Everyone is invited to Praise and Worship In The Park at Norfolk Botanical Gardens on Oct. 4th. It starts with breakfast at 10 a.m. We'll have a worship service, share lunch and enjoy God's creation in the gardens together.
Members are asked to bring two side dishes, dessert and drinks. Breakfast, coffee, hamburgers and hot dogs will be supplied. Boat rides are available for $5 per ticket. Donations to help offset the cost are appreciated.
We hope to see you there!
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.
Yard Sale
God's Chisel
I had a lot of people ask about the video I showed on Sunday. There are at least two places you can find it. One is at skitguys.com. You’ll find tons of great videos there, browse to your heart’s content. But be warned, they won’t be new to you if I show them on Sunday. No worries, though. I watch these videos over and over and don’t get tired of them.
The other place you can find them is tangle.com, formerly godtube.com. The same caveats apply.
For the record, whenever I show one on Sunday morning I purchase it, if at all possible. You know, because of that whole “Do Not Steal” thing.
Enjoy the videos. And let me ask you something: "Who do you say Jesus is?" And what does it mean for what your doing right now?
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.
Mad Men (and women)
My new favorite show is Mad Men. It also gets my award for favorite opening sequence, but more on that in a minute. Set in the world of an early sixties Madison Avenue ad agency, the show follows the lives of Sterling & Cooper’s various employees.
The central characters are Don Draper, a junior partner in the agency, and his wife Betsy. Don has a lot of secrets. Raised somewhere in the Depression era Midwest by an abusive father and a mean stepmother, his real name is Dick. He has stolen the identity of his Lieutenant, Don Draper, after the latter was killed in Korea. Now “Don” is living multiple lives. He has a wife and two kids, but he is a notorious philanderer. Meanwhile, Betsy is suffering from depression or anxiety (I can’t tell for sure) and can only talk about it to her therapist.
Then there is Peggy Olson, the young woman who started as a secretary, but who has worked her way into the world of copywriting. Peggy has had a child out of wedlock that no one (except perhaps Don) knows about. The boy is being raised as her nephew.
Given just this description, the show sounds like a soap opera, and it sort of is, but it’s a very intelligent one. The characters couldn’t be more real. Each one is complex and flawed—capable of both kindness and cruelty. And the dialogue is wonderful.
The show makes good use of the era in which it is set. Taking place in the sixties, it has its feet in two different worlds. It holds on to the stiff propriety of the early 20th century. The characters work hard to keep up appearances. It is still a world where white men are in charge, at least on the face of it. Everyone smokes everywhere: at work, at the breakfast table, in the office, on planes, etc. And everyone drinks excessively. But we can see that the façade is wearing thin, and the modern era is approaching.
The prosperity and propriety of the fifties are about to give way to the chaos and upheaval of the sixties. This world that everyone has constructed for themselves is not going to hold together. The serenity of everyone’s outward demeanor cannot be maintained. Their inner lives are too tumultuous.
Nothing represents this dynamic as well as the credits. (You can watch them by clicking here.) A man appears to have “arrived,” and then the ground gives way beneath him. He falls past all these images--illusions of happiness and perfection created by the advertising industry. Then, just when his doom seems inevitable, he lands in an oversized chair, confidently smoking a cigarette and giving no indication of the turmoil that he is experiencing. It’s all about appearances—both in advertising and in real life.
So what does all this have to do with church stuff? I’ll let you think about it a little bit. And then I’ll come back and give you my two cents a little later. Here’s a hint though. There’s a brilliant little exchange between two of the characters that takes place. A young account executive named Peter is talking to Peggy. He’s bemoaning how dysfunctional his family is. When Peggy admits that she doesn’t understand what he’s talking about and suggests that he should just go home, Peter makes this very self-centered (and false) observation. Peggy’s response could not be more insightful:
Peter: Everything’s so easy for you. Peggy: It’s not easy for anyone, Pete.And that right there is a message that will preach. But it will have to preach later, because I’m done for the afternoon.
Give to Idlewild Through United Way/CFC
Many of us are STRONGLY urged by our employers to participate in United Way and Combined Federal Campaigns. The time of year when those requests are made is fast approaching. As you may know, you have the power to designate a particular charity to receive the contribution you make through United Way or the CFC if that charity has properly demonstrated its qualifications (tax-exempt status and proximity to the area). Idlewild Christian Endeavors, Inc. (the non-profit corporation that owns the camp) meets those requirements and has registered so that it can receive contributions earmarked by those participating in the United Way of South Hampton Roads and in the South Hampton Roads CFC.
If you give through the United Way, just write in the name "Idlewild Christian Endeavors, Inc." on your pledge card.
If you give through the CFC, there is a number you should write in, which is "33487".
Of course you may make contributions directly to Idlewild at any time, but some of you may want to kill two birds with one stone by helping Idlewild when you comply with requests from your employers to participate in United Way/CFC.
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.
A Survey and a Warning
Informal Survey: I grew up hearing the aphorism, “You can’t get blood from a turnip.” Anyone else familiar with this? I did a Google search on it and was reminded that it can also be said, “You can’t get blood from a stone.” I couldn’t find much on the origins of this strange (and somewhat morbid) turn of phrase. I mean, I should certainly hope you can’t get blood from a turnip. Though it would make for an adventurous salad.
Anyhow, sometimes the act of writing a sermon is like trying to get blood from a turnip. It’s arduous and anxiety inducing. These are the times where the words of scripture just lie there, comatose—times when, even if I have some idea of what I want to say, I have no earthly idea how I’m going to get there. These are the times when Sunday morning looms menacingly on the horizon, like a tidal wave.
Then there are the weeks where the turnip does bleed. The weeks where I’m the George Peppard of preaching. I sit back and think to myself, “I love it when a sermon comes together.” On those weeks the sermons just write themselves.
For the record, the vast majority are somewhere in the middle—equal parts grace and exertion. Also for the record, I’m learning not to get too excited either way. The euphoria and the despair are both pretty good indicators that my ego is behind the wheel again.
All this to say that this Sunday’s sermon on Mark 6:30-44 has been coming along pretty effortlessly, and I’m looking forward to sharing what I’m learning with you. I hope you’ll take a moment and dwell on the passage on your own between now and then.
Also, I wanted to give a warning. I’m always getting in trouble with certain people in our church (who shall go unnamed) for showing tear-jerker videos without any advanced notice. Consider yourself warned. Actually, the one I’ve got for Sunday isn’t the worst I’ve shown. It’s probably a 6 or 7 on the “Steel Magnolias” scale. But it might have some of you reaching for the tissues.
So now you know. But if I find out that any of you are ducking my sermons for this reason, I’ll go back to ambushing you all ninja style with the weepy videos.
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.
Storytime
[Ed. note] Someone suggested that I put the narrative part of Sunday’s message on the blog, so here it is. Most of you know that I occasionally like to take a story from scripture and fill in the gaps. It helps me slow down and pay attention. It forces me to be aware of what’s happening. Plus it allows me to see it from the point of view of one of the people within the story.
Whenever I read these on Sunday mornings, I give a disclaimer: I am aware that this is not the Gospel Truth. If there’s something about the story that rings false, it may very well be false. The only parts I know to be true are the quotes from scripture themselves. All the rest is fair game.
If you want to read the biblical account of this story, it’s in Mark 4:35-41. Here’s my version. I’d love some feedback on it…
Questions
I’ve been told that you people go to the sea for your own pleasure. That you take your leisure at the water’s edge. That you peel the clothes off your children and coat them in oil and send them running into the waves. I hear that you purchase boats for no other reason than to ride to and fro on the water. You do not fish with them. (And if you do, you throw the fish back?!) You do not carry goods to foreign lands. You simply spend a day riding about on the waves. And I hear that you sometimes tether people to your boats using a long rope and drag them along behind you on smaller boats? My friends and I did not see it this way. The Sea of Galilee was our livelihood. It literally put food on our table, it was the life we lived before we met Jesus. It was the life we left in order to follow him. It was the life to which we returned when we thought that we had lost him. But the only pleasure we ever received from the waters was a full net. And we were just as likely to receive something else altogether for our troubles. If a day of hard labor pulling in fish was our reward, there were days when the sea gave us nothing but the sun. Sun that punished us from above and glared at us from below as it reflected back from the glassy water. But everyone knew that this was not the worst that the sea could give. As children we were taught that the sea opposed the Lord. We were taught that, at the creation of the world, he had to beat it back in order to give his children a firm place to stand. We were menacingly reminded that in Noah’s day, he used the sea to punish our wickedness. And every time we heard the story of our escape from Egypt we experienced the terrifying prospect of being caught between the sea and the armies of Pharaoh. Both opposed us. We escaped them both only with God’s help. We were taught that the sea is the home of the monster that swallowed Jonah. It is a place of death and of evil. Demons reside there, too. A man is pulled down into the depths never to return. Only the Almighty has power over the sea. The rest of us are at its mercy, able only to take whatever it gives whether good or evil. So at the end of that long day, when Jesus announced that we were to make for the other side of the Sea of Galilee, I couldn’t help but exchange nervous glances with James and John. We had thought that the boat was merely a device to keep the crowds at bay so Jesus could teach. We had no idea that travel was on his mind. And travel to Gentile lands at that. Lands on the “other side” of the lake, full of unclean people and unclean animals. I had noticed how, at different times during the day, the sons of Zebedee had pulled their attention away from the work in order to scan the horizon. I know they saw the line of clouds in the distance. I know they heard thunder on the other side of the mountains that overlooked the Galilee. But our impromptu trip was clearly not up for debate, because, as soon as Jesus announced our destination he grabbed a cushion from the nearest rower’s seat, stumbled to the rear of the boat, and collapsed in an exhausted heap. He would not stir until hours later when Peter finally decided to take matters into his own hands. Our progress at first was so good that we began to think we might have been unduly alarmed. Even James and John began to relax as we rowed our way through the warm, still night. But even people like us, who have spent their lives on the sea, can forget how quickly the storms come rolling over the mountains. And in moments the reflection of the stars disappeared from the water, chopped to bits by the waves and obscured by the sudden arrival of the storm clouds. The rain did not present itself with care. It rushed upon us suddenly. Our only warning was a wave that sent the boat listing dangerously to one side, and then the downpour was upon us. We pulled in the sail to keep it from being shredded and to keep the mast from being splintered and, taking to the oars, we began to fight against the water. I was at the stern of the boat, just in front of Jesus, an unmoving, soaked pile of clothes and skin and bones. We turned her around to face into the oncoming waves, but that gave little comfort. Between the wind and the rain I could only see the front of the boat when lightning struck. The men at the bow would rise precipitously until they were directly above me, and then they would come crashing down below as the boat crested each wave. Every time the front of the boat was catapulted upwards I thought to myself, this will be the time that it doesn’t stop. It will continue to go up and up pass the point of no return and we will be tossed into the sea. I wondered if Jesus would wake up even then, or would the last sight I ever saw be of him, curled into a ball and sinking into the blackness. I’ve noticed that, in everyone’s stories about Jesus and us, his disciples, Peter doesn’t always come out looking so good. It’s not his fault really. He’s usually just the one who says what we’re all thinking. The decisiveness that will someday make him a leader also makes him look occasionally foolish. But in this case, when he finally got up and lurched his way past me and stood over Jesus, he was only doing what we all lacked the courage to do. Another thing I’ve noticed is that Matthew and Luke try to clean it up a little bit when they tell this story. The way they tell it, you would think that Peter knelt piously before Jesus with his head down and his hands in the air and said, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!" But Mark is closer to the truth when he tells the story. Peter didn’t kneel submissively. He began to shake Jesus, as violently as he could. And I could hear him roaring above the sound of the waves, "Teacher, what is wrong with you! Don't you care if we drown?" Even in this dire situation, Peter realized he had gone too far. He pulled his hands off of Jesus and dropped onto the seat beside me. Nobody was rowing anymore. Every eye was on Jesus. We waited to see what he would do. I don’t know what anybody expected him to do about it, but I can say that no one ever dreamed that he would do what he did. He swung his legs down, rubbed his eyes, stood up and yelled above the tumult, “Quiet! Be still!” Jesus rebuked the wind like he rebuked a demon. He issued orders to the sea. “Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.” As quickly as it had come, the storm disappeared. In the moonlight reflected off of the smooth surface of the water, I could see my utter amazement staring back at me on the faces of the others. And then we were aware of Jesus’ eyes on us. No one knew what he would do now, but everyone waited. I will never forget it. After a long silence, Jesus shook his head, smiled a weary smile, and said "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" And with that, he reached down for his lost cushion, stepped back to the stern of the boat, where he collapsed. Pulling his cloak over his shoulder, he turned away from us and fell asleep in seconds, leaving us there gazing on in amazement. For a while no one spoke. There was only the sound of our ragged breathing, the dripping of our clothes and the gentle creak of the boat as it lilted about on the sea. And once again, we were all afraid. Not because of the waves, but because of what we had just seen. And suddenly, I was a boy again sitting in the synagogue, watching one of the elders rise from his seat and pull the scroll from its place. Watching him stand before the congregation, watching him unroll it and begin to read: 1 Praise the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty. 2 He wraps himself in light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent 3 and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters. He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind. 4 He makes winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants. 5 He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved. 6 You covered it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. 7 But at your rebuke the waters fled, at the sound of your thunder they took to flight… Once again it was Peter who broke the silence. Once again, it was Peter who said what we were all thinking. Nudging past me and walking back to his place on the boat he sat down, looked at us all and said, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!" And with that, he set about rowing us to the other side, just like Jesus had said.God vs. Science?
I was raised in an "either/or" world. And while that may sometimes be helpful, it often is not. I’ve found that I’m often better served taking a "both/and" approach. That is certainly the case when it comes to science and faith.
Seems like most of the current dialogue shouting match sees the whole thing as Science vs. Faith. That’s because of the attitudes of people on both sides of the issue. There’s a take no prisoners kind of spirit that sees the whole thing as a battlefield.
But what if, instead of pitting one against the other, we could let each have its own domain—domains that occasionally overlap? This week Mike Cope linked to an Op-Ed piece in USA Today that was written by two men who are Scientists and Christians. It’s a wonderful and inspiring read. I can’t help but quote from the opening paragraph:
We’re scientists and Christians. Our message to the faithful: Fear not.A good reminder, since fear seems to be what drives most discussions fracases today over all sorts of topics: religion, politics, etc. You can find the Op-Ed by clicking here. Have a good weekend. How about resting some with your families?
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.
Blood Drive Today
Heresy in the Home
And from my 3 year old son, nonetheless.
The other day I was straightening up the bathroom when he came in and said, "Dad, did you know that there are TWO Gods?!"
"Really?" I said. (As I began a surreptitious search for something with which to stone my wicked, heretical son in accordance with Leviticus. Can you stone someone with a bottle of Johnson & Johnson's Lavender Baby wash? That would be ironic considering its claim to be "No tears.")
"Yeah," he said, "There's a Big one in the sky..." (He said this with his hands spread wide apart and standing on tip toes. Then he made himself really small and brought his thumb and index finger close together)"...And there's a little one in my heart."
Touché. It appears someone has been paying attention at church and then filling in the gaps for himself. That makes him a theologian.
Free Backpacks
H/t to Ray Stiff for forwarding this. You or someone you know may be eligible for free school supplies and backpacks. Follow the link below to register:
Military families of E-1 through E-6 ONLY are encouraged to sign up for free backpacks and back-to-school supplies which will be distributed before school begins, this year. Registration is limited to the amount of backpacks and supplies donated and the registration is open from now until all slots are filled. Families with the greatest need have priority. Military ID cards showing rank of E-1 through E-6 must be presented by families at their pick up. This program has been made possible through kind donations from all branches of the military, as well as corporate and private donors throughout the Hampton Roads area. Please go to: www.operationhomefront.net/hamptonroads to sign up for backpacks.
A Very Biblical Wedding
I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice. I have eaten my honeycomb and my honey; I have drunk my wine and my milk. [ Friends ] Eat, O friends, and drink; drink your fill, O lovers. (Song of Songs 5:1)
Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. (Revelation 19:7)
You’ve got to see this. A friend from Grad School posted this to her Facebook account. As with the Sound of Music video, I defy you not to smile. I defy you to resist the urge to move. It’s like a Bollywood movie. What a great way to start a wedding. Check out my thoughts after the jump.
Let me say a couple of things. First, if you want a picture of a Biblical wedding, there you go. The wedding feast was a party. The betrothal (engagement) was long. So when the long-awaited day finally arrived, the groom and his friends would go as a group to the house of the bride and fetch her and her friends. Then they would go as one raucous procession to the place of the feast. Then the marriage would be consummated and a feast lasting several days would follow. There would be music and dancing and wine. Weddings were not solemn occasions. They were blowouts.
That’s why Jesus uses the image of a wedding when he’s asked why his disciples do not fast. He basically says, “Why should they fast? The groom (Jesus) is here; it’s time to party (Mark 2:18-20)!”
Second, I wonder if we would do well to make more room for rejoicing in our church services. In one sense, we are still waiting for the groom to return. In another sense, the promise has been made. It’s just a matter of time. I’m a pretty serious guy, so I don’t always go to the rejoicing stuff very naturally. But how would our times together benefit if we could?
Just a thought for you this Friday. Keep reading the Good News according to Mark. Can’t wait to see you all on Sunday morning.
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.