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.   

Nowhere to Hide

John 6:56-

I cannot do anything on my own! There is not one thing. The life I live is possible because of the community around me. The health of the economy depends on people actively participating in it. The food I buy is purchased with a paycheck given me because I fulfill a function. Food that is grown and produced that provides a paycheck for those who grow it; purchased at a store who earn a paycheck for providing their services. I stand in this pulpit, in this Church, on this piece of land because people before me prepared the way.

I preach from the Bible of which the newest parts were written 2000 years ago. Preacher's have been standing in this place <Or in Similar places> trying to be faithful to the faith that has been handed down to them.

All that comes down to this moment, in this, place, right now. The present moment is the only one we really have and God is asking us to be faithful to Him. To cultivate the seed that others have planted before us and to plant seed that will grow the tree, that will bear fruit that we will never eat in this lifetime.

Do I feel adequate to the task? Usually not! Do I trust God bring out the best in whatever we do? Absolutely!

Oh Lord, you examine me and know. You know when I sit down and when I get up; even from far away you understand my motives. You carefully observe me when I travel or when I lie down to rest; you are aware of everything I do. Certainly my tongue does not frame a word without you, O Lord, being thoroughly aware of it. You squeeze me in from behind and in front; you place your hand on me. Your knowledge is beyond my comprehension; It is so far beyond me, I am unable to fathom it. Where can I go to escape your spirit? Where can I flee to escape your presence?

This is from Psalm 139. Nowhere to run no where to hide usually implies trouble and fear and danger. But here, 'nowhere to run and no where to hide is a wonderful thing.' It means we cannot pretend to be anything but who we really are with God. God knows your strengths and your weaknesses. He knows your victories and your failures. God loves you more than you can possibly love yourself, which may not be a very high bar to clear sometimes.

We all fail. We all fall. When we do we can either trust in God's love to pick us up, build us up and start again or we can let the failure define us and we can stay in the ditch that we fell in. In the story of Adam and Eve in the first part of the Bible, God gave them full access to the tree of life. They could eat freely of its fruit and live forever. They were innocent and unaware. Then came the other part of the story. They were enticed to eat of another kind of fruit which God had said they were not to eat. This was from the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil. When they ate it they became aware of their own nakedness. They became focused on themselves rather than focused on God. Rather than living in their innocence they hid from God in their guilt.

This story is so beautiful because it describes our human condition so well. We are given so much but through our own desire to be at the center of the universe we miss out on the abundant life.

With Jesus at the center of our lives and at the center of our Community. The fruit of the tree of life is again available to us. This is food that sustains us for eternal life. Life in Christ is something to celebrate. Life in Christ is something to share. But as we have seen in God's word sometimes there needs to be planting, there needs to be pruning, there needs to be constant attention and care given.

Over the next several months a team of people from this congregation in including John, Betty, Erin, Gary and Peg, Deann and my self will be studying and learning and being trained on some fundamental aspects of church health. This 9 month process is the beginning of the Vital Church Initiative. We want to be vital.. we want to be full of life as the body of Christ. In September we will be reading and learning about the 5 practices of fruitful congregations. Next month it will be something else. We will share what we learn and we will hopefully integrate it in the way we do ministry and share the love of Christ.

Chalk art by Rod Snow.  The cross and the empty tomb
are difficult teachings to accept to (post) modern minded people.
Yet, the truth remains that in Jesus we find life. 

This will be an intentional way of moving in the direction God is calling us. But no matter how we tweak things, no matter how many structural changes we make. None of will make any difference we our central focus is not clearly on our Lord Jesus Christ.

What Scripture says about the Lord s life affirming and life giving. Some of what scripture says is challenging but we cannot shy away from or ignore the difficult parts. What does the bible say about the idea of “once saved, always saved?” This week I got a call about the Lord's prayer. That line about forgiveness. Forgive us AS we forgive others? The question was, “does that mean that if we don't forgive others we will not be forgiven? What about all who believe in Jesus will be saved?” This is a good question. What about all the things about judgment that Jesus said? Tough stuff. What about Ananias and Sapphira? Do you remember this story from scripture? It's in the Acts of the Apostles chapter 5. It's difficult story to accept but it's there.

Peter's confession shows that even he found the Lords teaching difficult to accept, yet acknowledges that there is no place else to turn for what Jesus offers.

Jesus offers the word of life. Not just good philosophy. Not just good advise. But the Word that is the spirit of God that will live in you when you submit to Jesus Christ as Lord will give you life that will never end. Human effort is useless. Our will to save ourselves is futile. The live that Jesus gives will never wither away.

The fruit of the tree of life is still fresh and crisp. Jesus is the perfect revelation of Almighty God. In Jesus we find our salvation. Not in learning about him but about taking his life into us. But that doesn't mean that we cannot do things better as his disciples.

There are seven of us who have committed to leaning and training, but we don't go thinking that we are only seven. We go knowing that you all will be praying for the church. We go knowing that we are inextricably connected to this community and that we go only to strengthen and serve the body of Christ.

So how is it with you today on your walk with God outside of the Garden? Do you feel up to the task of cultivating God's orchard? Yes we are aware of good and evil. We do feel shame for our failures. We do work by the sweat of our brow but thank God that Jesus has offered us to eat again of the fruit of the tree of life. Where else would we want to be? Where else could we go?