I recently read an article in The Atlantic about a study that was begun in 1937 and continues to this day. It set out to determine predictors of well-being throughout an entire lifetime. 268 Harvard students (all male, since Harvard was not yet co-ed) entered the study. Over the last 72 years, they have participated in interviews and tests of various kinds. Most served during WWII. Most were married. Many were divorced. Some at first appeared to excel in life but later gave way to depression, alcohol abuse and family strife. Others faced hardship with courage and optimism. Some made fortunes. Some lost them. Some never became rich.
So of course, the big question: What are the predictors for happiness over a life time? It’s always a little risky to draw too hasty of a conclusion, but certain themes do rise to the surface. Generally speaking, people who are happy over the long run have a relatively stable marriage and are members of a church or spiritual community. Once a person’s basic needs are being met, money does not seem to contribute largely to their happiness.
But the author of the Atlantic article does relate that: “In an interview in the March 2008 newsletter to the Grant Study subjects, George Vaillant, one of the study’s directors, was asked, ‘What have you learned from the Grant Study men?’ Vaillant’s response: ‘That the only thing that really matters in life are your relationships to other people.’”
Loneliness is very difficult for most of us to endure. I am basically an introvert. After a while of being with people I have to recharge by being alone. But I never confuse that with actually wanting to live a life of solitude. I need my friends and family. I need to have relationships with others. I need people to celebrate with. And most importantly, I need someone beside me when I’m suffering.
As I read Mark’s account of the trial and execution of Jesus this week I was struck this time by just how alone Jesus is. I don’t know how many times I’ve read the story of Jesus’ crucifixion, but every time something new jumps out at me. This time it wasn’t the gratuitous violence he suffered or the injustice of the trial. This time I couldn’t help but notice that Jesus was terribly isolated when he suffered all of this. In some sense, he was even separated from God.
This would be a terrible, tragic, irredeemable story if not for the fact that Jesus was doing all of this for you and me. And if not for the fact that God made all things right by raising him from the dead and giving us the hope that we have for resurrection. But this morning, before we celebrate, let’s take a moment to honor the great sacrifice that Jesus offered on our behalf.
Just Pray
Assuming things turned out as we hoped, I and my family are out of town this weekend, spending time with the rest of Rachel’s family and enjoying life outside of the city. Bob Kiser has kindly agreed to preach today. I’m always so appreciative of my substitutes. It’s one thing for me to prepare a message; it’s my job. But those who give me a week off come with a lesson that they have prepared in addition to their already busy workloads.
This morning, I thought I’d share with you some thoughts on prayer. The following thoughts come from Richard Foster’s wonderful book, Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home.
- We should feel perfectly free to complain to God, or argue with God, or yell at God…God is perfectly capable of handling our anger and frustration and disappointment. C.S. Lewis counsels us to “lay before Him what is in us, not what ought to be in us.”
- My first counsel is simply a reminder that prayer is nothing more than an ongoing and growing love relationship with God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
- I now want to give a counsel that may sound strange. It is that we should learn to pray even while we are dwelling on evil…We lift even our disobedience into the arms of the Father; he is strong enough to carry the weight. Sin, to be sure, separates us from God, but trying to hide our sin separates us all the more.
Grief & Grace
In a recent article from Christianity Today, Mark Galli reminds us of Mark Twain's story, The Prince and the Pauper:
"…we are introduced to Prince Edward and a poor boy named Tom Canty. In the opening pages, they meet each other and discover they look identical. Since each one is dissatisfied with his social situation, they decide to swap places and see what life's like from the other side. Tom takes on the life of Prince Edward, and Prince Edward adopts the life of the pauper Tom. During the course of the novel, King Henry dies, at which point Prince Edward becomes King of England. For the rest of the story, Edward has to convince others that he is the legitimate king. All they see, of course, is a poor boy in rags."
Galli goes on to note that Jesus is often unrecognizable, because of his humility: "Many people—not just the wise men—had trouble spotting King Jesus in his day, because they were looking for the trappings of royalty instead of an infant in a manger or a young man in a carpenter's shop." Nor would people be looking for a king in the Garden of Gethsemane. But that is where we find him in Mark 14. Again, he is not in a palace. He is not at the vanguard of a conquering army. He is in a Garden on the outskirts of Jerusalem. And it's not just his location that we should find so scandalous; it's also what he's doing.The Messiah, the anointed one of Israel, her deliverer, the Son of God, the Lord who has cast out demons and raised the dead and controlled the forces of nature is on his knees. He is overwhelmed. He is racked with misery. His body is rebelling against him. And he is begging for his life. Doesn't exactly comport with our idea of grandeur and power, does it?
But I believe that this is when we see Jesus at His best. Here more than any other place, Jesus is the Messiah. He is both the Son of God and the Son of Man. He is fully human and fully divine. Nowhere else, except perhaps on the cross, do we see the two come together so completely.
It's a good thing we were not allowed to write the story of Jesus, because who but God would include the events that take place in Gethsemane? Who would imagine the Messiah in such a terrible state? But our salvation begins in Gethsemane. I'm beginning to think that this is where the battle is fought and won. Gethsemane makes Calvary (and the empty tomb) possible. And we can learn more about the world saving character of Christ there than anywhere else. I hope you'll spend some time with Him there this morning.
Do What You Can
6 'Leave her alone," said Jesus. "Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me… 8She did what she could. (Mark 14)
I'll be the first to admit that I sometimes lack attention to detail. I'm a big picture kind of guy. And so, even though I've proofread this article at least once and in spite of modern marvels like Microsoft spell-check, there's a pretty good chance that there is a typo or two in here. [For example, the first time I typed this sentence it read "a typo or to."] I would make a horrible copy editor. Nor would I be able to hold down a job at Peachtree Editorial and Proofreading.
It's their job to proofread editions of the Bible for various publishers. "Bible readers are less forgiving of errors because they expect perfection in the Bible text," says June Gunden, one of Peachtree's founders.
To remind them of the importance of their task, they have prominently displayed a list of critical Bible errors from the past. The most famous one is found in the "Adulterer's Bible" of 1631. The "not" is conveniently omitted from Exodus 20:14. Thus it reads, "Thou shalt commit adultery." Another one, dubbed the "Unrighteous Bible," omits the "not" in 1 Corinthians 6:9 and has Paul saying that the "unrighteous shall inherit the Kingdom of God."
One of Peachtree's most recent projects was the Holman Christian Standard Bible. For two years, workers meticulously scanned each page multiple times in order to weed out errors. Gunden says that many employees view their work as an extension of their faith and regularly pray about it.
Small things can be important. This morning we're going to begin talking about what we Christians see as the biggest event in history—the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. It is the fulcrum on which everything else turns. Its significance cannot possibly be overstated.
But, as this pivotal week begins, we start with a humble act of faith from an anonymous woman. It is an act that Jesus' followers dismiss as insignificant and wasteful. But Jesus sees it differently. He comes to her defense. What impresses Jesus is that this woman has done something, anything at all, that honors him.
There's an important lesson in there for us. We are not called to worry about the greatness of our efforts. We are just called to put forth the effort. I hope we can all be challenged to do what we can for God this morning.
The End Is Near
Recently a New York Press columnist wrote about an encounter with an apocalyptic taxi driver in Baltimore. The cabbie asked him about his future plans and, following a thumbnail sketch of his intentions, informed him that they didn't matter anyway. The driver turned around and said, "I don't want to scare you, but the world is gonna end in seven months." Apparently a radio preacher that he listened to had discerned that the end was nigh. The writer goes on to note that the seven month prediction had been made 10 years ago by the time the article was published.
That's the risk we take when we hazard apocalyptic predictions. History has seen the end of time come and go more times than anyone can count. And you'd think that all of these failed soothsayers would deter others, but not so. Hope springs eternal when it comes to cataclysm.
What is it with end of the world obsessions? Why are some people led to pore over scripture or Nostradamus or Egyptian numerology or Mayan calendars in the hopes of singling out the date that the world will blow up? There are two apocalyptic movies coming out in the next few months alone.
Well I promise not to add to it. I have no predictions for you. But if Jesus would like to come back before the Tennessee Titans can embarrass themselves anymore, that would be fine with me.
As for me, I'm so anxious to avoid those predictions, I even considered skipping Mark 13. It's all about the "end of the age," and I would just as soon skip it altogether. But I guess I can't do that.
What I can do is give you this bit of good news. Jesus doesn't give us a date either. Jesus avoids that kind of prediction himself. To be honest he doesn't really give us signs. A careful reading of the text tells us that Jesus is giving hints for the beginning of the end rather than the end.
In fact, to give a date would run counter to his mission. Jesus isn't interested in giving his disciples a chance to build bomb shelters or stockpile canned goods. As we'll see, he's got other plans for them, and those plans involve taking action rather than hunkering down.
To be sure, the end is near. And it means two things for us, his people. First, we have reason to be hopeful. Second, we'd better get busy doing the work he's set out for us.
A Little Perspective
When the great Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Lynn Swann was finally inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001, he had already spent numerous years on the ballot—more than he felt he should, apparently. According to Terry Bradshaw, Swann's quarterback throughout his career (and a hall-of-famer himself), Swann blamed him for not making it in sooner. The perceived injury was great enough for Swann to refer to it on the day of his induction. On what should have been a day of celebration, Swann decided to get his pound of flesh. He publicly blamed Bradshaw for not throwing him the ball enough in the late 70's.
Bradshaw later commented: "…I kept thinking how sad it was that he chose what should have been one of the greatest days of his life to create this controversy."
Earlier this year, when Michael Jordan was inducted into the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame, he chose a similar approach. Shortly after hearing himself proclaimed the greatest basketball player who ever lived and watching an awe-inspiring career highlights video, Jordan took to the podium and things got personal. He used one of the greatest moments of his life to exact petty revenge on those who had slighted him throughout his career. He went after former Knicks coach, Jeff Van Gundy. He scolded Isiah Thomas and Magic Johnson for snubbing him way back in 1985 (!) at the NBA All-Star game. Rather than enjoy the evening celebrating his accomplishments, he chose to stir-up controversy.
It's frustrating when people take an opportunity for celebration and turn it into something petty and mean-spirited.
That's exactly what happens to Jesus in Mark 12. Jesus, the Messiah, finally comes to Jerusalem. The Son of David comes to the Temple. This man who has spent his life healing the lame and feeding the hungry, who has brought the Good News of God's kingdom to his people, doesn't receive a very kind welcome.
Instead he is greeted by religious leaders motivated by personal vendettas alternately trying to publicly embarrass him or have him killed. And even though Jesus obviously saw it coming, I wonder if it wasn't also difficult for him.
Mark 12 would be a truly tragic chapter, if not for a couple of brief highlights. In these two instances, we can see past the foolish controversies and into the heart of pure religion. These moments are an important reminder to us not to miss the big picture in our faith. I hope you and I can get the big picture this morning.
Culture Clash
Every year I make it a point to watch "A Christmas Story" at least once during the holiday season. This isn't hard to do, given the twenty-four hour marathon that's on one of the cable networks. Lately it's been my companion as I play the role of Santa's helper into the wee hours of Christmas Eve.
One of the recurring themes of the movie is disillusionment. As our hero Ralphie grows up in the Midwest during the 1950's, he learns that not everything turns out as expected. Again and again, Ralphie anticipates something with giddy excitement only to be disappointed by the anticlimactic nature of it all.
For instance, Ralphie keeps a constant vigil over his mailbox, waiting for the "Little Orphan Annie Decoder Ring" that he sent off for in the mail. When it finally arrives, he dashes up to the bathroom (the only place in his house where he can be alone) and feverishly decodes a secret meant for his ears only. Imagine the anticipation as he unscrambles a message that will give him special knowledge. Now imagine his disappointment as he reads the message he's waited so long to hear: "Be sure to drink your Ovaltine."
But perhaps the most soul-crushing moment of clarity comes when Ralphie finally gets to visit Santa at the local department store. He's hoping to bypass his parents and take his Christmas plea for a Red Ryder BB Gun straight to the man himself. So he endures a long wait in line and finally gains an audience with the fat man in red only to freeze up. Then, when he finally manages to muster the courage to make his petition to Santa, Santa crushes his dreams with the same reply that his mother did: "You'll shoot your eye out."
This morning we're going to read about how Jesus disappoints everyone. Everyone has expectations of this Messiah—his followers, his enemies—everyone. And Jesus refuses to fit into their narrow definitions of who the Messiah is. Jesus causes trouble everywhere he goes.
That's a good reminder for us, because we often prefer a Jesus that caters to our needs—bless us every day and then take us to heaven when we die. But that's not how it works. Jesus wants to do all of that, but he also has his own agenda. I'm reminded once again of C.S. Lewis' description of Jesus: "He's not safe, but he's Good."
Simple Enough
We need to keep close to the ancient simplicity of the original Christian faith, and build our foundation on its original unity. We must abhor the arrogance of those who harass and tear apart the church of God under the pretense of correcting errors and holding to "the Truth." --Richard Baxter
Let us thus think often that our only business in this life is to please God. --Brother Lawrence
These quotes sum up the best of our denomination's history.
I don't talk a lot about the history of the Church of Christ. Partially because it seems that the more I know, the less I understand. As with any religious body it's a complex story with many different players. And then once you get all of the facts and events straight, there is the thorny task of making a cohesive story out of them. That's one of the reasons I hesitate to say, "This is where we come from."
But in spite of all the dangers, I would like to point out one facet of our origin that I have always admired. There is, in the history of the Churches of Christ, a vehement desire to simply be "Christians"--to shed the titles and the trappings and simply be a church of Christ.
What's amazing is that the beginnings of our denomination didn't really have one beginning, but several. At one point in time there were multiple people throughout the country who were responding to a similar impulse. They all wanted to make following Jesus a simple process. They grew tired of the ornate theological distinctions between churches. They wearied of the inter-denominational squabbling over the finer points of scripture. They grew tired of the dense creeds and doctrinal mazes that separated one believer from another.
So, in response to this impulse for simplicity, there were multiple movements occurring simultaneously all over the young nation. And what unified them was this desire to stop worrying about technicalities and start focusing on simply following Jesus. This is typified by their avoidance of denominational labels. These people were just "Christians."
Of course, things never go as planned. Before long there was huge disagreement over what a "simple" Christian really looked like. And, unfortunately, the disagreement often just led to more division.
But in spite of it all I still resonate with that early impulse. I've always liked the idea of being "Christians only, but not the only Christians." This morning, we'll read a passage in Mark's gospel where Jesus is telling his disciples to stop worrying about trivialities and just follow him. I hope we can strive to do that this morning.
The Master Plan
I wanted to share this with you. It's from the 6-10-09 blog entry of Kevin Deyoung, entitled "Who do you say that I am?" Deyoung notes that we all have a tendency to remake Jesus in our own image, then he gives us several examples, here are a few…
- There's the Republican Jesus—who is against tax increases and activist judges, for family values and owning firearms.
- There's Democrat Jesus—who is against Wall Street and Wal-Mart, for reducing our carbon footprint and printing money.
- There's Open-minded Jesus—who loves everyone all the time no matter what (except for people who are not as open-minded as you).
- There's Martyr Jesus—a good man who died a cruel death so we can feel sorry for him.
- There's Hippie Jesus—who teaches everyone to give peace a chance, imagines a world without religion, and helps us remember that "all you need is love."
- There's Yuppie Jesus—who encourages us to reach our full potential, reach for the stars, and buy a boat.
- There's Touchdown Jesus—who helps athletes fun faster and jump higher than non-Christians and determines the outcomes of Super Bowls.
There are more, but you get the point. Everybody has an aspect of Jesus' personality that they tend to prefer over the others. The real challenge is to take Jesus as he is rather than try to make him into the Jesus that we want him to be.
We'll see that in this morning's passage. Peter tells Jesus that he's not really happy with Jesus' idea of what it means to be a Messiah. And that brings us to that famously stinging rebuke that Jesus has for Peter: "Get behind me, Satan…You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."
And no wonder Peter says what he says. Jesus' idea of what the Messiah is supposed to do sounds crazy and difficult and, in the end, like a fool's errand. If I didn't already know how this story turns out, I would be on Peter's side.
I think that this morning's passage is one of the most difficult in all of scripture, because it runs counter to some of the most basic aspects of my own personality. It flies in the face of all conventional wisdom. And yet it is also the truest calling card of what it means to be a Christian.
Getting To The Point
According to preacher and author Ravi Zacharias, someone once asked Larry King, "If you could select any one person across all of history to interview, who would it be?" King replied that he would interview Jesus. Out of all the people who have ever lived, he chose Jesus. When asked why, he said "I would like to ask him if he was indeed virgin-born. The answer to that question would define history for me."
When Zacharias heard about it, he wrote to King's representatives asking for permission to quote him on that. King not only gave his consent, he also added, "…tell him I was not being facetious."
I appreciate King's sincerity. No matter what we do or don't believe about Jesus, his life and ministry and the things his followers say about him defines history. So much depends on the true identity of Jesus of Nazareth. So much hinges on how we respond to the claims that he made about himself.
Today we'll see one of those claims. It's widely held that our passage for the day is a major turning point in the Gospel of Mark. Apart from the crucifixion, it's the most important moment in Mark's account of Jesus' life.
No more room for doubt. No more questions or rumors or reading between the lines. We finally realize that it's not about the healings. It's not about obscure arguments about the Law of Moses—whether or not we can work on the Sabbath or eat without cleansing ourselves. All of these are interesting, even important questions.
But they all pale in comparison to the real question, the one that Jesus asks in Mark 8. It's the question that Larry King and so many before him have wrestled. Jesus asks his followers, "Who do you say that I am?"
In the end that's the only question that matters. It's the only one that Jesus really wants us to answer. That's right, he wants us to answer it. He wants us to answer it this morning. Even if we've already answered it before. Because it's not a question that you ask once and then put into storage. Jesus' identity is something we are called to decide every day.
I hope you won't avoid this question this morning. I have to ask it. I can't preach on any of the Gospels without bringing us face to face with it. At some point it is a question that will change your life. What Jesus wants to know is, "Who do you say I am?"
Keeping Up Appearances
If you've been given this article before church and you want to go ahead and spend some time with our text for this morning, grab a Bible and read Mark 7:1-23…
In an article for Skeptic magazine, Michael Shermer, the author of The Science of Good and Evil talks about a conversation he recently had:
"I once had the opportunity to ask Thomas Keneally, author of Schindler's List, what he thought was the difference between Oskar Schindler, rescuer of Jews and hero of his story, and Amon Goeth, the Nazi commandant of the Plaszow concentration camp. His answer was revealing. Not much, he said. Had there been no war, Mr. Schindler and Mr. Goeth might have been drinking buddies and business partners, morally obtuse, perhaps, but relatively harmless. What a difference a war makes, especially to the moral choices that lead to good and evil."
Shermer goes on to quote Russian writer Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn:
"If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?"
I've often said that it would be nice if all the "bad" people in this world were wearing black and had nasty handle bar moustaches. And wouldn't be easy if we could identify all the "good" people just by seeing how white their clothes are or by the superhero insignia on their chest?
So it's easy for me to identify with the Pharisees in the story that we're going to ready today. I understand why they wanted to concentrate on washing their hands and keeping ritually clean by not touching things that had been defiled. External holiness is so much easier to judge and maintain.
I identify with that, but it's simply not the case. Personal holiness is not a matter of making things look good on the outside. Like Jesus says in our reading for this morning. We are identifiable as "clean" or "unclean," "just" or "unjust," by the actions that we take—the natural outgrowths of who we are on the inside.
Everything We Need
A few years ago, when I had my appendix removed, it was nice to receive such wonderful treatment from all of the healthcare providers. I think they would have been wonderful anyway, but it didn't hurt that it was the hospital where Rachel was doing her residency.
After all the tests came back and it was determined that I would, in fact, need an appendectomy, one of the nurses warned me about the surgeon who would be operating on me. She cautioned that he wasn't the friendliest of people. To which I said, "That's okay. I'm not looking for a buddy, I'm looking for a surgeon."
I was reminded of that when I ran across Pastor Bruce McIver's account of undergoing open heart surgery. He talks about his interaction with the surgeon before and after the operation. He got one word out of him in pre-operative consultation. McIver anxiously asked if the Dr. would be able to fix his heart. His surgeon said, "Sure," and walked away.
After the 12-hour procedure, McIver was concerned that his clogged arteries had effected his blood supply, so he asked his surgeon, "How much blood supply do I have now?" The doctor simply replied before leaving, "All you'll ever need."
Finally, before he was discharged, McIver's wife asked him, "What about my husband's future quality of life?" At that, the surgeon paused and said, "I fixed his heart; the quality of his life is up to him." What he was saying is, I've given him everything he needs to continue having a life, now he must decide whether he wants to have one.
This morning we're going to hearing a story where Jesus provides his followers with everything they need, and then some. He gives it to his followers and, in turn, expects them to give to others. Lots of others. He keeps giving, and his disciples keep giving, and in the end there is more than anyone could possibly hope for.
What Jesus is giving is food. But I think the food in the story represents all the good things that come from God—all the blessings that he pours out on us his children. But just like the surgeon did for McIver. And just Jesus does for his disciples. God gives us a lot. What we decide to do with it is up to us.
I hope that you're ready for a reminder of how much God has blessed us this morning. I hope you'll see it, rejoice, and then leave ready to spread the wealth.
Welcoming Committee
For today's message I was searching for stories of hospitality that people have experienced. I ran across a number of stories from Christians who had to travel for one reason or another.
I read one man's account of travel to another church as a guest preacher. A potluck dinner was held following church and a ten year old boy was designated to be his host for the day. The man goes on to tell how the youngster took his task seriously and how he dutifully introduced him to everyone. After that, he took him to the dinner table. There the boy commented on each casserole. "You'll want some of that and that," he said, pointing. Then looking at another dish, he warned, "Trust me. Skip that one." We got near the end of the table when he said, "My mom brought that." When the guest asked him if it was good, he said, "The recipe has been in the family for years. Passed down from one bad cook to another."
Another woman recalled how she and her husband travelled as guest speakers to another church and were the guests of a single woman who lived in a mobile home. Before retiring for the evening, her husband asked their host if there would be enough hot water for all three of them in the morning. The woman replied, "I really don't know. I've never taken two in a row!"
Not every story I read reflected well on church folk. I found the story of a man who, some time ago, traveled to a number of churches. He then wrote this about his experience: "I am presently completing the second year of a three-year survey on the hospitality or lack of it in churches. To date, of the 195 churches I have visited, I was spoken to in only one by someone other than an official greeter and that was to ask me to move my feet."
This morning, as we continue in the book of Mark, you'll see that when Jesus travels, he is given a similarly inhospitable reception. In fact, he's asked to leave the country. The locals don't take too kindly to Jesus, because he disrupts their income in the name of helping a man in need.
I hope that you'll receive a kind welcome at this church. I think that, while we can always do better and we occasionally fail to live up to our high expectations, this church does a good job of welcoming the guests among us. It helps to be reminded that Jesus believed in showing hospitality, even if it comes at a cost. You'll hear about that this morning.
Welcome to our worship service.
Questions
Tony Snow, a news columnist, talk show host, and one-time White House Press Secretary, died of colon cancer in 2008. But before he passed away he spoke frequently about how cancer had changed his life. The following quote is from a 2007 Christianity Today article called, “Cancer’s Unexpected Blessings.”
“The moment you enter the Valley of the Shadow of Death, things change. You discover that Christianity is not something doughy, passive, pious, and soft. Faith may be the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. But it also draws you into a world shorn of fearful caution. The life of belief teems with thrills, boldness, danger, shocks, reversals, triumphs, and epiphanies.”
Nicely put. No one goes out looking for tragedy. It comes to us. But a potential for blessing hides in the storm clouds we face. A walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death peels away the façade of our “business as usual” routine. When faced with life-changing events, we can no longer afford to be unconscious of what we truly believe.
It is in these difficult moments—illness, divorce, financial troubles, death (ours or someone else’s), etc.—that we must deal with the most elemental aspects of our faith. We must ask ourselves, “What do I really believe? And how will it carry me through this?” To borrow a metaphor from sports, it is the end of the preseason, when every game counts.
Today we get to witness what happens to Jesus’ followers when they come face to face with this reality. What do they do when following Jesus becomes a matter of life and death? And how does Jesus respond to them? His actions draw them deeper into a life of following, because they are left asking this all-important question: “Who is this man?”
I don’t know what your life is like right now. I know that some of you are taking your own stroll through the Valley. For the moment others of us are able to go about our days in a business as usual manner. Either way, my prayer is that we all will spend some time asking the same question as the disciples.
Whatever the reason you have come, I am glad. But I would be doing you a disservice if, at some point during your time with us, I did not encourage you to ask this question about Jesus: “Who is this man?” Because both the experience of asking and the answer we come to can make all the difference in our lives.
What Did He Say Part 2
28“…I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. 29But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin."
[1] David Dark. “Insert Soul Here.” Relevant July/August 2009.
- The Bible is incredibly simple to understand.
- The Bible is incredibly difficult to understand.
[1] David Dark. “Insert Soul Here.” Relevant July/August 2009.
What Did He Say
Once again, I’ll show my age. Back when I was in 9th or 10th grade, the band, Depeche Mode came out with a song called “Personal Jesus.” While it was on the pop charts and in the public eye, it got the attention of quite a few preachers. As I recall most of them didn’t have very kind words for it. The word I remember being used most was the word “blasphemous.” Something to the effect of, “How dare these rock and roll singers mock God?”
But I don’t really think they were mocking God. I don’t know enough about the personal beliefs of the songwriters or singers to say anything about them as individuals. But I don’t think “Personal Jesus” is a slam on God. Here’s a sample of the lyrics:
“Your own personal Jesus, someone to hear your prayers, someone who cares…feeling unknown and you’re all alone, flesh and bone by the telephone, lift up the receiver I’ll make you a believer.”
First of all, the song wasn’t really about Jesus Christ. The inspiration for the song came from something Priscilla Presley once said about Elvis and how she made him out to be more than human and, frankly, how she made something of an idol out of him
The point they were trying to make is that we’re often looking for someone to meet all of our needs, and take care of us and be there whenever we need them. Sometimes that’s a family member or a friend. Sometimes we do that to Jesus.
Actually, I think Mark (the writer whose Gospel we’re studying) would agree about that. He would go so far as to say that we don’t really have any business doing that with Jesus, either. That Jesus isn’t just here to make all of our problems go away. He’s not some personal valet who will see to our every whim.
It comes up more than once in Mark. The people are looking for Jesus to be one thing for them, but his mission is to be something else. We’ll see the first (but not the last) example in chapter 3 of Mark this morning. It happens when Jesus says something to a demon, something we would not expect Jesus to say.
If I understand the lyrics of the Depeche Mode song right, Jesus isn’t the problem, our perception of him is. We want him to be our little servant. He wants to be our Lord. I hope this morning we’ll have the courage and honesty to see Jesus as he is rather than as we want him to be.
All Things New
You’ve probably gotten this as a forwarded email, but it’s still pretty amazing. And I don’t know who should get credit for this. But give it a read:
“The human mind is a wonderfully complex organ. Our brains can actually process a group of words, even if they are spelled totally incorrectly. For example, see if you can read the following:
The hmuan mnid is a wndoreullfy cpoemlx oargn. You see? It deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod aearpr, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is that the frist and lsat ltteer are in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the human mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig isn't it?”
Ha. That last paragraph just made the spell check on my computer go crazy. Red everywhere. And yet I think most of us can read it without too much trouble. I could feel my eyes slow down a little bit. It didn’t come as quickly as usual, but it was relatively smooth. Then the writer concludes by making this point:
“Oftentimes our lives, and the world around us, don't seem to make sense. There are even times when everything seems to be a total mess. But when we take a step back and remember that God is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last, we can rest assured that one day it will all become perfectly clear.”
Neat application, huh? As long as we keep the First and the Last (God) in mind, we can make sense of our lives even if they seem chaotic. Everything doesn’t have to perfect.
This is the message of the book of Revelation. That’s right. I’m breaking my general rule and I’m preaching from Revelation this morning. But I’m still ducking the crazy imagery and getting right down to the part that is relatively easy to understand. It’s this: God will fix everything.
This morning as we conclude our look at passages that give us hope in troubled times, I can’t fail to include this all important one—the one that gives all of the others their meaning. In the end, our greatest security comes from the fact that God is preparing us for a place in which everything will be as it should be. No tears, no death and the relationship with God that he always wanted us to have.
The beginning and the end are set; it’s just the middle that’s a little jumbled up. I hope that today will provide you with a preview of this wonderfully happy ending.
Get To It
A recent article in Time magazine recounts what is probably the most important discovery in the history of NASCAR. In 1960, Junior Johnson, already a famous moonshine runner and racer, entered his first Daytona 500. That year Johnson's car, a Chevy, was unable to keep up with the Pontiacs of his opponents, so he began looking for a way to overcome the disadvantage.
That's when Johnson became what physics professor Diandra Leslie-Pelecky calls an "intuitive physicist." In practice, Johnson discovered that his slower Chevy was capable of keeping up with the Pontiacs if he kept it close to their rear bumpers. In his words, "the air was creating a situation, a slipstream type of thing." (I love it when brilliant people speak plainly.)
Johnson's theory was so correct it led him to victory lane. Toward the end of the race the lead car lost its rear windshield due to the low air pressure caused by Johnson. This new discovery, called drafting, changed the racing world.
What I love about this is the fact that Johnson's discovery didn't happen in a lab. This wasn't some guy in a white coat or a mathematician hunched over a calculator. It was simply necessity giving birth to invention. Johnson didn't care about the physics. He just wanted to go faster. He was simply driven (lame pun).
We can learn a lesson from NASCAR. This morning we'll be looking at a couple passages that call on us to seek out more speed. Like the writer of Hebrews puts it, "let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us" (Hebrews 12:1).
The Good News for us in bad times is this: we don't have to just sit still. We are not helpless. There are things for us to be doing. And we are called on to seek out more and more ways to do the work that God is calling us to do.
Unbreakable
I have two quotes for you to dwell on this morning. The first is from Martin Luther. Following his excommunication from the Catholic Church, Luther was tried for heresy at the Diet of Worms (a rather unfortunate name, in my opinion) in 1521. The trial’s climax came when the prosecution spread Luther’s own writings out before him and asked if he would acknowledge his authorship of the documents and continue to stand behind them. This is his famous response:
"Unless I am convinced by proofs from Scriptures or by plain and clear reasons and arguments, I can and will not retract, for it is neither safe nor wise to do anything against conscience. Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen."
For the record, most scholars say that the “Here I stand. I can do no other” was added later. But the sentiment remains the same.
The second was written by Deitrich Bonhoeffer some 400 years later just before he was executed for his cooperation in a failed attempt to assassinate Hitler. It’s part of his Letters and Papers from Prison:
“Who am I? This or the other?
Am I one person today and tomorrow another?
Am I both at once? A hypocrite before others,
And before myself a contemptibly woebegone weakling?
Or is something within me still like a beaten army,
Fleeing in disorder from victory already achieved?
Who am I? They mock me, these lonely questions of mine.
Whoever I am, Thou knowest, O God, I am Thine!”
Both of these men have something to teach us about belief, because, in both cases, their beliefs were about more than what was going on between their ears. Their beliefs were a matter of life or death. Their beliefs were the net that they trusted to catch them when they fell. Their beliefs were more than just ideas.
This morning I’m going to ask you to believe a verse in the Bible. And when I ask you to believe it, that’s the kind of belief I’m hoping for. I’m looking for more than a nod of the head and a pleasant smile. I’m asking you to wager your future on the truth of this verse. I’m asking you to take a leap of faith and believe that the truth of this verse will keep you safe. If our faith is a matter of life or death, hope or despair, this verse can make all the difference. I hope God uses it to speak to you today.
Memorial Day
It's Memorial Day weekend. Tomorrow, grills will be fired up. Flags will be flown. There will be parades in every city. And, yes, people will also visit cemeteries. My Grandmother will no doubt pay a visit to the Maness family graveyard. Her late husband and two of her brothers were World War II veterans. She still calls it "Decoration Day."
Memorial Day was originally designated as a day to mourn Union Soldiers killed during the Civil War. But soon the whole country was observing the day, remembering Union and Confederates alike. Following World War I the day was expanded to include anyone killed while in the military service. By the way, the nation's oldest annually held parade is the one in Portsmouth, and tomorrow our own Bob Kiser will be the Grand Marshal of the 125th event.
Scripture is full of opportunities to remember. From the very beginning, it's clear that God understands our need to make sure we don't forget. The Passover Feast is a remembrance of God's acts on behalf of the people of Israel. It's a recollection of how God brought them out of Egypt. Numerous times in the Old Testament, the people are commanded to remember where they have come from and Who has brought them.
Of course, the New Testament picks up the same theme with the Lord's Supper. It used to be that just about every communion table I ever saw had Jesus' words, "Do this in remembrance of me," etched into its front. Jesus takes the memorial service of the nation of Israel and creates with it a memorial service that can be observed by all of the people of God.
As most of you know by now, Rachel and I are out of town today. Mike Dossett is very kindly stepping in. He had some opportunities to preach while he was stationed in Germany. I love it when our elders preach. And not just because it means I'm getting a break. I love it because it is an opportunity for the leaders of our church to speak to the congregation. I don't know about you, but as one of the sheep, I need that. I'll look forward to listening to Mike's message online.
In the meantime, pray for our safe travel, and I look forward to worshiping with you next Sunday. Today, I hope you will have your own Memorial Day service. I hope you will look back and remember all of the sacrifices that have been made for you. I hope you'll remember those people who sacrificed in order to serve you: parents, friends, mentors. And I hope you'll remember the one who paid the ultimate sacrifice to make us all children of God.
Just don't go looking to visit Him in a cemetery. There is no grave to decorate. As the angel said, "Why would you look for the living among the dead?"