Sermon Mark 6:1-13 July
8, 2018 Ordinary Time
Sent Out in Jesus’ Name
Sometimes we come to Scripture texts like this one in Mark
chapter 6, and we prefer to listen to another story about Jesus. But, it is times
like these when we need to gather to the hard lessons. It’s always easier to learn
about a Jesus who was not only loving but also loved. It is always easier to learn
about disciples who turned the world upside down and brought thousands to faith
in Jesus, and not notice the times of
rejection. Yet, we need to hear about the tough times, the rough times,
and the especially about those moments of being turned away, unloved, and unappreciated.
We are not what others proclaim us
to be,
but who God has called us to be.
We are children of God,
loved and redeemed.
Called and sent out in Jesus’
name.
These words-
Control, faith,
rejection, love,
reputation, mercy,
power, grace
come into our life, into our being, into our vocabulary,
into our response to a world out there and a soul within.
These words and actions in our life can come to us to guide
us,
help us,
hinder us,
deny us,
and/or heal and hold us.
We spend a lot of energy worrying about what people think
of us and how we make them feel or how they make us feel.
Our hearts can be bursting with
anxiety, fear, and worry hoping we can control the thoughts of others about
who we are. It is a serious concern in today’s society as social media has
a way of wrapping people up in the power of the opinions of others.
Today, we witness Jesus in his hometown-imagine what Instagram,
or twitter would have said about him!
Jesus had a mission to tell all the world about the love
of God.
And not everyone wants to hear that message.
Not everyone is happy about Jesus-the carpenter’s son-being
the messiah with power and wisdom.
His own people mock him.
His family who one would hope would embrace him, rejects
him too.
We want people to know about the love of God.
But, it is not in
our control who receives it or who rejects it.
It is not in our
control how people feel about us, or our message.
What is in our
control is how we love and show
compassion.
One of the greatest lessons in
pastoral care in seminary was from a professor who said, “If you think you can get
everyone to like you in ministry and that is how you function in the church of
your calling, you will be doomed. Because, you
will have made the ministry a mockery about yourself and not about God.”
There was quite a bit of arguing with the professor. But, he held his ground.
He made it clear that to be called out
in Jesus Name meant that is the name on our lips as we offer love at every
turn. It is the name that drives us to
reach out and help without judgment. It is the name that calls us to open our
arms with peace even when the rocks are being hurled at us.
There are a few things to notice of in this Scripture
text of Mark 6. One-Jesus is unwelcome in his home town because they remember
him as the boy of the carpenter. He is rendered powerless in the face of
rejection.
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| Stoning of Stephen-museum-Corfu, Greece |
It makes me wonder;
how do we limit those around us
because we expect them to be the same
as we have known them in their past?
How do we render people powerless because we
judge
they are not worthy or not ‘good enough’
to be able to do the powerful and miraculous
things we expect others to do?
A second thing to notice - immediately following his not so
pleasant going home experience, Jesus sends out the twelve on a mission to
other villages to preach the good news. He gives them instructions about
shaking the dust off their feet. This was an old Jewish custom to shake off the
unclean gentile dust before they entered their clean homes.
Jesus gives the
action another context.
Leave the rejection at the doorstep,
do not carry it with you to the next house.
Leave it at the doorstep,
wipe your feet and remember
this is not about you it is about them.
This rejection
does not define you.
You have more places to go. You are mine.
Jesus didn’t differentiate between
mission and evangelism. Doing and telling were one in the same. Perhaps, that’s
what we’re most afraid of, the telling. Perhaps, we’re as unsure about our
faith story as the disciples were. They didn’t know quite what to say or what
to do. Jesus sent them out with little instruction. He sent them out to tell
the good news and heal the sick and have power of unclean spirits.
So, the twelve went as Jesus sent them. Even with their
anxiety, they went. Even with the fear of their reputation, they went. Even
with the looming possibilities of all that could go wrong, they went. And
perhaps, that’s the message for us. Even with all our frailties and our inabilities,
Jesus is still sending us out.
I recently watched the movie Sully. It was the movie about
the pilot who landed the plane on the Hudson River and all 155 souls on board
were saved. The movie told the story of what happened after the flight. It told
about the investigation and the probability of pilot error. Sully said, “I’ve flown for forty years and delivered a
million people safely to their destination but, my entire career, my life and
reputation will be based on 208 seconds.”
A woman pastor was upset because
she was unable to do the funeral of young man who passed away. Only later she
found out the man was the grandson of one of the members of her church. People
in her congregation were upset at her for not showing the compassion they
expected her to show. She did what she could to make amends explaining it was
difficult to reach out when she was unaware. She became worried about her
reputation among the congregation and the community. She was given sage advice from
other pastors- “Your reputation-It was never in your power to control what other
people thought of you anyway.”
We can’t let fear
of what others think of us deter us from doing what we believe is right.
Sully landed that plane because he knew it was the
only choice he had to save the lives of the people on the plane. And later the
safety board agreed with him. The pastor did what she understood was right at
the time with the information she was given. And the congregation embraced her
with new understanding.
The truth is, both these people-Sully & the woman
pastor-
acted out of love and compassion
before,
during, and after their situations.
And isn’t that what God asks of us.
God asks for our faithfulness,
our love,
our compassion
to be lived and to shared.
God asks us to be steadfast,
to not be afraid,
to speak the truth,
to not worry about those
who are not ready to hear they are loved,
to go out anyway,
in Jesus name
and proclaim the gospel.
We are not what others proclaim us to be,
but who God has called us to be.
We are children of God,
loved and redeemed.
Called and sent out in Jesus’ name.
Go and do likewise. Amen.
