The Hopeless Suffering of a Football Fan (Mark 8:27-38)

27 Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that I am?"

The geographical setting of this gospel text is important. The key is right there in the name of the city. Perhaps you noticed that the word “Caesar” in the name “Caesarea?” The city is named after the Roman ruler or “Caesar.” The Roman Caesar was a self-described God. A ruler who was not only to be respected and obeyed, but worshiped as well. So here we have Jesus, bringing his motley crew of disciples into a community that worshiped a variety of gods, including the Roman Caesar. Jesus’ first question to his disciples is appropriate: “Who do people say that I am?” Essentially he’s saying, “In a world where so many things are vying for people’s attention, where do I fit in?”

28 And they answered him, "John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets."

I would imagine that Jesus is quite pleased with this answer. After all, if people thought of him as a prophet, especially one like John the Baptist or Elijah, that meant that people thought highly of him and were responding to his message. But what really pleases Jesus is that the mass population has not yet determined his true identity; and as we will see in this text, that is how Jesus wants it at this point in his ministry.

29 He asked them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered him, "You are the Messiah." 30 And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.

So here it is, the disciples are ahead of the curve. While everyone else thinks of Jesus as a prophet or messenger of God, the disciples have figured out that he is more than that; he is the Messiah. The word “Messiah” means ‘anointed one.’ The one anointed by God to bring healing, restoration, and salvation to Israel. The Jewish understanding of the Messiah was tied to their history of suffering at the hands of the Egyptians, Babylonians, and Romans. The Messiah would be a person sent by God to usher in a revolution which would overthrow their oppressors, reunite the scattered tribes of Israel, and usher in a period of great wealth and prosperity for the Jewish people. So, you can see why Jesus did not want this information getting out while they were staying in a Roman Caesar-worshipping city.

31 Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.

Do you think this description meshes with the description of the Messiah, which I previously mentioned? (pause) This is certainly a new twist on the old idea of a Messiah. Jesus’ makes no mention about overthrowing governments, or acquiring great wealth for their nation, or freeing the Jewish people from their captivity and oppression. Instead he talks about suffering, rejection, and death.

This would be like the coach from your favorite football team saying at his first press conference saying, “Here’s what you can expect from us this season: we’re gonna turn the ball over a lot, we won’t score many touchdowns, a lot of our players will get hurt, and we’ll win one or two games if we’re lucky.”

It is a completely baffling response. Apparently Jesus did not do well in his history or Jewish culture courses, cuz his understanding of the Messiah is way off base.

32 He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

Now Peter, on the other hand, was the star student in class. He knows exactly what the Messiah is, and he is shocked that Jesus is off base. Peter is enraged because he has hitched his wagon to Jesus’ star; Peter has given up his career and left behind his family, all because he believed Jesus was the Messiah – the one who would make them wealthy and powerful. You can understand how with all the talk about suffering and death, Peter probably did not hear that little part about Jesus raising from the dead after three days.

So, Peter rebuked Jesus. Now from our perspective, it’s probably a little comical to imagine poor little Peter taking it to the almighty Jesus. After all, we have the benefit of hindsight; we know Jesus was right, that the Messiah did have to suffer and die, and that everything would be ok in the end. But we would have probably done the exact same thing if we were in his shoes. And in fact, we all still fall into the same trip that Peter fell into. We are all guilty of occasionally trying to fit Jesus into a nice little box; often passionately arguing with Jesus that our way of doing things would be much different (and much better) than His.

33 But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things."

Ouch. That one probably stung a little. Peter is brought down to reality. Not only are wealth and power out of the picture, but Jesus calls him Satan for even hoping for such things. Peter craved a life of ease and comfort; and for that, Jesus calls him Satan – the evil one, the tempter, the prince of darkness.

34 He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.

Here Jesus sets the record straight once and for all. The path which Jesus will travel will involve suffering; anyone who wishes to follow him will also encounter suffering in their lives. This is what Jesus means by the phrase “take up their cross.”

In our culture we sometimes overlook the fact that the cross is a symbol of suffering. After all, we can buy crosses made of gold and silver. We can buy crosses with diamonds in them. Churches spend thousands of dollars on crosses to adorn church buildings. And with all the attention given to the beauty of the cross, we forget that it is a symbol of all that we have given up; a symbol of all the suffering that Jesus warns we will encounter in our lives.

Of course, that is not all that the cross symbolizes. The cross also symbolizes the promise that is inherent in our suffering. The promise that our suffering is not in vain; the promise that Jesus is present in our suffering and will carry us through safely to the other side, where victory and salvation reign.

At this point I would like to offer a brief illustration about suffering. For those of you who follow college football, you will understand what I mean when I say that as an Ohio State football fan, I have endured much suffering in the past few years. A fact which I was reminded of once again last night as my favorite team lost yet again to the Trojans of Southern California. The problem with that type of suffering is that there is no hope. Prior to the game, I had no reason to believe, I had no assurance, that my team would win. This is a horrible feeling. God has made no promises about what teams will win every year (which is why I get so angry when I see/hear players praying for God to let them win). The end of my suffering lies in the hands of a bunch of college athletes and coaches.

But God has promised to be with us through the suffering which falls upon us as a result of our faith; and that makes all the difference in the world. God promises to be with us when people try to emotionally or physically harm us because we are followers of Christ. God promises to be with us when our faith leads us to the often scary and overwhelming task of serving the hungry and poor. God promises us salvation as our faith guides us to reject worldly pursuits including wealth, ease, and luxury.

35 For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. 36 For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? 37 Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? 38 Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."

Strong words from a passionate Jesus – a Jesus who is simply trying to make sure we understand that authentic discipleship leads to suffering. But it is not suffering in vain. It is a suffering made bearable by the fact that Jesus promises to be with us the whole way, holding our hand, guiding us through the muck, and bringing us to salvation.

Amen.

Worthiness (Mark 7:24-37)

This is one of those “troublesome texts” – a section of scripture which we read and say, “Huh?!?“

After all, this is the text where Jesus utters a racial/sexist/xenophobic slur towards a woman.

The Gentile woman comes to Jesus, pleads for him to cast out her daughter’s demon; and he says “NO!” Well, he doesn’t just say “no,” he says “I will not heal your daughter because you and your daughter are not worthy. After all, you’re a woman, you’re not Jewish, and you’re the wrong ethnicity.” He calls her a dog!

Now, there’s a lot of debate amongst pastors and theologians about what is going on here. The best interpretation that I have come across is that Jesus is saying this tongue-in-cheek; he is using satire to show the absurdity of the Jewish idea of purity and worthiness.

As a Jewish rabbi, Jesus inherited the religious teaching that a person is only eligible to receive the fullness of God’s gifts if that person is born a Jew, is a man, and upholds the law perfectly. But it is clear from the entirety of Christian scripture that Jesus did not believe this.

Jesus’ ministry was never confined to law-abiding Jewish males (in fact, that’s the group with whom he had the most trouble). Jesus had great compassion on the Gentiles and routinely held Gentiles up as examples of true faith.

So, why did Jesus say what he said? Because he knew that this woman would stand up for both herself and her daughter, and provide a powerful example to everyone in the room that she was worthy of God’s grace. This woman was desperately seeking out help for her child! Jesus knew she would not just shy away when presented with the argument “Well, I would help, but you’re not one of us.” By playing along with the traditional Jewish teaching, Jesus was actually demonstrating the absurdity of it.

And now, the “so what?” question. What does it matter to us that Jesus had compassion on this woman and extended her grace and healing, even though his religion told him she was not worthy?

Well, my first reaction is “thank God!” Thank God that the amount of grace we receive is not contingent on our own worthiness. Thank God because not a single person inside or outside of this church has earned the grace God has shown us.

And yet, in spite of our unworthiness, Jesus wants us to stand up for ourselves; Jesus wants us to stand up and claim the grace that has been poured out for us. It is the devil who whispers in our ear, “You are not worthy.” And to this we reply along with the woman, “You’re damn right I’m not worthy, but God wants me to have His grace anyways. If you got a problem with that then take it up with Him!”

We are worthy of grace only because we are unworthy. And this is precisely what should guide our actions in the world. This is precisely what should guide our interaction with others. We have nothing over anyone else. A man is no better than a woman; a young person is not better than an old one; a white person is no better than a black one; a heterosexual is no better than a homosexual.

And yet we are so quick to claim God’s grace but turn and keep it to ourselves. How easy it is to experience God’s grace and instead of sharing it with those in need, we look at them and say, “Gee, I would share God’s grace with you, but clearly you are not worthy. You are nothing but a dog.”

Does God grant us grace just so that we can turn and lord it over people whom we deem are unworthy? Certainly not!

There’s no way to sugar coat the message dripping from today’s scripture. Racism, sexism, elitism, and any other form of hatred for other people are all a slap in Jesus’ face.

May you have the courage to stand up for those who are being oppressed. May you have the courage to quiet your own inner voice which says, “Ugh, I’m so much better than those people!” And may you have the courage to claim God’s grace for your own life, even though people may say you don’t meet all the qualifications. Because, after all, grace is a free gift given to all people, regardless of their culture, sex, education level, or ethnic background.

Amen.

Humility and Celebrity (Philippians 2)

Click here to download the audio recording of this sermon

My Hometown (episode 2)

On Saturday nights at Desert Cross we have a storytelling sermon. This weekend I told my second story about a fictionalized small town in NW Ohio. The story touches on themes from Galatians 3:23 - 4:7.

Click here to listen to the story.

My Hometown (episode 1)

On Saturday nights at Desert Cross we have a storytelling sermon. This weekend I told my first story about a fictionalized small town in NW Ohio. The story touches on themes from John 15 & 16.

Click here to download the audio recording of the story.

Evangelism in Acts and John

I am finally able to provide audio for one of my sermons. So, click here and you can listen to the sermon I preached today!

**warning** today's sermon was a "teaching sermon" which means I go verse by verse through both the first lesson and gospel. It's probably different than what you're used to!

The Good Shepherd (John 10:11-18)

In one of my first preaching courses I had a teaching assistant from Africa; his name was Moses. One of the unique things about Moses was that he was a shepherd. While living in Africa he dedicated himself to the protection of a flock of sheep. He often spoke about the pain, the smells, the frustrations, the joys and the dangers of shepherding. What I thought was pretty cool was that he had a scar on his forearm. The original wound came years ago; courtesy of an animal that had attacked the flock in the middle of the night. Any guesses what animal from the African Savannah it was?

It was a TIGER!!! How’s that for a conversation starter?
“Hey man, what’s the story with your arm?” “
Oh that? That’s from when I battled a tiger. You wanna hear the story?”

Now, it is possible that Moses was pulling our legs. Maybe the scar had a more mundane origin. But I believe him. After all, shepherding is dangerous work. It is a career that asks you to risk your personal safety for a bunch of animals; which, actually sounds kind of absurd. Many people have careers that put themselves in harms way, such as police officers, firefighters, and the military; but with these careers the danger comes as a consequence of protecting people, not animals.

In fact, I cannot think of too many positive aspects of being a shepherd. Being a shepherd is dangerous, lonely, dirty, smelly, exhausting, and generally not a highly esteemed profession.

Curious then, why Jesus would choose to speak of himself as a shepherd. Given that he was going up against the power and influence of the religious establishment, as well as the Roman Empire; one might assume that he would speak of himself as being on that level: a king, a Caesar, a high priest. But no, he’s a shepherd – a lonely, dirty, smelly, exhausted, and generally disliked shepherd. He is a shepherd who will willingly face danger at every turn in order to protect a smelly, dirty, and directionally challenged flock.

Jesus’ use of the shepherd image is very intentional. The Old Testament is full of shepherding references. Some of the more familiar ones include King David, who started out as a shepherd. And God is described as a shepherd in Psalm 23 (“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want…”). But here’s what’s interesting about Jesus’ use of the shepherd image: It is the only text in either testament which characterizes the shepherd as one who will sacrifice himself for the flock to the point of death.

Laying down your life for the flock is not included in the job description of any shepherd from any part of the world, from any point in history. Shepherds are never called to lay down their lives for the flock. The sheep are just not that important; certainly not worth the ultimate sacrifice of one’s life. Yes, a shepherd willingly faces many dangers; but it is not expected that they would voluntarily give their lives for the animals. No one becomes a shepherd and says, “I will die for these animals.”

And this is exactly why this text is so important for our lives today: Jesus goes above and beyond what is required of him because he knows us; he loves us, and thinks that we are worth dying for.

As the text says, “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me; just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep.”

Jesus knows us intimately, just as how God knows Jesus intimately.

Whoever you are, know that Jesus knows you, he knows who you are and who you will become; he knows your gifts and your faults; he knows you like he knows himself. And you know what? Jesus loves the heck out of you.

And how can we be so bold as to proclaim the depth of God’s love to people whom we don’t know? Or better yet, to people whom we know are obviously not worthy of God’s love? Because Jesus says his love cannot be contained to one flock. Jesus has chosen to love all people and Jesus has chosen to invite all people to experience his love.

This is the Good News. This is what we as Christians are called to proclaim. “Jesus knows you and because of that, Jesus loves the heck out of you.”

Amen.

Scars (John 20:19-31)

This text shows us that scars are beautiful. Scars are proof of victory and healing. And, aw we see in Jesus, scars are evidence of God’s love for us.

In today’s Gospel, John narrates the account of the resurrected Jesus first appearance to the disciples. The disciples surely think they are seeing a ghost. This is probably why Jesus’ first words are “Peace be with you.” However, the disciples were not put at ease until Jesus showed them his scars. The scars proved that this man who was standing before them was their Lord, risen from the dead. Earlier in John’s Gospel, Jesus had predicted his resurrection, and Mary Magdalene had informed the disciples of Jesus’ resurrection; yet the disciples had to see the scars in order to believe.

I know a thing or two about scars. One day, when I was three years old, I stood up on a picnic bench to reached out for a bottle of soda; only to lose my balance and fall between the bench and the table. On my way down to the ground my mouth nailed the corner of the table, causing my front bottom tooth to push into my lip.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, a few months later it happened again. This time it was a Sunday morning and I was walking down the aisle at church. I tripped over my feet and fell face first right into a church pew. Bam! My face nailed the pew and the same tooth went through the same spot in my lip once again. This spot on my lip filled with scar tissue. Ever since then I have carried this lumpy scar on my lip.

The scar didn’t bother me until I was in elementary school. That’s the point when other kids started to notice it, and make fun of me because of it. By high school the teasing had affected me so much that I convinced my parents to let me have surgery to remove some of the scar tissue. But even after surgery I still felt disfigured and self-conscious. If anyone had told me then that scars are beautiful things, I would have told them they were crazy.
Our society equates beauty with perfection. Makeup commercials use words like “flawless” when describing the benefit of using their products. Beauty is so idealized that magazine covers featuring already-beautiful celebrities are usually airbrushed in order to cover up any minor blemishes they may have. We are facing intense pressure to cover up our blemishes in order to fit into this fabricated idyllic society.

The blemishes or scars on our skin are not the only things that we feel compelled to cover up. Society pressures us to have a perfect job, a perfect car, a perfect house and a perfect family. Society guides us to see the world into two categories: perfection and failure. Even though we all live in the grey area in between, we don’t want anyone else to know that we are not perfect. We don’t want our neighbors talking about Johnny’s trouble in school, Ed’s unemployment, or Suzie’s failure as a parent as evidenced by her lack of involvement in the PTA. We put on a big smile and apply enough makeup to our life and family that we cover up scars. When we live like this we are not accepting ourselves; nor are we allowing healing to take place.

If the disciples were expecting Jesus to come back from the dead, they likely would have expected him to come back to life in a perfect body. After all, the scars were ugly reminders of Jesus’ suffering and death – events the disciples saw as evidence of the failure of Jesus’ ministry. The scars were a painful reminder of the hatred and opposition Jesus encountered as a result of his ministry. In that culture, being nailed to a cross along with thieves, rebels and murderers was the most shameful way to die. The world had rejected Jesus, and yet here he stood, proudly displaying his scars.

Thomas recognized Jesus as Lord and God upon being invited to touch Jesus’ wounds. We too are invited to touch the wounds of Christ by acknowledging the pain and suffering in our life. Jesus’ scars are beautiful because they are evidence of God’s forgiveness. We cannot embrace God’s forgiveness until we admit that we have something in our life that needs to be forgiven.

The Christian Church is the institution that bears the scars of the crucified Lord. Those of us in the church have the responsibility to engage life in a deeper and more honest level. The scars of pain, conflict and imperfection are not blemishes to be covered up; rather, they are evidence of the power of Jesus’ healing and presence in our lives. When we acknowledge our struggles, we open the door for others to care for us. You may be surprised to find that not only will people come to your aid, but they may also open up about their own struggles and invite you (with the help of Jesus) to help them heal.

My prayer is that the church will be a place where we can come and be accepted without makeup. Perhaps all churches should have a banner over the entrance that reads, “No perfect people allowed.”

Amen.

Easter Day (John 20:1-18)

This year I feel a special connection to this text. And the best way I can explain this connection is to recount the words that were spoken to me a few days ago. I had stumbled into work one morning, weary from a sleepless night full of feedings and diaper changes; giant circles under my eyes, hair greasy and plastered on one side, perhaps wearing the same clothes from the previous day; when a coworker walked into the office, saw me, and said, “Wow, you kind of look like you’ve been raised from the dead.”

I don’t think the individual who made the comment meant it as an insult (although, he certainly didn’t mean it as a compliment!); but rather it was an honest observation. My life had been transformed, and I bore the unmistakable physical and emotional proof right on my face.

Today’s Easter text talks about a transformative event: the resurrection of Jesus Christ – an event that changed the lives of the disciples forever. Today’s scripture shows us that such events may terrify us initially, but will end up leading on a rewarding and blessing-filled journey.

As with many transformative events, this one began in a spirit of panic and fear. No matter how much Jesus tried to warn Mary and the disciples about his impending death, the Easter events caught them completely off guard. Jesus had tried and tried to prepare them for his death and resurrection, but in the end they just had to experience the events themselves.

Nine months ago I began a process of preparation. I picked up every pregnancy and parenting book I could find. I attended labor and delivery class with my wife. Through research and conversation I came up with a set of expectations about what it would be like to witness the birth of my son; a set of expectations about what it would be like to be a father. And on March 31 I watched as all my preparation and expectations went up in smoke. I realized that I could not have been truly prepared for the transformative event; I simply had to experience it.

Now, when we go through a transformative event, especially one that begins with panic and fear; we might not make the best decisions. Like, hypothetically, when your wife wakes you up at 1 in the morning and says “I think this is it” – to which you reply, “Alright, well I’m going to go back to bed.” In hindsight that probably wasn’t the best decision. Or when you are trying to time the contractions but you are so excited and panicked that you can’t keep track of how many time the second hand goes past 12.

I should just mention here that we got to the hospital in time and everything went smoothly. It just started off a little rocky. And I’ve already said I’m sorry!

But there’s precedence for being discombobulated during transformative events. Take Mary. She is so distraught that she mistakes Jesus for a gardener. Here he is, the very man whom she is frantically looking for, and she doesn’t recognize him. We may think we would have reacted more reasonably had we been in her shoes; but we probably would have made the same mistake. Jesus’ missing body was such a disruptive event that no one could think straight.

And now we get to the best part of the story. Jesus says “Do not hold on to me.” Now, I don’t think Jesus is saying literally, “don’t touch me.” But rather he means it in a more abstract way. As in “Forget what you thought you knew about me.” You know what Mary is thinking here, right? She’s thinking, “Oh, he’s back. Now things can go back to normal. We can go back to the way things were.” But, of course, after an event like that you can never go back to the way things were.

Jesus says “Do not hold on to me; for I have not yet ascended to the father.” Mary would prefer to have Jesus join her where she is at; but instead, Jesus insists on taking her to a new place. Jesus has changed; he’s been to hell and back; he’s defeated death; he has opened the door of salvation to all people. And now he is going to the father and he is taking us with him.

It’s hard for me to imagine my 12-day old son looking at me and saying “Don’t hold on to me.” And yet that is precisely what I have to do. I may want to freeze time and keep him as this little baby, but I can’t. I can cherish each day, but I can’t cling onto what he is now; I can’t cling onto our lives with white knuckles, dreading what the future may have in store. He is already leading us on a new journey. We can’t go back to the way things were and we can’t freeze time. We can only rely on the fact that Jesus leads us to places of hope when our lives have been transformed.

My purpose in sharing the story of my son’s birth was not to equate it to Jesus’ resurrection. But rather it was to show how Jesus’ resurrection echoes in events of our lives. Jesus shows us that no matter how terrifying an event may be, there is always hope on the other side.

Amen.

Darkness & Light (John 3:14-21)

Click here to download the audio recording of this sermon


In these verses, John dedicates significant space to contrasting the concepts of darkness and light.

The temptation is to read these verses as if it is a field guide to observing people. Have you ever used a field guide to observe birds or insects? You observe one trait (like the animal’s color) and then use the book to help you figure out what species the animal is.

Someone lies to me and I pull out these verses. “I see, it seems like that is a characteristic of someone who lives in darkness. Well, I’m glad I have that person correctly identified. Someone else runs a food pantry. That must be someone who lives in the light. Wow, this is easy!”

Of course, the person who lied to me is the same person who comforted me when I was going through a tough time. And that other person who runs the food pantry, well, she’s not even Christian! So, therefore she must be condemned. All of the sudden my field guide to observing humans isn’t so useful.

Light shows up in the strangest situations and in the strangest people. And darkness can show up in the people we trust the most.

The equation of: belief = light; and: unbelief = darkness; doesn’t really work in real life.

When we talk about things like darkness and light, belief and unbelief, we are talking about issues that are complicated and messy. Our challenge is to be weary of people who claim to know what is light and what is darkness. Only God is light. We cannot look for light in people or ideas, sports teams, politics, or careers; we can only find it in God.

It’s tempting to divide the world into darkness and light. It’s safer; it’s easier to make sense of the world. The only problem is that most of life is messy and complicated. Sure there are periods of darkness; but there are also those times when God shines his light on us in the most remarkable ways. Most of life takes place in the gray areas – that period which mixes the darkness and light.

Last week the TV news show “Primetime” aired a program called “What Would You Do?” They have done a series of these programs where they have actors act out controversial situations and they videotape how people respond. In this episode they filmed a man acting as a homeless man. He walks down a busy sidewalk and then collapses on the ground. The cameras record dozens of people, one after another, as they walk right on by; not even bothering to call an ambulance for this man who has just collapsed. A couple women walk by and make the sign of the cross; but they don’t offer any assistance.

As the actor is lying there, seemingly unconscious, a homeless woman notices the man. She does not have a phone, so she pleads with the people passing by, asking them to call 911. No one does. She continues to plead, and then she does something incredible – she gives the man, who she has never met before, a name. She even speaks directly to the homeless man, saying, “Come on Tommy, get up man; you alright?” She continues to plead with others, asking them to call an ambulance for Tommy. At this point we are told that the actor playing the part of the homeless man was so moved by the woman’s compassion that he was having trouble fighting back tears. Eventually the woman succeeded in getting a bystander to call for an ambulance.

It was an amazing sequence of events and it showed me the profound ways in which God acts in our world. People whom we would expect to act in truth and light will instead sneak into the dark shadows. And people whom we assume live in darkness can act in ways that would make God smile.

Our world is not black and white. It’s gray, and messy, and complicated – just like we are. So next time you see someone holding a sign that says “John 3:16,” try to remember the wider context of the message. God is here with us, living in this messy, complicated world; God is here, actively drawing us into the salvation God offers; and God is acting through people we would never expect.

Amen.

The Super Bowl & Tradition (Mark 1:21-28)

Many people have developed traditions for Super Bowl Sunday. Maybe a group of friends got together a couple years back, and have continued to have parties every year since. And over that time certain rituals have begun. One common ritual I’ve observed is the banning of all talking during the commercials. Conversation during the game is fine, but if you talk and cause someone to miss that funny commercial, well, that’s borderline unforgivable.

Of course, from what I’m hearing, tradition is being thrown to the wind this year. At least for those of us who live in Arizona. Arizonans have built their Super Bowl traditions around the fact that the Cardinals never play in the Super Bowl. But now, all the sudden, the Cardinals are playing in the Super Bowl! I’ve heard of several people who have decided to cancel their traditional Super Bowl party so that they can actually watch the game this year. Some people do this in order to limit distractions and duties, so they can actually enjoy the game; others do it so that if, heaven forbid, things go south for the Cardinals, they don’t have to let other people see them break down in tears or thrown pillows against the wall.

This year, the Super Bowl is a personal experience for many many people in Arizona. The Cardinals playing in the Super Bowl is a new reality, which takes priority over our traditions.

The Gospel lesson for today illustrates how sometimes tradition needs to take a back seat to new relationships, new ideas, and unexpected sources of power.

In this scripture Jesus is teaching in the synagogue – a place where scribes would instruct the Jewish people in the laws and traditions of the faith. When Jesus began to teach there, the people in the synagogue expected a traditional message from one of the scribes; you know, nothing out of the ordinary. Not unlike how we come to church on Sundays quite confident that we will hear a message that is expected; something traditional; nothing out of the ordinary. I don’t think we come to church expecting to be blown away by some radical new idea.

But, when Jesus starts to talk, people are “astounded.” The dictionary definition: “filled with bewilderment or wonder.” He speaks and they have to listen; they have no other choice but to listen. They were hearing something that defied their expectation; it was a complete break with the tradition.

But here is what frustrates me about Mark’s Gospel – he doesn’t tell us what Jesus taught in the synagogue! I read this and feel like I’m in one of those cell phone commercials:
“(‘BOOP’) Aaron’s phone. Aaron doesn’t have the right cell phone company, so he’s got zero bars here in 2009. So he won’t be getting that message about what, exactly, Jesus told those people that completely blew their minds and changed the course of their lives forever.”

I want to be really mad at Mark for not thinking it was important to write down what, exactly, Jesus said that was so bewildering. But, I get it. I get what Mark’s doing – he is showing us that it is less about what Jesus’ words were; and more about what Jesus’ words did. We learn what Jesus taught elsewhere in the Gospel, but the emphasis here is that Jesus’ words have power. Jesus’ words not only made believers, but also drove out evil spirits.

While Jesus is teaching, a man with an unclean spirit comes forward and demands to know why Jesus is saying these things. He hisses, “Have you come here to destroy us?” Now, debate rages about whether this unclean spirit is an actual demon, or a man suffering from a mental disorder. But, I wonder, maybe it is just someone whose identity is so closely tied to the traditions of the synagogue, that he sees any deviation from the norm as a threat to his well-being.

We establish traditions in order to preserve our power. Surely we can look at our own culture and recognize how we react out of fear towards anything that appears to threaten our traditions. Some are afraid of people with one too many piercings or tattoos; or people who dress differently. Some are afraid of immigrants, no matter whether they are legal or not. Some are afraid of people who demand a living wage. Some are afraid of homosexuals. Some are afraid of women in leadership. Some are afraid of an African-American President.

We confront with anger that which we do not know. We get defensive when our traditions are threatened.

To these fears, Jesus says: “Unclean spirit, get out! Get over yourself. Things have changed. Your tradition isn’t going to cut it any longer. I have not come to destroy you, but rather to lead you to something greater than yourself – something greater beyond the walls you’ve built to protect yourself.”

Our challenge is to not be complacent or satisfied with tradition. Followers of Jesus have no choice but to let his word act with force in their lives. Jesus’ words call us to give up what makes us comfortable. Jesus’ words call us to open our eyes to the suffering of the world. And Jesus’ words call us to let Him guide our actions and institutions, strategic plans and mission statements. It’s time we started expecting more from the worldwide Christian church. This is not a place to come and have your walls of traditions reinforced. The church is no place for walls built to keep people out and preserve our power.

The church exists in order to proclaim the word of grace, which comes through Jesus Christ. The word of grace is that Jesus has died for you; your sins are forgiven; and Jesus is here, right now, showing you the way to something greater – God’s kingdom. This word of grace has power. It has the power to work miracles. And it has the power to cast out unclean spirits in your life. This word will guide you to help others and it will put you on the front lines of the battle between good and evil; justice and inequality.

May you be someone who is filled with bewilderment and wonder when you hear Jesus’ words. May you live as someone who understands that God’s authority may demand that walls of tradition come tumbling down.

Amen

Invitation (John 1:43-51)

This text shows us that all we can do is invite people to encounter Christ. Jesus is the one who closes the deal.

Philip is so excited to be a follower of Jesus that he tries to recruit another guy named Nathanael. But Nathanael is skeptical and responds, “What good could come from Nazareth?” Nathanael is what we would call xenophobic. He considers anything, and anyone, from a different culture, especially Nazareth, to be beneath him - dirty, unworthy of his attention. BUT, he is curious enough to at least take a look at Jesus.

And that curiosity is enough. He encounters Jesus and Bam! Jesus closes the deal. This physical encounter gives Nathanael a taste of something he could not imagine living without.

Too often we think evangelism is about getting people to take the step from unbelief to full trust in God. I can’t think of many things more intimidating than that. But scripture keeps reminding us not to worry about it. Our role is to invite.

I’ll be the first to admit that it is often hard to invite people to church, let alone invite them to experience a relationship with God. Especially given the mantra we continually hear from others; a mantra reminiscent of Nathanael’s question: “Can anything good come out of the Christian church?”

In all honesty, though, I can’t blame people for reacting that way. If you were not part of a church, if you didn’t have nourishing relationships with people in the Christian community, if you have not experienced God’s love firsthand; you might be inclined to ask, “Can anything good come out of the Christian church?”

If all you know about the church comes from televangelists, clergy abuse scandals, cars with fish stickers that cut you off in traffic, hateful speech from Christians towards people of other races and religions; you might be inclined to ask, “Can anything good come out of the Christian church?”

If you were asked to leave a church because of a divorce, if communion was denied to you because you are told you are not worthy nor part of the right group; you probably want nothing to do with someone who is a Christian.

I don’t blame people who are skeptical of Christianity; and there are many things we should apologize for. But here’s the truth that rarely makes it onto the front page of the newspaper: Christ loves us in spite of our failures.

We stand firm in our faith because we trust that God will work through us to make the world a better place. This is hard to communicate to people who are confident that nothing good can come out of the Christian church; but nevertheless, we still invite them to experience a relationship with Christ.

Here at Desert Cross, we invite them to help us resettle third-world refugees seeking a better life. We invite them to join us in giving food, clothing, and school supplies to those who do not have enough. We invite them to bring their children to laugh, play and sing with our children in a safe and nourishing environment. We invite them to serve the poor, the orphans, and the widows in the Valley and abroad in places like Mexico and Romania. We invite them to the Lord’s table to join us in celebrating the gift of life given to all people in spite of all our personal failures or shortcomings.

I hope you realize that we have something worth inviting people into; especially here at Desert Cross. This place is worth an invitation. Some may scoff at our invitation, but may be curious enough to take a peek at what Jesus has to offer. As we learn in this text, all we can do is invite; Jesus is the one who will close the deal.

That being said, I’m gonna close with one more illustration. I can’t pass this up given the big Cardinals football game coming up this afternoon.

There are two boys who are big football fans. Despite growing up in Arizona, they have never really rooted for the Cardinals. One day last year the youngest boy went to a Cardinals home game with his dad and was able to meet some of the players after the game. One of the players he met was Larry Fitzgerald, the 6’ 3” wide receiver with the long dreadlocks and electric smile. Fitzgerald thanked the boy for coming out to the game, told him to keep coming to the games, and gave him a present – his glove, which he signed. With that he walked away, leaving the boy in a state of shock, with a smile stretching from ear to ear.

When they returned home, the boy talked a mile-a-minute to anyone who would listen. He went on and on about the cool stadium, the excitement of the game, the cheering fans, and the gift that his friend, Larry Fitzgerald, gave him after the game. It didn’t take long for his older brother to get fed up with the excited ramblings. The older brother snapped, “Why do you like the Cardinals? They’re terrible. They’ve always been terrible. They’ll never win the Super Bowl!”

Despite not making the playoffs last year, the young Cardinals fan remained dedicated to his team. When summer rolled around, the father took both boys up to Flagstaff to experience the Cardinals training camp. The oldest boy was a little reluctant to take the long trip just to meet a bunch of “losers.”

After one of their afternoon practices, the players stayed out on the field to meet the fans and sign autographs. The youngest boy immediately found Larry Fitzgerald and drug his brother over to where he was standing. The youngest boy said “hi,” reminded him of their encounter after the game last year, and reached out his fist to knock knuckles with the wide receiver. The older brother stood there and couldn’t stop staring at the football player. He reached out his hand, which held a Larry Fitzgerald football card, but couldn’t form the words asking for an autograph. Fitzgerald took the card, signed it, gave it back to the boy and said, “You think we’re gonna go all the way this year?” The oldest brother nodded in agreement, Fitzgerald smiled, said “yeah, we’re going all the way,” and then walked away.

On the way home the oldest brother asked his dad if they could stop by the mall so that he could buy a Cardinals jersey.

Both boys rooted for the Cardinals with all their heart this season, in good times and bad. And today they will eagerly watch their buddy, Larry Fitzgerald, play his heart out. Win or lose, the boys will probably always be Cardinals fans because of this personal encounter with a player.

This may seem like a dubious or petty example of Jesus’ promise, but when I hear this story of Jesus and Nathanael, I like to picture the excited faces of these two boys; two boys who experienced a personal encounter which changed them. All we can do is invite people to go to the game. The experience and the relationships will close the deal.

Amen; and Go Cardinals!

**update - the Cardinals defeated the Eagles this afternoon to advance to the Super Bowl on Feb 1! Larry Fitzgerald had 3 touchdown catches!**

Baptism (Mark 1:9-11)

The week after Christmas, Lindsey and I went back to Ohio to spend time with our families. One of the first activities we did was to attend the baptism of our nephew, Matt. In all honesty, I was nervous about it.

You see, Matt’s parents have decided to raise him in the Catholic Church. I wondered whether the non-Catholic attendees would be allowed to stand at the font with Matt, or if we would be banished to the furthermost pew. I wondered if I would have any strong theological disagreement with whatever the priest would say during the baptism. But most of all, and again I’m just being honest, I was a sad that the decision to raise Matt Catholic meant both that Lindz and I were out of the running to be Matt’s godparents and that I would not be able to baptize him myself.

When I was baptized 28 years ago I was baptized by my uncle, who is a Lutheran pastor. I like that I can say that that I was baptized by someone in my family. I’m proud that my uncle was the first one who officially welcomed me into the church. I’m thankful that often when I see my uncle I am reminded of my baptism, with all the gifts and responsibilities it entails.

I really wanted to serve the same role for my nephew. I wanted to be the first one to welcome him into the church. I wanted to establish a faith relationship with the little guy. Years down the road I want Matt to see me, be reminded of his baptism, and to know that God loves him and has claimed him as his own child.

Unfortunately, when planning the baptism, no one thought of asking me what my needs were!

In the end, the baptism was a wonderful event. We were not banished to the dark corner of the church, but instead were welcomed to stand at the font for the baptism and even invited to stand near the altar for the blessing. There was laughter, smiles, approximately a thousand combined pictures taken, and a liturgy which I could not find much fault in. What really matters is that there was a lot of love in that church; a lot of love surrounding Matt and his parents. The whole family was welcomed and supported. It was a triumphant entry into God’s kingdom.

And that’s what baptism is all about – it’s all about love.

We learn about this love in today’s scripture. When Jesus is baptized in the Jordan River, he is embraced by the Holy Spirit and he receives a revelation which tears apart the heavens: he is told that he is loved. The first thing that happens after Jesus has been baptized is God claims him as a son and says out loud, “I love you.”

It is not an accident that Mark begins his Gospel account with Jesus’ baptism. He skips over the infancy narrative and goes straight to Jesus’ baptism because it sets the tone for the rest of his Gospel. If Mark’s Gospel was a term paper, this paragraph would be his thesis statement.

In baptism, Jesus learns who he is and whose he is; and this will guide his ministry from that moment on. Every miracle he performs, every healing that takes place, every word from his lips, even his death on a cross, is a testament to the fact that God loves him, has claimed him as his Son, and has given him the power of the Holy Spirit. God’s love enables him to live a selfless life of service to those in need.

If we really want to appreciate Jesus’ humanness, we should understand that his baptism was necessary. Without it, he may not have received the Holy Spirit. He may not have known his true identity – the Son of God. He may not have even known that God loved him. He may have gone through his life focused only on his own well-being; hesitant to help others; and always in search of something to fill the void left by the absence of God’s love.

Like you and me, Jesus needed to know that someone loved him. Like you and me, he needed the gifts that are bestowed at baptism so that he could live a life of service to others.

Baptism is a relationship based on God’s love for us. In baptism, God’s permanent and unconditional love is explicitly made known to the one being baptized. When parents bring their children to be baptized, they are saying, “we love you.” We love you so much that we want you to grow up surrounded by as much love as possible. We especially want you to know that God loves you and will always love you.

With regards to my nephew’s baptism, I lost sight of my role in his life. My desire to baptize him myself may have been well intentioned, but it was selfish nonetheless. I lost sight of the fact the most important relationship in baptism is between God and the one being baptized. Years down the road Matt may not look at me and recall his baptism, but I will try my hardest to make sure he looks at me and is reminded that God loves him.