“Traveling Mercies: Into the Storm” (Mark 9:2-9)

One of my favorite writers about the spiritual life is Anne Lamott who views life and the walk with Jesus from an honest and open understanding of the challenge of living a life of faithfully following him towards the Kingdom of God.  As she would say, it ain’t easy.  In her first big selling book, Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith, she shares a story:

Broken things have been on my mind as the year lurches to an end, because so much broke and broke down this year in my life, and in the lives of the people I love. Lives broke, hearts broke, health broke, minds broke. On the first Sunday of Advent our preacher, Veronica, said that this is life's nature, that lives and hearts get broken, those of people we love, those of people we'll never meet. She said the world sometimes feels like the waiting room of the emergency ward, and that we, who are more or less OK for now, need to take the tenderest possible care of the more wounded people in the waiting room, until the healer comes. You sit with people, she said, you bring them juice and graham crackers. And then she went on vacation.

"Traveling mercies," the old black people at our church said to her when
she left. This is what they say when one of us goes off for a while. Traveling mercies: Be safe, notice beauty, enjoy the journey, God is with you.

“Traveling mercies: Be safe, notice beauty, enjoy the journey, God is with you,” says Lamott.  These are good words for this season and journey of Lent.  The season of Lent is our invitation to make the journey of exploration of our faith and lives . . . to determine what is good, what is bad, and how we can bring congruency into our faith and lives.  It is not something that is easy to do if it is done with openness and honesty with ourselves as the followers of Jesus.  And, it is not something easily done when we recognize the brokenness of our world and the trauma it has inflicted upon our own lives.  The journey is tough . . . and, as we make the Lenten journey, we need all the “traveling mercies” we can get . . . we are entering the clouds . . . entering the storm.

Our reading this morning comes at the end of a hectic time in which Jesus has been busy.  The writer of the Gospel of Mark tells us that prior to this moment, Jesus has fed the four thousand, he has been performing miracles, teaching his disciples, confronting the authorities . . . days of whirlwind activity.  Now he pauses after six days of sharing the “good news” and takes a break, inviting Peter, James, and John to join him on a high mountain.  A moment of respite and prayer, I imagine . . . and, so they go.

Well, it wasn’t quite the respite one would imagine.  In fact, it was quite an exciting adventure.  Something happens up there on that mountain . . . Jesus is transfigured . . . he is changed.  His clothes become a dazzling white.  He looks as if he glows.  And, then the prophet Elijah and Moses—the biggest heavyweights of the Jewish faith show up and start talking to Jesus.  Peter, James, and John are in awe.  Peter volunteers to build shelter for the three luminaries because he did not know what else to say.  Then a cloud covers them.  A voice speaks from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love.  Listen to him.”  Then poof . . . it was over.

It was over.  There they stood.  I imagine that the three disciples were in awe of what they had just witnessed and heard.  That they were confused and curious as they were not sure of what had just happened.  As I said earlier, it had been a whirlwind since they had hooked up with Jesus and started to follow him.  They had seen so much.  I am fairly certain that they were wondering . . . wondering about Jesus, wondering about what they had just seen, and wondering what in the world they had gotten themselves involved in.  And, then to be told by Jesus that they are “not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.”

Little did they realized that they had enter the storm.

Too often we preachers take the scripture reading from the lectionary reading—what they call the pericope—and forget that it is part of a bigger story.  I do not know how many times I have done this with the transfiguration story, but this morning I want to look at this in the context of the larger story . . . in the context of the events that led up to this moment.  It is in that that I believe we will find its meaning for us during this Lenten season and journey.

As I said, prior to the transfiguration there is a whirlwind of activity—miracles, teaching, preaching, the whole kit-and-caboodle—for Jesus that is witnessed by his disciples.  Throughout all of this they are attempting to make sense of all of it and of who Jesus is.  They even get questioned by Jesus about who they think he is during this time.  To which, Peter stumbled upon Jesus’ identity—the messiah.  It was a good answer, but we all know that Peter nor the disciples really get it.  They know there is something special about Jesus, but they just aren’t totally sure what it is yet.  They just know that their heads are spinning.

So why not a break . . . a break to re-center themselves, find their bearings.  A hike up a mountain with Jesus for a little rest . . . a little prayer just might be what they needed.  Little did they anticipate the storm they were entering.  Yeah, I know . . . it doesn’t seem stormy as we listen to the story.  Sure, a cloud appears.  There is a voice that speaks.  The writer leaves it to the imagination of the reader or listeners to visualize the whole scene in his or her minds.  For me, it is a dark grayish cloud—a storm cloud--that descends . . . covers those who are gathered.  I picture a dense fog that makes it difficult to see.  I hear a loud voice speaking—after all most of us think of God’s voice as booming . . . a rolling thunderous sort of voice.  And, then, it is over . . . or is it?

In the bigger picture of the story it might be that they have entered into the “eye of the storm” . . . the storm is not over.  It is the lull before they encounter it once again.  As they descend the mountain little did they realize the storm they were entering . . . a storm that would last until they understood who Jesus was.  They would need all the “traveling mercies” they could get . . . to be safe, to notice the beauty, to enjoy the journey and to know that God was with them.

We all do.

It has been over a year since we entered into this pandemic that has come to symbolize so much of the broken world we live in.  That lives and hearts get broken of those we love and those we do not know . . . ours included. Anxiety about how all of this brokenness will be played out if and when this craziness ends in the world we live in. We are attempting to make sense of all of it . . . to understand.  To understand how we fit in and how we are to live in faith following Jesus through these times.  That is the challenge of Lent.

We dive into the storm and the journey begins.

We begin to explore who we are in relationship to God through Jesus.  We begin to ask the questions of who we say Jesus is . . . and, because of that, who we are.  We begin to discern how we fit into the world and the lives of those who are a part of it.  We begin to wonder how we fit into the bigger world and the lives of those who encompass it.  We will discover that some of what we discover we like . . . some we don’t . . . and, we ponder how we make it congruent to our understanding of Jesus, his purpose, and mission.  We wander through the fog of the storm clouds of this challenge that have descended upon us in the season of Lent.

We think about that message that God gave to those gathered on the mountain when Jesus was transfigured . . . “This is my Son, whom I love.  Listen to him!”  Are we listening?  Listening to his message of grace, love, peace, justice . . . acceptance?  The Kingdom of God?  Are we listening to his call to come with him to bring God’s will into existence?  This, too, is a part of the storm we enter during Lent.

We step into the unknown.  It is not easy and it is scary.  Yet, if we truly believe then we must go and make the journey of this season.  We must enter the storm.  But let us offer to one another “traveling mercies” for the trip ahead of us.  Let us be safe.  Let us notice the beauty hidden in the adventure.  And, let us enjoy the journey for it is in the journey that we will find the answers we seek.  It is in the journey that we discover that God is with us.  Amen.

 

“Against the Flow: Cross Carrying” (Mark 8:31-38)

As a sports fan I have life-long loyalties to certain sports teams.  First among them is the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers who I stand by through thick and thin . . . winning and losing.  I am a Husker fan no matter what.  Secondly, when it comes to professional sports, I have never changed my allegiance with any of the teams I support since I was a child.  I have been a Baltimore Orioles, Boston Celtics and Bruins, and Minnesota Vikings fan since childhood and never, ever have I stopped supporting them . . . no matter how well or poorly they are doing I have stuck with them . . . stuck with them even when it would have been so easy to hop on the bandwagon of some other hot, winning team.  Nope, I am loyal to who I follow.

 

Which always brings me to that dilemma I just mentioned . . . jumping onto the bandwagon.  I have a difficult time with people who hop on the bandwagon when their teams are doing lousy.  They are fair-weathered fans . . . they are not real fans. I don’t appreciate when people get all wishy-washy with their loyalties. 

 

In our reading this morning from the Gospel of Mark, it doesn’t seem as if Jesus cares too much for those who can’t stick to their loyalties . . . especially when it starts to get tough.  Up to this point in Mark’s gospel the identity of Jesus has been bouncing all over the place.  There are lots of opinions about who people think that Jesus is.  Finally, Jesus confronts his disciples asking them who they think that he is.  Of course, Peter jumps right in and nails it when he tells Jesus that he is the Messiah.  Which then brings us up to where we are in our reading today.

 

Jesus is teaching them about what it means for him to be the Messiah.  He tells them some things that contradict what they think and believe.  He tells them that the Messiah “must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priest and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.”  Jesus minces no words in telling the disciples this and it gets a rise out of them, especially Peter.  Peter pulls Jesus to the side and begins to rebuke Jesus telling to “shhhh” and not to say things like this.

 

As I said earlier, this goes against what the disciples think and believe about the Messiah.  They see a royal succession to the throne . . . Jesus taking his rightful place on the throne of power and politics . . . a transition of power that pulls them along for the ride and all the benefits.  Never in their mind do they picture all the negativity Jesus is talking about.  So, of course this contrasts with what they think and believe.  Suddenly they are not so quick to stick with Jesus and his movement.  Jesus has no need for such followers as these and he tells them that.  Basically, he tells them to either get with the program or get out of there when he states: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”

 

Jesus can be blunt.  In this passage he is blunt.  He gets to the point and he sticks with it.  To follow him is to follow him completely . . . through good and bad, thick and thin, better or worse . . . no hopping from bandwagon to bandwagon. 

 

Which kicks us back to what happens prior to our actual reading this morning.  This little introduction is important to our understanding this challenge of Jesus to picking up our crosses and following him.  Remember Jesus asks his disciples “who do people say I am?”  We know that he gets several answers from the disciples before Peter nails it . . . “You are the Messiah.”  It is that question asked by Jesus that makes our reading so . . . what we shall say, unpopular and difficult to accept.  How the question is answered reveals a lot . . . a lot about Jesus and a lot about the person answering the question.

 

Jesus asks: “Who do you say I am?”

 

Though it is a questioned posed in scripture to the disciples, it is also a question posed to those who are reading it.  “Who do you say I am?”  Listen for the answers because the answers reveal much.  Dr. Karoline Lewis, Professor of Preaching at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, states: “Who you say Jesus is, is who you have decided to be.”  Or to hear it differently she says: “Or who we are reveals who we have decided Jesus to be.”  Whoever answers this question comes face-to-face with their own commitment, discipleship, and identity as a follower of Jesus. 

 

 

Even though Peter answers the question correctly we quickly see how ready he is to jump to another bandwagon realizing that what Jesus is sharing is not quite what he thought he had signed up for.  It wasn’t the cross that he was willing to pick up and carry.  It seemed a little extreme . . . to the point of even one’s death.  That seemed a little heavy and who wants to carry a heavy load through life standing for the things Jesus stood for?

 

It is easier to hem and haw around and jump on another bandwagon.  Jesus seem to have a way about him that ruffled the fur on a lot of folks when he pointed out their lies, their treatment of others, the power grabbing, the incivility, and denial of God’s truth.  It was that ruffling that got Jesus into trouble and eventually nailed to a cross.  Again, who wants to walk down that path?

 

Jesus calls upon his followers to pick up their crosses and follow him.  This means that they will be going against the flow . . . going against what society sees as important . . . going against those in power and control who do not want to give it up . . . getting political when politicians forget who they have been elected to serve . . . going against anything and anyone who denies God’s will.  It is a heavy cross that brings many repercussions to those carrying.

 

The cost of following Jesus is high . . . depending upon how you answer that question of who he is.  There is no denying the cost is high . . . we heard Jesus lay it out for us in our reading this morning.  And, if you answered the question by proclaiming Jesus the Messiah . . . well, then, that is the cross that should be carried. 

 

Standing up for Jesus . . . standing up for God’s will . . . that is a heavy cross to pick up and carry in our day and age.  Our day and age does not seem to value that which Jesus preaches, teaches, and lives despite the words that the rich and powerful say.  Too often we have witnessed horrendous examples when God’s will was revealed . . . when the truth was confronted . . . and, there was nothing but a lot of lip service and posturing displayed . . . nothing changed.

 

Last weekend I took part in a webinar through our regional church, the Northern Lights of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), on the church’s role in the Doctrine of Discovery.  One of the speakers was Jon Ghahate (Laguna & Zuni Pueblo), the Museum Cultural Educator at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  At the end of the webinar he was ask by one of the participants how those indigenous people could be given voice against the racism displayed and still practiced through the Doctrine of Discovery.  His answer was impactful for me as he stated that the indigenous and all the groups on the fringes of society . . . all those who are repressed and ignored . . . don’t need to have voices.  They have had voices for a long time . . . what they needed was to be listened to.  Not just acknowledged, but to be listened to and entered into conversation with those who are in power and control.  To quit being given lip service and posturing. 

 

For that to happen, those in power must hear how they answer the question and discover whether or not their actions show their real beliefs.  Remember, as followers of Jesus, how we answer the question of who Jesus is reveals as much about ourselves as it does Jesus.  Because of this we need to start asking those who are in our lives to tell us who they think that we are because who they see us as will reveal a lot about how we answered that question from Jesus . . . tell us a lot about ourselves.  It will tell us whether we are really carrying our crosses and following Jesus or if we have jumped to another bandwagon.  One that does not demand so much from us.

 

It is tough to follow Jesus. To carry the cross is to go against the flow.  Jesus says, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.  For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.  What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?”

 

To follow Jesus is to pick up his cross as our cross.  Anything less, as difficult as it is, is not good enough.  So, how do you answer Jesus’ question . . . “Who do you say I am?”  Amen.