Brian began today with a story about a church that wanted to build a new sanctuary in a neighborhood. They went to the zoning board to get permission and were told they were not allowed to build a church that looked like a church and certainly not one that had a cross in view. The neighborhood didn't want to look out its windows on such a thing. The church went back, decided to comply, and told the zoning board they were going to build a house like all the other split levels in the neighborhood and they would put a small 2 inch tall cross over the front door. They didn't want to bother the neighbors.
The Scripture today was from Mark 6:1-13. It was Jesus' return home to preach. Mark does not tell us what he says, but instead he comments on Jesus' comments to His sermon. Then he tells what Jesus told his disciples to do, their mission and how to pursue it. Jesus comments that a prophet is honored except among his own community and his family. Now it was interesting that the early comments of the congregation that listened to Him was amazement at his wisdom, but soon it turned grim. Jesus was unable to perform many miracles because of their lack of belief.
Maybe it would be helpful to look again at Luke's account of this visit home, Luke 4: 16-30. Jesus reads first from Isaiah and says he is the One who God has "anointed to preach good news to the poor. He was sent to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." He goes on to quote the Old Testament accounts of Elijah helping the widow and her son who were from the region of Sidon and Elisha helping Naaman, a Syrian, none of whom were Jewish. In Luke's account the congregation tries to throw Jesus from a cliff they are so mad at him for saying that God chose a non-Jew, not once but twice, to help instead of some of His chosen people. Jesus walks away from the situation.
In Mark he goes on to tell his disciples to take nothing with them when they go out to preach and heal. He is telling them not to be like the magicians and fortunetellers of that day who had a special pouch under their outer garment to take bribes for telling fortunes or doing magic for people. His disciples were to wear one tunic, not two. There would be no question about their taking bribes. They also were to take nothing with them and wear only sandals. Upon coming to a town they were to enter a home and stay in that one place, but if they were not accepted, they were to dust the dirt from their sandals signifying their disdain in a peaceful way.
The point was Bother the Neighbors, Anger the World, and Claim your Power in the Lord. We are not to be invisible to the world, but invincible to the world. It is important to recall what Isaiah said about this Messiah, not a man of worldly power, but a man of Godly power whose priorities were to the poor, the prisoners, the blind, and the oppressed, not the wealthy, the religious, or the comfortable. Those are hard words to digest because most of us are wealthy by the world's standards and all of us are comfortable, if we are not religious by our fathers' standards.
I am reading a book by Luke Timothy Johnson. I'll be commenting on this book for several weeks. It is called SHARING POSSESSIONS. Luke Timothy says that how we treat other people shows how we treat God and vice versa. This book is about idolatry and faith. Possessions he defines with a much broader stroke than one would usually think as all things we say we "have." Since we "have" thoughts, a body, beliefs, and time, as well as things, we make lots of idols. It is only when we can truly share these things that we are living in faith. I think that Mark and Luke are discussing a big "have" the people of Jesus' hometown had, they had an idea of who the Messiah or God's Chosen would be and how He would act. That idea was not Jesus. I wonder if many of us really "have" faith or if we really have an idol of our own making who we like to think of as Jesus.
Just a few thoughts on today. There was a church youth group visiting from Brentwood, TN Presbyterian Church. I grew up in Nashville and went to Brentwood United Methodist Church so I felt like I had a connection to these youth. I sat with some of them at lunch. I felt like they didn't quite know what to make of the church and the people who are members. It was interesting. I'd love to be a fly on their walls tonight as they discuss their experiences. Also, I had a chance to see Cody and say "Hello!" He smiled the sweetest smile at me. Penny, the church lady dog, came and got a pat under the pew during the service. Shannon's little girl was at the service. She looks like Shannon. It won't be long before she has a little sister. I know Shannon will be glad. Ann asked me if I'd like to write a memoir of one of the unhoused who wants to tell his story. I told her I might. He wasn't there today so we didn't get started, but I think it might be important to tell some of their stories.
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