Sermon: Pentecost VIII / Proper 11 RCL B: "Tasing Myself"

The podcast can be found here.

John 6:1-21

Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, "Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?" He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, "Six months' wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little." One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?" Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, "Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost." So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, "This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world."

When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. But he said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid." Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land toward which they were going.

To give you a bit of foreshadowing on how this story is going to work out.. the fella telling it says that his wife is fond of reminding him that his last words will be something to the effect of, "hey y'all, hold my beer and watch this!"… The same fella reports that he wanted to get something unique for his wife on their 22^nd wedding anniversary.  Not sure what that would be he roamed down the streets of his town until he came to Larry’s Pistol and Pawn… unfortunately, that got his attention.  As he strolled through the store his eyes landed on what he considered to be the perfect gift… a 100,000-volt, pocket/purse-sized Taser gun with a clip.  His wife needed one of these.  Taking it home, he waited for her to leave so that he could read the instructions and show her how it worked, but when you’re a fella who has been married for 22 years, do you really need to read the instructions.  He loaded it with batteries and pushed the button.. nothing.  He had wanted to see the blue arch of electricity, but nothing seemed to happen; however, when he placed it up against a metal pole and pulled the trigger, he got the satisfactory sparks.

Now, a smart person who hadn’t been married for 22 years would have been confident in the manufacturer’s ability to build a Taser gun that would perform as advertised, but he wasn’t convinced.  A cursory glance over the instructions said that a one-second burst would shock and disorient your assailant; a two-second burst was supposed to cause muscle spasms and a loss of bodily control; a three-second burst would purportedly make your assailant flop on the ground like a fish out of water.

He needed to test it.. finding Gracie, the family cat nearby.. he thought about it, but wisely decided against it.  Yet, his next decision was equally as stupid.  He would try it out on his leg, knowing that he would be able to give himself the one second shock without doing much harm.  He places the two prongs of the Taser against his thigh and pulled the trigger… The last thing he remembers is Gracie the cat looking at him as though saying, “Dude, I wouldn’t do that.”

Now.. I want to stop right there for a minute… You’ve probably picked up on the fact that this is not a Christian story.  If it had been, don’t you think that the man would have prayed about it before he pulled the trigger?  Don’t you think that he should have asked God to bless and protect him during this particular little experiment with his wife’s new Taser?  But he didn’t… instead he pressed it up against his leg and pulled the trigger.

When he came to he reports that he is fairly certain that Jessie Ventura had run in through the front door, picked him up out of his recliner, then body slammed him on the carpet over and over … when he could see again.. he saw Gracie looking down on him, undoubtedly thinking to herself, "do it again, do it again!"

He says .. if you ever feel compelled to mug yourself with a Taser, one note of caution. There is no such thing as a one-second burst when you zap yourself. You're not going to let go of that thing until it is dislodged from your hand by a violent thrashing about on the floor and then will you only successfully break the current by breaking off one of the prongs of the Taser in your leg.  (story from: http://www.ebaumsworld.com/jokes/read/1074489/#3PiyGWgraD0AF5be.99)

Now the question is.. just prior to pressing the Taser up against his leg and pulling the trigger.. had he prayed.. had he asked God to bless him and protect him.. would he have been body slammed by Jessie Ventura.. or could the entire incident have been averted?  Would God somehow have stopped the 100,000 volts from surging through his body and kept him safe?  The answer to that question is, “No, stupid!  You would still have been hit with 100,000 volts and knocked on your butt.”

But – you retort – prayer is supposed to work, isn’t it?  Aren’t we supposed to be able to pray and the Lord will answer.. for it is written.. “whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."… and again… “how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”… and this one is even more convincing.. “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.  For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” – perhaps that was the problem with the fella and his Taser.. perhaps if he had a couple of his buddies around to pray with him, then he wouldn’t have been shocked.  Would that have worked?  Nope!  Not only would he have woken up to find Gracie looking down on him saying, “Do it again.. Do it again.”.. he would have also found his buddies passed out on the floor from laughing so hard.

The problem – and all of us fall into this trap – is that only AFTER we decide to do something, do we ask God to bless it.  Only after we have set out a course of action with all of its meticulous details, estimated cost – monetarily or otherwise – only after we’ve worked it all out do we ask God to come in and.. do His part.  And when all of our meticulous planning comes crashing down around our ears, we wondered what happened.  Why wasn’t God there to do His thing?

There is a wonderful little word that those who enter into the ordination process constantly hear, but one which seems to pass otherwise unnoticed – Discernment.  From a Christian perspective it is described as an interior search – a thinking through to understand how God is working.  An attempt to understand what God would have you do.  Simply put.. It’s not the prayer you pray as you press the Taser to your leg and pull the trigger… instead it is the prayer you pray before you go shopping for your wife’s 22^nd anniversary present. 

Look a little more closely at our Gospel reading for today… The crowd had gathered.. it was late.  There was nothing for all of them to eat so Jesus turns to Philip and asks, "Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?"… Philip quickly thinks through the problem and scoffs, “You’re kidding, right Jesus?  We can’t afford to feed all these people.”  Andrew pipes up, “The only food here is a couple of loafs of bread and a few fish – nothing compared to the size of this crowd.”…. Yet, right after scripture records Jesus question to Philip, "Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?”.. Scripture also says, Jesus “said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do.”

Jesus already knew what he was going to do… Discernment is the process of trying to understand what God is going to do BEFORE you begin to act.  It is about understanding His will, so that you might act accordingly.. instead of on your own or even contrary to God.  Think about it, what do you mean when you pray, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven?”.. Thy will be done.  Thy will be done according the rules and regulations I dictate? Thy will be done on earth as I have planned…  Or, Thy will be done according to Thy perfect plan?

Bono, the lead singer for the Irish band U2, was asked to address the annual White House Prayer Breakfast in February 2006… He made good points, but the one that stuck for many was this… "Stop asking God to bless what you’re doing. Get involved in what God is doing -- because it’s already blessed."… What God is already doing is the will of God – it is His plan – and our lives should be such that His will and ours are the same. 

Does this mean that we will always be on the right path?  Absolutely not.. there will still be those days after we have prayed, and attempted to understand the will of God, and we still end up putting the Taser to our leg and pulling the trigger, but that simply means that we are human and not God.  Those are the days that we must try again – remember, “Never quit!” – but the more we practice being in God’s will, the more we will find ourselves walking in step with Him.

As St. Josemaria Escriva writes, “It takes only a second.  Before starting anything, ask yourself: What does God want of me in this?”  I would be willing to wager a small fortune that the answer will never be, “Put the Taser to your leg and pull the trigger.”

Let us pray.. the source of this prayer is unknown, so I encourage you to make it your own… Lord, teach me to be patient - with life, with people, and with myself. I sometimes try to hurry things along too much, and I push for answers before the time is right. Teach me to trust Your sense of timing rather than my own and to surrender my will to Your greater and wiser plan. Help me let life unfold slowly, like the small rosebud whose petals unravel bit by bit, and remind me that in hurrying the bloom along, I destroy the bud and much of the beauty therein.  Instead, let me wait for all to unfold in its own time. Each moment and state of growth contains a loveliness. Teach me to slow down enough to appreciate life and all it holds. Amen.

St. Mark's Picnic

Join us for our

Annual Picnic

Sunday, July 29th

Immediately following the service

in the church yard.

Sermon: Pentecost VIII / Proper 11 RCL B - "The Crowd"

It is summer and this is another rerun sermon.  I have the opportunity to preach at the Cathedral in Helena this Sunday (which is also my weekend off), so didn't think they would mind.  The sermon was originally part of the Lenten series in 2008.  I tweeked it a bit for today.

The Podcast can be found here.

Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. 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. And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. 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.

When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat. When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. 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.

There is a story involving Yogi Berra, the well-known catcher for the New York Yankees, and Hank Aaron, who at that time was the chief power hitter for the Milwaukee Braves. The teams were playng in the World Series, and as usual Yogi was keeping up his ceaseless chatter, intended to pep up his teammates on the one hand, and distract the Milwaukee batters on the other. As Aaron came to the plate, Yogi tried to distract him by saying, "Henry, you're holding the bat wrong. You're supposed to hold it so you can read the trademark." Aaron didn't say anything, but when the next pitch came he hit it into the left-field bleachers. After rounding the bases and tagging up at home plate, Aaron looked at Yogi Berra and said, "I didn't come up here to read."  

For three years Jesus ministered on earth… scripture occasionally tells us that Jesus went off by himself to pray… but for the most part… from the very beginning of his public ministry there was always the crowd… 

There was the crowd at his baptism in the river Jordan.. there was the crowd at the wedding in Cana… at the feeding of the 5,000 and the sermon on the mount… the crowd was constantly pushing in… at one point the disciples almost seem amused at the crowd… you’ll recall the woman who had the flow of blood for twelve years… and she touches the hem of his garment… Jesus said … "Who touched Me?".. and Peter says…"Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'"

At another point the disciples rebuke the crowd for pressing in upon Jesus and bringing their children for a blessing… and we receive that beautiful saying of Jesus… “Let the little children come unto me.. and do not hinder them.. for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”…. 

In our Gospel reading today.. the crowd is once again present… but whether Jesus is healing them… teaching… feeding or blessing… there is always that crowd… and… they always seem to want something from him… 

The passion narrative is no different…. The crowd cries out, “Hosanna!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”  What a glorious scene as Jesus, riding a donkey, makes His triumphant entry into Jerusalem.  Those watching wave palms, a sign of kingship, and throw their cloaks on the ground before Him.  They believe that this Jesus is the one who will set them free from those who occupy their land, for surely, if He can raise the dead He can certainly lead the people in expelling the Roman army. 

The crowd does not see that the shadow of the Cross already looms heavily over this jubilant scene.  The crowd does not understand that Jesus will not be marching up to the gates of Rome, but descending to the very gates of Hell instead.

The crowd then gathers at his trial… what a public spectacle this is… let’s go and see what happens… they gathered to be entertained by the misery of another….. you may like to think that people don’t really enjoy watching the misery of others.. but you only have to ask why those stupid reality TV shows are so popular to see the truth in this…

Finally his crucifixion… the crowd again… there were only a handful there who came with sincere hearts… Mary.. John.. Mary Magdalene… but.. for the most part.. the rest were there out of morbid curiosity… or let’s see if he really is who he said he was… or.. in the case of the Jewish leadership… let’s make sure this troublemaker really dies… whatever the case… the relationship of the crowd to Jesus was always based on what he could do or give to them… 

Today… we are the crowd… we are the ones that gather at the feet of Jesus.. the question.. and it is not an easy one.. is this…. “Why are you here?”… “what are you hoping to accomplish?”… “What gift or blessing do you want from Jesus?”  Remember Hank Aaron’s response … “I didn’t come up here to read”…Then why are here?

For what reason have you come to Jesus today.. for peace? .. healing?.. comfort? … Now… don’t misunderstand… I’m not saying that we can’t ask Jesus for things… even he says… “whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."… and again… “how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”

However.. the point is that we should not come to Jesus because of the gifts and blessings that he gives… consider these words of Thomas a Kempis from the Imitation of Christ… “The wise lover regards not so much the gift of Him Who loves as the love of Him Who gives. He regards the affection of the Giver rather than the value of the gift, and sets his Beloved above all gifts. The noble lover does not rest in the gift.. but in Jesus who is above every gift.”… Archbishop Michael Ramsay picked up this same thought in his work Sacred and Secular… he wrote… “the gift must not be loved more than the Giver”

In other words… our relationship with God.. our love of God… Father, Son and Holy Spirit.. is not be based on those gifts that he has given us… or may give us… instead… our love for God is based purely on the fact that he IS God… This is love in the purest sense.. it is how God loves us.. and therefore it is how.. and why.. we love him… because He IS God.

St. Paul writes to the Hebrews… “you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant”… when you come to this place.. by all means bring those things that trouble you.. those things that make you unhealthy, both physically and spiritually.. bring it all and lay it down at the feet of Jesus… but first and foremost.. when you come before God.. bring your love… Your love for Him Who was.. Who is.. and Who is to come.

I would like to close today with a prayer/poem by St. Francis Xavier.. a 16^th century priest.

My God, I love Thee; not because I hope for heaven thereby,

Nor yet because who love Thee not are lost eternally.

Thou, O my Jesus, Thou didst me upon the cross embrace;

For me didst bear the nails, and spear, and manifold disgrace,

And griefs and torments numberless, and sweat of agony;

Yea, death itself; and all for me who was thine enemy.

Then why, O blessed Jesus Christ, should I not love Thee well?

Not for the sake of winning heaven, nor of escaping hell;

Not from the hope of gaining aught, not seeking a reward;

But as Thyself hast loved me, O ever-loving Lord.

So would I love Thee, dearest Lord, and in Thy praise will sing;

Solely because Thou art my God, and my most loving King.

Bishop's July 2012 Round-Up

July 2012 SJARM Newsletter

2nd Annual Miguel Rice Memorial Poker Run

Sermon: Pentecost VII / Proper 10 RCL B - "Sinner!"

The Podcast can be found here.

Mark 6:14-29

King Herod heard of the demons cast out and the many who were anointed and cured, for Jesus' name had become known. Some were saying, "John the baptizer has been raised from the dead; and for this reason these powers are at work in him." But others said, "It is Elijah." And others said, "It is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old." But when Herod heard of it, he said, "John, whom I beheaded, has been raised."

For Herod himself had sent men who arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, because Herod had married her. For John had been telling Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife." And Herodias had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he protected him. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed; and yet he liked to listen to him. But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his courtiers and officers and for the leaders of Galilee. When his daughter Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests; and the king said to the girl, "Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it." And he solemnly swore to her, "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom." She went out and said to her mother, "What should I ask for?" She replied, "The head of John the baptizer." Immediately she rushed back to the king and requested, "I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter." The king was deeply grieved; yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he did not want to refuse her. Immediately the king sent a soldier of the guard with orders to bring John's head. He went and beheaded him in the prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl. Then the girl gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body, and laid it in a tomb.

It was a few months ago when I was invited to take a tour of one of the factories out at Montana State Prison.  I’ve never been there, so I thought it would be interesting to learn a bit about it.  One of the Rotary members in Deer Lodge was the one that invited me and gave me the necessary paperwork to complete in order to be allowed in.  No problem.  Filled it out and gave her a copy of my driver’s license.  About a week later Rotarian gives me a call… come to find out.. as some of you already know, my license had expired.  Not just a couple of days, but by six months.

What I learned was that if your license is expired for up to three months, no problem, go in.. get the picture.. take the eye exam and you’re good for another eight years.  After three months.. bring in proof of citizenship.. certified birth certificate.. eye exam and… and.. retake both the written and driving test.  I’m thinking, no problem.  Go home and first thing is I can’t find my birth certificate.  Tear up the house.  Nothing.  Call Louisiana and for a mere $64 they can have one to me in  10-14 days.  I pay $64 bucks and wait.

Now, my driving is reasonable.  I occasionally get impatient, but I don’t generally do anything stupid.. On average I travel about 20,000 mile a year between churches, so I’ve learned to turn on an audio book, set the cruise control, and not worry about it too much.  Non-interstate travel I’ll go along at about 73m.p.h.  On the interstate it’s more like 78 m.p.h.   In town I basically do the speed limit.. 25.. 35.. etc.

In the six months I was driving with an expired driver’s license, I tooled along with no problem.  If I was actually up to almost 80m.p.h. on occasion, I didn’t get excited, just slowed up a bit and kept going.  During those two weeks without a driver’s license while I was waiting on the birth certificate.. I wasn’t a tenth of a m.p.h. over 74.  Complete stops..none of those roll through like everyone does in Anaconda.    Blinker every single turn and lane change.  You know how sometimes you have one of those timid drivers in front of you.. and you are coming up to a traffic light that is green.. but said timid driver will start braking about half way up the block because they think the light is going to turn red and they want to be ready to stop when it does… and of course it always does.  Why?  Because they were only going 10 m.p.h. for half a block?  You know the ones?  That was me.

Well, when the birth certificate arrived, I went in took my tests, passed – nearly asked the lady behind the desk if she wanted to go have a drink with me afterwards, because I haven’t been that nervous since the first time I held hands with a girl, for crying out loud.

Anyhow.. the problem during those two weeks while I was waiting on the birth certificate is that I was absolutely terrified of getting pulled over and getting more than one ticket.  Here’s the thing.. have you ever been pulled over?  Or better yet, been driving down the road minding your own business and pass a highway patrol going in the opposite direction?  What’s the first thing you do afterwards?  Look in the mirror to see if their brake lights come on?  You know you do it.  And then you wait for the inevitable U-turn through the median even though you know you weren’t speeding.  On more than one occasion I’ve had them do that to me.  Not because they were after me, but they were either just turning around.. or they were after someone else, but in that instant, when you see the brake lights.. the U-turn.. your heart skips.. and then drops into your stomach… “I wasn’t doing anything!”

You may not have been doing anything.. but you’ve got a guilty conscience.  You didn’t get caught doing whatever this time, but you know if you had passed that patrolman the day before.. or maybe even five minutes before.. it would be you with the flashing lights in the rearview mirror.

For most of us, I don’t think we are afraid of the highway patrol, we are probably glad they’re out there.. I know I am, and I respect what they do.  But we are afraid of what they might do if we get caught “in the act.”  Tickets, fines, maybe a court date.. and if you’re really stupid, a bit of time in the clink.

Now I don’t know you alls driving record, but since we aren’t having this meeting in a jail house, I’m thinking it’s pretty good.  However, even though I don’t know your driving record, I know some of you pretty well, and I’m guessing that I’m not the only one checking for the highway patrolman’s brake lights.. and I’m also guessing that most of you know that feeling in your stomach when you see the flashing lights coming up behind you, because whether you are guilty of something or not, you do have a guilty conscience.  (oh ___, don’t be looking so innocent!)   

In our Gospel reading today, we learned of the martyrdom of John the Baptist.  Herod’s step-daughter came in and did her little jig, bewitched Herod and he ended up promising her everything.  The young girl asked her mother what she should ask for.  Answer: John the Baptist’s head on a platter.  Herod, you see, had John in prison, but he did not want to kill him, even though John had called him out about being married to Herod’s brother’s wife, which was a sin.  But Herod wanted John to live.  Why?  Because he feared John, “knowing that he was a righteous and holy man.”  So Herod had tried to protect John.

In reading this, Herod strikes me as the kind of person who was habitually doing wrong..  that was always looking in the rearview mirror.. waiting for the brake lights.. One that went through life with that guilty conscience, because he knew he was doing wrong.. and he had finally gotten caught… pulled over.  And he didn’t want to execute the one who caught him – John – because as much as he hated it, he knew that John was right.

Here’s the odd thing with you and me.. we drive down the interstate checking for brake lights, because we have that guilty conscience.. but how many of us live our lives like that too?  Who live like Herod?

Let me ask you this… When you pray the confession on a Sunday morning or at other times, do you squirm.. do you hide those things from God that you know you have done wrong and hope that He didn’t see?.. Do you justify your actions?.. Do you walk away with a guilty conscience?.. Do you pray to whoever you think might be listening that no one will ever find out?.. Like Herod, do you thank your lucky stars that there is no John the Baptist in your life to point at you and cry, “Sinner!”…

Here is the biggest mistake we make with regard to our sins – and yes, we all have sinned – but the biggest mistake is to think that we’ve gotten away with it.  That we haven’t been caught.. but we have.. each and every one of us.. and the wages of sin is death.. eternal death.. separation from God…. You are probably thinking to yourself,  “Just think, I turned down a perfectly good visit to the proctologist this morning, only to be beat down instead.”  Well, believe it or not, I’m not trying to depress the hell out of you this morning.. I’m only wanting you to understand two simple points…

One.. you need Jesus – because you have been caught in your sins, but through the death and resurrection of Jesus you receive forgiveness of your sins…. And two.. you need to be honest – with him and with yourself – in the confessing of your sins.  Why honest?  Let me share with you one of the most uplifting verses of Holy Scripture.. it is from John’s first Epistle 1:9… “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”.. He will forgive you of ALL unrighteousness.. all guilt… but the verse right before that says, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.”

You need Jesus.. and you must be honest with him and yourself in your confession…… Would you turn to page 360 in your BCP…… I want us to pray together about half way through this.. and then I’m going to ask you to stop….

Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor…

Most merciful God, We confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone.  We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves… stop…

Now.. I don’t want you feeling guilty and beating yourself up.. or ashamed.. or any of that… I simply ask that you spend the next minute or so being honest with God and with yourself.. confessing your sins…… [silence]

Let us continue with the confession…

We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.  For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in our ways, to the glory of your Name.  Amen.

Almighty God have mercy on you.. forgive you all your sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, and strengthen you in all goodness and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life.

Here is the Good News.. the God News.. He is faithful and just and has cleansed you of all unrighteousness.  You do not have to spend your life looking in the rearview mirror to if you’ve’ been caught.  You are a new creation.  You are a child of God.  You are deeply loved.

Sermon: Pentecost VI / Proper 9 RCL B - "Fake!"

The Podcast can be found here.

Mark 6:1-13

Jesus left that place and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. 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! 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. Then Jesus said to them, "Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house." And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. And he was amazed at their unbelief.

Then he went about among the villages teaching. He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. He said to them, "Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. 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." So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.

In a trial, a Southern small-town prosecuting attorney called his first witness, a grandmotherly, elderly woman to the stand. He approached her and asked, 'Mrs. Jones, do you know me?'

She responded, 'Why, yes, I do know you, Mr. Williams. I've known you since you were a boy, and frankly, you've been a big disappointment to me. You lie, you cheat on your wife, and you manipulate people and talk about them behind their backs. You think you're a big shot when you haven't the brains to realize you'll never amount to anything more than a two-bit paper pusher. Yes, I know you.'

The lawyer was stunned. Not knowing what else to do, he pointed across the room and asked, 'Mrs. Jones, do you know the defense attorney?'

She again replied, 'Why yes, I do. I've known Mr. Bradley since he was a youngster, too. He's lazy, bigoted, and he has a drinking problem. He can't build a normal relationship with anyone, and his law practice is one of the worst in the entire state. Not to mention he cheated on his wife with three different women. One of them was your wife. Yes, I know him.'

The defense attorney nearly died.

The judge asked both counselors to approach the bench and, in a very quiet voice, said, 'If either of you idiots asks her if she knows me, I'll send you both to the electric chair.'

In our Gospel reading today.. although Jesus was without sin, he experienced a similar response from the people of his hometown... It is clear that they had no idea who he was, but they sure thought they did... “What do you mean he’s a prophet?  I changed his diapers for crying out loud.”.. “Didn’t Mary get pregnant with him out of wedlock - claimed it was the Holy Spirit - please!”.. “His dad is only a carpenter.”..  “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”.. “Just look at his brothers and sisters.”

Because of their unbelief, Jesus was not able to do much for them except heal a few sick people.  However, when he left that place, he sent out his disciples into the world.. giving them the instruction to take nothing with them, but to trust that God would provide.  In addition he told them if they are welcomed in a place then to stay in that place, but if not.. “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."

To “shake the dust off your feet” is an expression that has several nuances.  For starters it can mean to show a sign of separation – If you don’t believe what we have to say, then we want no part of you.  Second, it can mean, we tried to put you on the right path, but you refused to believe, therefore, we are not responsible for what happens to you.  But a third way of looking at it has to do with how the disciples were to emotionally respond… Take for example an event from Luke’s Gospel.. Scripture says, as Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem, he “sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?”  But Jesus turned and rebuked them.  Then he and his disciples went to another village…. What we learned earlier on in Mark’s Gospel was that because of this event, Jesus referred to James and John as the “Sons of Thunder.”.. it wasn’t necessarily a compliment… So.. to shake the dust off your feet in this situation, means.. if the people don’t listen to you as you are going, don’t become angry.. don’t hold a grudge.. just keep doing what it is I have commanded you to do.

These are two seemingly separate events, but they are joined together for a reason... In the first, the people of Jesus’ hometown didn’t believe him.. so they ridiculed him.. “We know who you are.. you’re just a carpenter.”… Jesus was showing his disciples that there would be many who did not believe for various reasons and that since he was ridiculed, the disciples could also expect to be ridiculed, yet the second event tells the disciples.. you will be ridiculed, but when you are, shake the dust from your feet… Show them that you have tried to lead them to righteousness, but at the same time – let it go.  Your job is not to judge their unbelief.. or to call down thunder.. or to be angry – Your one job is to proclaim the gospel.

It was the case with Jesus, with his disciples, with Christians throughout the ages.. therefore, it will be true for you as well…. We would like to think that people don’t really know us for who we are… but like Grandma Jones knew those two lawyers.. many folks actually know you.  They watched you grow up.  They know your virtues and they know your sins.. it’s just that most folks – unlike Grandma Jones – are too afraid to say anything... But whether they say anything or not - they know... which generally means that when they discover that you are a Christian, they will have a pretty good laugh at your expense.

I remember when I first joined Facebook.. that wonderful social media web site - You go online and you enter all this information about who you are, what you are doing, where you work, went to school, etc.  Then you post your profile and start looking for friends.  Let me tell you, they come out of the woodwork.  With some it’s great to hook up again.. friends from every stage of your life.. High school.. college.. work.. all of it.  However, for some of the ones that requested to be my “friend” on Facebook I kind of get a chuckle and want to ask, “You couldn’t stand me in high school, so why do you want to be my friend now?”...

At any rate.. I wasn’t always the saint you see standing before you today.. I had my moments (years?).. So, when I joined Facebook I could only imagine the thoughts that were popping into folk’s heads when they discovered that I was a priest.  “Wasn’t he the class clown?”... “Didn’t he drink a lot?”.. “Weren’t his parents divorced?”.. “Don’t you remember when he was with all those different women.. not all of them single?”.. “Are you kidding me - he was an ass.. a wisenheimer.. a this.. a that.. and the other... and now he’s a priest?... If the church is letting the likes of him in, then I don’t want a thing to do with it.”… How should I respond to that?  Get angry?  Cuss them out in some stupid online tirade?  Call down fire from heaven?  Should I quit the priesthood (don’t answer that)?... Or should I just keep doing what it is God has called me to?  I could argue until I’m blue in the face and still not convince anyone that God had accepted me… that I was trying to walk the path of righteousness.  So instead of being angry and arguing with them… I’ll just show them… I’ll just prove it to them.

Remember in John’s Gospel when the religious leaders came to Jesus and questioned his authority?  He could not convince them who he was with his words, so he said to them... “Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”

With this in mind and reflecting on this verse, St. Josemaria said – “Is not this the carpenter’s son?  Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary?”  This said of Jesus, may very well be said of you, with a bit of amazement and a bit of mockery, when you really decide to carry out the will of God, to be an instrument: “But isn’t this the one….?”  --His suggestion— Say nothing, and let your works confirm your mission.

Many will find reasons for not believing the Gospel message.. and the one reason that will sting the most is you.. that is, they won’t believe because they think they know you  and therefore for them, you discredit the message.. If God has let you in, then the entire thing has to be a joke.. but remember what Jesus says, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.”.. and shake the dust from your feet.  Let it go and persevere in your faithfulness and proclaim the faith that is in you… Your life is no reason for people not to believe.. Your life is a testimony as to why they should.

Let us pray… O Lord and Giver of Life, Your grace has achieved for us all that You had spoken and promised. Grant us access to the place of Your peace. For You are our Life Giver, You are our Consoler, You are our life Remedy, You are our Standard of Victory... Blessed are we, O Lord, because we have known You!... Blessed are we, because we have believed in You!... Blessed are we, because we bear Your wounds and the sign of Your Blood on our countenances!... Blessed are we, because You are our great hope!... Blessed are we, because You are our God forever!