The Questions of Jesus: Mark

This is the introduction and a few paragraphs of the book I recently published on Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing titled: The Questions of Jesus: Mark.  If you are interested in purchasing the book, please click the link.  If you are patient, in a week or so, you can get it for free.

Introduction

            Being a father of three, I hear these words or a version of them constantly: “Daddy, how come…”; “Daddy, why does…”,  “Daddy, do you…”  The amount of questions seems inexhaustible, and many times, I find myself thinking, “Would you just stop asking questions?”  Yes, I am completely aware of the irony of the situation.  But, questions are important.  Very important.

I truly believe that as human beings, we never stop learning.  Even though our bodies stop growing and start aging, our minds and intellects continue to develop and grow through our interactions in the world.  Something is always out there that we just don’t know enough about and could stand some brushing up on.  Those of us with internet access know that there exists a whole virtual world of knowledge and opinions that far exceed the capacity of the human mind to assimilate.  In my opinion, this is not a bad thing.  It allows us to stay sharp as we engage points of view and facts that do not necessarily conform with our understandings and views.  Such attempts to reconcile, change, or reject keeps our synapses sharp.  (For those of you who don’t know what a synapse is, I have just made my point about the necessity of continued learning.) 

            As a pastor, it is further my belief that our faith lives are in constant flux.  Contrary to the belief of some, you never have your life of faith all figured out.  You never can figure all of Christianity out.  Just when you think you’ve got it down, another insight is revealed, another interpretation is offered, or God speaks to you in a way that sheds light on something that you have struggled with.  Yes, our faith constantly ebbs and grows. 

            Now, there are those who might like to argue with me about that statement.  Christianity is nearly 2000 years old.  In that 2000 years, we have covered all there is to cover forward, backward, and forward again.  There is nothing new under the sun.  “Jesus loves me, this I know.  What more do I need to know?”   The teachings in the Bible have not changed.  If my faith is based upon what is revealed in the Bible, how can things continue to ebb and grow?  These trains of thought are very similar to some of the folks written about in the pages of Scripture: especially those who questioned Jesus’ teachings and actions.  They thought that they had faith in God all figured out.  They thought that they understood the things they were supposed to do and say that would keep them in God’s good graces.  Why should they grow any further? 

            But Jesus would have none of that.  Jesus constantly stretched His audience, called them to see God in another way, and called them to open their eyes to different possibilities of how God can and does act.  Oftentimes, some of His most poignant points were rammed home by asking a question.  “Why are you afraid?”  “Who do the crowds say that I am?”  “Who do you say that I am?”  “Why do you call me good?”  Jesus stretched his audience, and he continues to stretch us today.  The questions that he asked during the time he walked the earth are questions that still carry relevance to us today.  I invite you to join me in a journey of looking at those questions and growing in your faith as we invite Jesus to challenge us with the questions He asked in the book of Mark.

In Your Hearts

2:1-9, ¹When Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. ²So many gathered around that there was no longer room for them, not even in front of the door; and he was speaking the word to them. ³Then some people came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. ⁴And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay. ⁵When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” ⁶Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, ⁷“Why does this fellow speak in this way? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”  ⁸At once Jesus perceived in his spirit that they were discussing these questions among themselves; and he said to them, “Why do you raise such questions in your hearts? ⁹Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Stand up and take your mat and walk’?”¹⁰But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic—¹¹“I say to you, stand up, take your mat and go to your home.” ¹²And he stood up, and immediately took the mat and went out before all of them; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

            A rather interesting scene takes place in the movie 10 Things I Hate About You.  Two characters who have a rather colorful past end up dating together, and on one such date, they begin to question one another regarding all of the rumors that others have told about them.  The conversation went something like this:

            Patrick: No, none of that stuff is true.

            Kat: State trooper?

            P: Fallacy.  Dead guy in the parking lot?

            K: Rumor.  The duck?

            P: Here say.  Bobby Ridgeway’s b-lls?

            K: Fact, but he deserved it.  He tried to grope me in the lunch line.

            P: Fair enough.

            K: The accent?

            P: It’s real.  I lived in Australia until I was 10.

            K: With the pygmies?

            P: Close, with my mum.  (10 Things I Hate About You, 1999)

            I watched with fascination at how nearly all the rumors that swelled up about these two characters were false.  Because each character was mysterious and acted quite contrary to what others believed as normal, folks talked about them behind their backs.  In order to explain the perceived abnormality, folks created stories questioning the characters’ sanity and painting them as psychopathic wierdos.  Anyone who has ever had one’s name drug through the rumor mill can relate very well to what happened to these two characters.  Fortunately, for them it was a movie.  In real life, things can end up much worse.

There is no Magic Bullet

The other day, as I was walking through the corridors of the church building, I stopped and tightened my belt.  I have now officially graduated to the last notch, and before too long, a new belt might be in order.

This is not the first time I have come close to reaching such a milestone.  Several years ago, I came close to this, but I gained it all back.  My motivations were different back then, and once the motivation was gone, so was my drive to do things differently.

This time, I think things are different.

This time, I think I have the drive, desire, and motivation to keep things going.  At least I hope so.

You see, I share a lot in common with my dad.  He and I are cut from the same mold.  We have a very similar personality and thought process.  We have a very similar warped sense of humor.  We have a very similar, deep faith in God.  Physically, I am maybe an inch taller, but we share a very similar build.  We shared a love of playing sports in our youth, and we share a similar injury history as well.

Dad sustained a knee injury while playing football--luckily, it didn't require surgery.  I sustained injuries to both knees while playing football--neither needing surgery.

Dad's injury has come back to bite him in a big way.  It's been tough to watch.  For much of my youth, my dad seemed invincible.  His strength and endurance seemed unparalleled.  I didn't want to jack with him because of this.  He could out work me any day of the week and twice on Sunday.  Nothing seemed to slow him down.

But age is finally doing that.  It is the great equalizer over time, and age has gotten my dad's knee in a painful way.  He simply can't do the things he used to do.  The last time we were down, he had to skip an outing with the family because he would never be able to walk the distance required.  My kids sorely missed him.  I did too.  I love watching my dad interact with my kids.  They adore him.  It's fun to see.

But I am cognitively aware of many things.  Not the least of these is the affect that carrying extra weight can have on one's joints over time, and while I certainly didn't look massively overweight, I was carrying at least 30 pounds too much.  With all the similarities I share with my father, I didn't want to share this one.  I didn't want to succumb to painful knees which limited my ability to work and play with my kids and hopefully grandkids.  And I also know that starting now is better than starting later.

Sometimes, the stars align just right, and we are given the tools we need without even asking for them.  Back in May, there was one day when Amazon.com highlighted a free app of the day.  It was Sparkpeople a "diet" and exercise app.  I downloaded it.

Looking it over, I studied it's capability.  There were several things which caught my attention: if you inputted your current weight and then inputted your goal weight and the time with which you wanted to achieve that weight, it would give you a calorie range per day to stay within.  It also allowed you to type in foods and figure out how many calories you were consuming.  It further allowed you to input your exercise routine and figure out how many calories you were burning.  The word which came to me was: accountability.

As I began using this app, I truly became accountable for how much I was eating and the amount of calories I was putting into my body.  Frankly, I was a bit shocked at how much I was taking in without even realizing it.  Personally, I did not change the things I ate, but the amounts that I actually ate.  Portion sizes became key.  Limiting the amount I ate at a particular time became key.  Spacing out the times where I ate and snacked became key.

I started exercising much more regularly as well.  I began with walking.  Just walking.

The weight started coming off.  I was pleased.

But, as with most things, a plateau was reached, and I stayed at it for quite some time.  I knew something had to give, and I gave up drinking sodas.  This was difficult since I love the taste of Dr. Pepper made with imperial cane sugar.  I budgeted 150 calories per day to have one of those puppy dogs.  I still miss them.

But I don't miss the weight.  It began coming off again.

Walking turned into intervals of walking and speed walking.  Soon, I added squats and push ups to the circuit.  Then I added jogging a couple of times.  Now, I'm doing intervals of walk, speed walk, and jog on a consistent basis with jumping jacks, squats, and push ups mixed in.

I'm only two pounds away from my goal.  As far as things are going, I might push a little more to see if I can get five more pounds below that.  If I am successful, I will have taken off 35 pounds.

And there was no magic bullet.  There was no magic formula.  There was and is pain.  There was and is hunger.  A church member asked me whether or not I was able to do this without being hungry.

"Not a chance," I said.

For me, the question comes down to whether or not one allows one's brain or one's impulses to be in charge.  One's impulses are strong.  They want to eat, to consume, to sit and rest and relax, to seek comfort and pleasure.  There is a part of society which tells us to give in to these impulses because then we will be really happy.  Maybe for the short term, such an assessment is correct.

But I see my dad limping.  I see that I could do the same in 20 years if I do not take steps now.

There's no magic bullet that will prevent this, but there is watching how much I eat.  There is making sure I exercise and stay active.  There is telling my stomach "no" when it wants me to indulge.  "How many calories is in this, and how many do I have to spend?" is my constant question.  Enduring a few hunger pangs and sore muscles is the price I must pay, and hopefully my knees will not cause me grief.  Hopefully, I will be able to have plenty of movement to have fewer limitations when dealing with my children and grandchildren.  And hopefully, I will need a new belt.

Mismatched Socks

I am wearing mismatched socks today.

My wife and I have both been pretty busy as of late and so the sock pile in my drawer dwindled, and the sock pile of dirty laundry grew.  This morning, there were only three socks in my drawer, and they were all different--a testament to the uncanny ability of a washer and dryer to consume socks.

Therefore, I was left with little choice but to wear mismatched socks.

But here is the kicker, no one would ever know unless I told them.  I wear blue jeans and boots to work.  No one ever sees my socks.  I could have gone through this entire day without anyone ever knowing the flaw in my attire today.  The only one who would have known about it is me.  Well, me and God, but I'm not so sure He consumes Himself with angst when one of His creation wears mismatched socks.

There are other matters with which He consumes Himself--not the least, the other things we willfully try to hide.

And we like to hide a lot.

Yeah, I know that all those aisles of make-up are sold to people with the idea they are to "enhance" a person's natural beauty, but give me a break--that's one of the greatest lies ever told.  P.T. Barnum would be proud.  Make up covers up the original.  It's a mask.  It covers reality.  It allows a person to hide one's true face-flaws and all.

And how many products are on the shelves which seek to help us hide the fact that we are growing older?  Hair dyes, creams, Botox, plastic surgery.  You name it, it's out there.  All striving to get us to cover up and hide the fact that we are growing older.

Baggy clothes cover up weight gain.  Other products are designed to cover up other perceived physical flaws and limitations.

And we don't just cover up our physical selves.  Not in the least.  There is much that we hide about our families.  To let others know our family isn't perfect--that we argue and fuss and fight and deal with stubborn, rebellious children and worry about our financial situations and work too much and play too little and that we are bored out of our minds when the power or internet goes out and that we desperately want quiet time but not too much of it because it gives us too much time to think and reflect and that we want to disconnect from all the electronic connections technology has brought us but we are afraid we might miss something and that in the midst of all of this we long and desire to love and be loved but even when we have a significant other we are afraid to admit this or ask for what we would like lest we show some sort of vulnerability.  Yes.  Our relationships can be quite messy, and so we work to cover them up.  It is very rare that if you ask someone, "How are you?" they don't respond, "Fine."

And that's not all.

No.  Not the least.  We haven't even gotten to the real nitty-gritty.  We haven't even gotten to those other dirty little secrets: the mismatched socks which are a part of the human psyche and soul.  You know the ones I am talking about.  The secret thoughts and desires and hatreds which reside deep down within our hearts and minds.  The secret thoughts and desires which never see the light of day.  The secret thoughts and desires which if were ever fully known might cause a number of people shock, discomfort, surprise, even anger.

We bury such things deep down.  They must not see the light of day.  For then, others would truly know our flaws, our weaknesses.  Sharks smell blood in the water, and they circle quickly.  If we show weakness, the human sharks will do likewise.  No one must know that we have mismatched socks.

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. --Jesus, the Sermon on the Mount

Most of us know, God forgives us.  Most of us know God sees all of our sin.  Most of us know when we admit such sin to Him, He wipes the slate clean.  We become free--free to live our lives from carrying around such burdens. 

We know this.  We also know we continue to sin.  We also know nearly everyone else does too.  We know all too well we have skeletons in the closet, but we know everyone else does too.  Yet, we persist in trying to keep those skeletons from everyone else.  We persist in trying to keep them secret, covered up.  If no one ever knows...then my reputation will remain in tact; then no one will think less of me; then I will not have to answer embarrassing questions; then I don't have to face any shame; then I don't have to admit my failure and my flaws.

We spend tremendous amounts of energy making sure no one knows we have mismatched socks.

What if we truly practiced what Jesus spoke of forgiveness?  What if we truly implemented the truth of forgiveness?  What if we truly recognized our flaws and the flaws of others and instead of spending so much time, energy, and money trying to conceal them, we admitted them and asked each other for assistance in overcoming them?  What if by bringing them to light, we walked through the shame and into the freedom of true forgiveness?

Would it change the way we lived?  Would it change the dynamics of our relationships?

I have mismatched socks.  Literally and figuratively.  Does that make you think less of me?

Re-Forming

    There was a potter who after years of dedication and hard work decided to create his most wonderful work.  He woke that morning and began working the clay.  He added just the right amount of water to make it just the perfect consistency.  He molded it with his hands to check and make sure.  When he was completely, absolutely satisfied, he threw it on the potter’s wheel.

    Sitting down, the potter began to spin the wheel.  Years of doing this very thing had honed his muscle movements perfectly.  The wheel spun as he worked his feet building up to just the perfect speed.  The potter’s hands then flashed toward the clay.  The hands worked it, embraced it, and molded it.  The lump of clay began to change shape.  Guided by skillful fingers it rose into a perfect mound.  Studying the mound for just a second, the potter thrust his fingers toward it and shaped it further.  A piece of pottery so masterful, so creative began to take shape.  The master’s hands continued to work and mold and create until after what seemed like eternity, the piece was finished.  The artist stood back and admired his work.  It seemed perfect.  He could detect no flaws.  Removing it from the wheel, he set it apart to dry. Eventually, he would paint and fire the piece so that all could see this marvelous artwork.

    Going to bed that night, the potter dreamed of seeing the faces of others light up as they viewed the exquisite piece he had thrown this day.  The dreams were abnormally sweet.

    The next morning, the potter awoke and checked on his masterpiece.  When he entered the room, he cried out in dismay.  The piece had slumped and fallen into disarray!  This could not be.  He had mixed everything perfectly!  He had taken all precautions!  This should not have happened!  He rushed to check on his piece.  Looking it over, he thought it could be more than salvaged.  As he inspected it, he was quite sure he could actually restore it to its original perfection.

    His skillful fingers once again worked over this masterful piece of art.  Molding the clay, he reformed it into its original beauty.  After painstaking moments, he stared once more at the intricate beauty he had created.  He then departed to continue his other work.

    But alas! When the artist came back to check on the piece, he noticed it becoming deformed once again!  What was wrong with this piece?  He had never had such a thing happen before.  Should he start over?  Should he scrap his work?  Should he just try to recreate it?

    No.  The piece was too beautiful.  It was too precious.  It was indeed a masterpiece, and so the potter reformed it once more.

    Perhaps it was fate.  Perhaps it was something else, but the potter found that each time he reformed the piece of pottery, it somehow managed to get out of whack.  No matter what he tried; no matter how he added water or extra clay, it would fall out of perfection and into disrepair.  People marveled at how the potter could be so stubborn.  “Why don’t you just scrap that thing and try and create it again?”  “Wouldn’t it be worth your time just to move on?”  “Why don’t you just give up on that thing and just let it go.  Let it do its own thing and you create some other piece of artwork.”

    The advice was often tempting.  It seemed like it would be more rational to give upon the whole process, scrap the thing, and start over.  Surely there was another masterpiece within those hands and fingers.  Each time those thoughts crept in, the potter would look at that piece he had sculpted.  He saw the beauty of his creation.  He saw how marvelous it looked when it was brought to perfection.  He saw that in a real way, it was a part of him–almost as if it were created in his own image.  Destruction was out of the question.  He loved this piece of work.  He knew what it could be, and he would not stop reforming it–even if he had to keep working on it until the day he died.

    Most of us, if we were in the shoes of that potter would probably quit.  We would probably start all over and give up.  We would probably say our time, effort and energy was not worth it.  Many of us would perhaps say the potter was crazy in his endeavor to fix a masterpiece that obviously could not be fixed.  Indeed, the definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing over and over and over again while expecting different results.  However, I would like to offer a different caveat to that definition this morning: what if you know you are doing the right things?  What if you know you have indeed chosen the correct approach in dealing with a particular situation?  What if you know that the other options of doing things are ill advised or detrimental to that which you are working with?  If indeed you are doing the right thing, then is doing it insanity or determination?   Is it craziness or hopefulness?

    Some may look at God’s decision to deal with humankind through the concept of grace as insanity or craziness.  After all, in many ways it doesn’t make much sense.  We are corrupted.  Don’t get me wrong here–I am not saying we are completely and totally deprived.  I am not saying we are completely and totally evil.  I am not saying we cannot do good things or accomplish things which are acceptable in God’s sight.  This is most certainly not true.  Indeed, when you look around the world and in our communities, you see that we do some really marvelous things: acts of compassion and mercy not only toward other human beings but toward other species–cats, dogs, cattle, horses, and the like.  You see that humans are generous in their response to those who have suffered tragedy and despair.  There is good which runs through us.

    But we are not wholly good.  There is a streak of selfishness which runs through the best of us.  That streak emerges time and again in obvious and subtle ways.  It leads us to division, strife, anger, and animosity.  Instead of loving our neighbor as ourselves, we love ourselves and care for our neighbor as long as it doesn’t inconvenience us.  Our brokenness shows when we blame others for problems and do not realize that we too suffer from the same selfishness and anger which drives thieves, murderers, adulterers, and manipulators of the system to do the things they do.  We are cracked, broken, slumping pieces of pottery–even though we were created to be a masterpiece.

    And God cherishes the beauty He sees in us.  God cherishes the kindness He put into us.  He cherishes His creation that He created in His own image and likeness.  He could destroy us and start anew, but He is attached.  And so, He constantly reaches His hands out to us to mold us and reform us into that which He intended us to be.  He knows He is doing the right thing.  He knows He is handling us with all the skill He can muster.  He knows He must give us freedom to stand on our own–even though He knows we will probably slump down once more into imperfection.  But He will never give up.  He will never quit.  He will always seek to reform us and bring us back to His original intent.

    Today, we celebrate Reformation Sunday.  It is one of my favorite Sundays of the Church year.  We commemorate the day when Martin Luther, the namesake of the Lutheran Church, nailed 95 Theses to the door of the church in Wittenberg Germany calling the Church of the day to debate the nature of God and the salvation He provided through Jesus Christ.  Unfortunately, the intended reform brought about division because of the hard headedness and hard heartedness of humanity, but it also brought about a re-emphasis on the nature of God–the God who is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love; the God who from the cross spoke the words, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they do.”; the God who sent His only begotten Son into the world so that those who believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God sent the Son into the world not to condemn the world, but to save it.

    Today, we remember God’s desire to keep reforming, not only the Church, but us as well.  When it might be easier to scrap the whole project and start over, instead God tenaciously and hopefully molds us over and over into the people we were intended to be.  We don’t deserve it, but God does it anyway.  It’s called Grace, and it’s the reason we seek to Live God’s Word Daily.  Amen.

Actions Follow Beliefs

I have heard numerous comments from concerned people regarding the need to minimize argumentation over beliefs.

"We just need to set aside our beliefs and simply act in an appropriate manner toward one another."

I understand where this is coming from.  I really do.

In a diverse society where there are many conflicting worldviews and beliefs, it is difficult to find a particular common ground.  If we emphasize the differences--i.e. the belief systems which vary so much--we will become polarized, divided, eventually see one another as enemies.

If we could just set aside those beliefs and not worry so much about them or trying to get others to agree with our beliefs, then we could just concentrate on what we need to do to work together to make this world a better place for everyone.

Well, first, I think you have to convince everyone of your belief that we don't need to concentrate on beliefs.

Secondly, this goes against how our brains actually function.  Reading the book Why God Won't Go Away by Andrew Newberg , Eugene G. D'Aquili, and Vince Rause, I came across this quote:

The fact that such inhibitors are necessary in the first place to prevent us from slavishly acting out all our thoughts suggests that it is the inbuilt tendency of the brain to turn thoughts into actions.  In fact, even when our brains are operating normally, this tendency may break through, as when we talk with our hands, or when we lean and sway in an attempt to coax an errant golf shot back toward the fairway.  (Kindle location 1413)

The inbuilt tendency of the brain is to turn thoughts into actions not vice-versa.  It is our thoughts, our beliefs that lead to actions, and it would behoove us to remember this.

If the Church tries to get caught up into the idea that our beliefs don't matter, we will get in trouble. 

Cliques in Church

A respected member of my congregation approached me a week or so ago.  "Pastor," he said, "You need to say something or do a sermon about cliques."

I waited for further explanation.

"I've spoke to two people recently about coming to church.  Both of them said the same thing.  They both said they won't come to church because of the cliques in the church.  Something needs to be done about that."

Perhaps so, but I am now a veteran when it comes to handling church dynamics.  I've seen how more often than not, when you try to address something, the exact opposite happens.  Harp on people for not coming to church, and church attendance drops.  Harp on people for not giving enough or telling them to tithe 10% of their income, and offerings drop.  Tell them they need to come to Sunday School, and they don't.  Reverse psychology should be the order of the day, but if you go with the intent of trying to change things by doing the opposite, might you get figured out by doing that too?  Isn't that a bit manipulative?  Probably.

And that rightly leads to stagnation and a fear of even trying to address the issue.  That's not good either.

So, the question is: how does one address the issue of cliques without trying to offer a mandate or tell everyone how they should act knowing they are liable to do the exact opposite?

Perhaps what follows is a feeble attempt:

I believe cliques are a part of the way the world and nature works.  I think they are inescapable.  I mean it.  Kids form cliques in pre-school and school without any sort of guidance or compulsion.  They just do it.  In the animal kingdom, cliques are formed in most species.  Fish swim in schools.  Cattle gather in herds.  Lions in prides, etc. etc.  Each has its own hierarchy and social structure.  Most become closed and only open up on special occasions.

These groups form for various reasons: protection, cooperation, feeding, and even socialization.  In my estimation, this means cliques are neither good or bad, they just are.

Even in the church, we have our cliques.  I think we'd like to pretend they don't exist, but they are there regardless.  You have the women's group.  The quilters.  Men in mission.  Youth group.  Choir.  Adult Bible study, and so on.  These groups are organized based upon some commonality shared by all group members--gender, age, interest, ability.  It's how we organize ourselves.  Again, neither good or bad; cliques just are.

As I see it, the problem is not with cliques in and of themselves.  It is when cliques become self-important, refuse to cooperate with others, and become closed that they become a problem.

St. Paul's analogy in 1 Corinthians 12 is instrumental in my opinion:
 
12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.  14 Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. ¹⁵If the foot were to say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body’, that would not make it any less a part of the body. ¹⁶And if the ear were to say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body’, that would not make it any less a part of the body. ¹⁷If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. ¹⁹If all were a single member, where would the body be? ²⁰As it is, there are many members, yet one body. ²¹The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’, nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’ ²²On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, ²³and those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect; ²⁴whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, ²⁵that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. ²⁶If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.

Paul does not encourage everyone to be alike.  Far from it.  In fact, Paul encourages the Church to honor it's differences, but with a very important caveat:

We are all one body.

Let that sink in for a moment.  We are all one body.  If various body parts begin warring against one another, really bad things happen.  We actually know what that is called: cancer.  With cancer, a group of cells thinks they are more important than the rest.  They quit doing their job.  They go rogue.  They begin monopolizing resources.  They begin feeding off the rest of the body.  Eventually, if left unchecked, they kill the body.

In the Church, there is an antidote for such things--remembering who the head of the Church is and what He has called us to do.  Remember, Paul is explicit in who he says the head of the Church is:

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; ¹⁶for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. ¹⁷He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. --Colossians 1:15-18

To give this a very, local spin: St. John Lutheran Church of Cat Spring is actually ruled and governed by our head: Jesus Christ.  We believe He has given us a vision and a mission: To Live God's Word Daily specifically by Actively reaching out as a strong Christian influence in our community by showing God's love through kindness, caring, and involvement with others inside and outside our community of faith.

All of our various parts theoretically should revolve around the Head and His instructions to us.  Theoretically, everything we do should keep these things in mind.  All of our various ministries and parts revolved around this vision and mission.  If we should lose sight of this, then we face a war between the cliques.  We face cliques vying for power and influence.  Each clique's ministry becomes more important than the overall mission.

If you need evidence of this, look at our current political situation.  Most representatives of our nation are there not to work for the good of their country, but for the good of their constituents.  They are trying to get a piece of the pie for their district, their state, their area of representation instead of looking out for the good of the entire country.  This leads to division and strife, something we are all too familiar with by reading our news papers and news feeds.

Should the Church reflect society or Christ?  Should the Church represent what is going on in society, or should it represent what is going on in heaven where all are focused on God and His reign?  The answer to me seems pretty obvious.

I personally do not believe cliques are necessarily a problem in any congregation, church, or community.  It's how we organize, but it is my sincere hope that any clique that is within the congregation of St. John or any other congregation or denomination recognizes its vision and mission and works for the betterment of our congregation, denomination, and its fulfillment of the Christian mission in society.

Do You Have Itchy Ears? (Like Me?)

    There is a story I have told in a sermon before, but I believe it bears repeating in light of our lessons this morning:   

    A retired preacher went back to visit a town in which he once served.  Sitting down in the local café, he recognized on of his former parishioners.  The preacher called out, “Hi, Bob, how are things at the church?”

    Bob recognizing the preacher from years ago replied, “Hello Reverend.  Actually, I don’t know how things are at the church anymore.  I don’t go there.”

    This surprised the pastor.  Bob had been a pillar of the congregation when he left.  Bob had served as congregation president; he taught Bible study; he was a mentor to several youth; he attended almost every single Sunday; and he was a steady and generous contributor.  The fact that Bob no longer went to church there rocked the pastor to the core.  “May I ask what happened?” the pastor said.

    Bob didn’t hesitate, “Well, Reverend, I hate to say it, but Satan raised dissension in our midst.  Some folks just stopped believing the appropriate things, so half of us got up and started our own church.”

    The pastor replied, “I am truly sorry to hear that.  How are things going at that church?”

    Bob replied, “I don’t know.  You would think that we would be able to agree on everything, but it didn’t happen.  Satan’s reach is long, and before you know it, a group of us had to leave again.  About six couples started gathering in our homes to listen to God’s Word.”

    The pastor then said, “And did you find peace in that small group?”

    “No,” Bob said.  “Before long my wife and I had to leave that group as they were not true to the Word or to doctrine.  We began worshiping together on Sunday’s alone.”

    The pastor replied, “I take it then, that this has brought you spiritual peace?”

    And Bob said, “Nope, before long, things went south again.  I worship on the east side of the house, and my wife worships on the west side.”

    Yes, it is funny, and it probably is funny because it has a bit of truth within it.  For in many ways, this story illustrates the religious backdrop that is the United States of America–particularly the church.  We literally have thousands of denominations in the U.S. and hundreds of thousands of churches, and many of them have come about in exactly the fashion this story presents to us.  They have split over disagreements and doctrines, and more often than not, our second lesson which we heard this morning is used as justification for those splits.

    In case you missed it, I’d like to refresh it in our minds.  Please take a listen to what St. Paul tells Timothy: 16All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work. In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge you: 2proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching. 3For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, 4and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths.

    Usually, folks use this text as a weapon to basically say, “All scripture is inspired by God, and you are not taking scripture seriously. You have itchy ears and are leaving sound doctrine.  We have no choice but to break away and hold onto the right, pure doctrine.”  It’s always the other person who has the problem.  It’s always those people out there who are wrong.  It’s always the other guy who has itchy years, and it’s definitely not me.

    Of course, that’s the attitude; however I think it’s mistaken.  In fact, I’d submit to you this morning, my brothers and sisters, that each and every one of us have itchy ears.  I’d submit that each and every one of us have our own particular understandings and core convictions, and we like those things affirmed and stroked.  I’d submit that each and every one of us do not like having those convictions challenged, and we are often content to surround ourselves with people who believe exactly as we believe and do the things we like to do.

    That’s an extremely easy thing to do in our technological age.  I mean, how many of you have ever deleted someone off your Facebook list because they embrace a particular ideology and keep harping on it?  Guilty as charged here.  In this day folks are more than happy to announce their particular philosophy and theology, and many of them put this stuff on Youtube.  It’s easy to search around on there until you find folks who agree with your point of view and keep listening to them and have them reinforce your beliefs instead of being challenged by others.  It’s easy to frequent certain websites who give a particular slant to the news and avoid others which give you a different perspective on an event.

    Before you know it, you can end up completely isolated–never challenged.  And if you are challenged, say for instance, you don’t like what I say in the sermon this morning, you can head out of here turn on the television or get on the internet.  In a matter of moments you can find another preacher like Joel Osteen who will tell you the things you want to hear.  It’s that simple.

    And of course, such isolation leads to division.  We have only to look at what happened the past few weeks in Washington D.C. to see evidence of this.  Two sides which are completely entrenched decide to play games with the American people.  They are completely isolated and refuse to consider a different point of view.  Not only does it divide the capital-it divides the nation; and, instead of a place that seeks to be different from society, the Church oftentimes reflects society.  We become embroiled in division as well.

    And what do we fight about?  Interestingly enough, when you sit down and think about it, we don’t often fight about sound doctrine.  Instead, we fight about what we are supposed to DO; how we are supposed to live out the Christian faith.  How does this look?  Well, it can be a battle over what color to paint the building.  Some churches fight over whether or not it is okay to put artificial flowers on the altar or if real ones need to be used.  Churches fight about who can serve as a pastor–if a certain gender is allowed or not or if a person of a particular sexual orientation can serve.  Some fight about how a church cares for the poor–should they help without question or should someone work before they eat.  Others fight about how the church engages politics–should they lobby government and force government to promote Christian values, should the church remain separate and apart from government completely, or somewhere in between.

    All of these battles are focused on the law.  They are not focused on doctrine.  Now, the law is very important.  There is no doubt about that.  It helps us tremendously in teaching us how we ought to live.  It serves as a guide as to what is right and what is wrong.  It also teaches us and confronts us with our sinfulness.  Most of you know the Big Ten, and I’m not talking about the football conference.  You know the 10 Commandments: I am the Lord your God, you shall have no other gods before me; you shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, honor your father and mother, remember the Sabbath and keep it holy, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not bear false witness, thou shalt not covet your neighbor’s property or his wife and so on.  You know Jesus’ commands, “If you look at a woman with lust in your heart, you have committed adultery.  If you have anger toward your brother, you are committing murder.  When you fed the least of these my brothers, you fed me.”  We need the law, but we cannot follow it completely.

    And that is important.  Very important.  None of us can completely measure up to what the law demands.  None of us can follow every detail.  It’s an impossibility.  If we were able to follow it, we wouldn’t need a Savior.  Jesus would not have had to die.  As that most famous quote from the Gospel of John says, “For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son so that everyone who believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God sent the Son into the world not to condemn the world but that the world may be saved through Him.”

    We call this grace.  And in my estimation, this is the sound doctrine from which we turn away from.  When we focus on the law, we divide ourselves to exclusion; however, if we focus on grace, a very different dynamic occurs.  When I realize that I am totally dependent upon God for my salvation, I am humbled.  I no longer see myself as the be all and end all when it comes to knowing and practicing the faith of Jesus.  And when I look at another person, I come to understand that other person needs Jesus just as much as I do.  Therefore, I cannot see that other person as an enemy, as an opponent, or someone doomed to hell because he or she does not believe as I believe.  Instead, I see that person as a brother, a sister, a member of my family–whether I like that person or not.

    And when a group of people gather together inspired by grace, they can come together regardless of differences and work and worship together.  In this manner, they change society instead of mirror it.  And that, my brothers and sisters, is Living God’s Word Daily.  Amen.