Pentecost 7

The Reverend Martha Frances
Year B, Pentecost 7, Proper 11
19 July 2009


Text:  Mark 6: 30-34, 53-56; Ephesians 2: 11-22
Other Readings: II Samuel 7: 1-14a; Psalm 89: 20-37

 

For the past 4 weeks, two groups here at Hope have been reading & discussing the book same kind of different As Me, a true story of two men from different backgrounds who are drawn together by God's care for them &  by their love & admiration for a woman who dared to obey God's call to her.  Neither feels that he fits into the environment he finds himself in, yet they find that they are really not too different from one another.  Their journey to that discovery makes a fascinating story.

Have you ever felt like the outsider?  The one left out when your friends were invited to a party?  The one who, for whatever reason, did not fit into the group?  I know I have.  My family moved quite frequently when I was a child, & it seemed I was always having to make new friends, find my niche, learn who I could trust & whom to avoid.  Even as an extrovert & of the majority race almost everywhere I've lived, starting over again was never easy.  The pain of being different still washes over me when I enter a new environment.

THE BIG ISSUE in the early church was that of inclusion, & the author of the Ephesians is dealing with just such an issue in the epistle for today.  The earliest Christians were Jewish, & it was only after the apostles were confronted in visions such as Peter's dream of unclean animals offered for him to eat combined with experiences like Philip's encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch that Jesus' disciples began to focus much of their missionary work on the Gentile community.  By the time Ephesians was written, the churches were still sorting out how Jewish Christians & Gentile Christians were to live together in unity, how they were to "fit."

The author of Ephesians, actually not Paul but one of Paul's disciples, we believe, reminds those new Christian groups that, because of Jesus, those who were far off have now been brought near, that Christ has broken down the dividing line—the hostility—between the two groups.  Of course, this writer wouldn't have had to speak thus had all been going smoothly within the nascent Christian communities.  Notice the many ways the writer reminds the Christians that they are to be united in Christ:

he has made both groups into one,

broken down the dividing wall, the hostility between us,

created in himself one new humanity in place of the two,

reconciled both groups to God in one body through the cross,

they are no longer strangers & aliens but citizens with the  saints & members of the household of God.

        Most in this congregation remember when Black Episcopalians worshiped on one side of town & Anglos on the other.  Further, no one thought Hispanic Christians might choose another denomination than Roman Catholic until the Pentecostals made such inroads in Hispanic communities, whereupon we from mainline denominations woke up & began to scramble to learn Spanish & figure out what Hispanic ministry might entail.  Our churches are much more integrated than when I was a child or young adult, but with our intentional multicultural family, Hope is still in the minority.  By & large, Sunday morning is still the most segregated time in the US.

        At Lord of the Streets, I worked with those who are still the outcast, the "different ones," due to economic inequity as much as racial bias.  As former vicar & executive director there, I listen to today's readings with different ears than previously.  Although Jesus regularly reminds us that the last shall be first & the first last, that we must remember the widows & orphans, & that those who care for society's least actually care for him, we church people are often reluctant to take seriously Christ's admonitions to care for those most vulnerable in society. 

"Charity" has long been part of our ethos, but many folks still cringe at the thought of having "those people" in our own back yards, so to speak.  As we look across the street to Black Middle School, we know that many underserved & struggling young people attend there.  Our outreach coordinator Dorothy Miller has heeded the suggestions of experts to develop local outreach projects in a new initiative to provide school supplies for our neighbors at Black.  This is a ministry we can all participate in at some level. 

        Our gospel reading today is one of the few places in Mark's gospel where Jesus uses the word "apostles." Jesus sent disciples out on a mission with no purse & only sandals & one cloak, but now they have returned as apostles, having fulfilled their first mission.   Apostle means "one who is sent."  Apostle emphasizes the direct connection between the one sent & Jesus who sends him or her.  We're sent in Jesus' name out of our comfortable church into the city to feed the hungry with spiritual as well as physical food.

        Now the apostles have returned, excited about what they have accomplished, & Jesus gives them an invitation which we all do well to heed.  He says "Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves & rest a while."  Throughout the Gospels we see glimpses of Jesus' own need for balance between his very public life & his need for refreshment & regeneration.  What balance he models for us, he also urges for his apostles.  After all, God rested on the Sabbath, the 7th day after having created the world & all its inhabitants.  Jesus knew the apostles needed regular Sabbath times in their lives as do present day apostles.  This week I will be on retreat until Saturday so that I can "rest awhile" & listen for God's voice in my life, not only for me but for this community.  I would treasure your prayers for my retreat as well as for the continued development of our church family.  My making regular retreat is not about my being a priest.  I learned long before my priesthood that my spiritual life requires time away in silence in order for me to hear God in my life.  My week of Sabbath on retreat reinforces the Sabbath day I take each Monday during the rest of the year.  I would encourage all of you to schedule retreat time & would be glad to help you find the place & type of retreat which would best suit you.

        Two other images of note are prominent in our lessons for today.  Jesus' time in a deserted place is limited because he has compassion on the great crowds who gather to hear him teach & heal, & Jesus saw that they were like sheep without a shepherd.  Jesus becomes their good shepherd & cares for their needs.  In so doing, he uses a metaphor deeply rooted in the Jewish tradition. In our first reading today, when God speaks to Nathan the prophet about David's desire to build a house—a temple—in which God can dwell, God reminds Nathan that God has faithfully provided shepherds for the people & God chose David to shepherd the people of Israel.  The king is to watch after the people with the firm but gentle care that God provides.  But God makes clear David is not to build a temple to house God; God will care for the Israelites by establishing the Davidic dynasty which is another translation for the word which has previously been translated house and temple.  David's descendents will enjoy God's care & protection.  Although David has tried to domesticate God, God makes it clear that God is in charge & will provide for David's people.  No matter how we try to understand & limit God to a being whom we can manage & who will do our every bidding, God is free to act as God will.  When we are in God's will, God will sometimes lead us into untamed places in order that we may grow in faith & trust, but God will not abandon us.  Each of the scripture readings for today assure us that God is caring for us & we can trust God to accompany us as we venture out of our coziness into unfamiliar places to witness & minister to others.  Sisters & brothers, as we continue to grow in God's grace here at Hope, may we trust God enough to accompany God into whatever place—deserted or overcrowded—that God sends us as apostles.  God grants us protection; God sends us out as apostles; God promises to guide us always.  Our response is "Speak, Lord, your servant is listening."

       

 

Pentecost 5

The Reverend Martha Frances

Year B, Pentecost 5, Proper 9

5 July 2009

Text: Mark 6: 1-13

Other Readings: 2 Samuel 5: 1-5, 9-10; Psalm 48; 2 Corinthians 12: 2-10

In the church or in the business community, if the leadership wants the community to buy into a new idea, a common strategy is to invite an expert in to present it. Who is an expert? An expert is someone from at least 50 miles away who carries a briefcase—& these days gives a power point presentation!

When Jesus returned home to the small town of Nazareth, he was asked to speak in the synagogue. For once, the issue was not his healing on the Sabbath but rather a matter of his very identity. In Nazareth, everyone knew him. Here was Jesus, the hometown carpenter boy who had gone off as an itinerant preacher, back home again sounding like a rabbi, like an expert. But they all knew this was just Jesus who had worked in the carpenter's shop making a living for his mother, brothers, & sisters after Joseph died. This was Jesus, Mary's son, who had made tables & door frames & windows for their homes & yokes for their oxen. Who did he think he was, coming back home & teaching like he'd gone off to Jerusalem University & gotten a degree or something? Sure, he sounded wise, but he'd been showing off ever since he was 12. This was just Jesus. They all knew him.

And with this story, we see human nature & group psychology in all its glory. We're reminded first of Jesus' humanity. Jesus is the carpenter, the son of Mary, brother of James & Joses, Judas & Simon & at least 2 sisters. Remember how he was left behind in Jerusalem the year he was 12? How he worried his mother that time!

Second, we see the natural tendency of the townspeople. They disbelieve that this common working man from their own home town could possibly be anyone special. He isn't even from one of the best families. How could one of theirs know so much about the things of the Spirit? Why, he's only a layman! Many of those who hear him are astounded. In fact, they "took offense" which means they are scandalized—his being a hometown boy was a stumbling block for them.

And in the end, Jesus himself is amazed at their disbelief. Not only is he amazed; their disbelief actually becomes a stumbling block to his effectiveness to minister there in Nazareth. Mark has been describing Jesus' many miraculous deeds in the previous several chapters: calming the storm, healing the woman who had had a hemorrhage for 12 years, & raising Jairus' daughter from the dead. Pretty amazing actions, don't you agree? Here, in contrast, Mark says Jesus can do no work of power, except for healing a few sick people. This rejection by his own people restricts his ministry causing him to move on, his work ended in Nazareth. One commentary calls this an "unmiracle story."

For some of you, my coming among you as priest might have been like Jesus coming home to Nazareth. I had known a few of you long before I was ordained & then more of you when I was supplying both at Incarnation & St. Michael's. While I considered that familiarity an advantage when we began our journey together 4 years ago, perhaps the familiarity has similarly affected our ability to move forward as much as we would like. Regardless, we have worked hard together to meld this community into one & after 4 years are coming to a familiarity & comfort with one another which hopefully allows us to grow deeper spiritually together & to reach out to do mission in the larger world, both in our neighborhood & beyond.

Jesus tells those in Nazareth that prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, & among their own kin, & in their own house. Diane Bergant said about this passage that prophets are not those who look into the future, but those who have insight into the present. Hope's leadership is working hard to discern how God is calling us to ministry & mission in these challenging times, & I invite & encourage all of us to daily prayer for this parish & its leadership. We must never forget, however, that each one of us is called to be a disciple by our baptism, & we are all called to gain the skills & momentum to venture forward as a revived community of faith.

Leadership is a tricky & sometimes lonely position as Paul tells the Corinthians in the epistle passage today. For inspiration, he remembers his own mystical experience of a call to proclaim Jesus as the Christ rather than to persecute the Christians. At this point in Paul's ministry, he is facing some opposition in his leadership role, & he reminds this sometimes-difficult community that any boasting he might do about his ministry is really affirming God's grace & empowering, not his own doing. Further, Paul explains that he is not perfect, that he is afflicted with what he calls a thorn in the flesh—we're never told what that is. Paul explains that he has prayed that it be removed but the answer he has received is that he is to rely upon God who is stronger than any detriment we're afflicted with. In fact, Paul realizes that the thorn keeps him aware that he must rely totally upon God, not upon his own gifts & virtues. Can we not all affirm the need to rely upon God who can work through our shortcomings to build up God's community of faith.

Jesus doesn't just sit around moping about his homefolks' lack of belief in him, however. The 2^nd half of our Gospel passage today contains his commissioning the disciples to go out into the world to share the Good News with others. Jesus' marching orders to the 12 are worthy of our attention, for they apply to us today. He didn't expect them to go alone; he sent them out 2 by 2. We Americans are celebrating our independence this weekend, yet Christians are called to interdependence, working together & supporting each other. When our Eucharistic visitors take communion to the homebound, they go out in pairs. They form a small community to represent this worshiping community as they include those who can't be here physically to join us in worship spiritually. We uphold them here in the gathered community as we pray for them in the prayers of the people. You have the list in your pew bulletin so you can continue that intercessory prayer at home. That's just one example of our interdependence as well as our reliance upon God for our strength & guidance.

Jesus is clear that the disciples are not to rely upon their own brilliance or their being properly equipped as they preach & teach & heal. They're not to take food or money or even extra clothes—only a walking stick to hold them up when they're weary. They're to rely upon God to provide. Further, they're not to shop around for the best deal in lodging. They're to be grateful to whichever hosts invite them in. What kind of a witness would they be in a community if they stayed with one host & then rejected that hospitality for a better deal? Further, it's not their job to be people-pleasers. They're to preach the gospel that Jesus has taught which we know is often counter-intuitive & challenges the status quo. If they are rejected, they are to disassociate from that rejection (shaking the dust from their sandals) & move on to where people are ready to hear the Good News of God according to Jesus. Laity as well as clergy sometimes focus so much upon winning one person or group that they may turn the targeted audience off but also be too discouraged to continue the work which Jesus gives us to do. God is the judge of our effectiveness, & we're called to be faithful, not necessarily successful. In fact, Jesus often reminds us that our version of success may be vastly different from God's. Certainly the downfall of "successful" people in our society recently—both with inappropriate financial & moral dealings—should help us remember that God's ways are often now our ways. Regular prayer, Bible study, & accountability with a small group of other Christians can keep us grounded & focused on God's will.

What are the guidelines for living Christian lives & sharing them with others? Today's collect which we prayed together at the beginning of the service sums up Jesus' expectations: loving God & our neighbor. How can we be devoted to God with our whole heart & united to one another with pure affection, sharing that affection with all those we encounter? That's our homework for this week----and for the rest of our lives. So, my friends, travel light! God go with you each day.

Pentecost 4

Sermon for Messiah Lutheran Church

The Reverend Martha Frances

Year B, Pentecost 4, Proper 8

28 June 2009

Text: Mark 5: 21-43

Other Readings: 2 Samuel 1: 1, 17-27; Psalm 130; 2 Corinthians 8: 7-15

Thank you so much for welcoming me to Messiah this morning as your preacher. Pastor Liz is preaching & celebrating today at Hope Episcopal in Oak Forest where I am the rector. As you may know, we belong to a group which encourages learning, mutual respect & sharing among religious communities, & I feel privileged today to worship with you.

Today, we explore 2 stories about women whom Jesus restores to life & health. I am very grateful our revised common lectionary includes both these stories for the first time; Mark wrote them together, Jesus may have even performed these miracles together, & we have much to learn from considering them side by side. Mark often embeds one story in another in his Gospel with each event teaching us about the other.

The first verse tells us Jesus has again crossed the lake to the other side, so we are back in Jewish territory. A synagogue leader named Jairus approaches Jesus in desperation because his 12-year-old daughter is ill to the point of death. Having heard of this healer Jesus, having perhaps heard him speak in the synagogue or out in the countryside, Jairus must know Jesus is controversial to the Jewish establishment, but he is frantic. He doesn't care about his reputation as long as his daughter is saved. So he approaches Jesus, falls at his feet, & begs Jesus to come heal his daughter. Jesus agrees to accompany Jairus & starts immediately. As happens wherever Jesus travels, a large crowd accompanies them. Their urgency is like an ambulance traveling with sirens & lights, full speed ahead, so we are not prepared when Jesus stops to ask who has touched him.

Who, indeed, has touched Jesus? The disciples think his question ridiculous. Jesus draws a crowd wherever he goes, & dozens have brushed up against him, so why does he ask who in particular has touched him? This woman at the opposite end of the social spectrum from Jairus, she whom one writer has called "audacious" but whose name we never know, has been bleeding for 12 years, the whole length of Jairus' daughter's life. She must have been a woman of means, for she has spent her fortune on doctors trying to staunch the flow of blood.

Now any woman in today's world who has bled for 12 years would be pretty desperate to get adequate medical help, but to the Jews of Jesus' time, the problem was even more serious. Their taboo regarding blood made a person ritually unclean. Thus, this woman could not participate in synagogue worship, not even in the segregated women's section, & she was further separated from society. If a Jew touched the woman, he or she would also become unclean & therefore unfit for worship or for normal sexual relations. So clearly, this woman had been cut off from even familial contact for a dozen years—virtually an outcast. This woman, this nobody, is so desperate that she dares to reach out & touch Jesus' garment. In so doing, she makes the Jewish rabbi unclean also. She breaks the taboo.

And he catches her! She thinks her actions can be anonymous, that she'll just quietly reach out & touch his garment, be healed quietly, & go on her way. Her plan is going just as she had hoped, & miracle of miracles, when she touches Jesus' robe, her bleeding stops. But Jesus halts in the middle of the road to say, "Who touched my clothes?" No wonder the disciples think he's lost his mind! Can't you just imagine what Jairus is doing right now? Jairus probably says, "Who CARES who touched you? That's not important. What's crucial is that you get to my house in time to use your miraculous skills to heal my daughter!"

Jesus insists, over the objections of both Jairus & his disciples. He has felt power go out from himself, & he is interested in persons. He wants to know who needs him. Can't you just imagine this poor woman's terror as she comes forward, the Scripture says in fear & trembling, & falls to her knees just as Jairus had done previously? She's been found out! What will they do to her?

Jesus' remarkable response to her is worth pondering, though I'm sure Jairus doesn't think so. Jesus affectionately calls her "Daughter" & tells her 3 things: "your faith has made you well," "go in peace," & "be healed of your disease." Don't you know Jairus is fit-to-be-tied by now? But Jesus has as much time as it takes to treat this woman as a person of worth. He tells her that it is because she's had the nerve to reach out & touch him, because she's believed in him, that she is healed. Her faith has saved her. He assures her future in society when he bids her go in peace. Can't you just imagine the true peace she will have now that she is healed? After 12 years, she can be a productive part of the community again. Finally, he declares this is not just a temporary cure. She is healed permanently. The constant bleeding is over; it's a thing of the past!

I've often wondered what happened to that gutsy woman. Did she become one of the women of means who provided food & clothing for Jesus & his disciples as he continued his itinerant ministry? Did she become a leader in the religious community, or was she still rejected because those in power were afraid of Jesus' powers? But we must catch up with Jairus.

Surely he's standing a few feet farther along the road, urging Jesus & his companions forward toward his house, frightened at what is happening with his daughter. Then he gets the devastating word: while Jesus has been dealing this pesky woman, messengers come to tell Jairus his little girl is dead. Jesus overhears the report & interrupts with "Do not fear; only believe." There's that believe word again. Jesus tells Jairus he only has to believe. What on earth does this mean to a man whose daughter has just died? "Believe in what?" he might say. The suspense continues to heighten as they continue to Jairus' house. We're told that Jesus chooses only his 3 closest companions to accompany him—Peter, James, & John. He bypasses the professional mourners who must be really carrying on as they are paid to do, & rebuking them as he goes. Then he really draws a laugh when he insists the little girl is not dead but only sleeping. "Yeah, RIGHT!" they say.

Jesus, the 3 disciples, & the girl's parents enter her room. Jesus confronts another Jewish taboo when he touches the dead girl, making himself ritually unclean. He takes her by the hand & calls to her, "Talitha cum." Lo & behold, the girl gets up & walks about immediately.

Immediately is one of Mark's favorite words, & here it certainly contrasts with the interruptions Jesus has undergone thus far. The people who declared her dead are overcome with amazement. Jesus tells them not to tell anyone about what has happened. Then he has a very practical suggestion: "Give her something to eat." This young girl has had a trauma, & Jesus knows she needs nourishment. He looks after our down-to-earth physical human needs as well as our spiritual ones. At several of Jesus' resurrection appearances, he eats with his disciples. Eating is a sign of resurrection, a sign the body is fully human. Jesus doesn't just expect us to believe in him & let it go at that. He expects us to be of service to our neighbors, to reach out & touch someone ourselves. The Christian action we do is part of our praising God.

Now we know that death awaits us all, some sooner & others later. Both of these people have been healed of their physical infirmities & can make their way back into society. Jesus has restored both of these women to life that they may be life-givers.

Jesus tells them both that their faith (or the faith of the girl's father) is what has made them whole. Faith is a gift from God. Our desire for faith is important, but we cannot ourselves create faith. Mark uses the word "immediately" quite often, even here in this story, but faith doesn't spring full blown into our hearts. The development of faith is a process that grows in our hearts, first by seeing its necessity & desiring it. As we pray for others, we can also pray for the gift of faith to grow & develop within ourselves. Corporate prayer is undoubtedly important to you or you would not be here today. And how do we develop our personal prayer? We just DO it! The writer Jean Gill says to pray as you can, not as you can't, & my observation is that our prayer lives would expand greatly if we spent our energy praying instead of talking so much about it. The regular spiritual exercises of Holy Communion & study & fellowship with our community helps us develop our faith just as physical exercise strengthens our bodies. When we act on the faith we already have, especially as we use the gifts of the Holy Spirit in our reaching out to others, our faith expands & deepens. During the summer months, our gospel readings provide ample opportunities for us to review Jesus' words & actions to those surrounding him. May our faith be strengthened as we explore the gift of faith Jesus grants us.