will never bear an apple, just as the enemies of God will never bear good fruit. Those who proclaim the name of Jesus Christ and do works of power in his name will not be able to say anything bad about him. There are those who bear the name of Jesus who do things, who have a way of seeing things that is different than our own way. Jesus says, let them be.

Jesus some pretty strong words about the excuses we make for our failure to follow him. “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off! If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off! If your eye cause s you to sin, tear it out! What ever it is in your life that you are blaming for your failure to follow Jesus Remove it!

There are moments as a parent and as a pastor for that matter when I am often privileged to be there to witness a revelation. The moment when the truth, as it is, becomes clear to someone. With my children I can tell them things, good things, wise things. But until they understand it for themselves they are, at best, obedient to my word. But after they understand and make the choice to make the wise choice they have something that will shape their lives for the good and that can never be taken from them.

My children just like me and just like any one of you can come up with any number of reasons and excuses for failure to live as Jesus commanded. “Its too hard.” “He didn't really mean that.” “He lived in a different time.” “He lived in a different culture.” Or maybe we don't even bother to come up with reasons why not.

In this passage of scripture Jesus seems pretty adamant about living rightly.

So how do we live rightly as Christians? Is it by following the platform of our favorite political party? As some of you may know, there is a law that prohibits pastors like me from endorsing a political candidate or party from the pulpit. The consequence of violating this law is that the church of the offending pastor can lose their tax-exempt status. There is a movement around the country to challenge this law. Sometime in the first part of October, several pastors will intentionally violate this law and and submit transcripts to the Internal Revenue Service in an attempt to draw them into enforcing it and thereby beginning a court challenge. The hope and intent is that this law will be deemed unconstitutional. I was challenged to take part in this. If you have been here for the past several weeks you may have heard me preach on the divisiveness of politics, so you can guess that my first reaction was to resist.

However, as a thought problem and as a challenge to my self I thought, if push came to shove, and I had to say something, what would I say? Who would I endorse from God's pulpit in God's church? Who should have the “Christian” vote? I don't know. I don't think that if Jesus had a car there would be any bumper stickers on it. I am certain that God can use whomever is elected. If this answer is unsatisfying and you would like a more nuanced treatment of this, I would love to talk with you in your home. I certainly have some ideas and I don't think that either candidate would want me speaking on their behalf.

Jesus has set a very high standard. He said be perfect as I am perfect. Not that we can get to perfection on our own but we only get there by letting the Spirit of God live in us. Not that we need to be perfect to be accepted by him, in fact we often come to Jesus and find acceptance when we are at our most broken and vulnerable moments of our life.

Jesus asks those who have found life in him to begin to remove the brokenness from our lives. When we find life in Jesus we make our lives reflect his life. When we find salvation in Jesus we are drawn into a life of thanksgiving, of selflessness, and of unconditional love.

This freedom in Christ is a wonderful experience. It is a wonderful life. When you have it you want others to have it as well. We gather together in this holy place and we share our life together. We pool our talents our resources and we listen for the voice of God. We feel for the prompting of the Holy spirit and for many, many years this church has been a light in the darkness. It has been a testimony to the presence of God in the world. This church is reaching out to those in need. Providing resources to the poor. Providing shelter to the homeless through Hospitality INC. Providing a witness to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. We may be tempted to think that we have it all figured out. We may think that we are doing all we can for the Glory of God.

But we know better don't we? I am guessing that each one of you has something of God's Spirit prompting you in a direction that is new and fresh. I am guessing that God has placed in your hearts a vision for serving Him in a way that this congregation is not currently engaged in. Did you know that you don't need anyone's permission to start a new ministry? Permission has been granted by Jesus Christ!

The disciple John asked 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, because no one who does a miracle in my name will be able soon afterward to say anything bad about me.” Somebody in this congregation has an idea. Another person in this congregation has a prompting from the Holy Spirit. Another person has a calling to Serve God in a new way. Many faithful Christians in this congregation will continue to serve God in the way they have for many years. However we as individuals choose to serve our Lord Jesus Christ. Let the rest of us encourage and support you.
“For I tell you the truth, whoever gives you a up of water because you bear Christ's name will never lose their reward.”

Those harsh words that Jesus has about how we should remove the things in our life that impede us from following him is just an illustration on how important it is not to stand in the way of our brothers and sisters in Christ. After all that talk of cutting of you hand and foot and tearing out your eye. Jesus says, “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”

Back to the disciple John's question, “What do we do about those other people who are using Jesus name that are not a part of our church” Jesus says, “stay out of their way!” and, “Live at peace with one another.”

Brothers and sisters I may or may not vote like you but I am your Christian brother, a fellow inheritor of the kingdom. So lets live at peace with one another.

So How is it with you today? Are you prepared to live a higher ideal than any political party can set? Are you prepared to support your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ as they follow gods prompting to serve him? Are you prepared to listen and follow God's purpose for you?