Mother May I

Add hand out here

Have you played this game?

Sermon Name: Mother, May I?

Preacher: Kate Kilroy

Scripture Mark 6:1-14

Context: people from class who’ve heard the story and the background already.

Form: Inductive, storytelling

Focus: God gives generously to those who want to receive.

Function: To inspire disciples to action (give their gifts away) with liberty and normalizing rejection.

manuscript:

Mother, May I?

My baby brother towers over me and we still banter like we were both several feet shorter. We squabble about who’s smarter

more talented

and who mom likes better

….as if we were in our 20s and 30s. But Cole and I both know that mom has a super soft spot for him.

I’m an adult. So I’m over it. Mostly.

If we were going to play “Mother May I?” Colel will always advance. Meanwhile I was standing in the back pleading my case.

Cole, just this month reminded me that when mom looks at him she sees red freckles, mischievous smiles and all of a sudden he is five again and can do no wrong.

And I responded, maturally, by reminding the beloved baby Cole that though he is a certified electrician Mamma also renders his professional skills as a boy of five.

I know you’re impressed about how mature I am and accepting that my brother is the favorite. But come on what else was I supposed to do. It’s not like everybody book about that. I actually there’s a chapter about that.

See in Mark 6 Jesus goes back to his hometown after doing some pretty radical things in by pretty radical I mean people who were dead on that anymore. And I can’t tell you they just didn’t get the information or if their own personal bias force them into seeing a filter of no nothing Carpenter pretending to be some hot shot Teacher of religious law or what exactly was the block and his hometown people were not impressed. In fact they were offended. They reminded him that he was being pretty big for his britches. Kind of like my brother trying to convince my mom he know how to rewrite the internet.

Which means he’s not gonna gift my mother with a rewire internet because mom doesn’t think it’s credible and rejects the gift.

Cole doesn’t need mom‘s permission to be an electrician.

He just needs her permission to allow her to receive the Benefits of his gifts.

And Jesus doesn’t need his homies permission to be a prophet, the lord, a healer. He just needs permission to be their healer.

They’re like no.

And here’s the kicker. Jesus doesn’t silk. Jesus doesn’t force.

Jesus is about giving his gifts away.

So he just goes to the next place that wants to accept his gifts and gives them to those who give permission.

I’m gonna grant permission : repeat after me,

Yep you can heal that.

Here’s a little tip for all you disciples out there.

We’re not playing mother may I anymore and it’s a good thing bc even Jesus’s mom was like, “naw, I don’t think so.”

We don’t need, as much as we might want, our people’s permission. It’s okay to offend the people you wanna give your gifts to the most because they can’t comprehend your call.

You’re allowed to not fix that. Not force that.

You’re allowed, no you’re sent out, like the disciples of the text were, in the footsteps of Jesus who also left those who said no thank you, to go to those who would say yep.

No more asking our closest people Mother May I?

The expansive, recklessly relentless love of Christ says Go! So Go!

You are sent out to deliver God’s gifts. Without your most familiar people to grant you permission. Even if they don’t appreciate, respect or receive your gift.

***

Here’s the thing though. The gift of your “Call” doesn’t have to ask “mother may I?”