SCRIPTURE: Mark 10:35-45
TEXT: 52bImmediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way. THEME: Ransomed to be free to follow Jesus. INTRODUCTION Don’t get me wrong, I do believe the love Jesus has for us forgives our sin. I’m just wondering if he had to die on the cross as a payment for our sin. Forgiveness takes place because God loves us, not because of Jesus’ sacrifice. You can’t pay me, to make me, forgive someone, but a parent will easily forgive a child for doing something just because they love them, no strings attached, no sacrifice required. Consider Love, being more powerful than sin. Consider Relationships more important than sin. Consider a sacrifice, as not being necessary to switch on the work of reconciliation. Consider God’s work of forgiveness, love and grace always in play. A violent death doesn’t quite seem to fits in, as a requirement of forgiveness. Repentance yes, love yes, grace yes, mercy yes, but a substitutionary sacrifice is not necessary for a relationship based on love. If that is true for us, as imperfect as we are…Wouldn’t that be true for God, who is perfect in love and loves us more than we could love anybody? The story of the healing of Bartimaeus is amazing, as it is the very next thing that happens after the concept of ransom is introduced in verse 45. Paired with the discussions of greatness by the disciples, they are countered with the selfless welcoming of children as part of the Kingdom of God. In this context, the ransom is not to kidnappers for our release, but from a life of bondage to rules, tradition, self-serving pursuits, selfishness and greed. To me, Bartimaeus’ healing illustrating what a ‘life that has been ransomed’ looks like, as it moves from blindness towards living new possibilities in following Jesus. SCRIPTURE The order of the verses of the last hymn were changed, to make them match the order of events of this bible passage. Beginning with hearing, because this is how Bartimaeus first learns about Jesus and his nearness coming out of the city. Then to opening his mouth, as he shouts to Jesus above the chatter of the crowd. And lastly the opening of his eyes, seeing glimpses of truth. In the chorus, the word ‘silently’ is changed three times, because Bartimaeus was anything but silent. What he heard about Jesus, and his proximity, made for him to be heard and seen. He took hold of that opportunity with the only thing he had, his voice. So “Shoutingly” he waited. The second chorus begins with the word ‘Excitingly”, as those around him try to suppress him. He became more animated. In the last chorus, ‘Noisily’ as he waited, as belief, faith, opportunity, risk, and advocacy make his faith visible as he does what he can, to get Jesus’ attention. Jesus stood still and asked for the shouter to come to him. Bartimaeus throws his old life away and comes to Jesus. “What is it that you want?” Jairus wanted an unclean spirit casted out from his daughter, the 5,000 wanted to be fed, the rich guy wanted eternal life. Bartimaeus wanted to have his sight back. Jesus agrees. Your faith has made you well, go. He immediately receives his sight and follows Jesus. Where does a beggar go when they give up begging? For now, Bartimaeus is following Jesus. His life has been ransomed from blindness to something new with Jesus. We don’t know anything more as Jesus makes his way to Jerusalem. In the next chapter, Jesus enters Jerusalem for the last week of his life. APPLICATION Bartimaeus does not ask for his sight to go back to his old life. But to venture forward following Jesus. Faith connects us with Jesus. What does our faith in Jesus move us towards? Bartimaeus must have been one of the members of the crowd haling Jesus as king as he entered Jerusalem at the Triumph Entry. He could not go back to begging as a blind beggar. His life had been ransomed for something else. What is the something else that Jesus has ransomed our life from that we are freed to being living? The work of ransom gives us a chance for transformation and change. In 1965, a nonviolent Civil Rights rally took place outside of Lowndes County in Alabama. A young white seminarian, Jonathan Daniels, threw his body in the way of a bullet directed at a 17-year-old Ruby Sales. He died instantly while Ruby survived. She continued her life as a Civil Rights Leader and established the Spirit House in honor of Jonathan Daniels. What do we do with our ransomed life? Sometimes we think we have to accomplish amazing things with our ransomed life. We are amazing already, with who we are, with the people we are in relationship with, with what we do and how we are loved by God and how we love. Being ransomed from traditions, expectations, the world’s definition of success, from the opinions of people who don’t understand and their well-intentioned criticism, frees us to listen to Jesus and follow where he goes, even lining the road side as he enters Jerusalem but this time yelling “Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” We are ransomed to be the people of God. We are ransomed to be loving, forgiving, kind, gracious and generous. We are ransomed to participate in God’s mission to the world. We are ransomed to dance for God, to sing with praise, to do the work of reconciliation in relationships. We are ransomed to draw closer to God and lived inspired lives. We are ransomed to enjoy life, to work on an evolving theology, for joy and fellowship. We are ransomed for new possibilities of life, forgiveness, acceptance, and worship. We are ransomed to live out our faith in God. I am impacted again by John Lewis as echoed by Ruby Sales,” at the heart of this business (love and not hating) of finding something good in people and not giving up on anyone” CONCLUSION There is no debt paid on the cross, because there never was anything of that sort held back by God. What happens on cross then, if not the sinless payment for our sin? It is a display of the Love that God has for us. The continued action of Jesus loving us so much that it leads to his death. The threat of death does not deter him from teaching, being present, being seen, advocating for the Kingdom of God, calling us to God, correcting our theology, caring for us, healing us, or anything else that has to do with love. The political and religious powers of the day collide in a perfect storm that kill Jesus. Jesus was a perceived threat to their systems of power, control, prestige and greed. The healing of Bartimaeus in the Gospel of Mark is the last entry before the Triumphal entry leading to Jesus’ last week on earth (or so it seems). In its context in the Gospel of Mark, Bartimaeus’ story is of a life has been ransomed from blindness, to follow Jesus.
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SCRIPTURE: Mark 10:35-45
TEXT: 45For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.” THEME: Freed to live as a benefit for others. INTRODUCTION In this passage, there is no mention of sin, no mention of a debt, no mention of a sacrifice worthy enough to pay our debt of sin. We bring these templates with us to interpret this passage. When we hear the words ransom it draws us to a 11th century feudal concept of original sin and a substitution are payment for our atonement. A theological theory where Jesus’ death on the cross satisfies our debt of sin, resulting in our acceptance before God. In this theory, Jesus’ death become a transactional payment to satisfy the penalties incurred by human sin. Mat Skinner from Sermon Brainwave gives this understanding of ransom taken from the Greek word “Lytron”. This is God’s acting to deliver people, a liberation wrought by divine strength. Divine strength powerful enough to ransom us from social, political, and demonic powers. Divine strength powerful enough to deliver us from death, cultural traditions and our own fears. Divine strength powerful enough to liberate us to live as members of God’s community. SCRIPTURE This passage mentions a renewed relationship with God and others. Hints are found in the attitude, preceding this passage, that welcomes children as part of the Kingdom of God. The focus of the Kingdom of God is not on ourselves, but upon others. It is not about our greatness, but on serving others. Jesus is a different kind of Messiah. He does not want to be king in the usual sense and his power is not political. It is difficult for us to get over our preconceived notions of Kingdom, Eternal Life and Messiah, for ‘the something New’ that Jesus is teaching and becoming. We see this first with Peter on the way to Caesarea Philippi, at one moment Peter is proclaiming that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, while Jesus warns of his suffering, arrest, death and resurrection in Jerusalem. It is evident again, as the disciples, James and John ask for places of honor in Jesus’ kingdom in glory. When did these fishermen begin to aspire to be rulers? They are thinking about what is ‘good’ for them and not about the common good found in the reign of God. Their thinking has not shifted from their own personal wealth, towards the wealth of all people of being in the community of God. Their hearts have not shifted from; time with children being just as important as time with adults, the rich, tax collectors, or religious officials. Jesus welcomes those who need to be cared for, not just those who are contributing members of society but the outcast, the marginalized, the ignored, the ostracized as those seen seated at the table with Jesus. This image of Jesus eating with all of humanity is what the Kingdom of God looks like. We have been captured by our notions of the world’s success, accomplishments, rules, possibilities, power and greed, that keeps us from living into Jesus’ vision of the world. Jesus has been moving us beyond Judaism, beyond tradition, beyond money, beyond status, beyond power, to contentment, peace, relationships, caring, life, healing, love and joy. This is the captivity we saw in the story of the rich person who could not give up wealth for a shift in focus upon relationships. Do we look out for our bottom line of profits, or do we build communities? This is what happened with Briggs and Stratton, in 1980 when a profit charged management strategy, moved their production of lawn mowers from the U.S. to Juarez, Mexico. This gutted the profit communities around four Milwaukee plants as countless families, businesses, social structures, and lives were economically destroyed. Greater profits over lively hood of a community of neighbors. Capitalism over communities, Money over people politics. Power over the common good. We see this again in Minnesota, with Rawling moving its production of baseball helmets to China, and John Deer not wanting to share its 2.75-billion-dollar profits from last year, by increasing their workers’ compensations. It wasn’t that long ago that James and John had seen the rich young ruler who had everything, but lacked a loving relationship with God and others. I am not asking you to give up your ransom theories of sin, but the ransoming in this passage is not about sin, it is a ransoming from the lives that have held us captive from God. God’s divine strength liberates us to live in a new way with God, not focusing on ourselves, but upon helping others. APPLICATION God has never stopped loving us even when we have sinned or behaved poorly. We get it wrong when we think that sin is more powerful than love or that sin is unbreachable and prevents God from loving us. Love is what bridges the gaps caused by sin as it says, “For God so loved the world…” Love forgives our sin, what life are we being ransomed from, to be liberated to live? Since James and John wanted seats of honor next to Jesus in Glory, I wanted to answer this question by thinking about, what seats have we been ransomed from in this world, and what new seats can we occupy. We can give up the seat at the head table, to sit next to Aunty to help her sew leis. We can give up a seat in our churches in person service, to sit on the couch with my family to worship from home. We can give up the seat in a fancy restaurant, to sit next to someone and share a meal at the shelter dinner. We can give up a seat on the bus, for someone else to sit. We can give up our freedom to sit anywhere we want, to sit next to a health care worker who gives us a vaccination. We can give up a seat in the waiting room, for a seat from our car to text a prayer, or Marco Polo a greeting. We can give up sitting in a new chair for a seat in the same old chair so our staff can be adequately paid. We can give up our chair at the table, to sit on the floor to engage with a preschooler. We can give up a seat on a pew, for something new to happen in our worship space. CONCLUSION We do not have a messiah who lords over us, but submits, in order to serve us love. Jesus ransoms us from the life we are stuck in for the something new that God has for us. Nurturing Communities over profits, Generous compensations over banner year. What’s good for others over what is good for myself. I was watching New Amsterdam. A progressive hospital that thinks outside of the box to accomplish quality care for those who need it. They go out of their way to do what is best for the patient. This is mainly due to their outside of the box Hospital Administrator. He announced that he is leaving to move out of country with his girlfriend. In the remaining 5 weeks that he has, he wants to secure the forward-thinking medical care that he has established despite the undoing threats of his small thinking, control freak successor. His time as administrator has accomplished amazing things, at the cost of the Hospital’s bottom line. In this last episode, the Hospital has a 10-million-dollar vacant lot. They surveyed the people in the community to see what their needs are over and above what they think would make the greatest profits. Instead of building a new wing for the hospital, they discerned what the community sorely needed was for a grocery store to improve the nutrition of the neighborhood, away from fast foods. Fictitious, but an example of service over profits. Jesus doesn’t ask us to sit. But to be constantly moving, making sure those around us are seen and well cared for. It doesn’t matter who they are, courteousness love is extended to everyone, ransoming our lives to something new with God. SCRIPTURE: Mark 10:17-31
TEXT: 17As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” THEME: Eternal life living. INTRODUCTION This is the passage the song ‘Kanaka Waiwai’ is based on. Kanaka is a person and waiwai means prosperous. Its root is ‘wai’ which means water. I am wondering if a word is repeated such as waiwai, if it is for emphasis, meaning an abundance of fresh water, which also means a rich sustenance for life. SCRIPTURE Jesus is getting ready to continue his journey, when a rich person accosts him by addressing him as “Good Teacher”. Jesus asks, “Why do you call me Good?” Everything Jesus does, is for the common good of all people, this is what the incarnation is all about, but what this person is asking, is not for the same kind of good. This rich person is only asking for what is good for them. What must I do to inherit eternal life?” The good, this rich person sees is that Jesus has Eternal life and asks, “What must I do to become immortal?” Jesus’ first response is to tick off a list of commandments that he has kept. 5 out of 10 is not bad. He has kept the relational commandments with others, but when it comes to his relationship with God and to coveting what others have, he has had difficulty keeping these. “I have kept all of these (you have mentioned) since my youth.” Then Jesus looks at him and loved him. On Wednesday, this passage was the theme of chapel for our preschoolers. “When Pastor Robb dies, He is going to go to heaven because Jesus loves him.” It’s just as simple as that. This is how my theology has changed from original sin to original blessing. This is how our need for a Savior is to show us how to live in Relationship with God and others. Love is powerful and forges these relationships, Love is a force that doesn’t need to have a substitutionary sacrifice, to satisfy a cosmic balance in the universe, or for God to begin to love us again. God’s love for us has never stopped, even when our ancestors disobeyed, were selfish and did not think about the common good, but only acted upon what they thought was good for them. They were sinful but not unlovable. Even while in the garden, God clothes them, teaches them how to farm, is concern about childbirth and continues to be involved in the lives of their descendants all the way, up to us. God’s love is more powerful than any sin or else sin would be more powerful than love. The words to the song “Jesus Loves me” are simple but true. The look of Jesus towards the rich person was simple and true and enough for an inheritance to Eternal Life. But the rich person misses it. He wanted Jesus to tell him that he was fine, doing what he was doing, but when Jesus says love God. Give your stuff away, and follow Jesus, he was shocked and went away grieving. It is impossible for us to make or get God to love us, thank goodness that God already does. And along with that love, comes grace and forgiveness. But for us to love God, takes a giving up of the idols in our lives, and coming to know who Jesus is. Simple in concept but really hard to do, especially if you think that you have much to lose. APPLICATION Today is the 155th Anniversary of the Beginning of Wailuku Union Church. I was going to reprint the Statement of Faith that was used at our beginnings on October 10th, 1866. but it was written to preserve the faithful so far away from home, as a way to escape sin and inherit eternal life. Our 1866 statement of faith was consistent with the prevailing theology of the day, but today, we would also affirm the tremendous power of God’s love that is steadfast and sure. We may change in our perceptions but God will always act according to what is best for us. What do the next chapters of our church’s Eternal Life living look like? We like to think that what we believe about God stays the same and doesn’t change throughout the ages. The truth of the matter is that how we understand what the scriptures say can be influenced by our culture, society, science and by what is going on in our world. If this were not true, then we would still be practicing slavery, or not have women as pastors, or the sex of our loving partner as an abomination instead of the condemnation of sexual violence. We have moved from just the preservation of our hope of eternal life to eternal life living. Like in the song, ‘Jesus Loves Me', affirms our belonging. This belonging includes us in the family of God, as citizens of the Kingdom of God, and members of the People of God. Eternal Life then becomes our inheritance, by being loved by an eternal God. The new observation we affirm, is that our eternal life does not begin after we die, but begins now, as we live in this world and continues after we die in heaven with God. Heaven isn’t just for me, but for everyone, so the skills that we develop with our relationships with each other here, will also serve us in heaven. We will continue to practice love in heaven by loving God and by loving each other. The mission to Hawaii was 200 years old last year. Some of the buildings that our churches use are almost as old. Some populations have moved from these strategic outposts, generations have passed and our interpretation of the gospel to the next generation has been problematic as the future of the church is uncertain. And now, in a Pandemic, shifting to an internet worship service, what will the church look like post Pandemic? Where does our efforts have the most effect? Is our building something we should sell, and give the money to the poor so we can be free to follow Jesus? Our Wailuku Mission Housing is not something we are doing to carve out a future for us. It is something we are doing for the Good of our community. Following Jesus, we have discerned this project that is a response to loving our neighbors. This project, besides the food pantry and the preschool makes our faith visible. We are living what we believe, not believing so we can live. This is Eternal life living. CONCLUSION In the song ‘Kanaka Waiwai’, the imagine we are given is of the rich person giving up their possessions and walking with Jesus in paradise. That isn’t what happens in the biblical text, but what could have happened. Immortality is such a seductive temptation. We are so afraid of dying, but what if we take our focus off of our dying and focus on our living. The walk-through paradise begins now. Learning to love in paradise today. Sharing in this world, being mindful of others, creating a paradise where ever we go. Love becoming our sustenance of life. Putting our possessions aside for loving our neighbor, humanity, the cry of the wounded, struggling, hungry and the sick. “Teach me how to love…how to share…let me walk through paradise with you…lead me on to paradise.” The writer of their song was quite the theologian, encapsulating Eternal Life Living beginning here and leading to life in to eternity. SCRIPTURE: Mark 10:2-16
TEXT: 2Some Pharisees came, and to test him they asked, ‘Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?’ 15Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.’ THEME: The Law provides civility but does not fully contain the will of God. INTRODUCTION In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus twists our world around and challenges our living with a relationship with God. So far, we have seen how the status quo of tradition, the Israelites, popular opinion, fame, and exclusivity have been challenged. Jesus has gone beyond convention, racism, humanity, notoriety and the selective few, for something new, something more, something divine and something glorious in our living with God. SCRIPTURE We don’t see Jesus standing next to a Pharisee and saying, 15Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a Pharisee will never enter it.’ They are struggling with who Jesus is, what Jesus teaches, what Jesus does and the kind of relationship Jesus has with God. Jesus finds the Pharisees testing him, even when their question require compassion, instead of an interpretation of the Law. This time, they want to trap him with a question on divorce. In the failure of a marriage covenant, is it lawful to divorce? Jesus doesn’t answer the question per se, but that the law is not the most loving approach to those who find themselves in broken relationships. The failure of a marriage covenant is a human tragedy that is not soothed by an application of the law. To make matters worse, women who are divorced are severely hurt, financially, economically, destitute, homeless, status less, and ruined. Divorce is devastatingly, and destructive. There are feelings of hatred, hurt, sadness, shame, fear, anger, betrayal, grief, brokenness, embarrassment, failure, and dread. Knowing that it could cause the death of the woman, is divorce lawful? Yes, because of the hardness of our hearts, it is better for a couple to separate than for them to be together, because of the selfishness they act upon, because the disregard they have for each other causes tremendous suffering. We need guidelines for the destruction of what God had sealed. And what about the children? Somehow, contained in the midst of this discussion of divorce, children are being brought to Jesus. The disciples begin to act like body guards. It’s not in Mark’s gospel, but it is in Matthew’s where Joseph was considering divorcing Mary quietly. What about Mary? What about the unborn child? How can a divorce of any sort be done quietly? Can you imagine the state Mary and Jesus would have been in, if Joseph had not reconsidered his initial plan? With no protector, no provider, no legitimacy in this society, they would have been easy targets for those with no scruples. This is what Jesus says about the children. “It is too such as these that the kingdom of God belongs”. Small, vulnerable, dependent, not finished individuals, still in process. They need shelter, to be fed, provision, families to belong to, to be consoled, cared for, helped, educated, nurture, and guided. “Let the little children come to me; receive the Kingdom of God as a little child.” Not for ourselves but for the benefit of others. This sets us up next week’s passage when the rich young man comes to Jesus to ask what he can do, for himself, to inherit Eternal Life. He does not ask what he can do, to help others inherit eternal life. We welcome theses not as a benefit to ourselves but for their benefit. We are broken, incomplete, still developing and received in God’s Kingdom. This is where our relationship with God moves into the area of mission as we welcome with belonging. Human tragedy is not greeted with the law, but with compassion, empathy, caring and love. This is where the law moves into the areas of ministry. APPLICATION Responding to our human tragedy of brokenness, sadness, failure, grief, and betrayal, is what God does, in coming to us in Jesus. How can we welcome those who are broken with a sense of belonging? How do we treat those from failed relationships like how Jesus welcomes children? This passage is not about whether divorce is okay or not. It is about broken people belonging to the Kingdom of God. It’s about incomplete people being welcomed into the Kingdom of God, with the potential of finding their place in Jesus’ arms. It’s about our being 'cast members’ at Disneyland where our role is not to be a body guard to Disney Characters, but to ensure the experiences in this place as magical. We are to be like flight attendants in life, where we are there for your safety, so we all can get from here to there in one piece. Recently we have heard stories where Flight Attendants have had to defuse situations, take a hit, put up with rudeness and subdue the unruly with duct tape to ensure safety for others. We have a picture of the Kingdom of God as being perfect, orderly, with everyone following the rules, but if there are children and us, then we know it is a work in progress. It is a place of growing. We are becoming better versions of our selves. It is a place of discovery where there is patience, understanding, grace, forgiveness, healing, and love. We are not perfect and often time we find ourselves broken, hurt and injured but in the company of God, the Holy Spirit and others who care, we heal, find our footing and are able to minister to others who can use our help. The Kingdom of God is becoming to sound more like a loving community than a totalitarian state. The Kingdom of God is sounding organic, maybe more like a preschool where we are learning, growing and living in a loving caring community with each other. CONCLUSION The Kingdom of God is more than law keeping. It is relational. So, when our relationships break, we mourn. We apologize, we forgive, and we redefine our roles with grace, love, kindness and respect. We do not return to the same routine, but learn from our brokenness and live a little bit more inspired. If we make the appropriate adjustments, we can avoid finding ourselves in the same cycle and move on to a different future. Jesus offers us more than a life defined by what is permissible in our brokenness, to how we can live through our wounds with God and in community. I’m beginning to develop a different view of the Kingdom of God. |
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April 2024
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