5th Sunday after Pentecost

Mark 4:35-41


 “Do one thing every day that scares you” is wisdom, attributed to the late former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, that I adopted more than a decade ago. The wife of our 32nd president, Mrs. Roosevelt is remembered for the ways she changed the office of First Lady. She participated vocally and visibly in U.S. politics in the 1930s and 1940s. She spoke up on behalf of women and African-Americans and those living in poverty and spoke out against injustices that she witnessed.

Two years before her death, Mrs. Roosevelt wrote,

You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face... The danger lies in refusing to face the fear, in not daring to come to grips with it….You must do the thing you think you cannot do.

In today’s gospel, Mark tells us that the disciples were afraid. They had clambered onto a boat and set out on the Sea of Galilee in the evening to “go to the other side.”

Now the Sea of Galilee is really a lake; it’s smaller and not as salty as the Mediterranean, but it’s still large enough that waves swell, whitecaps froth and winds howl.  There weren’t any early warning systems, radar or weather alerts; more than a dozen centuries would pass before barometers that measure changes in air pressure were invented. So, the disciples found themselves caught in a surprise windstorm with waves beating the boat and swamping it.

The watery tempest recalls the chaos of creation and the storm that landed Jonah in the belly of a whale and it symbolizes the storms that surprise us and toss our lives into turmoil.

Facing the storm’s wrath, the disciples wake Jesus and ask,
“Do you not care that we are perishing?”

They are the same accusatory words that Martha speaks to Jesus when her brother Lazarus dies. And isn’t that the question on our lips when we feel betrayed and God appears to be silent?

“Jesus, don’t you care…?”

But Jesus doesn’t reassure the disciples with words; instead, his response is to rebuke the wind and silence the sea. Throughout Scripture, “rebuke is a prerogative of lordship.”[i] Yahweh rebukes the Red Sea to separate the waters so that the people of God may pass over, and Jesus rebukes both unclean spirits and Satan in Mark’s Gospel account. He also rebukes the disciples when they act hastily or contradict God’s commands.

As the Son of God, Jesus has authority over all of creation and overcomes all things that threaten our destruction,
even our own sinful natures.
Up until now in Mark, Jesus had taught the disciples and the crowds using parables – stories that used everyday objects and situations to illustrate who God is and how to understand the Kingdom of God; this is the first of the Markan miracle stories and the first of several stories that demonstrate Jesus’ own kingship or lordship.

And that is when Mark tells us the disciples are afraid. In v. 41 where this translation says, “They were filled with great awe” and another says, “They were terrified”, but the literal translation would be “They were afraid with great fear.”

Maybe the disciples are afraid of what they do not know and cannot control; or,
Maybe they are afraid because they recognize now that Jesus isn’t only a great teacher but now they see that he is, truly, the son of God;
and, maybe they are afraid because Jesus has called them and given them the authority to act on God’s behalf in the world.

The disciples certainly weren’t the first ones in Scripture who were afraid when they encountered God.

When God spoke to Abram and Sara and promised them that she would bear a son in her old age, Sara was afraid. (Genesis 18:15)
When Moses came down Mount Sinai and met Aaron and the Israelites, they were afraid. (Exodus 34:30)
Even King David was afraid of the Lord, when he was told to carry the ark of the Lord into Jerusalem. (2 Samuel 6:9)

Maybe you can relate to their fear, overwhelmed by God’s call upon your life, the uncertainty of what the next steps will look like, or the responsibility to lead with confidence. 

Maybe you are afraid, as Pastor Dee named last week, of falling short of expectations of ourselves, others or God.

In baptism we promise to trust God,
proclaim Christ through word and deed,
care for others and the world God made,
and work for justice and peace among all people.

These are not vows we make lightly and, remembering martyrs of faith like John the Baptist, whose birthday is celebrated today, we may be fearful of consequences of even faithful actions.

And Jesus never says to his followers there isn’t anything to be afraid of.

What he does is rebuke them for letting their fears dictate their response. Instead of trusting what they know about who God is and the promises God has made to God’s people, they turned inward and relied on their own efforts, forgetting that God was accompanying them.

What he doesn’t do is leave them there to sink or drown. Instead, Jesus invites them to re-claim the power God has:
to defy the devil and all the forces that defy God,
the powers of this world that rebel against God
and the ways of sin that draw us away from God.

It is the very same power that we claim in baptism,when we are named God’s own sons and daughters. It is the “sweet swap” that we make when we profess faith in Jesus Christ — when we are made co-heirs to the Kingdom and we receive all that belongs to the Son of God, and He takes on all that is ours.

That is the power of faith that Martin Luther called “a living, daring confidence in God’s grace, so sure and certain that a [person] would stake his life on it a thousand times....”[ii]

“God calls each one of us in a particular way” and faith is the daring confidence that enlivens us to confront our fears and follow Jesus faithfully.[iii] Like the disciples who traveled with Jesus in the gospels, we are given authority to go out into the world around us and act on God’s behalf in the world, revealing who God is, how much God loves each one of us, and pointing to God’s presence among us even in the storms of life.

Let us pray…
Life-giving God,
Thank you for sending Your Son Jesus into the world to teach us and lead us.
Thank you for making us your sons and daughters and equipping us with the power of faith.
Embolden us by Your Spirit to conquer our fears and boldly bear witness to Your love, mercy and forgiveness in a world that is afraid with great fear.
Amen.

[i] Gerhard Kittle (ed.) Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. II:625.
[ii] Martin Luther, Commentary on Romans, Translation J. Theodore Mueller (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1954), xvii.
[iii] “Isaiah 49:1-6.” Pray As You Go. June 23, 2018.

3rd Sunday after Pentecost

Mark 3:20-35 

In Mark’s gospel Jesus’ ministry begins immediately with healing, confronting powers and principalities and “encountering the power of unclean spirits and demon possession.”[i] And in response, in today’s Gospel reading, the Pharisees and scribes level “a charge against Jesus, accusing him of being in league with the ruler of demons.”[ii] His own family arrives on the scene, saying he is “beside himself” or “out of his mind.”

Responding to their accusations, Jesus takes seriously the realities of Satan and other demonic powers. His direct speech about Satan makes us uncomfortable because in our “secular age” we live in a largely “disenchanted world” where “talking about the Devil is more and more awkward” and more “like telling a story about ghosts, alien abduction, or Bigfoot.” [iii]

Whatever our understanding of these powers are, the reality that Jesus names here is that we are captive “to the powers of evil signified by “Satan,” powers that continue to seek our allegiance” even now.[iv] “The proper name “Satan” comes from the Hebrew … word that simply means adversary.”…Biblically, Satan names that which is working against God and God’s kingdom in the world.”[v] These are the powers that “capture us and cause us to hurt ourselves, to hurt others, and to hurt God.”[vi]

And, captive to these powers, in our communities and neighborhoods, and even within our congregations, we become the “house divided” that Jesus references as we continue to label people as “out of their minds” and in direct opposition to the Gospel — the Good News of Jesus Christ — we demonize, “other” and de-humanize the ones who stand outside: the refugee, the immigrant, the person with brown or black skin; the convict, the poor, and the homeless; those who are differently abled and those whose mental health is compromised.

Nearly four years after comedian and actor Robin Williams’ death by suicide, suicide returned to the news this week followings the deaths of designer Kate Spade and chef Anthony Bourdain.  In addition to having resources and celebrity, all three of these beloved sons and daughters of God had the unfortunate distinction of belonging to the group of people – those between 45 to 64 years old –  who have the highest suicide rate (19.21%) in our country. But the next highest group affected is those 75 and older at 18.59%.[vii] And, across age groups, veterans account for 22% of suicides. No one is immune. 

And yet, despite its prevalence,
despite the fact that each year more than 44,000 Americans die by suicide, and, on average, in our state, one person dies by suicide every six hours, mental health conversations remain difficult and conditions like anxiety, bipolar, depression, and psychosis remain highly stigmatized.  [viii]

The first words of Mark’s Gospel say, “The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” (Mark 1:1) but in his book Jesus and the Disinherited Howard Thurman wrote, “Christianity is only good news, if it’s good news for “those who stand, at a moment in human history, with their backs against the wall.”[ix]

Thurman’s words provoke us to recognize the ways in which too often today, people affected by mental illness still live with their backs against the wall.

And it’s not only “those people,” the ones we don’t know. It is us, it is our children and our sisters and brothers.

Fully 1 in 5 adults experience mental health conditions every year.
1 in 5.And because few of us grew up in settings where mental health was openly discussed, we think, “I should be happy.” “I just need to be more positive.” “I just need to work this out for myself.” And when we don’t find that way forward all on our own, without medication, professional help or counseling, we become more frustrated, more disappointed and more critical of ourselves. [x]We churn in an eddy of dis-ease, shame and mis-understanding, with voices echoing in our heads:

“I am unforgiveable.”
“God punishes and condemns me.”
And “I have no purpose.”

And those are lies. Those are the very evil lies that Jesus names when he “[exposes] our captivity to the “strong men” of our lives.”[xi]

Today’s gospel demonstrates that, truly, “we are enslaved to oppressive spiritual forces …[and] God is acting in Jesus as [our] liberator, emancipator and rescuer.”[xii] 

The Good News that Jesus brings is the assurance of grace that says,

“I am forgivable.”
“God loves me.”
And “God has a purpose for me.”

And it is in those moments when we are freed to “experience the gracious and stunning love of God.”[xiii]

It is really important to say out loud here that people who complete their deaths by suicide are not outside of God’s grace; their disease tragically altered their lives and brought about their premature deaths, but they are not separated from God’s love.

A clergy friend shared the story of a congregation where a row of eight headstones sat at one end of their cemetery. Each of the markers was for a person who had completed their death by suicide. At the time of their burials, the graves had sat beyond the fence around the cemetery; they were considered outside the grace of God at their deaths. Since then, compassion had prevailed and the fence had been moved, so that today, they stand united with the other saints who were laid to rest there.

Maybe you remember those days. Thankfully, similar changes have happened in the majority of Christian traditions, and today, Christians who complete their deaths by suicide are interred or inurned with the same rites of committal and commendation as anyone else.

For each of us here, confident of God’s mercy made new every morning, we can live this Gospel’s Good News out loud in our lives and in our congregation, neighborhoods and communities.

If you are struggling, know you are loved. You matter. You are wildly loved. You are not alone. Stay with us. Please. You brain chemistry is broken, not you. Ask for help. Seek counseling. Work with a doctor to manage the right dose and kind of medication. Freedom awaits. But hear me when I say, if you cannot do any of those things, it doesn’t change the facts: You matter. You are wildly loved. You are not alone. Stay with us. Please.[xiv]

If you are healthy today — and it’s always today because mental health isn’t static and set, it changes and depression can come roaring back into a person’s life without warning — if you are healthy today, learn the number for the Suicide Prevention Hotline. Learn about Mental Health First Aid and QPR trainings that will equip you to respond to others whose mental health is affected. Advocate for comprehensive access to healthcare. Learn about warning signs of suicidal thoughts and behaviors and learn how to listen non-judgmentally to people when they are hurting. Learn and share information about the resources that are available here in Shelby and Cleveland County, and walk alongside people who are hurting, without trying to “fix” them. [xv]

Following Jesus, we are freed to open our imaginations to see the world that Jesus sees, where, as Paul writes in Romans 8:21, “we obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.”

No longer a house divided, we are freed to become a community where we practice care and love and reconciliation, working out the messiness of our lives face to face with real people. That is who the Church is called to be in this hurting world.

Pray with me…
Healing and life-giving God,
Thank you for your Son Jesus who defeats all the powers of evil that persist in this world;
Thank you for your abundant and healing mercy and grace.
Give us courage to confess our dependence on you and name our sin and willfulness when we try to “go it alone.”
Strengthen us by your Holy Spirit to follow Jesus into the world with Your love.
Amen.

[i] https://www.enterthebible.org/newtestament.aspx?rid=3, accessed 6/9/2018.
[ii] https://www.enterthebible.org/newtestament.aspx?rid=3, accessed 6/9/2018.
[iii] Richard Beck. Reviving Old Scratch. xv.
[iv] Feasting on the Word: Year B, Volume 3: Pentecost and Season after Pentecost 1 (Propers 3-16), (Feasting on the Word: Year B volume) (Kindle Location 4329). Presbyterian Publishing Corporation. Kindle Edition.
[v] Beck, 8.
[vi] Feasting on the Word: Year B, Volume 3: Pentecost and Season after Pentecost 1 (Propers 3-16), Kindle Locations 4330-4331.
[vii] 45-54 19.72%, 55 – 64 18.71%, 75-83 18.2%; 85+ 18.98% according to https://afsp.org/about-suicide/suicide-statistics/, accessed 6/9/2018.
[viii] https://afsp.org/about-suicide/state-fact-sheets/#North-Carolina, accessed 6/9/2018.
[ix] Howard Thurman. Jesus and the Disinherited, 11.
[x] Adapted from Rev. Keith Spencer.
[xi] Feasting on the Word: Year B, Volume 3: Pentecost and Season after Pentecost 1 (Propers 3-16), Kindle Location 4337.
[xii] Beck, 44-46.
[xiii] Feasting on the Word: Year B, Volume 3: Pentecost and Season after Pentecost 1 (Propers 3-16), Kindle Locations 4335-4336.
[xiv] Adapted from Rev. Jason Chestnut (@crazy pastor)
[xv] Adapted from Rev. Keith Spencer.

2nd Sunday after Pentecost

Mark 2:23 – 3:6

Perhaps you have heard this story:

One day, someone was walking along the street and watching while two men worked. One would dig a hole about three feet deep, and then walk down the street about twenty-five feet and dig another hole, and on and on. Then a second man would follow behind the first and fill the hole back up. Like the streetscape projects happening uptown right now, this was hard, gritty work in the hot sun.

And, finally, with his curiosity piqued, the outsider approached the men and said to them, “Guys, I’ve been watching you work, but I don’t understand what you are doing. One of you digs a hole, and then the next one fills it in. It doesn’t look like you’re accomplishing much of anything.”

And gently, the first two men explained that usually they had a third man on their crew but he was out that day. You have to understand, they told the outsider, it was his job to plant a tree in each hole.

You see, these obedient workers had learned well how to work diligently, and they were committed to the established pattern of work that they had established. Each of the workers knew exactly how to do his part. They were hard-working, well-intentioned and earnest.

But no one had ever painted a picture of what their obedience and toil could accomplish.

No one had ever invited them to participate in the bigger vision or told them that they weren't just out there digging holes and trucking dirt. They were supposed to be planting trees, and beautifying their city and increasing green spaces.

In Mark’s gospel today, Jesus comes into the lives of the Pharisees as an outsider and challenges them to expand their vision for what it means to be obedient. He challenges them to question what it is they are doing in their sabbath-keeping, what does it mean to be obedient to God’s commands. “He is proclaiming—in word and deed—a new way of understanding who God is.”[ii]

It would have been so much easier for Jesus to just go along with the status quo. After all, just before today’s gospel reading, the disciples and Jesus are gathered at Levi’s house where they sat and ate together; the disciples weren’t going hungry int hat moment; surely, they could have waited until the Sabbath was over to eat the grain from the fields where they were walking... And the man with the withered hand wasn't in any hurry; he didn’t ask to be healed; surely, Jesus could have waited until after the Sabbath to offer his restoration.

Instead of just going along, Jesus challenged their understanding of who God is and what it means to seek the kingdom of God that has drawn near. (1:15) He teaches that Sabbath-keeping isn’t about displaying an empty and devout piety or observing a religious practice for its own sake. Midway through these scenes Jesus tells them, “The Sabbath was made for humankind, not humankind for the Sabbath.” (2:27)[iii]

Sabbath-keeping is not about checking a box or crossing it off your to-do list.

It is about a practice that invites us into life with God – the very same God who loves every one of us, regardless of our economic or social status, regardless of the label the world places on us. This radical life-giving God gives us new life in the forgiveness of our sins even when we have done nothing to earn that grace and shows us that “there is life available, greater and more abundant than we ever imagined.”[iv]

This radical life-giving God sets this day apart and calls it holy.

It is important, not because keeping the Sabbath demonstrates our own diligence and obedience, but because keeping the Sabbath frees us to live differently, and perhaps, even to see differently.

For the people of Israel who came out of slavery in Egypt, the idea that everyone, even slaves and servants, are given a full day set apart from work truly was radical. Imagine their surprise when they learned that their one, true God saw them. God saw the people who go unseen or ignored, the people who work without respite or reward, without refreshment or rest.

And today, God invites us to see them, too.

As Pastor David Lose writes,

God gives us the law to help us get the most out of life and, in particular, to help us get more out of life by helping others, by looking out for them, by taking care of them and, by extension, taking care of each other. [v]

The vision that Jesus casts is one where relationships are more important than rules.
Hear me say that again, relationships are more important than rules.




It is a vision that recognizes that all too often Sabbath-keeping becomes a meaningless pantomime, the repetition of empty motions without any experience of the transformative power of God’s love in our lives.

It is a vision where the Gospel is not only read out loud but lived out loud everyday in our lives!

Pray with me now…
Radical and life-giving God,
We give you thanks for your abundant grace poured out on us regardless of time and season.
We give you thanks for the gift of law that calls us into relationship with you, with each other and for the sake of the world.
By your Holy Spirit, strengthen and empower us to live in the richness of your mercy and the joy of our salvation, restored to relationship with you.
We pray in the name of Your Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus.
Amen.

[i] Feasting on the Word: Year B, Volume 3: Pentecost and Season after Pentecost 1 (Propers 3-16) (Feasting on the Word: Year B volume) (Kindle Location 3354). Presbyterian Publishing Corporation. Kindle Edition.
[ii] Feasting on the Word, (Kindle Locations 3502-3503).
[iii] David Lose, In the Meantime.
[iv] Feasting on the Word, (Kindle Locations 3525-3527).
[v] ibid