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Mark 9:30-37

30 They went on from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it; 31 for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.” 32 But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.

33 Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” 34 But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. 35 He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” 36 Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, 37 “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”

I’m a runner.  Most of you know that, and I struggled this week on whether I should use a running metaphor today, but this applies.  My image as a runner was important to me.  I still like to run fast…at least as best as I can at 56!  Sometimes, I still have this image of myself really training hard and winning my age division at the Boston Marathon or something similar.  I don’t want to settle for being a good runner, I wanted to be a great runner.

I also imagined the same thing for the cross country team I used to coach.  I wanted them to go all the way to State every year.  Never happened as a team, but we did some individual runners to state and our girls team made regionals in a magical year.  

Yet, here’s the thing, running is a sport where you can’t hide.  All runners experience something similar, we are constantly humbled.  Most runners imagine winning, coming in first…but, obviously, that doesn’t happen all the time! 

In that sport, the only way you get better is by running daily, running workouts that make you suffer and experience some pain…not to the point of injury, but pain nonetheless.  It’s hard.  Yet, something emerges within, you begin to appreciate others, you experience a shared deep connection with other runners as you put yourself out there.  

You are also vulnerable after a race, extremely vulnerable.  After running the Boston Marathon in 2016 and being extremely humbled as I ran it injured and it only got worst.  When I crossed the line, I only wanted to call my daughter who I knew would understand as a runner…I cried when I started talking to her, and I don’t really cry that often.  

As a coach, I also had to remember that my words to my runners after a race have to be honest, authentic, and also encouraging.  Especially to my own kids ran for our team!

Many of those words after a race are themes that I’ve repeated often, yet so many times they are simply not heard, yet, after a race, after the suffering, they often are heard in a way that is much more meaningful and they are received in a way that is almost very innocent and pure.  Plus, honestly, I had some cred with these kids because they knew that I’m willing to suffer in races as well, they know that I know what they are experiencing, and that I was with them.

Running can be a great parallel to life, and to this morning’s gospel lesson.  

Jesus has been with his disciples, he wanted to simply teach his disciples something meaningful, so he went through Galilee in secret as it says.  He was teaching them that he would suffer, die, and be raised from the dead.  This was hard for them to hear and understand, but he kept on saying it, teaching it.  It was important to Jesus because he was called into this world as the representation of all humanity.  He was not only telling the disciples that he would suffer, die, and rise again, but that they would be participating in that suffering, death, and resurrection through him.  

The disciples were probably keenly interested in the new life part, the resurrection part, but in order to experience that resurrection, before we can truly understand what it means to live life as God intended, we have to experience suffering, we have to die.  This isn’t a cruel  joke on God’s part, it’s a reality that we, as created beings, don’t always see or experience life as beautiful as it was meant to be.  We have to go through experiences in life that push to ask some of the hard questions.

Yet, the disciples, like us, were not interested in the harder questions, they were asking the question:  which one of us is greater?  What is our image to God?  Where will we stand with God at the end of time?  What’s our status?

In the midst of those conversations, it seems like the disciples were focused on the resurrection part.  Which I get, don’t we all want to run to the ending of a story, we want to feel good and triumphant.  The passage even says that the disciples were afraid to ask Jesus what he meant.  Could that have been because they were afraid to confront the hard realities of suffering, of pain?  

So, they escape by arguing about who’s going to be greatest.  Or try to hide.  But, they are missing the mark and Jesus would not let them hide.  Jesus asked them what they were arguing about, they grew silent.  They knew that Jesus had caught them in a “sin”.  We don’t talk much about the word “sin”, but it is an archery term actually, it means missing the mark.  When you don’t hit the bullseye with an arrow.  

It in this context, sin is a relational term.  The disciples were missing the mark, they were focused on themselves, avoiding the hard questions, being distracted, rather than lifting each other up and loving well.

What does Jesus do?  Well, he doesn’t send down thunder on them, he doesn’t condemn them.  He does the opposite, he treats them with respect and simply calls them together, sits with them, and brings a child into their circle.  He encourages them to serve others, to be last, to put others before them.  

The example of a child is important to note.  Children in the first century were considered non-persons.  They were often slaves, they were of no value.  They were truly on the margins.  I tell my kids all of the time how amazing they are and how loved they are, but this wasn’t even close to the reality in Jesus’ time.

By doing this, by bringing in a child, Jesus is saying that children are the stand-in for himself, for the Son of God.  We should welcome children, those on the margins as we would God, the creator of the universe.  It’s not about becoming childish so we can enter the kingdom, it says much more about maturity, about being bigger than our selfishness or our protected self-image, our ego, and welcoming others in.

Friends, we are saved by God’s grace, all of us live in God’s love whether we recognize it or not.  In the PCUSA, we believe that God’s love, God’s salvation is freely given to us…no strings attached.  We can’t evoke God’s salvation, God gives it to us, all of us, even those who have felt left out.  

We are also called, as followers of Jesus, to live into this salvation with a sense of growth and maturity.  We are called to live resurrection lives and to live in the universal presence of Christ.  Maturity happens as we grow through experiences with ourselves and with others.  Oftentimes that growth happens when we enter into relationships with those who we may not normally associate with…God has so many friendships, so much growth, so much life, real life, waiting for each of us and for this church.  As we become welcoming in our lives personally and corporately as a church, we will experience growth and we will the experience the joy of our salvation.  

May we welcome life as it comes to us:  all of it, beauty, suffering, death, resurrection, the full embodied experience…even as we welcome others in our communities who walk through these doors or that we meet in the neighborhood, welcoming them as we would welcome Jesus. 

Declare.

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PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION

“When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy.”

– Rumi

“In out-of-the-way places of the heart, Where your thoughts never think to wander, This beginning has been quietly forming, Waiting until you were ready to emerge.

For a long time it has watched your desire, Feeling the emptiness growing inside you, Noticing how you willed yourself on,

Still unable to leave what you had outgrown.

It watched you play with the seduction of safety And the gray promises that sameness whispered, Heard the waves of turmoil rise and relent, Wondered would you always live like this.

Then the delight, when your courage kindled, And out you stepped onto new ground,

Your eyes young again with energy and dream, A path of plenitude opening before you.

Though your destination is not yet clear You can trust the promise of this opening; Unfurl yourself into the grace of beginning That is at one with your life’s desire.

Awaken your spirit to adventure;

Hold nothing back, learn to find ease in risk; Soon you will home in a new rhythm,

For your soul senses the world that awaits you.”

― John O’Donohue

Mark 8:27-38

Peter’s Declaration about Jesus

27 Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 28 And they answered him, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” 29 He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.”[a]30 And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.

Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection

31 Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”

34 He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel,[b] will save it. 36 For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? 37 Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? 38 Those who are ashamed of me and of my words[c] in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

Sermon:

Bold question by Jesus in this morning’s text!  “Who do people say that I am?”  If someone were to ask that about you, what would you say?  Take a mental checklist of things to say…

If it were me, I’d first think of being a father, a spouse (most days if you ask Debbie I think), a pastor, a runner, a neighbor, etc.  

But, who are you really?  Who am I really?  I know that for me, those are roles that I play, sometimes well, sometimes not so well, but who I am, how I know myself and others, who really know me, are able to see me and I am able to see them at a deeper level.  And, at some point in our lives, we have to give up our images that are defined by our roles and ask the deeper question of “who are we?”

There is a South African Zulu greeting and response, “Sawa bona”.  When one is present with someone else, they would tell them, “I see you”, the response, “I am here.”  

It is a powerful statement of being present with someone else.  It also means that two folks have a deep sense of their own self because they are able to see others and to be present with others.  

In so many ways, I think that’s authentic friendship.  

We are seeing that in this morning’s gospel lesson from Mark.  Jesus is asking his disciples, who do people say that I am.  The disciples give a lot of descriptors, but only one, Peter, is able to see beyond the descriptors and to say that Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, the promised one, the true friend of all peoples regardless of social status, of life situations, of their actions or sins.  

Jesus doesn’t want the word to get out just yet, he tells his disciples to let things unfold, to be patient.

Jesus then goes on to say that he would suffer.  Greatly.  Friendship with humanity, authentic friendship, comes at a cost.  In this case, this kind of life was going to lead Jesus into GREAT suffering, incredible shame, being exposed fully to the world…naked, scarred, broken.

And, something else, that he would go through all of this, but then rise again.  That, out of his suffering, his humiliation, his death exposed to the world, that he would rise again.  That no matter what he goes through, that love will win out and he will rise.  

He said this openly and the disciples, especially Peter, were stunned.  They thought of the descriptors, they wanted a deliverer, someone who can save them but without the pain and humiliation.  They wanted a triumphant God, a national hero that would solve their problems but without the hurt and scandal.

Jesus would have none of that…he gets mad and has a rather strong rebuke for Peter, “get behind me Satan”.  

You see, friends, even genuine friends, sometimes get a bit cloudy or hazy in what they see in one another.  In this case, Jesus is strongly telling Peter to wake up, to not hide behind some kind of hero type messiah, a nationalist messiah that would deliver Israel from the Roman occupation or make them a great nation again in the eyes of the world.  

No, Jesus was saying that to follow him, there something deeper going on.  He is saying that he has come to give life, to give Presence, to all of those suffering with humiliation, with brokenness, with pain, and even death.  And, not only experience that Presence in others, but deeply within ourselves.  That they can walk with him as he walks with them through the throes of life.  And, that they too will rise with him…but, they, along with him, will have to go through the hard stuff of life.  

They may even lose their lives.  Actually, they will lose their lives, in order to gain life.  Everything.

Friends, as I continue the journey of the past few years, and really my whole life, of reconciling within me the grief of loss, of brokenness, that even things that I may hold on to dearly are dying, that this is the process of life…and that the messiah, the true friend, is with me in that process and that I too am rising again in the midst of the shame and the suffering of death. 

Yet, it’s something that we all will experience.  And, we have a hope in resurrection because of Jesus.  But, let’s also remember that Jesus’ resurrected body still bears the scars of his humiliation.  And, yet, he overcame…and so will we, scars and all.  

And, you know what, that’s good news.  We have an earthy, really, honest faith that not only is with us in the hard stuff, as well as the good stuff, but a faith that is like yeast in the dough as it says in scripture that is causing new and beautiful things within us to grow.  

Emptying.

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Mark 6:30-34

30 The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. 31 He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 32 And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. 33 Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. 34 As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.

Mark 6:53-56

53 When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat. 54 When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him,55 and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. 56 And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.

These past few weeks have been very reflective as you could imagine.  My goodness!  So much going on in culture…so much information overload…it’s good to be aware…but lots to process.  And, in all of this, trying to remember who I am, who we are!  Phew!  I am looking forward to getting on an airplane tonight…I may just collapse for a bit…

Through it all, there’s a sense that I, along with many of us, are becoming more aware that we are moving towards being something more.  We are defying roles, labels, stereotypes,  in ourselves and in culture and becoming deeply connected in our humanity with one another.

This is why Jesus came.  Jesus embodied this sense of oneness.  He redefined “family” as more inclusive and closer than we could imagine.  He redefined religion to being more about relationship.  He redefined humanity as not belonging to different categories, clans, or whatever, but to abolish what divides and to bring us together.  

Our lectionary passage this morning in Ephesians that we didn’t read says just that…what’s more, it reminds us of the universal nature of Christ.  That Christ brings us together with one another and with those who have gone before us and after us.

As someone who officiates funerals, I often think about death, what’s next, what does it resurrection look like.  There are no certainties, but Scripture tells us that we are somehow connected in this life and in the next.  It is an eternal journey.

Jesus is calling us toward living life, real life, together.  He’s inviting us along on a journey, a lifelong journey.  A journey built on authenticity.

That’s why, in our gospel lesson, that so many folks wanted to be around Jesus.  He was vulnerable, honest, real.  More than words or the miracles, they believed in Jesus because Jesus believed in them.  He was a lover.  A lover of all people and things and lived it out.  Belief, love, trust, that can bring expansive growth where labels and dogma simply don’t matter anymore.  Where simply being around someone like Jesus can bring healing as people become more aware, more real, and more themselves.  

Throughout difference experiences in life, I began to see Jesus as a real human, someone who I can come to and believed in me, which enabled me to believe in him.  This Jesus who has a deep compassion for me and for others.  This Jesus who yearns for me and my community.  This love compelled me to come to the call of being a pastor…to have a passion for others to know themselves and this Jesus who loved so well and to know that they can be loved and have a sense of community, of relationship with others and with God.  

This same Jesus has been moving me towards this place of love my entire life, to places where our attachment to roles, definitions, boundaries, fall away and are all wrapped up into a deeper attachment to love and connection to all people and things and where wisdom springs forth.  

Our scripture this morning shows a Jesus that ALL can come to, no matter where they are in life.  Just like me in many ways, the folks in Israel at the time this passage was written were steeped in a religious culture, they knew the stories.  Yet, they were stuck in a cultural system over that took precedence over authentic relationship, they didn’t know that God was calling them into an intimate relationship with God and into a community of intimate relationships with others.  Jesus appears on the scene, Jesus, like some folks in our lives, demonstrated a love, a deep and authentic desire for relationship with others.  He also shared good news that God’s love was extended to everyone, not just those who were in synagogue or the temple every week, but everyone.  

Jesus calls us to BE someone better, love well, show justice, compassion and demonstrative action for the poor, for those on the margins of community, for those who have felt real persecution or oppression.  And, the way to experience that being was not to simply sit in church every week, but to know deeply the love that God showers upon you and to develop ways to understand that love just as you would invest in any friendship, spend time with God as you interact with your neighbors, family, friends.  

Our passage gives witness to people hungering for God, and feeling compelled to come to Jesus, to experience this love, and Jesus calls them into the desert, to slow down and contemplate what God has done for them.  I can also relate to that as God has called, and continue s to call me to places like the Abbey of Gethsemani in KY…or even literally the desert when we lived in SoCal when I was getting my Masters in Divinity to get away with him.  And, quite frankly, I’m looking forward to some time away in a place I have loved most of my life, Scotland, and to be alone, as well as catching up with lifelong friends and colleagues, and Debbie coming out at the end of my time there.

Jesus calls us, his church to do the same, to take time outs in our days and sometimes longer to experience relationship with him.  As we do this, as we our allowing ourselves to be alone with God, we may find this God deep within us, as well as in the silence of pulling away…as we empty ourselves of all of the distractions that we are used to.   In our scriptures, we see those following Jesus and that the crowds came because they were consumed by God’s love being emptied into them and that love was contagious.

The writer in Ephesians reminds us that we were once Gentiles, unbelievers, did not know God’s love.  Yet, God’s love came and was demonstrated to us through Jesus.  In Jesus, we are shown and told that we are one in our humanity.  Jesus abolished the felt need for the rules that were outside regulators of behavior, and gave us himself.  Jesus was and is the perfect humanist!  He wants us to be our truest selves.  

God’s story of love has power to change us, to inspire us, and like the disciples, to change the world. It is given freely to us by God’s Spirit, and we are called to come and be joined together, all of us, with Christ as our example and cornerstone.  

Friends, we have much to be thankful for, and much work to do of self, others, and God awareness.  May we know that this God is calling us towards divine union with God’s Self and everyone and everything, just as God is calling our neighbors, those who have been excluded by religious folk, all of humanity in Christ’s shared humanity with us. 

Power.

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Mark 6:1-13

The Rejection of Jesus at Nazareth

6 He left that place and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. 2 On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! 3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. 4 Then Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.” 5 And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. 6 And he was amazed at their unbelief.

The Mission of the Twelve

Then he went about among the villages teaching. 7 He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. 8 He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; 9 but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. 10 He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. 11 If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” 12 So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. 13 They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.

What a week.  Writing this sermon in the midst of this past week has some interesting pondering within me.  

With the funeral of Tom Klayer this past week and another one coming up for a non-church member, I’ve been thinking about my growing up and my parent’s death.  A few years my dad died in a car wreck and my mom of cancer just three years later.  

During those years, in between my parents’ deaths, I spent quite a bit of time in Louisville where I grew up, especially when my mom was sick and dying.  Being in my hometown at that time gave me some perspective, as it often does, of how I grew up.  People knew me in a certain way, and, it’s fascinating, it’s me, but it’s also over several lifetimes lived.  Even my mom had a vision of me that was not the full picture of who I was or who I was becoming.  Now, there was lots of love and oftentimes folks see a version of ourselves that we need to see as well, or be reminded of.  But, all of us have a sense of being in different places of understanding ourselves over the years, don’t we?

Jesus is not different from us, his hometown knew him as Mary and Joseph’s son.  He was a carpenter.  Galilee, during this season was apparently fairly prosperous, so he wasn’t a wandering carpenter, but had fairly stable employment.  We know from a few readings ago that some in his family wanted him to have some stability and not get out ahead of himself or others.  So, heading back to his hometown had Jesus thinking a lot I bet!

As we’ve read the past few Sundays and discussed, Jesus had been busy!  Calming storms, healing folks, performing miracles, raising people from the dead.  Starting a movement that was getting a lot of attention, both good and bad.  Showing radically inclusive love and inviting folks to think differently within the systems that they have lived in.  You know, just the ordinary Son of God kinds of things…

Yet, his hometown didn’t throw him a parade, didn’t welcome him with open arms, they were amazed, his sermon must have been intriguing at least…but, they were also amazed in the kind of incredulous kind of way.  Saying things like, “who does he think he is?”, “Where does his wisdom come from?”.  And, as if to say, we “know” him, “isn’t he the daughter of Mary, brother of of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon?”  Which is interesting, because later in scriptures, we know Mary stands with her son, and that at least two of his brothers become early church leaders.  

There’s also this theme of faith, or deeper trust, that we’ve talked about in the past.  It seems like Jesus is telling us that faith or trust is shared, it is something we have and that we have to exercise it, practice it, for it to grow or be useful.  

But, the people in Jesus’ hometown did not want to do that.  They wanted to stay comfortable and keep folk “in their place”.  He’s Mary’s son they say, not even mentioning his earthly dad.  The crowd may have been suggesting that Jesus was different, and maybe he really wasn’t Joseph’s kid…of course, if only they knew…or were willing to risk getting to know Jesus now.

For 30 years, Jesus had been someone, now he was growing into a very public, deeper version of himself, his “true self” as the monk Thomas Merton and others would say.

He tries to do some miracles there, but could only lay hands on a few sick people…and realized that the familiarity of who he had been was would not let folks see him, or his power of love.  He was amazed at their lack of faith.

Again, could it be that his hometown was looking for a heroic, triumphant, local kid makes good kind of story?  I think so.

But, Jesus was in the process of re-ordering so many things, he was moving things from the way it had been into a new imagination…an imagination that we are made in the image, or imagination, of God…This imagination would transform how we view one another, how we love, how we connect, and who’s included (everyone), and that God does not show favoritism but wants all of us to be in communion with one another, and with God.  That there is one allegiance in this world that matters, and that is to God.  And, in today’s world that we live in, we still, desperately, need that kind of Jesus imagination, don’t we?

God has been telling God’s people forever to be a witness to God’s love to the world, to the nations.  Instead, they became just like the other nations.  God’s power was shown as God giving God’s self to us, and that we are to follow in God’s example.  And, specifically, to follow in God’s example through Jesus.  Yet, we too, just like Israel, often forget and simply become just like others, living in a system and a culture without thinking much about how to make our lives and the lives of others more connected, more human as in the image of God that we were created.  

I love this quote from Richard Rohr on power:

“God has communicated in a million ways that “I am your power,” but we do not believe and trust what we cannot see or prove. Instead, we bow down to lesser kings (like institutions, nations, wars, ideologies, etc.) that we can see, even when they serve us quite poorly.” – Richard Rohr

Jesus has a message, this message that God’s presence, God’s kingdom, God’s reign, is with us and it supersedes all other earthly kingdoms, systems, governments, etc.  And, we can have a deeper trust, deeper than belief even, in that Presence.  A presence that will not let us go and is all around us and in us!

He calls his disciples, his closest disciples around him and sends them out to share this with others.

He tells them to go in twos, because we are relational and need each other.  None of us are superman or wonder woman on our own.  To only take a staff…not a bag, don’t take bread, and wear sandals, but don’t take an extra tunic.  To lean in on the first house that shows hospitality, don’t go to another house if it’s nicer, but stick with the first.  

Again, this past week, like all of the weeks we’ve had together at Westwood First, was a good reminder of so much, that relationships are important more than anything.  I have been welcomed into all sorts of conversations and life events in these past few months.  Visiting with folks at the church, on the phone, in nursing homes, retirement communities, coffeeshops, yes, breweries also, and in hospitals.  

Hospitals are supposed to be places of welcome, rest, relief, and healing.  Hospital comes from the word “hospitality”.  And, I remember that mom’s hospital was pretty good at that…as are many hospitals.

As Jesus followers, we are also places and people of welcome, of rest from a weary world, of grace and relief, and of healing.  Healing of ourselves, others, and living into the promises of God.  As we do that, we change, and others may as well.

But, some may not want that change or have the imagination for a new imagination.  They may not welcome us.  They may be thinking it’s the same story as so many other faith communities…one that says more about what we are against than who and what we are for…which is being for and with all of humanity.

Yet, Jesus says to shake the dust off of our feet and move on if we are not welcomed.  Now, this doesn’t mean that we give up on those who don’t welcome us.  I’ve heard it said that this actually a phrase that means to dust off the criticism that we receive and keep on walking the path that we have been given within a community of faith called to love the neighborhood in which we live.  

Friends, may we live into the faith that God has in us as God sends us out, together.  May we receive and give hospitality and share the good news that God is with us and loves us.  May we be the alternative, loving, authentic community within a world so desperately in need of people and places like that.  

And may we remember along the way that we are in communion with ourselves, others, and God as demonstrated in through Jesus.  

Trust.

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Mark 5:21-43

21 When Jesus had crossed again in the boat[ to the other side, a great crowd gathered around him; and he was by the sea. 22 Then one of the leaders of the synagogue named Jairus came and, when he saw him, fell at his feet 23 and begged him repeatedly, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live.” 24 So he went with him.

And a large crowd followed him and pressed in on him. 25 Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years. 26 She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse. 27 She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 for she said, “If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.” 29 Immediately her hemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease.30 Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?” 31 And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, ‘Who touched me?’” 32 He looked all around to see who had done it. 33 But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”

35 While he was still speaking, some people came from the leader’s house to say, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?” 36 But overhearingwhat they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” 37 He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. 38 When they came to the house of the leader of the synagogue, he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly.39 When he had entered, he said to them, “Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.” 40 And they laughed at him. Then he put them all outside, and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child was. 41 He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha cum,” which means, “Little girl, get up!” 42 And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age). At this they were overcome with amazement. 43 He strictly ordered them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat. 

Sermon:

When I was in high school, a freshman, I went out for the soccer team.  We ran like 7 miles the first day.  It was miserable.  I went out for track that same year, we ran a lot the first day.  I quit track soon after that as well…seems like I had not fully realized how much running was involved in being a runner.  At that time in life, I realized I hated running.   

At 37 I went in for a physical with my doctor.  He said I was healthy, but not as healthy as I could be.  He told me that I think I’m active, because of being a pastor to students, but I wasn’t consistent and my cholesterol was a bit high.  He asked me how I was going to live my second half of life?  Which I thought then and now that his statement wasn’t very optimistic!  He also encouraged me to find a sport or activity that I could be consistent in.  Deb was a runner at the time, so I thought if she can do it, so can I.  I became a bit desperate, then obsessive, and I fell in love with it and running brought lots of changes and opportunities for me.  At 37, I was ready to run.  Plus, the more I ran, the more I saw that I’ve always had it in me, my understanding of faith, my trust, in my running deepen.  

In our lectionary reading this morning from the Gospel of Mark, we pick up where we left off last week.  Jesus and his disciples have finally made it through the storms on the sea or lake that they were crossing and made it to the other side.  If you remember last week, we talked about Jesus being with us in the storms of life, both physically and metaphorically.  And, to have faith, or deeper trust, that something or someone is with us no matter what.  Well, they get to the other side, and there’s no rest for the weary!  They are immediately surrounded by a great crowd.  These two stories are lumped together because they are have a bit of a contrast in the character’s trust and one is named and the other has remained anonymous throughout history.

Jairus is listed as a religious leader in the synagogue, he immediately comes to Jesus and asks him to come to his house for his daughter is dying.  It’s interesting to note that this guy is part of the religious establishment.  Many of these folks looked at Jesus as a threat, some warily, some were curious…but, this guy had faith that Jesus could do something for his daughter.  So, Jesus seems to respond to trust…as if saying that if you are with me, we can do this together…and says he’ll go to Jairus’ house.  Now, Jairus is the ruler of the local synagogue.  He’s a high profile guy and is a leader in his community.  He’s an insider, yet Jesus sees him, and heads to his house.  

But, on the way there, he has to go through a crowd.  In that crowd is a woman, unlike Jairus, we don’t know her name.  She’s been anonymous throughout history.  She was an outsider.  Because of the religious rules of that time, she could not go to the synagogue, she could not be a part of community, because she had been hemorrhaging for 12 years.  In Jewish custom at that time, blood was considered unclean.  You would have to go through a purification ritual that takes days to be considered clean.  If you are hemorrhaging for that long, you are never clean.  

She was desperate.  She needed healing, she longed to be in community, and she approached Jesus with a simple faith of, “if I can just get close enough to touch his cloak, I will be healed”.  

This woman has been through so much pain, she’s seen so many doctors, she had depleted her savings, and yet she was getting worst, not better.  This sounds like something that so many folks in our society today doesn’t it?

So, she goes to Jesus.  Works her way through the crowds, and touches Jesus’ cloak.  And, miraculously, she’s healed.  

Jesus feels power going out from him, he looks around to see who it was, he can’t find out and so who he asks who touched him.  The disciples are incredulous and ask, how can we know?  See the people around you?

Think about that moment.  Have you ever been in a crowd and lost track of someone?  How many of us have had experiences where we lost sight of a child or a parent or someone that we were with in a crowd.  It can be frantic.  

This woman though mustered the courage and came forward.  She was scared, something amazing had just happened.  But, she took a risk, was vulnerable, and shared her story.

Friends, being vulnerable like this can be risky, yet she had the courage to do it…even in the midst of her trauma.  A while back, I came across this quote from the late Rev. Rachel Held Evans that points out how important the church is, it sums up the vulnerable risk-taking people and places that churches should be:

“We long for our churches to be safe places to doubt, to ask questions, and to tell the truth, even when it’s uncomfortable.”

That’s what this woman needed, a safe place to be vulnerable.  This woman who was an outsider the synagogue and to the culture at large.  

Jesus gives an interesting respond, “your faith has made you well, go in peace, and (as well) be healed of your disease.”

It’s as if Jesus is saying that the physical healing is secondary, but, what you really want is to be made well, to be whole, and to have peace…that only happens through your faith…a faith that takes risks, that notices things.

What is necessary in our churches is to develop the practices of spiritual growth and awareness.  To cultivate our trust, our faith.  We have great events like the Westside Abbey, retreats, conferences, etc.  It also means taking the time to walk, or journal, or be quiet, to reflect, to notice the beauty within you and others, and to hold all of you and others up, even the messy stuff.  To embrace life and to live it.  The church cannot give anyone what they need spiritually, you have to want it, but the church can be a powerful witness to God’s love and actions in and through us by God’s giving of God’s self to us.  

Power went out of Jesus, God gives, the woman received it, and the woman met Jesus.  He saw her, she saw him, they were known, and she stood up and had agency.  Agency is defined as the capacity of individuals to act independently and to make their own choices.  This woman did just that, as did Jesus…and they met…and her life was never the same.

While this was happening, folks came from Jairus’ house and told Jairus not to bother Jesus anymore for his daughter is dead.  Jesus told him to not be afraid, to believe.  Again, belief in this passage is not about dogma or correct theological thinking, it’s believe in me, as a person, as someone that has trust in himself and in you.  

They go to the house, Jesus just takes a couple of the disciples and when they get there, they hear this great commotion of people crying and waling…Jesus asks them why are you weeping, she’s just asleep…and they laugh.  It may have seemed ridiculous to the folks in the house, or maybe it was a bit of a nervous laugh.  Either way, it didn’t seem to phase Jesus…he sent everyone out but the parents and his disciples into the room of the daughter, took her hand and told her to “get up”.  And, she did…and even walked about around and Jesus made sure that she had something to eat.  

Again, these two healings, together.  One of an anonymous woman, another of a daughter of Jairus, a prominent leader.  It seems as if Jesus is telling us that he shows no favoritism.  That everyone is loved and however we meet Jesus, that this Jesus wants us to “show up”.  We, the church, or a pastor, or a program cannot force someone to “see” or “hear” the divine, or even touch the divine.  We can only do that when we are ready, or are desperate enough.  

When I was wanting to get healthier, I felt a need to make changes and went to my doctor….this woman and Jairus also were in need of healing and they took a risk and moved toward Jesus…

Friends, let’s continue to move in Christ towards deeper trust and healing and find ourselves in places of deeper growth as we experience the touch of the Divine! 

Be Still.

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Mark 4:35-41

35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” 36 And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. 37 A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 39 He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” 41 And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

When I was in my twenties and living in Atlanta, Georgia, I had a great group of friends.  We all were involved with a non-profit youth ministry and had similar passions.  One of those passions was backpacking and hiking.  Almost every other weekend, we would pile our gear into our trucks and SUV’s and head an hour or two north into the North Georgia mountains, usually right around the Appalachian trail.

One weekend, we were particularly looking forward to a hike we had not done and had a couple of new guys that wanted to go with us.   A couple of days before the trip, we got the news that a hurricane would be coming into Georgia and we’d feel it in Atlanta.  We figured that we would probably miss it by being in the mountains though.

So, we headed north that Friday.  Well, it started to rain, and rain more.  We got to the trailhead, and it was pounding.  Being young, and having lots of experience in the woods with crazy weather, we weren’t going to be deterred.  The new guys on the other hand.  Well, one guy got had on khaki’s and a golf shirt.  We thought he might change on the way, but he seemed to be dressed for a fraternity function, not a hiking trip.  When we got out of the vehicles, this guy pulled out an Auburn umbrella.  

We started the hike, got to our campsite and set up.  The rain let up just long enough for us to set up our tents and one guy, Jay, set up a hammock with a tarp over it.  The rains came back though…with wind.  We all eventually hunkered in a tent.  We didn’t blow away, but the next morning we had some great stories, and we had a great time being together…even through a storm that we probably didn’t have any business being in.

The context of this morning’s gospel lesson has the disciples traveling together in a boat through a storm.  Jesus has been teaching on faith and the Kingdom of God being near.  God is with us, near us, closer than we could imagine.  God’s kingdom, God’s Presence, is all around us and in us…moving us in new directions, shaping and reshaping us, bringing out things in our lives that we need to pay attention to, some things that are hard to bring up, things that we don’t want to confront, yet they are present with us and God is in the business of giving new life and redeeming even hard things.

This is the message that Jesus has been sharing and its recorded in the previous chapters of Mark.  Crowds of people are curious and drawn to Jesus.  The honesty, authenticity of Jesus was refreshing to a world worn out under a way of living that they’ve been used to.  Jesus’ words offered hope and people clamored towards.  Jesus’ words on faith that could move mountains were strong, appealing.  Yet, moving mountains, especially the mountains of doubt, fear, scarcity, and anxiety can be exhausting at times.  

The disciples and Jesus were tired. They had places to go and needed some time to unplug, be still, even while they moved on towards a different place.  So, Jesus says, let’s get in this boat together, and go to the other side of this lake.  Jesus falls asleep and a huge storm comes up and threatens to overcome the boat.  At least four of the disciples are seasoned fisherman, they’ve been through storms, yet this one must have been overwhelming as they disciples thought that they were done.  Yet, Jesus sleeps.  They wake him, they are anxious and filled with fear.  I can’t blame them!  They even ask Jesus if he even cares if they die.  Jesus doesn’t seem to be bothered much though…although, he does seem a bit annoyed.  

He wakes up, and says “be still”…in the greek there’s a repetitive command or imperative.  Jesus commands the seas and wind to be still.  And, they do.  He then turns to his disciples, and says, where is your faith…or again, “trust”…actually calls them “little faiths” or “little trusts”.  It’s as if he’s saying where have you been?  Remember the other miracles I’ve done?  Have you not been listening?  Don’t you trust me yet?  

The disciples may or may not have had a “come to Jesus” moment..but they kind of sobered up a bit.  They were relieved, and they did ask in awe:  Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”  I think they knew the answer, or it was dawning on them.  They were good Jews, steeped in an understanding that only God, the one true God, had power over the elements.  Their friend, Jesus, was not only like them in their humanity, but also lived into his divinity.  And, this Jesus is bridging the gap between humanity and divinity in himself…and reminding the disciples, and us, that the veil is thin between humanity and the divinity within and all around us.

In both, Jesus is present with them, in life, in the boat, through the storms.

Tertullian, the 2nd century theologian believed that the boat in this story and in the other gospel narratives is figurative for the church.  The church does not save us, the God being born and re-born within us, the seed that God plants in us, God’s seed that grows into God as we cultivate an understanding of our being made in the image of God, saves us.  That’s the message of Jesus really.  We can’t put our faith in the church, but in the God who is present in the boat, the church, with us.  We may think that God is asleep, but whether asleep or awake, God is fully present with us.  

Here we are, you and I, in this particular boat together called Westwood First Presbyterian.  I believe that we have had lots of storms in our lives.  How we continue to face them and grow in our faith will give us vision and identity.  As we are in this boat, we look to the example of Jesus and we will grow in our self-awareness and confidence of who we are in this boat and how we not only need each other but that we can get to some beautiful locations together as we work and grow with each other…and, along the way, bring others on to the boat.  

Calmness.  Stillness.  Peace.  We need that in the midst of the storms of life and the culture and systems in which we live.  We strive towards a healthy non-attachment to the circumstances of the world…while being connected to all things and all people as our attachment is to the God who resides within and all around us. We need to take deep breaths and remember the stories of God and how we are connected to nature and all things and people.  The stories in and around us are alive and breathing and being written in new ways within us here at Westwood First and in our neighborhoods and relationships.

Friends, Jesus, through the universal presence of Christ, is in the boat of life with us.  May we live in trust.  May we rememberer that our trust can move mountains and God’s trust in us will empower us to be a part of an amazing new story here at Westwood First and in each of our lives as we live out this deeper trust together.  

Seeds.

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Mark 4:26-34

The Parable of the Growing Seed

26 He also said, “The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, 27 and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. 28 The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. 29 But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come.”

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

30 He also said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; 32 yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”

The Use of Parables

33 With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; 34 he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples.

It’s been said around here at Westwood First Presbyterian, and at other places where I’ve been in ministry, that I have a lot of ideas.  Some are even good!  It is true, I have lots of thoughts and ideas.  I also come up with lots of thoughts and ideas in conversations with folks.  

It’s also true that many of those ideas that we come up with sometimes are good, sometimes not so good.  But, I believe that God’s Spirit acts within and outside of us, sparking us to have dreams and visions…to form processes for cultivating ideas even as we take some risks.  Ideas often start out small, need some time to grow and mature.  When the time is right, it’s good to plant those ideas and see what happens.  And, it’s important to remember that seeds are planted in dark, usually moist, dirt filled with nutrients.  

That’s one of the reasons why I love the Presbyterian church.  We have processes and procedures, we have community, we have deep trust, we have all of the ingredients for imagination and to make things happen for the good of our communities and in our lives.  We have nutrients of conversation, listening, deeper trust, and connection or communion.

And, curiosity.   Especially here at Westwood First.  We are asking ourselves questions:   What are we passionate about, what makes us get up in the morning and face a day, what gives us hope?  Why is it important for us to be here?  And, passion comes out of suffering. I know I have a passion for running, and there is suffering in that at times!  I have a deeper passion for seeing relationships happen and for energy being driven from community for growth and change.

But, I also know that in order to run well, and in order to see relationships built, I need to listen and to see.  I also need to make sure that I am able to cultivate an understanding of myself, others, and God.  God is a mystery, so am I and so are you.  That’s what makes life interesting, we have mystery, we are curious, we ask questions, and we have trust, we lead and we follow, and we grow.  It’s not stagnant.  Growth happens and moves us.

The parable of the sower has much to say to us.  Jesus spoke in parables oftentimes.  Parables are words for the audience that do not carry their meaning on the surface.  They are meant to be shared, chewed on, thought upon, and then their meaning grows within us.

Jesus had been encouraging his disciples with their being a part of his family, a part of God’s kingdom.  As we’ve said before, Kingdom of God talk is about God’s Presence in our lives and in the world.  God’s working out God’s purposes in all things, and for good.

Jesus was also sharing that the Kingdom of God is participatory.  It’s not idly watching or consuming something.  So often, we in the church have followed along with the idea that we need to create programs or services that we can consume or others can.  That’s not the idea that was planted in the church by God.  We have created a consumer based church that may give us a brief respite from the craziness of life from time to time, and maybe that’s good for a season, but God wants to plant within us a vision for church that is life-giving, energizing, and involves us in relationship with each other and with the world around us…and with a God who is very much present with us.  For example:  I love giving sermons, I love music…I like worship services.  There is a place for them, but if all we do is come and consume on Sunday morning, or produce a product, then we will all eventually come to a point of burn-out or hollowness as we become attached to that product and performance.  We then may have that famous saying creep up:  “church (or pastor, or sermon, or youth group, or choir, or bible study, or whatever) is not meeting my needs”.   Well, the church was not set up to meet needs, but a place for relationships to flourish, and that requires full participation.  All of us, together.  

We need something more, we need to be full participants in looking at ways that we can experience real life, eternal life…which, like I said last week has much more to with the quality of life that we live than the quantity.  We strive for connection over unhealthy attachments to a perceived outcome.  We are so often enslaved to a system or a way of doing things in our culture, that we miss out on the freedom that God wants us to have and to share with others.   

Jesus uses the imagery of someone laying out seed in our gospel lesson.  The seed is planted, it is cared for, and something grows.  It takes time.  I heard this past week, that it takes about 6 years into a relationship before one sees lasting fruit in that relationship.  

I believe that Jesus is saying to his listeners, and to us now, that he wants us to grow into the people we were called to be, that we have been given opportunities to understand who we are and how we relate to one another.  Opportunities such as meeting together for worship, forums, podcasts, small group bible studies.  God has given us other opportunities like the Westside Abbey, the retreat next weekend, partnerships with groups like Princess Ballet, Little Villages, Scout, Westwood Works, and the list goes on.  God has also placed this church in a physical location, surrounded by people who I think would love to get to know amazing folks like you!  These opportunities help us to grow in many ways, but the real work is in between the events, in between seeds being planted and coming to bear fruit.  The work is in cultivating an understanding of the ideas, imagination, and new creation being formed and reformed within us and in the quality of our relationships with each other and with God. 

Seeds are being planted within us and all around us, seeds that will bear fruit towards seeing the Kingdom emerge within us, God’s Presence within us, and around us.  Some of those seeds are being consumed, aren’t being given enough water, don’t have deep roots, but some are falling on good soil.  Can we hear what Jesus is whispering in our ears?  Can we see what God intends to do?

Meister Eckhart has this great quote:  “Now the seed of God is in us. The seed of a pear tree grows into a pear tree; the seed of a hazel tree grows into a hazel tree. The seed of God grows into God.” 

Friends, I believe that God has given us good soil here at Westwood First!  I believe that this soil does require tending, plowing, and cultivating.  But, I think that the seeds God is planting will grow…and we are growing into the Divine, into God.  We are image bearers of God, so, of course, we are growing into that image!!!

I’m also grateful for the conversations we’ve had this past week around here and in the community that affirm that we have a lot of gardening to do, within us and in this church, but we are committed to seeing what God wants to grow through all of the many seasons that we will be walking and working together in.  

Then there’s the mustard seed.  The Kingdom of God is being planted within us, it may be the smallest seeds, yet it grows into becoming a large tree, so much so that the birds rest in them.  We may not be a large church, but we can be a seed planted in this community for much community goodness.  The smallest of seeds make the biggest difference.  Let’s love well this garden!

Outside/Inside.

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Mark 3:20-35

20 and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. 21 When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, “He has gone out of his mind.” 22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons.” 23 And he called them to him, and spoke to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come. 27 But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered.

28 “Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— 30 for they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.”

The True Kindred of Jesus

31 Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you.” 33 And he replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34 And looking at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”

When I was 22 years old, I made a decision.  I was about to graduate from the University of Kentucky with my bachelors in social work. 

At that point, I decided that I wanted to do something that was more than making money, but good for the world.  So, I switched to social work.  Which, in that profession, there is no chance of making money, as my dad would remind me of at the time.  

Now, my dad was a school principal, a good guy who also wanted to make a difference in his community.  And, truthfully, he just wanted me to do well and not struggle.

The kicker came though at 22 when I informed my dad that I was going to shift gears again, and instead of going into social work, I was going to go into youth ministry, where there is no money at all…and, even more, I was going to work for a non-profit youth ministry.  

Now, I thought my dad would be OK with it.  I had worked part-time in college with this non-profit, was involved with it in high school even, and my parents were even fairly significant financial supporters of this organization.

My dad’s response, literally, and I still remember this 34ish years later, “I just paid for 4 years of college for you to do what?!!!”  

I said yep, and off I went…and, yes, I did struggle, mightily.  I had years of eating more peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and 25 cent ramen noodles than I can remember.  

But, something happened 2 or 3 years into working for this non-profit.  My dad told me how proud he was of me and that I had grown more in the past few years than he could have imagined.  I was so grateful.  

I don’t know what it is though, but I left that job within a year or two of that conversation to work for a church in Atlanta, GA.  It was kind of like when I had long hair…when my dad said that it had grown on him (pun intended) and that he liked it…I cut it.  

Our passage this morning, at first, can be somewhat unsettling for us in the 21st century.  What does it mean to have a house divided?  For Satan to turn on Satan?  A stronger man?  And the kicker, Jesus’ family coming to reprimand him and Jesus seemingly redefining who his family is?

Well, first of all, just like all scripture reading, we have to cultivate an openness to what God wants to share with us, while also understanding that this was probably written in first century where relationships and families were defined a bit different.  Yet, there’s still some amazing messages for us today.

Jesus’ family is concerned for him and for his safety.  He’s drawing large crowds in a restive time in history and in this place.  Revolution is in the air and a desire to live without the yoke of occupiers from Rome and a religious system that coddled the people while conspiring with the Roman authorities.  

And, folks are drawn to this Jesus who is expressing through his words and actions living a life as full humans not subject to a system or an ism, but in a deep abiding in God’s Presence, God’s reign that is based on deep relationship.

A movement is brewing a drawing in people and with that, the authorities are threatened and trying to pin things on Jesus, saying things, betraying relational integrity and trying to get Jesus out of the picture…and even scapegoating him for their own short givings and failures in living into the promises of God.  Promises that they knew from their religious training, but failed to live into because it would upset the social order that kept them comfortable.

So, his family comes to him, out of concern, but also with a desire to even forcibly take him back home if you will.  Jesus answers his family, his followers, and his detractors with a powerful conversation.  He tells them that if he’s doing all of his miracles because he’s in league with the devil, that doesn’t wash because the devil can’t cast out the devil.  That doesn’t make sense.  And, that a kingdom divided can’t stand, it falls.  Why would the devil want to fail like that?!  

And, no one can enter a strong man’s house and take his stuff unless he has a stronger man…in effect, Jesus is saying that he’s stronger than the devil.

So much in that alone!  One, it says how important it is for us to be reminded that we can’t be a church divided!  That we have to trust one another in order to live as Jesus followers in a world that desperately needs unity.

It also says that Jesus is enough, is with us, and our relational identity in Christ and as the body of Christ is stronger than any division that we experience or even cause intentionally or unintentionally.  

He goes on to say, that God is with us, God’s Spirit is flowing, trust it, even in deep doubt.  And, again, remember, eternal means something about quality rather than quantity.  In other words, blaspheme God, go ahead, but that will not increase your quality of life, you’ll simply continue to be in a place that is disconnected from who you are, who you are with others, and with God…in other words, alone…and not in a good way.

Oh friends, we have come through a time of change…you, me, Westwood First, now, more than ever, we need to recommit ourselves to one another and to the purposes of the church, which is to love our neighbors, each other, well and to trust that God is with us and has a purpose for us…and wants us to be fully human!

Jesus’ family, well they hear Jesus, they don’t forcibly take him.  When he’s told they are outside of the crowded house, he tells his disciples and this followers, that they are his family because of this deeper trust.  He is saying that they are demonstrating true friendship by listening and trusting.  And, that there is a deeper bond than even our worldly attachments, that Jesus is our redeemer-kinsman, our brother, and this relationship is more important than any allegiance or belief or opinion…and this relationship calls us into deeper relationships with one another.

That’s church.  Our families are gifts that we should cherish and nurture and honor…that’s throughout Scripture and our nature.  Church though is a covenant that we enter into with one another, we say that we will work out things together, talk to one another, deeply listen, grow and mature together, be willing to live out what it means to follow Jesus and be God’s people.  Church that is “outside-in” focused.  Which means that we look at the people around us, God loves everyone around us…we find God in engaging the other and in the process inviting them from the outside into the inside of communion.  That’s what Jesus did and does!  

Now, last thing…Jesus’ family doesn’t seem to be offended too long by Jesus’ words.  His mother was one of the few that stayed with him at the cross at great peril to her own life.  She also knew early on the gift to the world that he was and is…and, his brother?  James becomes the leader of the church after Jesus’ death and resurrection.  Carrying the message of Jesus’ life to the world.

So, church family, know that you are loved and out of that love can love others.  Know that our commitment to one another is not defined by isms or belief systems, but abiding love that goes with us throughout our lives!

Human.

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Old Testament Lesson: Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18


1O Lord, you have searched me and known me. 2You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away. 3You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. 4Even before a word is on my tongue, O Lord, you know it completely. 5You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. 6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is so high that I cannot attain it. 

13For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well. 15My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 16Your eyes beheld my unformed substance. In your book were written all the days that were formed for me, when none of them as yet existed. 17How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! 18I try to count them—they are more than the sand; I come to the end—I am still with you. 

Gospel Lesson: Mark 2:23 – 3:6 

Pronouncement about the Sabbath 

23One sabbath he was going through the grainfields; and as they made their way his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. 24The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the sabbath?” 25And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need of food? 26He entered the house of God, when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and he gave some to his companions.” 27Then he said to them, “The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath; 28so the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.” 

The Man with a Withered Hand 

3 Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there who had a withered hand. 2They watched him to see whether he would cure him on the sabbath, so that they might accuse him. 3And he said to the man who had the withered hand, “Come forward.” 4Then he said to them, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. 5He looked around at them with anger; he was grieved at their hardness of heart and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 6The Pharisees went out and immediately conspired with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him. 

When I was 18 years old, I was involved in a youth ministry that went on a weekend skiing retreat to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.  It was a great trip filled with some amazing experiences.  It was also at a time in my life when I was beginning to question some things about religion and my life.  I was an achiever.  Especially when it came to church.  I wanted to make sure that “I did things right” and I received a lot of approval, especially in the church.  I was president of our FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes)/Good News Club, on our church’s youth council, active in organizing regional events and outings, had started a Campus Life club at my high school, and had even been “licensed” to preach by my baptist church.

Yet, I did not feel connected to God, nor to myself.  I took a chance, got vulnerable with my youth ministry adult leaders one night and told them about how I was doing all of this Christian stuff, yet, felt alone and did not know who I was…I remember them saying that God loves me and that’s not dependent on my doing anything…that I just needed to live and be.  That weekend turned out to be a lot of fun…there was skiing, there was some fun skits and games, a good speaker, and, more than anything else, a sense that I could let go of some things.

It’s been a lifetime for me of letting go of things and roles and expectations in order to live into my humanity as God intends.  A lifetime of risking being vulnerable and curious.  

This God knows me as the Psalm passage so beautifully states.  I am fearfully and wonderfully made.  And the Divine is with me in the depths and heights of life.  The Divine that is with me in this life, was with me before this life, and is with me after this life.  It is Me at my deepest, truest Self.  God, me, together.  Made in God’s image, God’s likeness.  

And, yet, I listened to the world around me that said that I am somehow separated from God, from the Divine, from the very spark that give and sustains life.  If you have ever been to a funeral service that I have officiated, you know that I use Romans 8:38-39.  “Nothing can separate us from the love of God.”.  But, the world, the systems that we’ve created, wants to divide us with religion, politics, orientations, origins, and even through the very scriptures that have been given to us to remind us of our journeys, our pilgrimages, in becoming human, or remembering our humanity.

Growing up, I knew that I did not want to live in the systems of the world.  Intrinsically, I knew somewhere inside of me, that we are all connected and loved.  But, I also needed to survive in the world that was given to me, so, often unintentionally, I developed an image that seemingly thrived in the world in which I lived.  I succeeded, I was “winning” if you will.

Yet, I was not at peace.

Years later, in my early twenties, I was given the gift of going to the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky.  A weekend of silence and rest.  At first, I could not stop, and then I let go.  I found some salvation in slowing down and intentionally listening to my body and soul.  I found “sabbath”, a time of intentionally letting go and leaning into who I am.  Being reminded of my humanity that is separate from any religious dogma, success, or what I do or what role I play.  Being reminded that I am fearfully and wonderfully made and in constant union with God whether I recognize it or not.  I have been going back to the Abbey ever since, for 30+ years.

This is the point of our gospel lesson.  Jesus is reminding us throughout his life that our image is not based on following religious rules for sake of following rules, especially when those rules get in the way of being human.  

The sabbath is made for humanity, not humanity for the sabbath.  The sabbath is for slowing down and reflecting on who we are as humans and to go deeper into our humanity.  

And then there’s this interesting phrase, “the son of man is lord of the sabbath even”.  God, the divine, the Son, representing all of humanity, is over the sabbath.  It does not matter if you pick grain to eat when you are hungry or from the temple.  Humans who are struggling need healing all of the time, even on the sabbath.  

Thomas Aquinas says:   “The word ‘Lord’ means the maker of all creation as in Judith 16:

‘All your creation serves you.’”

Matthew Fox explains this in this way:  MANY PEOPLE USE THE WORD LORD in their prayers and also in their projections. Here Aquinas teaches us that the primary meaning of Lord is “the maker of all creation.” God the Creator is what the word Lord refers to. To love that Lord we must love creation, study it, listen to those who do the same. Otherwise we are trapped in projection alone. Instead of worshipping God, we are worshipping our own ego, the birthplace of our projections. To worship one’s projections is plain and simple idolatry. Individuals and also religious institutions and traditions need to be on guard against idolatry. Jesus warned: “Not all who say ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven.”

We have created images of ourselves, and in our culture, that have dehumanized us.  Yet, all of creation, the Divine that lives inside and all around us, is urging us to let go of our egos and make them subservient to our true selves, to our humanity as God intended.  The “lord” is not an earthly ruler, it is the maker of creation, it is in whose image we have been given life.  And we are being loved, lured, reminded, to simply be who we were created to be…the persons, the humans, we’ve always wanted to be before the systems of this world began to tell us a different story filled with alternative realities other than the one reality of God’s union with us and love for and of and in us.

Renew.

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I’m going to ask you to do something a bit different this morning.  All of us, sit here for a moment, quietly with our eyes closed.  Just for a moment.  Now, as you sit, think about what’s going on in the air around you.  Atoms colliding, bouncing off of each other, air flowing.  Maybe you hear someone breathing.  Now, think about the space between you and the person sitting closest to you, or between you and me.  What’s filling that space, what makes space, space?  

Now, think of the activity going on around you.  God is present, God is moving, God is still, God is all around you.  Even inside of you.  Now, think of your body, your breath, your heart pounding.  God is moving deep inside of you, flowing through your blood, flowing through your heart…think of your breath, you are breathing God in and out, God is everywhere.  

Now, think of that passage in Isaiah where he has a vision…Isaiah is in the vision.  He sees a world that he hardly ever notices, a world that is going on around him in even when he’s not having visions. It is a passage in the Bible where Isaiah is in the back of the room…there are seraphim, cherubim, angelic beings flowing around…and, at one end, there is God, the other end, Isaiah, hiding behind a pillar.  

In this vision, he experiences being in the presence of God.  If you are there, in this passage, in this room. Where would you be standing, what would you be experiencing?  The voice of God calls out for someone to step forward and share God’s love…Isaiah gives that famous reply, “here I am, send me.”  Then, this angel comes and touches Isaiah with a burning coal.  It burns, yet it also purifies.  Change happens, Isaiah experiences a cleansing if you will, a purification.  He experiences an intense love that causes him to respond to God’s call to go anywhere.

Now, open your eyes.  This drama is happening every day, we catch glimpses of it, those are called moments of transcendency.  Yet, often we are in the dark, we can’t always see what’s happening around us.

John 3:1-17

Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2 He came to Jesusby night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.”4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. 6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.7 Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘Youmust be born from above.’ 8 The wind[f] blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?

11 “Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

17 “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Our new testament story happens in the dark.  It probably wasn’t pitch dark, but we think it was at night, or dusk. Nicodemus, a religious scholar who was interested in the words of Jesus came to Jesus at night time.  I’m not sure if there is much significance in the time of day that Nicodemus came, but he came and possibly the author had him come at night to symbolize Nicodemus was able to see some shadows, but he couldn’t see clearly, he was in the dark.

What Jesus shared with him was much like trying to explain what was happening with Isaiah.  There are things happening all around us, a deeper reality, that we only catch glimpses of…we are in the dark, yet, we have been given a light to see through Jesus and the inner and outer workings of God as being 3 in 1 persons, the Trinity.  

Jesus and Nicodemus had this conversation, and there were probably others around.  Jesus, as a rabbi and Nicodemus as a scholar, both had disciples, and those disciples were always around.  Jesus said everything out in the open, he was pretty transparent, yet, different folks maybe heard different things, even if they were around him.  One of the things that I’ve learned over the years as a leader and as a pastor, you can say things, a lot, even over-communicate, but folks are probably going to hear from their perspective.  I’m the same way.  We all are.  Jesus’ disciples were like that, they heard a lot, yet they had so many different ways of hearing what Jesus was saying.  It really is an amazing miracle, and a testimony to the power of God’s Presence that eventually led the disciples into a place of unity.

Nicodemus had some very good questions, he may have been timid in asking them, or afraid of what others thought, or simply curious and not sure how to ask them.  Yet, he came to Jesus and asked.  

He wanted to know how to enter the Kingdom of God, how to be in God’s Presence just as Isaiah was.  Jesus tells him that he has to be born again, or anew, or afresh.  That phrase “born again” used to get a lot of press, but really means a sense of seeing and experiencing things in a new way, with a new perspective or change of heart.  

The phrase “born again” literally translates into being “born from above”.  And Jesus goes on to say that this isn’t an action that humans can evoke, but that it’s a movement of God’s Spirit and Water.  Water in this case would be symbolic or a metaphor of a flow of love over us and through us, a cleansing, a making things new.  The Spirit is God’s action in our lives that gives us life and moves us towards a sense of God’s expansive love.  Nicodemus gets hung up on the idea of someone literally being born again, going back into the mother’s womb….but Jesus is using this phrase to literally say that there is a birthing, we have to go through a birth canal out of a protective mode of being and into the realities of life…and that God goes through the pains of childbirth along with humanity.

You know though, that’s a hard concept for us.  Birth is beautiful and filled with expectation and possibility.  But, we don’t want to leave the friendly confines of the womb.  We want to stay comfortable and in control, yet God moves us towards birth, towards maturity, towards a new way of living.  And, birth, I’ve been told, is not easy!  And, when one is born, they are born out of darkness and into the light…it’s a powerful image isn’t it!?

Jesus doesn’t mess around with Nicodemus, doesn’t play games, he goes straight to a hard saying…and then says that God’s Spirit is also like the wind.  The Hebrew word for spirit is the same for wind, Ruach…it’s also Pneuma in Greek.  It blows where it pleases.  The question for the readers of this passage, do we have our hearts, our bodies, our lives towards God’s Spirit?  Do we try to bundle ourselves up in scarves or jackets of anxiety, control, identity in something, even church to shield us from the wind, or are willing to turn into the wind and let it carry us where God’s Spirit intends?

Nicodemus doesn’t quite get it though, and begins to think linear, or binary.  He can’t see that there’s a metaphor being used of being born anew.  But, he stayed in the conversation.

Jesus goes on to say that entering the Kingdom, or recognizing that existence of a deeper reality of God’s presence required water and spirit.  That God is like a seed being planted in this world and that the Spirit is like water causing it to grow.  It’s also symbolic of an old life being buried in water and rising again to being something more than it was before.  Meister Eckhart, the great “doctor of the church” from the middle ages, has this quote:  “The seed of God planted in you grows into God.”  Ponder that one for a bit!  

This is an ongoing process of cultivating this seed that has been planted within us.  I’ve been born “from above” or anew often…even in the almost 6 months that I’ve been here as your pastor.  I’ve asked a lot of questions, I’ve been curious, I’ve shared fully who I am as best as I can.  I’m amazed of so many of these discussions have shaped me and us together.  It’s funny to me, I’ve been a part of church renewal movements, place based initiatives, got my doctorate on place and spiritual formation even, yet I can’t explain, nor do I wan to what we’ve been experiencing together here at Westwood First…it’s wild, weird, and beautiful…and it would not be happening unless we’ve leaned into the shadows and asked questions…  In many ways, our hopes and dreams here at Westwood First Presbyterian are starting to come into view by many of us, it’s still a bit fuzzy, but we all seem to be asking the same questions.  Yes, we’ve had to figure out some things and we are still in that process, but as we share and have conversations…sometimes even in the dark, many of us are experiencing what it means to be born anew, to have new life, new beginnings, and to dare to dream some awfully big dreams together as we work on relationships.  We are becoming a congregation of mystics, of living into the mystery of God as it emerges in our lives and in this place.

That’s the essence of what John is sharing in the third chapter.  God’s nature is relationship.  God’s desire and character is relationship.  The trinity is a relationship.  God the father honors the Son the Son honors the Spirit and vice versa…no particular order, they mutually indwell in each other.  Out of that relational force, the beautiful relational physics of it all, we, and the earth were created, we were saved, and we are sustained.  Again, I love this quote from Meister Eckhart, “Relation is the essence of everything that exists.”

This 3 in 1 God is one with us, God brings us up into the communion or relationship of the trinity through the Son.  Jesus is both divine and authentically human.  We are deeply related to Jesus, he is our brother…our redeemer kinsman who brings the full force of the relationship of the creation, death and resurrection, and rebirth and sustainment into our lives, into humanity.  

Then we come to the last two verses…we know John 3:16, we see it on the TV almost every time we watch a major sports event…someone is holding up a sign with those words on it.  That’s great, but I wonder if that person realizes the world that is unseen that’s at play.  We are called to  believe in something unseen, yet experienced deeply.  It’s also a message of Jesus not coming to condemn as it says in vs. 17, but to save!  The world!  All of us!  And it gives us the message of life, real life.  When the bible talks about eternal life, it’s talking more about the quality of life, not the quantity.  

Here’s what I know, I’m willing and I’m experiencing that same willingness in this church with you…and in this community.  It’s happening, we are all being born anew.  God’s Spirit is moving, drawing us into the relational and loving character of God, while reshaping us and the world around us.  Let’s live into that eternal reality…which, again, in Christ, is not only quality, but it truly is forever.  Amen?  Amen.