Pentecost 21

The Reverend Martha Frances

Year B, Pentecost 21, Proper 25

25 October 2009

Text:  Mark 10: 46-52

Other Readings: Job 42: 1-6, 10-17; Psalm 34: 1-8 (19-22); Hebrews 7: 23-28 

      Jesus asked the blind beggar Bartimaeus, "What do you want me to do for you?"  Last week, Jesus used the same words as he asked James & John, "What do you want me to do for you?  In today's Gospel, Jesus encounters a blind man, & we would think he would know what Bartimaeus needs from him, yet he doesn't presume.  He asks.  Jesus acknowledges Bartimaeus' dignity as an adult human being to speak for himself.

      Many of you know my opera buddy Ronnie who is also blind.  We've been going to the opera together for many years.  He travels across town alone by bus to the VA Hospital where he has worked ever since college.  He has visited Brazil & skied in Colorado.  He once found my car in the Astrodome parking lot when I was hopelessly lost—he has a memory like a steel trap.  Yet when we go to dinner, the server invariably asks me what Ronnie wants to eat.  How should I know?  Ronnie is quite capable of ordering his own dinner. 

      Jesus respects our capability by entering our lives like a gentleman—by invitation, asking to be received.  In this encounter, he sees Bartimaeus as a man with a disability & doesn't dismiss him as the disability.  This morning, at the end of October 2009, Jesus is asking you & me, "What do you want me to do for you?"  What is your answer today to Jesus' question?

      This healing story is Mark's last story before he begins relating Jesus' passion.  Indeed, Jesus & his disciples are already on their way to Jerusalem.  "On his way to Jerusalem" is Mark's shorthand for Jesus' journey to death on a cross.  Jesus is well-known by now, having preached & taught & performed miracles for 3 years.  He has collected quite a following—not only his disciples but also a large crowd.  He's popular, & he's busy. 

      When Bartimaeus cries out to Jesus, the crowd tries to silence him—Jesus is far too important for this no-count beggar.  But Bartimaeus is persistent: "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"  Bartimaeus, the blind beggar, can see what the other followers are too blind to see:  he calls Jesus "Son of David."  Not even the disciples have eyes to see that Jesus is Messiah.  Last week James & John thought they would have special positions in Jesus' kingdom.  They were also too blind to see what it meant for Jesus to be the Messiah.

      Bartimaeus doesn't ask for a special position.  He only asks that Jesus have mercy, have compassion on him.  He trusts that Jesus has the power to heal him.  Bartimaeus knows that he has nothing to bring to Jesus except his brokenness, his blindness.  He calls out, & Jesus stands still & calls the blind man to him.  Bartimaeus throws off the cloak which has protected him & springs forward to Jesus for healing. 

      Remember other stories of Jesus' calling of the disciples?  This is not just a healing story but also another call story.  Jesus stops in his tracks & says, "Call him here."  The crowd then rushes to cooperate with Jesus.  "Hurry up, Bartimaeus; don't keep the master waiting!"  He jumps up, throws off his cloak, & hurries to Jesus.  Bartimaeus throws off that which holds him back—his cloak which is also his protection, because he trusts Jesus.

      We here in the church sometimes assume that others know what we want or need.  I sometimes find out after-the-fact that a parishioner has been in the hospital.  I count it a privilege to be able to pray with someone before surgery or when a person is hospitalized.  Further, my presence at the time of someone's death or soon after allows me to accompany the family through the confusing hours & days afterward.   None of us wants to be beholden or a bother, yet our acceptance of help is often a gift to the other person.

      Several weeks ago, we heard about the rich young man who said he wanted eternal life, but when Jesus told him to get rid of what held him back, he went away sorrowful.  The rich young man couldn't let go of his cloak—his protection, his wealth—could he? 

      Bartimaeus, on the other hand, comes to Jesus eagerly & answers, "Let me see again."  Bartimaeus doesn't hesitate.  He knows that Jesus can heal him.  Bartimaeus can already see better than many who are not blind.  Jesus declares that Bartimaeus' own faith has healed him.  He regains his sight "immediately."  Do you hear the urgency in this story?  When he can see again, what does he do?  He doesn't hesitate to follow Jesus, "on the way."  "The Way" was the first name given to the Christian movement after Jesus' death, long before his followers were called Christians. 

      Where are you in this story?  Perhaps Jesus is asking you this morning, "What do you want me to do for you today?"  No matter how long you have followed Jesus "on the way," this journey with Jesus requires repetitive letting go as we continue to respond to Jesus' call to discipleship.  Bartimaeus apparently became a disciple known to Mark's church.  His life changed radically as a result of Jesus' healing him; of that we can be sure.

      But there are many reasons why Bartimaeus might have been hesitant for Jesus' healing to change his life so radically.  First, a seeing man was expected to earn his own way, to take on responsibilities not expected of a blind man.  Because of his keen insight, he likely became a leader in the Christian community.  It was dangerous to be a designated leader of Jesus' followers.  Tradition says all of Jesus' 12 closest disciples save John the beloved were martyred for their faith.  How many more died violently on "the way" they had chosen with Jesus?  We don't know if Bartimaeus was also a martyr, but his life as a disciple was radically different & surely more dangerous.

      What cloak of protection do you still wear in your journey with Jesus?  I like the image of shedding a cape because most of us have layers of protection we have to shed one at a time.  What have you been too blind to see thus far in your life?  Are you too comfortable in your blindness to reach out for healing for Jesus to open your eyes to areas you haven't had faith to follow him?  No one can answer that question for you, but a hint might be whatever it is that comes to your mind but you try to dismiss quickly.  May you mull over the question this week.

      Remember, the question is not what we can do on our own; the question is what we want Jesus to do for us.  How are we willing for Jesus to strengthen us & prepare us for service?  Our question applies corporately to Hope Episcopal also.  Where has our parish been blind, been too entrenched in the way church has always been to be willing to do some things in new ways?  There's a saying that doing the same things over & over again & expecting different results is a good working definition for insanity. 

      Our vestry has chosen to embark on a whole new approach to stewardship this year.  We are fully aware that the economic situation for many people is frightening & is requiring us to make difficult choices.  The old system of asking for pledges & then measuring your giving against your stated intentions has created frustration & guilt for some people & has not provided us with a true guide for church budget planning.  This year we are following the baptismal promise to respect the dignity of every human being & are asking that you prayerfully consider the very best you & God can determine as what you can thankfully return to God in 2010.  Your commitment will be a covenant between you & God, & we will provide a sealable envelope for you to lay on the altar in our covenant box on Covenant Sunday with your promise which God alone will see.  Like Jesus' respect of Bartimaeus, we believe that you are a whole person, more than your economic situation, & you & God will determine how you can support Hope this next year in our fulfillment of our mission to each other & to the larger community in 2010.  Our financial situation has never been so strained, yet we believe that God will guide us all to give out of a spirit of thanksgiving & it will be enough.  What can each of us give is the question & is much broader than how much we can give.

Jesus doesn't expect us to operate alone.  Jesus doesn't say, "What do you want to do?"  Jesus asks, "What do you want me to do for you?"  May the people of Hope respond ever more joyfully & faithfully to Jesus' overture.

Pentecost 19

By the Rev. Martha Frances+

Year B, Pentecost 19, Proper 24

18 October 2009

Text:  Mark 10: 35-45

Others: Job 38: 1-7, (34-41); Psalm 104: 1-9, 25, 37c; Hebrews 5: 1-10

      James & John are two of Jesus' closest disciples.  They & Simon Peter make up the trio whom Jesus takes with him up the mountain to view the Transfiguration & to the Garden to pray after the Last Supper.  So James & John are used to being the chosen ones of the disciples.  Is it any surprise that they ask Jesus—as they realize things are changing in Jesus' life & their own—to reserve a place for them at the banquet table?  He's continually described the reign of God as a banquet, & James & John figure they might as well get the best seats for eternity.

      The other 10 disciples are really ticked at James & John, probably because James & John have beaten them to the draw.  Why didn't they think to ask for places of honor first?  Further, would we behave any differently?  We don't trust change any more than the disciples did.  When we're nervous about things changing, we try to carve out our own niche in the new order. 

      Jesus shows patience with these closest disciples, these brothers who come to him like children.  Reminds me of my boys.  "Do me a favor!  Do me a favor!  Huh, will ya?  Huh, huh?" they would plead to me, all-powerful person in their eyes.  I would have said, "Yeah, right!  You've got to be kidding!"  I could already see an unreasonable request coming.  When they were little, it was, "Tell Ken he can't ride the bicycle; it's mine for today."  Or, when they were older, "Michael can't use the car tonight; I have a date.  I have to have the car.  It's important!"  Jesus asks James & John, "What is it you want me to do for you?"  And their request is just as childish.  They want to sit at his right & left hand when he becomes king. 

      Here they are, walking along on the road to Jerusalem on which we've been accompanying them the past few weeks.  Jesus has just predicted his death for the 3^rd time; he knows death awaits him in Jerusalem.  He's given them every opportunity to see he is not to conquer the city militarily but rather to be put to death.  Some of the disciples think finally Jesus is going to quit just teaching & healing & stuff, shift into action, & establish his reign on earth.  And they want to have the places of honor.

      It's easy for us to make fun of James & John, to laugh or cry at how little they understand what Jesus' victory is all about.  But then, we know the rest of the story.  We look back at this scene through the lens of the crucifixion & resurrection.  We know that Jesus did go to Jerusalem, that Jesus did rise after his crucifixion to reign in glory.  We know that James & John actually fled when Jesus was captured, & their faithfulness was certainly in question during those horrible days of Jesus' passion.  But we also know that James & John became pillars of the early church, James martyred early in the Christian era, & John living to a ripe old age & establishing one of the earliest Christian communities. 

      However, neither James nor John nor any of the disciples knew then what we know now.  And Mark again points out that the disciples just don't get it.  They don't have a clue what Jesus is telling them about the cost of discipleship.  It's easy to make fun of James & John & their childish request.  But I have to confess that I might not have behaved any better.  At times like when Bill was becoming weaker, it was tempting to try to bargain with God for Bill not to have to suffer as much.  Have you ever been similarly tempted?

      Jesus tells James & John that they don't know what they're asking.  Jesus asks if they're able to drink the cup & be baptized in the baptism that he's going through. Here Jesus uses the language of the primary sacraments of the Church—baptism & communion—to express the price which the disciples must pay to sit at his right & left hand.

      Remember, we enter the Christian community through baptism.  In Mark's Gospel, it is clear that Jesus' disciples must sacrifice for their faith just as Jesus did, & Jesus warns James & John they might have to give their lives.  Baptism means laying our lives on the line for Christ, one aspect of the baptisms we will celebrate week after next on All Saints' Day.  New life in Christ grows out of the symbolic death at the baptismal font, & we participate in that death & rebirth each time we join others in renewing our baptismal covenant.

      Jesus also reminds James & John that their commitment to him is strengthened & sustained by drinking of his blood in what we call the sacrament of communion, or the Holy Eucharist.  We celebrate the sacrament of the Lord's Supper as a family of faith at almost every service in the Episcopal Church.  We are invited to the table to receive Christ's body & blood so that we may grow in our discipleship.  Each of us is welcome at this Holy Table to receive the food Jesus gives us for our journey as disciples.  And, as in all celebratory meals, we join our community for we are not Christians by ourselves.

      Jesus continues to teach his disciples about their calling as his ambassadors to the world as they walk toward Jerusalem.  He reminds them that his brand of leadership is very different from the rulers they know;  Jesus' way is counter-cultural.  Jesus tells them whoever wants to be great must be a servant & whoever wants to be first must be a slave of all.  Mark doesn't tell us how the disciples reacted to Jesus' announcement.  I can imagine, though.  I can hear ole Peter say, "Wait a minute.  I left my job as a fisherman to do what?  To be a servant?  You've gotta be kidding!  I don't even ask directions!"  Perhaps we don't hear the disciples' response because they are speechless.  They simply can't believe that Jesus' idea of leadership is so different from theirs.  James & John are the sons of Zebedee, the boat owner; they are the boss's sons, by golly!  This servant stuff doesn't sound so great after all. 

      How many of you grew up looking forward to being a servant when you were an adult?  Not on my top ten list of ways to spend my adulthood, I'll tell you for sure!  Darn it; Jesus' standards are just plain different from the values of the rest of the world.  Yet Jesus' actions throughout his ministry modeled his commitment to serving others, culminating his washing the disciples' feet the night before he was crucified.

      When Myrna & I serve on Kairos Prison Ministry teams, we prepare for several months & then spend a long weekend in service to the women in white who are doing time in medium or maximum security units.  As we work as a team, having developed a community over several team meetings, God's love pours from us to them.  Then, I'm always moved by the fact that, once their weekend is over, they want to come back 6 months later to join the free-world team to act as servants for the next group of people who attend Kairos.  One group of inmates serves another in a prison where no one does anything for anyone without an ulterior motive!  It's pretty amazing what our awesome God can do to the hearts of even the most callous person through someone's being a servant to them. 

      God's power for love never ceases to amaze me. Many of you remember our late Suffragan Bishop, Leo Alard. Bp. Leo told of his first experience serving on a Kairos team in Florida before he came to Texas.  The first day of the weekend, as the team & the inmates introduced themselves to each other, he realized that the man at his right hand at their table family was Ted Bundy, a rather famous murderer.  Leo's difficulty was not Mr. Bundy's fame but rather that one of the women he had murdered was in the youth group in Leo's own church.  He had watched her grow up, suffered through her death with her parents, & officiated at her funeral.  Now he was seated next to her killer, & part of his job for the weekend was to help this killer accept God's love & forgiveness.  Bp. Leo at first thought he would ask to be moved to another table, but that night he prayed about this situation.  The message he received was that God loved Mr. Bundy & that Leo was to let God's love be enough.  Leo chose to let God's love flow through him that weekend, & both he & Mr. Bundy learned the boundlessness of God's healing love on that Kairos weekend.  God's ways are definitely not our ways, are they?

      Jesus completed this teaching by saying "the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, & to give his life a ransom for many."  "Ransom" is only used here in the New Testament.  "Ransom" is money paid to redeem a slave or a captured relative or to reclaim a firstborn who has been given in service to God.  Jesus predicts his own behavior when he explains that we will be free because he buys our redemption with his own life.  If someone is redeemed, that means that person is freed from bondage.  How many of you received Green Stamps with groceries or gas, licked them & put them in redemption books &, when we had enough, took them to a redemption center to trade for items we wanted.  Jesus says he is trading himself in exchange for our freedom.  Do we have to earn Jesus' love so he will pay the ransom?  No, Jesus' love is a gift; it's already been given for us; we don't have to do anything to earn that love.

      Jesus does tell us, however, what we need to do if we want to be disciples.  Jesus says we need to find ways to be servants. 

As we consider what financial offering we can make to God through the ministry at Hope to help Hope fulfill our financial obligations through the rest of 2009 as well as what we will commit to for 2010, I urge you to look for opportunities to offer your time & talent to our church community so that you may strengthen your own discipleship.  Need some ideas?  Please see me or a member of the vestry.  Perhaps you will be willing to serve on the vestry for next year.  Or periodically provide coffee hour refreshments after the 10:30 service.  Perhaps you will volunteer to chaperone a youth activity & actually give their parents a break. 

      All of us get chances to be servants in our daily lives.  Sometimes we ignore those chances & hope they go away.  Perhaps this week you'll open yourself & respond to Christ's gift of love & freedom by choosing to behave as a servant.  As we travel toward Jerusalem with Jesus & his disciples, we can choose to practice being disciples.  What will we get out of it?  We've already received it; we've received Christ's love.  All we give, we give in gratitude for what Christ has already given us.  Thanks be to God for that undeserved love.

Pentecost 19

By the Rev. Martha Frances+

Year B, Pentecost 19, Proper 23

11 October 2009

Text:  Mark 10: 17-31

Other Readings: Job 23: 1-9, 16-17; Psalm 22: 1-15; Hebrews 4: 12-16

 

      Jesus & his disciples are headed toward Jerusalem, which means Jesus is heading toward the cross.  Jesus knows it & has predicted his death twice to his disciples.  We also know they don't "get it" yet.  They're still in denial. 

      As they walk along, a man approaches them, & they can tell he is wealthy by the Armani suit, polished shoes, the briefcase, the strut of self-assurance; this man has it made.  He IS somebody.  He respects Jesus as an important rabbi, calling him "good teacher."  Jesus doesn't fall for the flattery; he reminds this man only God deserves to be called "good." 

      The rich man asks Jesus a question most of us have wondered at times:  "What must I do to inherit eternal life?"  I guess it's typical for this rich man to think in terms of an inheritance; perhaps that's how he got his money.  At any rate, don't we all want to know how we can get to heaven?  What's the key to the Kingdom, we might say?  How good do I have to be to get saved?  What's it gonna cost me?

      Jesus answers him first out of his own faith tradition.  He's a Jew, so Jesus lists some of the 10 Commandments—the ones that apply to relationships within the community.  The rich man assures Jesus he's lived his whole life according to these laws.  No problem there, he says.  I've aced the 10 big ones!

      I might be exasperated with the young man by now, but Jesus is patient.  In fact, Mark says Jesus looks on him & loves him.  Jesus is fond of this young man.  Only here in all the synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark, & Luke are we told Jesus loves an individual human being. This "love" isn't the mushy kind of emotional love we might expect but rather "agape" which is Greek for loving concern for another person without regard for that person's merits or worthiness.  Jesus loves him—& us—whether or not he or we deserve it.  Jesus wants a relationship with this young man & invites him into relationship.  Jesus offers a call to this rich man just as he has called other disciples.  Further, this is the only time recorded in the gospels where the personal call of Jesus is rejected.

      What are the verbs Jesus uses in his response to the young man.  Jesus issues 5 commands to the rich man in one sentence:  go, sell, give, come, & follow.  The rich man doesn't have to do anything to earn Jesus' love; he already has that.  Jesus already loves each of us, no matter what we've done or not done.  Jesus wants relationship with us & invites us to discipleship yet leaves us free to respond.  Jesus tells this rich man that, in order to respond fully to the invitation to discipleship, he has to make some choices in his life.  That's where the 5 action verbs come in.

      First, Jesus tells the young man to go & sell.  The young man must get free of his possessions—not just some of them but all of them—whatever he owns. For this man, eternal life—which he's asking Jesus for—is just one more possession, & he figures he can buy it just like he's bought things he wanted all his life.  In fact, because we see that the rich man goes away shocked & grieving, we know that he doesn't just possess his possessions; his possessions own HIM. 

      This reminds me of how dependent I've become on my computer.  It wouldn't print my sermon last night, & furthermore, some of the icons for italics & bold print & such disappeared, so I got really crazy about it.  I finally had to e-mail a copy to the church computer, & I forgot several things I had intended to say.  It was as if I couldn't do my job without the computer.  How crazy!  I've spent most of my adult life doing just fine without a computer, but I have to have mine working now.

      What possessions do you have which own you, which run at least part of your life?  About a year ago, after Hurricane Ike, many folks had to function for an extended time without air conditioning or lights or the ability to cook meals.  But even those inconveniences were nothing like those in Galveston who lost their houses & offices & schools.  However, your loss might not even be a physical possession.  It might be an image you have of yourself which you can't let go of.  You simply can't believe that you've lost your job.  Or physical ailments hamper your ability to do things you took for granted in the past.  Possessions aren't always things we hold in our hands.  What possesses you?

      Jesus' second order to the rich man is to give the money to the poor.  The disciples are astounded that Jesus asks the young man to relinquish his wealth since it was a common assumption that riches were indication of God's favor.  Do we also sometimes believe that those who have ample resources are more loved by God?  Not so.  We are equally precious in God's eyes.

      Jesus tells the young man to give whatever it is that's standing between him & discipleship to someone who needs it worse than he.  Does this mean that we ought to become impoverished in order to follow Jesus?  For most of us, Jesus would call us to evaluate sincerely where we can be more frugal in our lifestyle in order to share more of our resources with those who have little.  Jesus is helping us see we always have something to give & there's always someone who needs it worse than we do.

        As the long, hot summer reminded us, we all have responsibility to care for our earth, & "going green" is no longer an option for those who are tree-huggers; it's a necessity for all who want our children & grandchildren to have a fruitful, healthy environment.  Each of us needs to participate in being a good steward of our resources, giving back a generous portion to God.  Participating in the ongoing stewardship of Hope so we can meet our obligations through 2009 is one way we can give as Jesus challenged the young man to do.  For the rich man, he needed to give sacrificially.  Otherwise, he wasn't really opening himself up to God's being first in his life.  Are you & I doing so?

      The last two commands Jesus gives to the rich man are come and follow me.  Remember, this is a "call" story.  Jesus wants relationship with the rich man, & to have that relationship, the man has to lay aside that which has been his god & get off his duff & become a follower, a disciple.  He's got to act.  He can't sit around & give 1000 excuses why he can't go.  Neither can we! 

      Mark's gospel emphasizes that Jesus expects his disciples to renounce the old life & get on with life in the Christian community.  When a person is baptized in the Episcopal Church, we are asked to renounce 3 things: (1)Satan & all the spiritual forces of wickedness that rebel against God, (2)the evil powers of this world which corrupt & destroy the creatures of God, & (3)all sinful desires that draw us from the love of God.  On All Saints' Day, the first of November, we'll have several children presented for baptism, & we will all renew our baptismal vows.  Please plan to be here to affirm once again the covenant of baptism & to support these children we agree to help their parents to rear in the Christian faith & community.

      The next question is "Do you turn to Jesus Christ & accept him as your Savior?" Throughout our lives, we must recommit to this turning around, this change of direction & orientation of life, which Jesus asks of the rich man.  Can you answer "I do," & show it in your subsequent actions?

      We must regularly evaluate our own lives & make these questions personal.  What in your life is the Satan, the spiritual forces of wickedness which keeps you captive? What spirit of rebellion have you not yet let go of?  What evil powers in this world corrupt & destroy you?  What sinful desires draw you from the love of God?  This covenant is found on pages 304 & 305 of the  Book of Common Prayer. 

      Jesus is telling this man—& later tells his disciples—that entrance into the Kingdom of God demands our best obedience, yet the best we ourselves can do is not enough to achieve the abundant life we seek.  No, we can't earn it; we can't DO anything.  It's not any more possible than it is possible for a camel to go through a needle's eye.  Don't believe the folks who tell you Jesus' comparison here is about a camel having to unburden himself to go through a small door in the wall in Jerusalem.  That makes a nice story, but there's not one shred of evidence that such a door existed in Jesus' time.  The whole point is that it is really impossible for a camel to go through the eye of a needle.  Frederick Buechner updates the image:  "for a rich man to get to Heaven is about as easy as for a Cadillac to get through a revolving door."  It's impossible for us to work hard enough to earn our place in God's Kingdom either.  This isn't about our earning anything.  It's about God's gift to us.  As Jesus says, "for with God all things are possible." 

      Then what's all this about renouncing the old life & being open to the new?  Isn't it to earn eternal life?  Nope.  It's not about being worthy of anything.  It's about responding to the grace & mercy God has already offered us by letting go of whatever gets in the way of our receiving that agape love Jesus holds out to us.  The real tragedy of this story is that the rich man goes away shocked & grieving, unable to accept the gift of love which Jesus offers in God's name.  It's right there.  Jesus holds it out to him.  If this were a movie, we'd all be cheering at this point like the folks do to encourage the kid running for home plate at a Little League game.  But the rich man can't let loose of those possessions in order to accept the life abundant that Jesus offers.  How incredibly sad! 

      Jesus' disciples ask in exasperation, "Then who can be saved?"  And Jesus says, "All of you.  Anyone willing to let go of those things that keep him or her burdened down & unable to come & follow me.  Come on.  You can do it!  All of you can do it!  The offer stands, & I've already made the sacrifice.  Come join the community & we can travel together." 

      Jesus is still saying, "Come; follow me!"  We don't have a separate altar call in the Episcopal Church.  But we're all called to come forward to share in the community meal of Eucharist.  Then we're invited to participate fully in the joys & responsibilities of the Christian community, continuing in worship, study, fellowship, & spreading the good news of Christ to all we encounter.  None of us needs to go away sorrowful like the rich young man.  We can pray for the courage to let go & let God lead us to more abundant life, right here & now.

Pentecost 18

By The Rev. Martha Frances+

Year B, Pentecost 18, Proper 22

4 October 2009

Text:  Mark 10: 2-16

Other Readings: Job 1: 1; 2: 1-10; Psalm 26; Hebrews 1: 1-4; 2: 5-12 

      Jesus said, ". . . from the beginning of creation, 'God made them male & female'. . . .'For this reason, a man shall leave his father & mother & be joined to his wife, & the two shall become one flesh.'  So they are no longer two, but one flesh.  Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate."  The Pharisees had come to test Jesus with a question about divorce, but Jesus reframed the conversation & introduced God's purpose in creation.  God intended for humans to be in relationship with one another including partnerships so close that a husband & wife become as one.

      Jesus is pretty clear that God's intention is that couples be in such a close relationship that divorce is unthinkable.  When Jesus is asked about the limit of the law about divorce, he responds not about what people are allowed to get away with but how God intended us to live together in harmony & equality. 

      Some of you may be in such a union with your first spouse, & your marriage mirrors God's intention as Jesus describes it. Or you & your spouse may be working on making a marriage more effective & more loving, more a gift from God. If so, that is wonderful, & we in the church promise to affirm that relationship & uphold it every way we can.  Do you remember that promise we make at every wedding:  "Will all of you witnessing these promises do all in your power to uphold these two persons in their marriage?"  That's a sacred vow we in the Christian community make for couples in our midst.  One reason I liked both the books we read in groups this year, The Shack and same kind of different As Me, is that neither marriage was perfect, but both couples chose to stay in them & work on them so they would more closely resemble God's intention in marriage.

      However, as I look around this congregation today, I'm aware that many of us have not found ourselves in such a fruitful lifelong marriage.  Some of you will probably relate to my own experience.  When I have heard Jesus' saying regarding divorce, I cringe, reminded that I wasn't able to make one marriage work, no matter how hard I tried. 

      Many years ago, I remarried too soon after having been widowed.  I was alone & pregnant, fearful of how my baby & I would manage by ourselves.  A charming young man reappeared, someone whom my first husband & I had known.  He made me feel young, loved & played with my son, & promised to share life with us.  What a deal!  Fast forward 3 years, our 2^nd son just 11 months old, when that same young man came to me, saying he wanted a divorce.  By then, we were ½ way round the world in Munich, Germany, & even our return to this country to try to put the marriage back together didn't work.  Determined he wanted a divorce, he took off cross country before the decree was final. 

      Perhaps my story sounds familiar to some of you?  I was devastated, my parents were torn up since this was the first divorce in our family, & so began several years of my boys growing up with a single working mother who barely made enough money to keep the boys in day care.  Life was pretty bleak in those days, & passages like today's scripture made me feel defeated & guilty that we hadn't made our marriage work.  I was furious at my husband who obviously had caused this terrible thing to happen, & I'll have to tell you it was years & many AlAnon & AA meetings later before I could forgive myself or him & accept God's forgiveness for this divorce.

      Notice that today's Gospel states clearly the Pharisees wanted to test Jesus. They weren't nearly as interested in the divorce issue as they were in seeing Jesus trip himself up.  After all, this incident occurred soon after John the Baptist lost his head for criticizing Herod's marriage to Herodias, his brother's ex-wife.  The Pharisees wanted Jesus to state under what conditions a man could divorce his wife.  Remember that Jewish women had no right to divorce, so from the get-go, the law was unequal to women.  A man could divorce his wife for her serving him a meal which displeased him.  Even today there are those wanting to test how close to the line they can come without breaking a law.

      Jesus will not waste time on such questioning.  He immediately tries to help people focus on God's purpose for marriage so that their lives might be fuller & richer.  Jesus returns to God's intentions in Genesis when God gave man the privilege to name the animals & eventually made woman to be an equal partner to man.  Since none of the other creatures could fulfill this role, woman was created.  They were to cling to each other & make a life together for themselves & their children. 

      When I was single, I was trying hard to produce food on the table for 2 hungry, growing boys.  Furthermore, my boys weren't paragons of virtue politely sitting around our table.  They were more like mortal enemies as they pitched cereal bowls at each other.  I would scream at them to hurry up & get dressed & eat their breakfast so I could get them to school before going to work myself.  Chicken pox & lunch boxes, studying for graduate school while boys wanted to go to the park or for a swim!  Those years were a challenge, & I soon learned why God intended for each kid to have 2 parents. 

      Then I remarried, this time to Bill whom most of you remember.  He had 2 boys of his own.  We bought a big International Harvester Scout, so now the boys fought over who got to sit by the windows, & now the 4 vying for attention were saying, "You can't tell me what to do.  You're not my real father!  Or mother!"  On holidays, one or both of us drove 55 miles to pick up or return kids who only got ½ the day with each parent. 

      Now, don't get me wrong.  There were many glorious times, too.  I'm only mentioning some of the more chaotic moments of single motherhood & life in a blended family.  But they serve to remind us of why God intended us to live in families with 2 parents encouraging each other & rearing the kids together.  We all know that the beauty of God's creation of man & woman has been marred by human short-comings ever since.

      Jesus states the God-given intention for God's creatures, & our learning to live together in harmony goes far beyond what the law does or does not allow.  Jesus calls us to reach for the ideal in committed relationships where each one of the couple & also the children have the opportunity to grow into the self-reliant, productive people God created them for.   

      We all know, however, that we fall short of being God's own images & stewards of creation.  Many marriages fall apart, & children & adults alike have to live through the dysfunction.  In addition, some people don't learn from their first mistakes & repeat them with new partners until the circle of hurt & betrayal broadens.  Is this the life which God intended for us?  Is this the healthiest way to rear children in the world?  None of us would prefer some of the distortions of God's creation we sometimes find ourselves in yet don't know how to get out of the chaos.

      Jesus says, "Come to me all who are heavy-burdened, & I will give you rest."  Mark says Jesus began his ministry by inviting us to repent & believe the good news!  In the recovery program of Alcoholics Anonymous, we learn that, no matter what a mess our lives have become, & for whatever reason, we can turn our will & our lives over to the care of a loving God who can then guide us to healthier living.  We work the 12 steps in the presence of a supportive, non-judgmental community, opening ourselves to God's healing & love.  Here at Hope, the very structure of our worship walks us through the steps to new life if we just let it.  We're able to experience Eucharist on Sundays & now again most Wednesdays, helping us come closer to the ideal Jesus calls us to & created us for. 

      Our worship & fellowship in community can help our lives become more Christ-centered all the time.  Yesterday's BBQ & Blessing of the Animals is a wonderful example of how we can grow in community & reach out to others in our neighborhood.  The hard work of many hands & hearts allowed us to have a blessed event, grow in grace, & share God's love with others in our area, all the while raising some badly-needed funds for church & school.

      Isn't it interesting that our Gospel lesson this morning ends with Jesus' acceptance of little children whom the disciples try to turn away?  Certainly, Jesus' concern for children would include the children of divorce, & we are thankful that Jesus cares for those children at their most vulnerable times when their parents are rebuilding their lives.  But in addition, as we have considered in recent scriptures, Jesus' love of & care for children is not only a radical affirmation of people in his society who were considered no count but in broader meaning, shows Jesus' concern for all those in our community who are vulnerable—certainly widows & orphans, but also our elders & those who live alone, folks who are affected especially hard by economic difficulties, those who have physical or mental infirmities, & really all of us at difficult times in our lives.  May we be willing to reach out as individuals & church family to all whom Jesus would take in his arms, lay hands on, & bless.