Unimpressed (Sermon July 5, 2015)

(The photos are of the synagogue at Capernaum.)

Scriptures:  2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10    Ezekiel 2:1-10, 2 Corinthians 12:2-10,   Mark 6:1-13

Jesus had just concluded a whirlwind tour of teaching, preaching, and healing.  He had not only toured through many of the villages near where he had grown up, he had crossed the Sea of Galilee – which is really a lake - to minister to Gentiles living in ten villages on the other side of the Sea.  In particular, while among the Gentiles, he had cast a legion of demons out of a man who was possessed.  When he crossed again to his side of the Sea of Galilee, he raised the daughter of Jairus, who was thought to have died, and healed a woman who has suffered internal bleeding for twelve years.  Having done all this, Jesus now came home to Nazareth.  Undoubtedly it would be a time for Jesus to rest and recharge.  But one might also expect Jesus’ homecoming to be a moment of triumph.  Having done so much for so many in his travels, we might expect the folks in his hometown to be falling at the feet of the “hometown boy made good.”

That’s what we might expect, but that’s not what happened.  Mark’s gospel tells us that Jesus began to teach in his hometown synagogue…the synagogue in which he had grown up…and the people could not get their minds around what they were seeing and hearing.  After all, they’d known Jesus since he was a toddler, had watched him take over Joseph’s carpentry shop.  Many of them may have brought Jesus their tables and chairs to be repaired.  They’d surely heard the stories from the surrounding countryside about Jesus’ miracles…and yet, when they saw him in front of the synagogue, he looked like the same old Jesus that they’d known for years, his hands calloused, full of splinters, probably knobby from his having banged his fingers with the hammer from time to time.  No halo, no choir of angels, just the same Jesus they’d known all these years. At first, Mark’s gospel tells us, they are astounded: “Where did he get all this? Where did this wisdom come from? What are these miracles we’re hearing about?”  But, we’re told, before long, astonishment turns into contempt….Mark tells us, “They took offense at him.”  And Jesus said, “Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.”  And, Mark tells us, Jesus could do no deed of power there, except he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them.  And Jesus was amazed at their unbelief.

What went wrong?  Why couldn’t they welcome Jesus’ message as so many of the surrounding villages had?  To put it bluntly, why were they so thick-headed?  I’m sure that part of the reason is, as I’d said earlier, that their long familiarity with Jesus got in the way.  For the others who heard Jesus, they saw him as he was at that moment, without any prior baggage.  For those in his hometown, they saw Jesus as he had been – a hometown boy from an iffy family situation, raised by a man who had not fathered him and yet had provided for him, along with his brothers and sisters – a hometown boy who up until recently was carrying on his stepfather’s carpentry business.  They were quite happy to bring their chairs to Jesus to be mended.  To bring their souls to be mended – thanks, Jesus, but no thanks.

It’s also likely that Jesus’ sermon pushed their buttons.  Mark doesn’t give us the content of Jesus’ sermon in his hometown synagogue, but Luke does – the story is in Luke chapter 4 – and Luke tells us that Jesus preached about God’s love, not for Israel, but for those outside Israel, such as the widow at Zarephath who hosted the prophet Elijah, and Naaman, the Syrian, whom the prophet Elisha cured of leprosy.  Jesus called the folks in his hometown synagogue to a larger understanding of God, to an understanding of God that did not begin and end with them, but embraced Jews and Gentiles alike.  And they weren’t having any of it. While Mark tells us that his hometown folk took offense at Jesus, Luke tells us they became so enraged that they tried to throw him off a cliff.

Jesus is certainly not the first prophet that folks tried to throw off a cliff.  Centuries earlier, in preparing the prophet Ezekiel for his mission, God reminds Ezekiel that he is being sent not to strange people in a far-away land, but to his very own people.   But God also tells Ezekiel, over and over again, that the people to whom Ezekiel will be speaking, Ezekiel’s own people, are “rebellious.”  Over and over again, God calls Israel “a rebellious house”…so much so that I suspect Ezekiel might have been ready to tell God, “Ok, they’re rebellious, I get the point.”

We might still wonder why the folks at Jesus’ hometown synagogue got so riled up.  After all, what’s offensive about a God that loves us and other people too?  Here’s a thought experiment:  of course, yesterday was Independence Day, July 4.  Lots of flags, a big parade in downtown Philly, and I’m sure Kate Smith’s version of God Bless America got lots of play across the country.  All to the good.  But what if we are reminded, on the day after July 4, that God loves and wants to bless, not just America, but also Canada, and Mexico, and the countries of Central America and South America, and Africa, and Europe, and Asia, and Antarctica….that God wants to bless the countries of the Middle East, including the ones our government doesn’t like so much, such as Iran and Iraq and Afghanistan….   If we’re feeling a little uncomfortable right about now, maybe we’re getting a small inkling of why the folks in Jesus’ hometown “took offense at him”, as Mark’s gospel tells us, or wanted to toss him off a cliff, as Luke’s gospel tells us.  You see, they thought that, as part of the Chosen People, they owned God, perhaps even thought they had a copyright on God, that they held the patent on God.  But Jesus reminded them that, throughout history, God had chosen others in addition to themselves.

The folks at Jesus hometown synagogue were unimpressed with Jesus because of their familiarity with who Jesus had been didn’t allow them to see who he was now, and possibly because his message pushed their buttons.  Could part of their  reaction to Jesus have had to do, not with their opinion of Jesus, but their opinion of themselves?  On one hand, they may not have wanted to hear about God’s love for Gentiles, but on the other hand, perhaps they thought that, if God was at work, it would surely be in Jerusalem, among the chief priests and scribes, and not in an out-of-the-way place like Nazareth. Or if God was at work in Nazareth, it would be with the head of the local synagogue, maybe, but not with the town carpenter, somebody seemingly just like themselves.  Perhaps they felt unworthy to have God in Jesus at work in their midst.  But throughout the Bible, it’s exactly in marginal places and among marginal people that God is most active.  So in our context, it may not be in a prominent place such as the Cathedral on the Parkway that God is active, but perhaps in a small, out of the way little church in a small, out of the way neighborhood like our own.

So Jesus’ visit home was a debacle….and in Mark’s gospel, we don’t hear about Jesus visiting his hometown again.  We’re told that, in response, Jesus went out among the surrounding villages.  And he sent his disciples out, two by two, to proclaim that all should repent, and to cast out demons.  He ordered them to travel light – no money, no food for the journey, no bag, not even a change of clothes, just a staff, a pair of sandals, and one set of clothes.  In the same way, Jesus sends us out to preach good news, to bring healing, to name those places where ungodly forces are at work, and cast them out.  Lest we feel unequipped, Jesus’ instructions to his disciples assure us that what God has already given us is sufficient for the task. 

Like the disciples, may we go forth from this place to proclaim God’s good news.  Like the disciples, may we trust that God will provide for our needs.  And may we have eyes to see those places in which God is at work in our midst – even if it’s in familiar places, among familiar people, here in Bridesburg, where God has planted us.  Amen.

Interrupted (Sermon June 28, 2015 - Preached just after the US Supreme Court ruling affirming same-gender marriages nationwide))

Scriptures:  2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27, 2 Corinthians 8:7-15, Mark 5:21-43

Interrupted by Grace

I have a confession to make:  this sermon didn’t get as much preparation time as it deserved.   I had started preparing early in the week, but things kept coming up – phone conversations with a contractor, an inquiry from a group wanting to rent the building, needing to pick up food for the cupboard, somebody calling with a question about the cemetery, requests for assistance, on and on – one interruption after another.  Some weeks are like that.  We intend to get one thing, or one set of things done, but people and circumstances pull us in different directions.  Our work keeps getting interrupted.

In this week’s Gospel reading, Jesus is having one of those days, a day of interruptions.  In our reading last week, Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee and went into Gentile territory, where he cast a demon out of a man and restored the man to his right mind.  This week, he’s crossed the Sea of Galilee again to go back to his home base.   However, he just about gets both feet out of the boat when he’s accosted by a local religious leader.  The leader’s name is Jairus, his daughter is gravely ill, and Jairus is desperate, beside himself, and comes to Jesus pleading for help.  We’re told that the man begged Jesus repeatedly, saying, “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.”  It’s striking that this religious leader was willing to be seen bowing and begging before Jesus, as many religious leaders in that day discredited Jesus.  Likely Jairus risked a lowering of prestige because of his willingness to be seen coming to Jesus asking for help.  But the man was desperate. And so, whatever plans Jesus may have had, Jesus put his plan on hold, and accompanied the man to his home.

Jesus and Jairus did not walk alone; the large crowd that had been along the shore when Jesus and his disciples set out for the other side of the lake, was waiting for his return. As they Jesus and Jairus began to walk, the crowd followed them.  And in the crowd was one desperately sick, and very determined, woman.  We’re told that she had suffered from what the King James Bible called “an issue of blood” – our modern translation says “hemorrhages” – for twelve years.  Someone who had suffered internal bleeding for that long would feel incredibly sick, incredibly tired, incredibly drained of the strength and energy to do anything beyond waking up and going to sleep.  We’re told that she had suffered much under many physicians, but their efforts made her health worse rather than better…..so she was financially and economically drained as well.  Remember also that, in that day, such bleeding would have made this woman ritually unclean, so her disease brought her not only illness, but isolation from community.  But, as I said, this woman was determined – at this point in her life, she likely figured she had absolutely nothing to lose.  Somehow she learned that Jesus was nearby, and summoned the strength to drag herself out of bed, out of her home, and into the jostling crowd, where every bump and bent elbow likely brought bruising and pain.  She made her way to where Jesus was, saying to herself, “If I can just touch his clothes, I’ll be healed.”  And so that’s just what she did, and healing power went out from Jesus, and she was healed.  And Jesus reacts oddly, saying “Who touched my clothes”, and stopping the procession – likely causing Jairus to want to rip his hair out.  The woman just wanted to receive healing anonymously and go on her way, but Jesus would have none of that.  The disciples tell Jesus that everyone in the crowd is brushing against him.  But Jesus looked around, and the woman came forward and told him the truth of what she’d done – and Jesus sends her on her way with a blessing.

Good for the woman.  Not so good for Jairus, who sees people coming up to tell him that his daughter has died.  Jairus is just about to give in to despair, when Jesus tells him, “Do not fear, only believe.”  (We’re actually given some foreshadowing of what is to come in Jairus’ name, which means “He who will be enlightened.”)  He left everyone else behind but Jairus and three disciples, Peter, James, and John.  When they arrived at Jairus’ house,  people were weeping and wailing loudly.  When Jesus entered, he said to the mourners, “Why are you kicking up all this fuss.  The child is not dead, but sleeping.”  And the mourners laughed at him….one thing we’re told is that in those days, people hired mourners to lament for the death of a loved one, and perhaps Jesus’ words threw these paid mourners, essentially hired actors, off script.  In any case, Jesus, the parents, and the three disciples go to the woman, Jesus took her by the hand, said the Aramaic words “Talitha cum”, which means “Little girl, get up”, and the girl got up and began to walk – and Jesus reminds the parents to get her something to eat.  At the end of the story, almost as an aside, Mark’s gospel tells us that the girl was twelve years old.  In that culture, the girl was near the age of marriage – for sure, don’t try that at home; those were different days.  And so the healing of the girl meant new life not only for her, but for the family she would presumably soon be starting. 

Mark gives us two healing stories, one sandwiched inside the other, both including the number twelve – essentially, the woman with the hemorrhages had been sick for the entire life of the little girl – and Jesus heals them both.  Perhaps, in that oral culture, this was a memory device to help the followers of Jesus remember these stories as the accounts of Jesus were handed down by word of mouth before eventually being written down.  

Again, today’s Gospel reading is a story of interruptions – Jesus being interrupted by Jairus, and Jesus and Jairus being interrupted by the woman.  Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m not crazy about interruptions.  When I’m driving, I don’t like detours.  When I’m working, I don’t like interruptions.  And yet, we all know that interruptions are a part of life.  And sometimes – not always, but sometimes – interruptions are occasions for God’s grace to enter the picture, as in today’s Gospel readings.  Sometimes – not always, but sometimes - it is God who is at work in the interruptions, if we have eyes to see and ears to hear. 

Even when God is at work, not all can perceive it.  It takes a spirit attuned to the workings of God’s spirit, remembering that the same name by which God identified Godself to Moses – “I am what I am” – also means “I will be what I will be.”  God is not confined by our notions of tradition or decorum, but tells us, “See, I am doing a new thing, now it springs forth, do you not see it?”  It also takes a generous spirit – a spirit willing to divert from our driven notions of things that we just have to get done, to open space in our lives for God to work in surprising ways.  As I said, Jesus likely had other plans when his boat landed back on his side of the Sea of Galilee, but he was generous to make space for Jairus’ desperation, to bring healing to Jairus’ daughter.  And both Jesus and Jairus found themselves making space – Jairus probably very unwillingly – for the healing of the woman with the hemorrhages.  It is sometimes in the interruptions, in unexpected phone calls and seemingly random encounters, that God’s grace can touch our lives, if we let it.

I mentioned the interruptions I encountered in my sermon preparation this week.  And actually, beyond the day to day randomness that interrupted my thoughts, both the events of this past week and of the week before have caused preachers to rip up their sermons and start over, or at least heavily rewrite them….of course, my sermon last Sunday was heavily influenced by the shootings in Charleston, and the grief from those shootings still reverberates.  And this week, likely many sermons were influenced by the US Supreme Court ruling allowing same-gender couples across the country to contract for marriage, on the same basis as heterosexual couples – and I found myself wishing that I’d written my sermon about the Old Testament passage in which the grieving David laments the death of Jonathan, whose love surpassed the love of women…but the hymns were picked, and the sermon mostly planned out.  The decision was announced only on Friday, and the dust is still settling, so to speak – so while there’s lots I could say, I’ll keep my remarks brief today – you’re welcome.  Of course, there are those who say that the sky is falling, as some threaten to move to Canada in protest – which could be interesting, as same-gender marriage has been legal there for about the past 10 years – out of the frying pan into the fire.  And speaking of fire, there’s one vocal pastor, Rick Scarborough, who threatened to light himself on fire if such a ruling came down – but seems to have backed off.  To all of this panic, I offer the same words with which I ended my sermon last week – “perfect love casts out fear.”  The United Church of Christ has been a longtime advocate for the rights of LGBT persons, and ten years ago General Synod passed a resolution in favor of marriage equality – a resolution not binding on individual UCC churches, which are all over the place on this and other issues – but a milestone nonetheless.  This is scary stuff for many people – perhaps for some here today - but not for our denomination.

On the other end of the spectrum, there are some who believe that with the Supreme Court ruling, LGBT persons have now been fully integrated into society, and can ride off into the sunset happily ever after.  That’s not the case either.  In some parts of the country, sadly, LGBT persons continue to face discrimination in employment and housing, and the Supreme Court’s ruling will have no immediate effect on that.  For those who support the full inclusion of LGBT persons in society, Friday’s ruling is a milestone, but there’s still a great deal of work to be done.

And for most people, the impact will be….basically nothing.  The ruling has no impact on heterosexual marriages.  Churches and pastors who oppose the ruling will not be forced to preside at such ceremonies, just as the Roman Catholic church and some other churches even before the ruling could, with full protection of the law, refuse to preside at marriages of divorced persons.  For most of us, life will go on as it ever has.

Perfect love casts out fear.  May God’s love enable us to accept life’s interruptions as potential spaces through which God’s grace can enter, and may God grant us generosity to welcome God’s intervention, not only in our own lives, but those of our neighbors.  Amen.