“Cross Purposes” (Mark 8:31-38)

There was a little boy who was terrible at math.  His parents had tried everything and nothing seemed to work, so as their last resort they decided to send him to the local parochial school because it was said to have the best math program in the area.  The first day, and every day after, the little boy came home and went straight to room and did all of his homework.  When they finally received his report card they were amazed . . . he had received straight A’s.  Baffled and curious about what the school had done that worked so well, they asked their son, “Son, what did this school do so differently that helped you learn so well?”  The son replied, “Well, on that first day, when I walked in the front door and saw that guy nailed to the plus sign, I KNEW they meant business!”

The cross is serious business.  It is not something that should be taken lightly.  It is the business of Jesus, and in turn, it is our business when he admonishes all who will listen: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”  When Jesus talks about the cross, he means business.

The ultimate way of life and living for Jesus comes through the cross.  Jesus shares this information with his disciples as we began our reading this morning.  Jesus tells them of the suffering, the rejection, and his death.  This was not something that the disciples were prepared for. This did not fit their understanding of Jesus and what he had been doing . . . no, this was a far cry from how they viewed things.  And, thus, Peter pulls Jesus aside and rebukes him . . . they just don’t get it.  They see no purpose in such talk, but they do not understand.  Jesus knows this as he tells his disciples: “You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” 

In their minds they see the cross as the end . . . the end of everything that Jesus had done . . . the end of everything that they had hoped for.  The cross was a dead end.  Yet, for Jesus, the cross was the ultimate example of what he had been teaching, preaching, and living . . . the epitome of love.  For Jesus, the cross was the way and the means of fulfilling God’s will of establishing the Kingdom of God.  That was the purpose of the cross.

Thus the purpose of the cross was pretty serious business.

How serious?

It was so serious that the whole destiny of life is depending upon it.  Jesus states: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.  What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?”  

As I see, in simplest terms, Jesus implores those who would follow him to live their lives as he lived his . . . in love.  In a love that would sacrifice anything, even one’s own life, to be in that intimate relationship with God and others . . . to bring about the Kingdom of God.  In the words that Jesus taught and preached, he spoke of such love.  In the actions that he took, the miracles that he performed, he acted in such love.  And, in the grandest expression of all, he laid down his life upon a cross so that all might live and know the way.  No greater love has one person for another than to lay down his or her life for the other.  The cross demonstrates this love . . . and, it is such a love that Jesus calls us to.

Such love is a selfless love . . . to put God and others first.  That is a pretty tough love to live . . . especially in our society today.  We live in a pretty selfish time where everything around screams at us to take care of ourselves . . . to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps . . . to watch out for Number One--ourselves.  We are bombarded by that message constantly in all walks of our lives.  We are inundated by over five-thousand advertising images each day telling us this message of us first and everybody else last.  Selfish love focuses on strength and power instead of vulnerability and compassion.  It is a message we have heard since the day we were born . . . it is well instill in us . . . to the core of understanding who we are.

Because of this, this whole business of Jesus wanting us to pick up our cross and follow him . . . well, it is tough.  Tough to let go of what we have been taught, what we have witnessed, and what we have been living . . . to give up who we think we are . . . and, to become selfless.

Remember that last week as we kicked off the season of Lent we were called upon to enter into the wilderness and confront our own temptations that kept us from loving God and others . . . of following Jesus and his way.  This week we are asked to nail our temptations to the cross and allow new life to come into being . . . to allow love to swallow us all.  As we lay our temptations down upon the cross and we begin to lift it up . . . a thing of beauty occurs . . . we discover a love that will save us.  The goal during the season of Lent is to be able to pick up our cross and follow Jesus’ example.  In doing this we gain all that Jesus promised.

This is serious business.  The hardest part of it all is learning to stop thinking as the world thinks, but to think as Jesus thought.  Like the disciples we are caught up in the world’s thinking.  He tells us as much when he says, “You do not have in mind the things of God, but things of men.”  In picking up our crosses and following Jesus we think and act and speak as Jesus did. 

In the last newsletter I wrote that even though it is a trite and overstated question . . . the most important question for anyone who follows Jesus is: What would Jesus do?  That is the foundation of our faith when it comes to following Jesus . . . it is the reason we pick up our crosses.  In the answers that we receive in asking the question we discover this selfless love . . . the cross purpose.

In carrying the cross we save our lives . . . we secure intimacy with God and others . . . we build the kingdom.  There is no greater call in life than to love as Jesus loved . . . no greater reward.  In this serious business, let us pick up our crosses and follow Jesus . . . each and every day . . . each and every moment.  Jesus shows us the way.  Amen.                                                                                                

“Let Us Begin” (Mark 1:9-15)

Mark’s is the oldest gospel . . . it is the shortest of the gospels . . . and, it gets straight to the point emphasizing Jesus’ actions and ministry over the words that he taught and preached.  In Mark’s gospel, Jesus is a person of action . . . a person who let his beliefs and love be seen in the way that he lived his life, and in the way that he treated other people.  In Jesus’ example and life was the gospel for all to see.  In Mark’s gospel the action shows God’s love. 

Thus it should come as no surprise then that Mark says few words about the baptism, temptation, and start of Jesus’ ministry . . . it is all covered in the seven simple verses, and then Jesus gets down to business.  He gets down to the business of God.  He marks this beginning with a stark, but powerful intention: “The time has come.  The Kingdom of God is near.  Repent and believe the good news!”

In the Gospel of Mark, it is not that the words aren’t important . . . because they are, but it is that the words are lived out in the life and ministry of Jesus.  For the writer of this gospel faith is not something that is lived out in one’s head . . . it is not something that is expressed through one’s mouth.  No, faith is how one lives his or her life . . . how he or she loves God and how one loves others.  That is what the writer wants to show in Jesus’ actions and ministry . . . how that love is lived out.  How that love is lived out in each and every moment of a person’s life.  In Jesus, according to Mark’s gospel, we have the holy prototype of that love in action.

I suppose we should give the writer of the Gospel of Mark some credit despite the gospel’s brevity . . . he covered the important stuff.  Jesus got baptized--God confirms him . . . he was tempted . . . and, then, coming out of his trial of temptation, he begins his ministry as he proclaims: “The time has come.”  The time has come to get down to the business of doing God’s work.

I think that it is interesting that what takes place before Jesus begins his ministry is that he went to the wilderness where he was tempted . . . tempted, according to the gospels of Matthew and Luke, with all that would keep him from doing the work of God.  The writer of Mark does not care what those temptations were, the writer only shares that Jesus was tempted . . . he was tempted and out of the temptation he began his ministry.  In Mark’s gospel it is almost as if Jesus comes stumbling out of the wilderness . . . surveys the situation . . . and decides that enough is enough . . . it is time to get down to business.

In minimalist style, the writer does not tell us how long Jesus was tempted . . . so, we glean that information from the other gospels . . .that it was forty days.  And, we assume--not because the writer tells us, but because Jesus hops right into his ministry--that Jesus must have overcome those temptations that might have kept him from fulfilling God’s will.  The baptism, temptation, and ministry all bear the same weight in Mark’s explanation.

Between confirmation and ministry fell temptation.  The struggle of Jesus with that which could keep him from fulfilling God’s will.  The writer does not tell us what those temptations were, but does tell us that he struggled.  Out of that struggle comes Jesus’ determination to do God’s will . . . to put God’s desire into action . . . to share the kingdom.  It is with that determination that Jesus announces that intention: “The time has come.  The kingdom of God is near.  Repent and believe the good news!”

During Lent the temptation story usually kicks off the season to set the tone for the faithful.  Lent is the season in which the followers of Jesus, the faithful, are called upon to examine their relationship with God . . . their relationship with others . . . and, how well they are living up to that call upon their lives.  Lent is a season of looking at one’s strengths, and also one’s weaknesses.  It is a call to examine that which “blocks” the ability to live one’s life in the will of God . . . a life modeled by Jesus.  In other words, the season of Lent is our invitation to enter into the wilderness and battle with our temptations.

Knowing this, it should come as no surprise that Lent is forty days.  The season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday--which happened to be on the same day this year as Valentine’s Day for the first time since 1945--and ends on Holy Saturday--the Saturday before Easter.  Sundays are not counted in the forty days.  But, that is not important.  What is important is that the faithful are called into their own temptation struggle.  It is a struggle that must take place . . . year after year . . . to move us into living God’s will.

We are now in the season of Lent . . . we are now entering the wilderness . . . entering into our time of struggle with temptation.  Temptation that separates us from God and one another . . . separates us from establishing the Kingdom of God.

I think the question that must be asked of the faithful as they enter into the season of Lent is: What keeps you from fully living your life as Jesus lived his life?  What are those barriers that inhibit you from living and loving as Jesus did?  What is it in your life that keeps you from fully loving God and others?  What are your temptations?

Think about it . . . and, as you think about it, remember that it is often said that where our time, energy, and resources are--that is where our loyalty and love really lie.

Let me make a few suggestions.
     Is it work?
     Is it money?
     Is it our hobbies and recreation?
     Is it our status . . . our wealth . . . our race . . . our gender?   
     Is it our politics?
     Is it our theology . . . our church . . . our community?

Our temptations are those things in our lives that keep us from fully loving God . . . that keep us from fully loving others . . . that keep us from building God’s Kingdom.  Until we overcome our temptations, we can never enter into ministry . . . we can never be prepared.  Thus it is that we are called upon each year to enter into the season of Lent . . . called upon to step into the wilderness . . . called upon to wrestle with our temptations.  It is a necessary part of the journey of faith . . . so important that it is mentioned in three of the four gospels--though Mark’s zips through it in two verses.  At the start of the season of Lent, we are called upon to rid ourselves of our temptations . . . to prepare ourselves . . . so that we, too, can step up and begin our ministries.

As Jesus said: “The time has come.  The kingdom of God is near.  Repent and believe the good news!”

Let us begin . . . Amen.

“Through the Cracks” (2 Corinthians 4:3-6)

“Light” is a powerful metaphor within the Christian faith.  The word “light” occurs on the very first and last pages of the scriptures . . . and more than 250 times in between.  It was the first thing created when “God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” (Genesis 1:3)  Light has always been seen as good . . . as the truth . . . as a virtue; whereas, darkness has been seen as the opposite of all that light represents.  The Christmas story is announced with “light”.  And, Jesus himself proclaims himself to be the “light” and available to all when he says: “I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

Thus it should come as no surprise that the Apostle Paul picks up on this metaphor of “light” when he is addressing the followers in Corinth.  In this second letter to the Corinthians there is a rift between Paul and his relationship with the church there.  It seems as if some members of the church had made strong attacks against Paul, but in his response he shows his deep longing for reconciliation and later shows great joy when that reconciliation is achieved.  But, in the beginning of the letter, he defends himself as one who preaches Jesus Christ as Lord while making himself a servant for Jesus’ sake.  It is here that he invokes the metaphor of “light”: “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”  In the apostle’s mind and heart it is his calling . . . his ministry . . . to let the “light” shine so that all might see.

Who among us has not felt hurt and abandoned when unfair and untrue accusations have been thrown at us?  Have we not wanted to defend ourselves . . . have we not wanted to hurt those who have hurt us?  You bet we have; thus, it is, how remarkable Paul’s second letter is to the followers in Corinth in which he seeks reconciliation while still ministering to those who have hurt him.  It is out of his woundedness that Paul allows the “light” to shine out for others to see.

One of my favorite writers is Father Henri Nouwen.  The first book of his I ever read was The Wounded Healer: Ministry in Contemporary Society . . . I would recommend that everyone read this book.  In this book, and I simplify it here, Nouwen argues that ministry--real ministry--can only be achieved once we as followers of Jesus can accept the fact that we are all wounded.  Only after accepting the fact that we are wounded can we begin to help others . . . to ministers to others.  He writes: “Nobody escapes being wounded. We are all wounded people, whether physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually. The main question is not, 'How can we hide our wounds?' so we don't have to be embarrassed, but 'How can we put our woundedness in the service of others?' When our wounds cease to be a source of shame, and become a source of healing, we have become wounded healers.”

Paul, in his second letter to the Corinthians, is a wounded healer.

Nouwen suggests that we all must become wounded healers . . . like Paul . . . like Jesus.  That is how the “light” is shared . . . that is how the light gets in.  It gets in through the cracks.

In his song, Anthem, Leonard Cohen wrote these words:

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in

It is a song about hope in darkness.  Cohen, who did not like explaining his music, actually shared his thoughts about the meaning behind this song:  “The future is no excuse for an abdication of your own personal responsibilities towards yourself and your job and your love. “Ring the bells that still can ring”: they’re few and far between but you can find them.

This situation does not admit of solution of perfection. This is not the place where you make things perfect, neither in your marriage, nor in your work, nor anything, nor your love of God, nor your love of family or country. The thing is imperfect.

And worse, there is a crack in everything that you can put together: Physical objects, mental objects, constructions of any kind. But that’s where the light gets in, and that’s where the resurrection is and that’s where the return, that’s where the repentance is. It is with the confrontation, with the brokenness of things.”

Through our woundedness the “light” enters us . . . through our woundedness the “light” is shared.  Through the cracks.

We are all wounded.  We do not leave this life without having been wounded in some shape or form . . . physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually.  We all have our wounds.  All of us.  And, unfortunately we live in a society in which the wounded are considered less than perfect . . . not ideal . . . not the image we want others to see . . . seen as a weakness . . . something that is less than.  We see our woundedness as something to be ashamed of . . . something to be embarrassed about . . . something that we should hide from others.  And, when we do, the “light” cannot come in, nor can it go out.

The Apostle Paul recognized the strength of this fragileness, and it is through his wounds . . . the cracks in his life . . . that he best served Jesus.  If we go on beyond where we stopped in our reading this morning, I think we can see his recognition in this woundedness.  Paul writes in verses seven through ten: “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.  We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.  We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may be revealed in our body.”

It is through our wounds . . . our cracks . . . that God has most often come into our lives; and, it is through our wounds, our cracks, that we have most often allowed the “light” to shine out to others.  It is in our woundedness that ministry takes places within ourselves and with others . . . in the brokenness of things.

Jesus gave to us a simple command . . . to love the Lord completely, and to love others as we love ourselves.  We probably do a pretty good job with the first part of this command, and we probably need to work on the second part a little harder.  And, in order to do that, we have to learn to love ourselves . . . to love ourselves for who we are . . . wounds and all.  If we can learn to love ourselves for who we are--wounds and all, we can begin to love others for who they are.  If we can do this, then we can let the “light” shine through us for others to see.

There is strength in our wounds . . . in our cracks.  Jesus showed us the way.  Thus it is that we should realize that “there is a crack, a crack in everything . . . that is how the light gets in” . . . and, how the light is shared.  Amen. 

“Hidden in Plain Sight” (Isaiah 40:21-31)

During the time of the prophet Isaiah, especially during the Babylonian Exile, that the Israelites had a pretty low opinion of themselves . . . after all, they had pretty much run amuck of God’s desires, had been stomped into the ground by the Babylonians who destroyed everything and exiled them from their homeland, and now they were captives in a strange land thinking that God had given up on them.  They were crushed . . . and, they were without hope.  So crushed and without hope they could not even cry out to God . . . a God that they could not see beyond the punishment that had been dealt them.  They were giving up on God.

Yet, Isaiah preached to them that God would set them free and return them to their homeland . . . over and over again, he preached this message to them.  The people had a difficult time believing him.  In their situation, God was nowhere to be seen . . . or so they thought.

Isaiah did not care too much for this short selling of God.  He is in disbelief that the people are drowning in their hopelessness.  He just cannot believe it.  He prods the people with his words: “Do you not know?  Have you not heard?  Has it not been told you from the beginning?  Have you not understood since the earth was founded?”  The prophet wants the people to understand . . . God hasn’t gone anywhere.  God has always been there . . . from the very beginning . . . God is with the people.  God is the all-everything . . . the supreme being and creator of all things and people . . . the caretaker of it all.  God is there.  He urges the people to quit their complaining . . . to quit their hopelessness . . . to quit throwing pity parties.  And, he urges them to believe and embrace the God that surrounds them like the air that they breathe . . . for in God, all things are possible . . . even freedom and returning home.  But, you have got to believe.

Well, it is difficult to believe when it feels like the only luck you’ve ever had was bad luck.  The Israelites were definitely down in the dumps . . . paying the price for their sinfulness, and thinking that God sure didn’t have the time or energy for such a broken people.  That old song about bad luck from Hee Haw was probably their theme song.  You remember that song?

Gloom, despair, and agony on me
Deep, dark depression, excessive misery
If it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all
Gloom, despair, and agony on me

I imagine that we have all been down in that dump at some point in our lives.  Wallowing in the darkness of our own hopelessness and despair . . . feeling lost . . . feeling forgotten . . . not even a blip on God’s screen.  So low that we forget.  We forget whose we are . . . we are the children of God.  We are loved.  We are desired and wanted.  We are never alone. God is with us . . . always with us.

It’s hard to remember that when life is pounding us senseless.

That is why the prophet Isaiah harped on this fact to the Israelites held captive in Babylon.  He cries out to them, and to us: “Do you not know?  Have you not heard?  The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth, He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.”  He wants the people to believe!  He wants them to believe that God will take care of them.  If they believe, they will find strength . . . strength to endure anything . . . even exile in a strange and foreign land.  With God they can endure anything.

Why?

Because, says Isaiah, “He gives strength to the weary and increases in the power of the weak.  Even youth grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

So it is with us, if we believe.

In these times in our lives when we feel lost and hopeless, God is not hidden from us . . . and, nor are we hidden from God.  It might feel like it, but we are not hidden from God, nor is God hidden from us.  It feels like that because we have become unbalance in our lives and in our hearts . . . we are spinning out of control . . . and, the darkness seems to be blotting out our sight.  Everything becomes a blur.  And yet, God is with us . . . God is around us like the air we breathe.  We only have to believe to see.

Isaiah points this out while trying to convince the people of God’s presence.  He tells them that God is “right there” . . . right there in plain sight.  He points to the starry skies: “Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these?  He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name.  Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.”  So is God’s love for them . . . they are numbered, named, loved, and desired.

I shouldn’t have to point out to any of you of the evidence of God living where we do . . . God’s beauty is all around us . . . the mountains, the streams, the wide-open sky, the heavenly stars . . . God is all around us in the beautiful creation of where we live.  It is there for the seeing . . . hidden in plain sight.  Nor should I have to point out, as you glance around this sanctuary . . . as you look at your fellow sojourners--your brothers and sisters in faith . . . that God is here in this place.  In a kind word, a gentle hug, in the soaring voice of song, in the prayers that are shared . . . God is there for the seeing . . . hidden in plain sight.

God is all around us.  God is with us in the good times . . . and, in the bad times.  God is in the light, and in the darkness.  God is with us . . . and, God has always been with us.  The proof of God always with us can be found in the scriptures we read . . . in the words of the saints . . . in the songs that we sing.  They all proclaim that God is with us.

God is with us . . . all we have to do is to believe.  Believe and trust.  The more that we believe and trust in God, the more that God’s presence is revealed to us.  God has always been with us.  Isn’t that what we discover when we come out of the darkness of our hopelessness and despair . . . God was always with us.

Isaiah reminds us: “Do you not know?  Have you not heard?  The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth, He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.  He gives strength to the weary and increases in the power of the weak.  Even youth grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

Believe and rest in the assurance that God is with you.  Amen.