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?   

The Gardener

Mark 8:27-38

Here is a little of what the garden produced this year. Its amazing, the abundance that comes from God's earth. Just a few months ago we planted the seed and now we have food. On the surface it looks like my family did this. I mean we ordered and planted the seed. We tried to keep the weeds out to give room for the plants that we wanted to grow. And we harvested the crop. But the land we used belongs to another. The farmer whose land we rented watered the garden when it was needed. So who is the gardener? Is it Diane who was the mastermind of the design of the garden and did the largest share of the work? Was it the combined efforts of our children that did most of the labor? Was it the land owner who provided the space and watered the plants so they could survive? I certainly don't take credit for being a gardener. I don't take credit for this.

Our life is a garden. Which parts of your life do you take credit for? Which part did you do all by yourself?

Now, I have taken biology in high school and I have a basic understanding of things. But I had no idea one could know so much about growing apples before I moved to Ludington. I could listen to Darrell for 5 minutes and increase my knowledge of apple trees by 10 fold. Its amazing. But with all that is known, I have yet to hear of a synthetic apple seed. I have yet to hear of a way of growing a new plant with out a seed or a part of another plant. And so every tree and plant and animal and person on this planet gets traced back and back before we knew anything at all. In this we have to acknowledge the mystery of God in all what we are.

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; Understanding is good but it is not the final judge of truth. If you understand things are just as they are. If you don't understand, thing are still just as they are. Whether you believe in something does not change the ultimate truth.

I had a conversation with a couple of atheists this week. It seems their main stumbling block to belief was the fact that they just couldn't believe some of the things that the bible says. The ultimate truth of the Holy Scriptures was lost to them. The mystery of the glory of God filling the whole creation is beyond their 5 senses and so they cannot accept it. But just because they don't believe, does not change the reality that God exists, that God loves them and that God is calling them back into relationship with him.

Paul says in the Book of Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. Stepping outside of the pattern of this world is a difficult thing for most people. When you step outside the pattern of this world you step into a life of unknowns. When you choose to accomplish things that can only happen if God intervenes then you are stepping into a world of faith. Living a life of faith can be stressful if you need always to be in control and you need to always understand. But the more you trust in God, the more you will see God's action in your life, which in turn will build your faith. That is the renewing of your mind!

Remember the story of Mary at Jesus' tomb? She was thinking in terms of the patterns of this world until Jesus shook her out of it. Mary was there crying because she believed Jesus to be dead. Hope was gone. She was feeling the sting death. John 20:15 "Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?" Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him."

He was not the gardener. It was Jesus. The one she loved. He is alive? She had to abandon what she understood to be true and accept what was really true.

Those atheists that I had a conversation with...The interesting part, to me, was the fact that they started the conversation. I posted a comment on twitter about the cross of Jesus. I wrote “The cross is the ugliness of sin; it's the beauty of grace; it's the certitude of judgment; its the promise of forgiveness.” Withing minutes I had several comments denouncing what I had written. And so the conversation began. But the question I have is this: If these folks are so against the idea of God and of religion, why are they subscribing to what I write. I mean I post under the name of Pastor Jon Pohl on twitter. My posts are unabashedly christian in nature. So why would an Atheist choose to read what I write. I think I know the answer.

Its because 6the very real presence and love of God goes before us and prepares the way. They fight it because its real. It must be a very difficult position to hold-not believing in God, when God's presence fills the earth. It must be like living in San Diego and not believing in the Pacific ocean. Believing isn't even the hard part. James 2:19 says You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that--and shudder. Believing is not enough. In the the book of James it says That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. “Confess with your mouth” What does that mean? It means you own it! It means you admit that it is true! Not only have you come to believe but you are willing to proclaim it.

When you proclaim it. When you take a stand for it. There will be those who will want to knock you down. When proclaim the truth there will be those who will challenge you.

Those atheists who were challenging me about my faith- I read some of their profiles they publicly proclaim that they want to smash religion they want it to go away. I think they believe they can do it. But do you know what I did. I engaged them with the truth that does not change. I confronted them with a faith that does not fail. I am not the gardener may not even be the seed planter. But I did what I could to let the soil of their souls to be prepared to let the spirit of God grow in them. And that is what we are all called to do in a variety of ways.

In today's Gospel lesson Jesus asks the question, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter got it right. “You are the Christ!” Peter correctly identified Jesus for who he was not only did he believe it but he proclaimed it. Now we all know of Peter's later failure during Jesus trial. Luke 29: 6 says, “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. But all was not lost.

The confession is required, but if you have failed in the past to confess Jesus as Lord all is not lost. Peter found his voice. Peter later boldly proclaimed Jesus name. He gave his life for his confession for Jesus. And Jesus built the church on Peters confession.

How is it with you today my Brothers and sisters? Our identity as Christians is in our proclamation of Jesus. Who do you say Jesus is? Is Jesus the historical figure that started a revolution 2000 that changed the world? Is Jesus the figure that gets talked about once and a while but usually only on Sundays? Or is Jesus the life-giving, life-transforming Lord of Heaven and earth? What you say about Jesus matters. What you say wont change who Jesus is. But what you say will determine your relationship with him.

Jesus says, “Not every one who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter into the kingd0om of heaven. Only the ones who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day, may will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, didn't we prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons and do many powerful deeds?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' .

Remember Jesus parting words to his disciples, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit..”

Let us always be ready to answer the question that Jesus asked, “Who do you say that I am?”