Sep 30 2018

… and Jesus took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, “whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.” I thought it would be a good idea to remind us of the end of last week’s Gospel lesson because it happens right before what happens in our Gospel reading today. The first few times I read what comes up in our reading today, I imagined the disciples and Jesus walking together on the road and hearing the disciples whine to Jesus about others driving out demons.

That’s not the setting at all. Jesus is still sitting in the house with the disciples with the child in his arms. He’s just told those present that this child - whom society sees as “the least of these” - is an allegory for God. What’s the disciples’ response? Amazement or wonder? Unfortunately not. John complains to Jesus about others who aren’t following “us.” Even though Jesus has given them a powerful lesson about being humble, John and the others continue to gripe about not getting enough credit.

… and Jesus took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, “whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.” I thought it would be a good idea to remind us of the end of last week’s Gospel lesson because it happens right before what happens in our Gospel reading today. The first few times I read what comes up in our reading today, I imagined the disciples and Jesus walking together on the road and hearing the disciples whine to Jesus about others driving out demons.

Now as you’ve probably figured out, the Gospel of Mark doesn’t portray the disciples in the best light. Frankly - they’re bumbling idiots in most of Mark. Here is no exception. John was complaining that this person was exorcising demons in Jesus’ name and not following “us.” There’s that “us” again. Why is John so worried about being followed? It seems like he hasn’t really learned his lesson about being servant of all. The point is that we aren’t called to be followed, but to follow Jesus. Too often in this world, we dismiss those who aren’t following “us.” I’m as guilty as anyone. But this unnamed person was casting out demons in the name of Jesus.

That’s not the setting at all. Jesus is still sitting in the house with the disciples with the child in his arms. He’s just told those present that this child - whom society sees as “the least of these” - is an allegory for God. What’s the disciples’ response? Amazement or wonder? Unfortunately not. John complains to Jesus about others who aren’t following “us.” Even though Jesus has given them a powerful lesson about being humble, John and the others continue to gripe about not getting enough credit.

Now demons may seem foreign to us, especially those of us that are Lutheran. It’s not something we really talk about, and frankly it makes a lot of us feel uncomfortable. Jesus is having to address John’s complaint in a house in Capernaum - probably Peter’s house. I’ve stood outside Peter’s house in Capernaum and can tell you that it’s about 50 feet away from the synagogue. Very early on in Mark’s Gospel, Jesus is faced with a demon-possessed man in this very synagogue. That demon says to Jesus, “What have you to do with us Jesus of Nazareth? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” The demon is fully aware of the divine nature of Jesus - the disciples, not so much. Self-absorption blinds them to Christ and his mission.

Now as you’ve probably figured out, the Gospel of Mark doesn’t portray the disciples in the best light. Frankly - they’re bumbling idiots in most of Mark. Here is no exception. John was complaining that this person was exorcising demons in Jesus’ name and not following “us.” There’s that “us” again. Why is John so worried about being followed? It seems like he hasn’t really learned his lesson about being servant of all. The point is that we aren’t called to be followed, but to follow Jesus. Too often in this world, we dismiss those who aren’t following “us.” I’m as guilty as anyone. But this person was casting out demons in the name of Jesus.

Now demons may seem foreign to us, especially those of us that are Lutheran. It’s not something we really talk about, and frankly it makes a lot of us feel uncomfortable. Jesus is having to address John’s complaint in a house in Capernaum - probably Peter’s house. I’ve stood outside Peter’s house in Capernaum and can tell you that it’s about 50 feet away from the synagogue. Very early on in Mark’s Gospel, Jesus is faced with a demon-possessed man in this very synagogue. That demon says to Jesus, “What have you to do with us Jesus of Nazareth? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” The demon is fully aware of the divine nature of Jesus - the disciples, not so much. Self-absorption blinds them to Christ and his mission.

Now demons may seem foreign to us, especially those of us that are Lutheran. It’s not something we really talk, and frankly it makes a lot of us feel uncomfortable. Jesus is having to address John’s gripe in a house in Capernaum - probably Peter’s house. I’ve stood outside Peter’s house in Capernaum and can tell you that it’s about 50 feet away from the synagogue. Very early on in Mark’s Gospel, Jesus is faced with a demon-possessed man in this very synagogue. That demon says to Jesus, “What have you to do with us Jesus of Nazareth? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” The demon is fully aware of the divine nature of Jesus - the disciples, not so much. Self-absorption blinds them to Christ and his mission.

Demons can be spirits or malevolent beings, but they can also represent the embodiment of that which is not of God. That of course raises the question: what are the demons that plague us today? I’m sure you can think of things that are demonic in our world today: sexism, classism, racism, human trafficking, drug addiction, sexual abuse. It grieves me to say the list goes on and on.

Jesus then goes on to use some pretty scary language and imagery in a warning to his disciples. And guess what? He’s still holding that little child in his arms. Keep that in your mind. It’s not insignificant. Now, Jesus talks about cutting off body parts, being thrown into the sea to drown, and hell. If this is hyperbole, Jesus has certainly got my attention. It would be easy for me to stand up here in this high pulpit and tell you that Jesus is describing a fiery pit where bad people go after they die. I don’t think that’s what Jesus is saying here though.

Demons can be spirits or malevolent beings, but they can also represent the embodiment of that which is not of God. That of course raises the question: what are the demons that plague us today? I’m sure you can think of things that are demonic in our world today: sexism, classism, racism, human trafficking, drug addiction, sexual abuse. It grieves me to say the list goes on and on.

Jesus then goes on to use some pretty scary language and imagery in a warning to his disciples. And guess what? He’s still holding that little child in his arms. Keep that in your mind. It’s not insignificant. Now, Jesus talks about cutting off body parts, being thrown into the sea to drown, and hell. If this is hyperbole, Jesus has certainly got my attention. It would be easy for me to stand up here in this high pulpit and tell you that Jesus is describing a fiery pit where bad people go after they die. I don’t think that’s what Jesus is saying here though.

Theologian Daniel Migliore says it well: “Hell is simply to be oneself apart from God’s grace and in isolation from others. Hell is that self-chosen condition in which, in opposition to God’s agapic love and the call to a life of mutual friendship and service, individuals barricade themselves from others. It is the hellish weariness and boredom of a life focused entirely on itself. Hell is not an arbitrary divine punishment at the end of history. It is not the final retaliation of a vindictive deity. Hell is self-destructive resistance to the eternal love of God. It symbolizes the truth that the meaning and intention of life can be missed. Repentance is urgent. Our choices and actions are important. God ever seeks to lead us out of our hell of self-glorification and lovelessness, but neither in time nor in eternity is God’s love coercive.”

Jesus then goes on to use some pretty scary language and imagery in warning to his disciples. And guess what? He’s still holding that little child in his arms. Keep that in your mind. It’s not insignificant. Now, Jesus talks about cutting off body parts, being thrown into the sea to drown, and hell. If this is hyperbole, Jesus has certainly got my attention. It would be easy for me to stand up here in this Jonathan Edwards style pulpit and tell you that Jesus is describing a fiery pit where bad people go after they die. I don’t think that’s what Jesus is saying here though.

Theologian Daniel Migliore says it well: “Hell is simply to be oneself apart from God’s grace and in isolation from others. Hell is that self-chosen condition in which, in opposition to God’s agapic love and the call to a life of mutual friendship and service, individuals barricade themselves from others. It is the hellish weariness and boredom of a life focused entirely on itself. Hell is not an arbitrary divine punishment at the end of history. It is not the final retaliation of a vindictive deity. Hell is self-destructive resistance to the eternal love of God. It symbolizes the truth that the meaning and intention of life can be missed. Repentance is urgent. Our choices and actions are important. God ever seeks to lead us out of our hell of self-glorification and lovelessness, but neither in time nor in eternity is God’s love coercive.”

Sisters and brothers, I’d like to reiterate what he said, “our choices and actions are important.” Not for our own salvation, but for the Kingdom of God, which is here and now. When we commit acts of hatred toward our neighbor, we invite hell into our world. Jesus gives the disciples, and you and me a wake-up call. In Jesus’ own words I tell you, “the Kingdom of God has come near.” It’s so palpably close.

We have so many examples of what the Kingdom of God looks like, one of which comes in the next chapter of Mark. Again we see Jesus connecting children to God and God’s kingdom. The disciples, totally missing the picture again, are mean to a group of children trying to get to Jesus. The story picks up this way: But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.”

Sisters and brothers, I’d like to reiterate what he said, “our choices and actions are important.” Not for our own salvation, but for the Kingdom of God, which is here and now.

We have so many examples of what the Kingdom of God looks like, one of which comes in the next chapter of Mark. Again we see Jesus connecting children to God and God’s kingdom. The disciples, totally missing the picture again, are mean to a group of children trying to get to Jesus. The story picks up this way: But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.”

We may hear this as Jesus saying: oh, just be an innocent little one and you’ll get into heaven. If so, then we miss the point. Jesus is saying, be like the least of these - the most marginalized in society - not in the future, but right now. Luther wrote an essay called Freedom of a Christian, in which he said that we are “completely free lord of all, subject to none and equally and at the same time a completely dutiful servant of all, subject to all.”

We may hear this as Jesus saying: oh, just be an innocent little one and you’ll get into heaven. If so, then we miss the point. Jesus is saying, be like the least of these - the most marginalized in society - not in the future, but right now. Luther, in a letter to Pope Leo X called Freedom of a Christian, said that we are “completely free lord of all, subject to none and equally and at the same time a completely dutiful servant of all, subject to all.”

Now, I fully realise that’s a lot easier said than done. Most of us lead comfortable lives - we have a family, a comfortable home, a car, sustaining income of some sort, maybe even a good social life. In relation to most people in the world, we’ve got it made. Sure, it’s easy for us to be nice to folks that we encounter throughout the day or give some of our money to local charities. Heck, we might even take a couple hours a month to go work at the food pantry. But are you willing to risk your home, your comfort, your friends for the sake of God’s Kingdom and God’s people? If we’re being honest, that calling makes me uncomfortable and it makes me ashamed that my first instinct is to hold onto what I “own” with all my might.

In our Old Testament lesson today, Esther is willing to give up all that and much more. Esther was an exiled Jew in the far reaches of the Persian empire. Through cunning and intelligence, she rose to become the Queen of this foreign land. Esther, seeing that her people - the Jews - were being mistreated and were about to be killed risked everything she had: he riches, her title as queen, and even her life to save them. She did this in the face of people who would see her fail - people who were blinded by their own political greed that they would stop at nothing to gain it - people who hated her because she was a woman sticking up for herself and her people. She risked it all and did it with confidence and courage. May we strive to be like Esther.

The good news, y’all, is that we don’t have to enact the kingdom of God on our own. We are made into the body of Christ so that we, together, can support one another and do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God (cf ). We hear James urging us to do this through prayer, praise, and honesty. This is what the Kingdom of God is like: rejoicing, grieving, confessing - being in holy relationship with God, each other, and with all of creation. This holy relationship can only truly happen when we humble and empty ourselves, like Jesus, the servant, did. The apostle Paul tells the church at Philippi that Jesus “emptied himself,

The good news, y’all, is that we don’t have to enact the kingdom of God on our own. We are the body of Christ so that we, together, can support one another and do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God. We hear James urging us to do that through prayer, praise, and honesty. This is what the Kingdom of God is like: rejoicing, grieving, confessing - being in holy relationship with God, each other, and with all of creation. This holy relationship can only truly happen when we humble and empty ourselves, like Jesus the servant did. Like the little child he holds.

taking the form of a slave;

This is the Jesus we encounter at the rail. This is the truly present Christ we encounter as we take the position of a beggar - and through which we receive God’s freeing grace to go out and serve all.

he humbled himself

and became obedient to the point of death—

even death on a cross.

Therefore God also highly exalted him

and gave him the name

that is above every name.”

This is the humbled Jesus we encounter at the rail. This is the truly present resurrected Christ we are given as we take the position of a beggar - and through which we receive God’s freeing grace to go out and serve all.

Jesus ends the lesson with the disciples by talking about salt. We can’t maintain our saltiness on our own - in other words we need God and others to help preserve us in the faith. We do not do so when we exclude one another or act as though we’re better than another.

So may you always see the little one that Jesus holds in our midst. May you be working for the Kingdom of God by serving others. May you have the courage of Esther to fight for the oppressed, the poor, the marginalized. Now hear Jesus say to you: “Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”