"What Is This?" A Sermon on Mark 1:21-28 from Littlefield Presbyterian Church on the Fourth Sunday after Epiphany

"What Is This?"

Mark 1:21-28

What an exciting day it was at the Capernaum synagogue!  Mark tells us that the people were astounded at Jesus’ teaching, for he taught them as one with authority, and not as the scribes. Just then there was a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.”

            But Jesus rebuked him, commanding the unclean spirit to be silent and come out of him. The unclean spirit came out of the man, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice.

            The people were amazed, and kept asking, “What is this? A new teaching--with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.”

            Now, I don’t know about you, but I’ve never witnessed a dramatic exorcism like the ones we read about in the Bible. Talk about evil and demons and unclean spirits sounds strange to us. But when we pay attention to the daily news, it’s hard to deny that evil is pervasive. Many of us long for God to intervene, to bring light and wholeness.

            Where do you find yourself in the gospel story today? With the people who are ready to be astounded and amazed at what new things God is doing in the world?  Or with the people who are comfortable with the status quo…or who are afraid of change and want Jesus to leave the neighborhood?

            What happens in the Capernaum synagogue develops into the conflict that’s a major theme throughout Mark’s gospel.  In the 11^th chapter of Mark—and also Matthew 21-- the religious establishment-- the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders come to Jesus after he cleanses the Temple, demand to know:  "By what authority are you doing these things?  Who gave you this authority to do them?" What we have here is a matter of authority, in Jesus' time and, I believe, in our own time as well.  

            There has always been a danger that we will use the scriptures to confirm what we already think...  and that we will hear only what we want to hear.   

            Many Germans once found in the Bible justification for slaughtering millions of Jews or at least justification not to resist the Nazi regime’s actions.  Because they wanted to keep their human property, many American Christians once argued from the Bible that it is right to buy and sell human beings as if they were animals. 

            Mean-spirited people tend to find a mean God in the Bible.  Comfortable, privileged people usually find that the Bible supports social and political conservatism that won’t interfere with their power and privilege.  Poor, exploited people may find that the Bible supports social and political reform or revolution.

            So, what is to keep us from simply using the Bible to give authority to our own agendas and prejudices?  What is to prevent us from using the Bible as a pious excuse for refusing to face the radical claims the living God makes on every area of our lives, here and now?

            In our Reformed tradition, one of the essential beliefs of our faith is a recognition of the human tendency to make idols and to oppress those who have less power than we do.  The positive part of that belief is our belief that we are called by God to work to transform society by seeking justice and living in obedience to the Word of God.

            This is a time of great turmoil in the world and in Christ's church.   During another time of turmoil, Martin Luther and John Calvin and other reformers challenged the religious establishment of their times and brought about the Protestant Reformation.   Later, abolitionists challenged the status quo in a church that tolerated or actively supported the institution of slavery.  The traditional view of women's role in the church was challenged when we were permitted to be ordained as elders, deacons, and ministers of the word and sacrament.

            None of these changes were comfortable.   Change is hard...  and painful.  Sometimes it's hard to discern God's will for us, as individuals or as the church, in the midst of complex, divisive issues.   People who advocated for the changes were seen as “fanatical"...   "immoral"... "subversive"… or heretical.

            The God we worship is not a tame God.  If we aren’t continually astounded and amazed by Jesus’ authority, we may be missing something important. We need to be praying about this.

            Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, came proclaiming the good news of God and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent--change-- and believe in the good news.

            The scribes and others we hear about in the gospel who resisted Jesus and his message weren't bad people.  But they didn't know what to do with Jesus when he came proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God, telling people to repent-- to change-- and trust in the good news.  They couldn’t imagine another way of living faithfully in the world. They had a hard time trusting in what Jesus said about how he came to bring us a life of abundance, where everyone can have enough if we all share. So, whenever Jesus challenged the status quo, they questioned his authority.  Some wanted him to go away and leave things the way they were.

             

            As followers of Jesus Christ, we confess that Jesus is Lord of our life.   We're called to trust in Jesus.  We're invited to continually be amazed at the truth and grace and freedom we find in his teaching...  and his power to even cast out unclean spirits.

              Over the past 2,000 plus years Christians have continually needed to ask in every new time, place, and situation, “What is the living Lord saying and doing, here and now?  What do we need to say and do in order to be faithful and obedient in our time and place?"

           

One of the reasons the church exists is to speak and act consistently with God’s character and purpose—like Jesus did. In today’s lesson about Jesus and the unclean spirit, Jesus doesn’t make compromises with evil.  He acts to defeat evil so people can be set free for new life.  He sets them free from what possesses them. He heals them of what ails them.

Jesus’ authority did not come from military power or wealth or social standing.  His authority is from God, who has the ability to deliver and to heal, to convict and to forgive, to cleanse and to raise from the dead.

There’s an urgency in Mark’s gospel to recognize that Jesus makes a claim on our lives. Christ calls us to work together, in partnership with him, to confront and overcome the harmful and destructive forces in our lives and in the world around us.

As you may know, our Engage Book Group read the Rev. William Barber’s book, The Third Reconstruction,[1] a while ago and were challenged by it.  Some of us have gone to hear Rev. Barber speak, and some of us have been praying about how we might be part of the new Poor Peoples Campaign, which will be forty days of action from Mother’s Day to the Summer Solstice.

This year marks the 50^th anniversary of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s death and of the Poor People’s Campaign, through which Dr. King was working to unite diverse groups impacted by poverty and injustice. The campaign was carried out that spring and summer after Dr. King’s death.[2]

            Fifty years later, the work is not done.  The four evils that the new Poor Peoples Campaign is taking on are four interlocking issues: systemic racism, poverty, the war economy, and ecological devastation. This national movement is working to bring together interfaith clergy, community leaders, and faith-based and community groups.

Can we say we believe in the in-breaking of God’s kingdom in the world if we don’t commit ourselves to bringing it to the people for whom God’s kingdom has been denied- so far-- people who lack basics like safe water to drink, adequate shelter, good education, health care, and a chance to have a place at the table in our society?

As the people of God, we are called to share the good news of God’s love with all the people God loves. We’re called to help the world recognize the miracle of grace and abundance that is offered to all people in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  We don’t have to do it alone.

            The good news is that in this broken and fearful world, the Spirit gives us courage to pray without ceasing, to witness among all peoples to Christ as Lord and Savior, to unmask idolatries in Church and culture, to hear the voices of peoples long silenced, and to work with others for justice, freedom, and peace.

            In gratitude to God, empowered by the Spirit, we strive to Christ in our daily lives, even as we watch for God’s new heaven and new earth, praying, “Come, Lord Jesus!”[3]

            May it be so!

            Amen!

Rev. Fran Hayes, Pastor

Littlefield Presbyterian Church

Dearborn, Michigan

January 28, 2018

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[1] Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove and William Barber II, The Third Reconstruction: How a Moral Movement Is Overcoming the Politics of Division and Fear (Beacon Press, 2016).

[2] For more information, please see: https://poorpeoplescampaign.org/

[3] “A Brief Statement of Faith” of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), 1990.

"Every Knee Shall Bow." A sermon from Littlefield Presbyteria Church on World Communion and Peacemaking Sunday.

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr and other civil rights activists kneel in prayer.

"Every Knee Shall Bow"

Philippians 2:1-13; Matthew 21:23-32

In the gospel lesson we heard today, Jesus is in Jerusalem. He has entered the city with the crowds cheering and shouting “Hosanna!”. He cleansed and occupied the Temple. On the second day, Jesus’ opponents begin a series of five challenges that try to undermine his authority.

            In this first challenge, the chief priests and elders of the people-- the religious authorities who pose the question-- are the very ones who will later conspire to have him arrested and put to death.  They demand to know: "By what authority are you doing these things?  Who gave you this authority to do them?"

            Jesus avoids their trap and turns the tables on the religious leaders with a question of his own: “Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?” Then he tells the parable of the two sons and asks, “Which son does the will of his father?”

            There’s a lot in this parable--probably enough for more than one sermon. One of the things I hear in the parable is that the future is open. God is here, inviting each of us into a future that holds the possibility of receiving God’s grace, repenting of things we’ve done, returning to right relationship with God and others, and receiving the future as open and full of grace and hope.

            We live in a time of great division over politics and beliefs and values and race-- things that people feel very strongly about.   In the midst of this divisiveness, how are we called to live, as followers of Jesus?

            Over the past week, I’ve been following the conflict over the NFL. Early in the week, one of my Facebook friends who is a professor of New Testament, pointed to the Philippians text.  Heads up!

            Writing from prison, the apostle Paul has been encouraging the church at Philippi to “live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.”[1]  He goes on to appeal for community unity and individual humility. He asks the church to “make his joy complete” by being “of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.” 

            Along with unity, Paul is appealing for humility. This humility is grounded in Christ’s “humbling” himself to the point of crucifixion.

            Christ comes very near, and works in us. “God is the one working in you both the willing and the working.” God gives us the desire and energy to be instruments of Christ’s compassion in the world.  Paul exhorts the Philippians to “work out their salvation.” But this isn’t their private, individual destiny, but the quality of their corporate life, as it is lived in Christ. Paul has already described this quality of life in terms of mutual love and affection, sharing in the Spirit, unity, humility, putting others first--and all of this “in Christ.”

In your relationships with one another,

let the same mindset be in you that was in Christ Jesus,

who though he was in the form of God,

did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited,

but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave,

Being born in human likeness.

And being found in human form, he humbled himself

And became obedient to the point of death--even death on a cross.

Therefore, God also exalted him

And gave him the name

That is above every name,

So that at the name of Jesus

Every knee should bend,

In heaven and on earth and under the earth,

And every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,

To the glory of God the Father.[3]

            At the name of Jesus, every knee should bend.

            There’s been a lot of conversation lately about kneeling, or “taking a knee.”

             Many people have been offended or annoyed by the players who take a knee during the national anthem, while many others have supported them. 

            Those who are offended are saying things like, “They’re disrespecting the flag!” “They’re disrespecting the Anthem!” “They’re disrespecting the military!”

            Those who say this ignore what the protesters have said repeatedly about why they’re kneeling.

            Last week Eric Reid wrote in the New York Times that he began paying attention to reports about the numbers of unarmed black people being killed by police. One in particular brought him to tears: the killing of Alton Sterling in his hometown.  He wrote, “I wanted to do something, but didn’t know what or how to do it. All I knew for sure is that I wanted it to be as respectful as possible.”

            A few weeks later, during pre-season, his teammate Colin Kaepernick chose to sit on the bench during the National Anthem to protest police brutality, but nobody noticed for a few weeks. When his protest gained national attention, the backlash against him began.

            Eric Reid wrote, “That’s when my faith moved me to take action. I looked to James 2:17, which states, ‘Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.’ I knew I needed to stand up for what is right.”

            He and Kaepernick talked.  Then they had a meeting with Nate Boyer, a former Green Beret and Seattle Seahawks long-snapper. Boyer said he saw in the quarterback a person who wanted to make his message about racial injustice in the country clear, but who also wanted to find a better way to do it

which is when they decided that it would be better, more respectful to the military, to kneel.  Boyer remembers they talked about how people take a knee to pray. In the military, when they’re exhausted on patrol, they say take a knee and face out. They take a knee as a sign of respect in front of a brother’s grave site.[4]

             

            I imagine there are people here today who have felt offended or disapproving about how some have been “taking a knee” during the National Anthem and that there are others who support their nonviolent protest.  Maybe some just feel uncomfortable being reminded of racial injustice and wish people would stop talking about it. Maybe some feel conflicted about it and are struggling.

            I’m not here to tell anybody which side they should be on in this controversy.  What I am called to do is to continually proclaim God’s word, and keep reminding us that we are all called to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God,[5] and to keep asking us to think and pray about what that looks like for us today. What does it look like for us to be humble and to look to the interests of others?

            I think that humbling ourselves requires us to listen, to open ourselves to understanding and being in solidarity with others, especially those who are oppressed, including trying to understand why someone would decide to use whatever platform or opportunity they have for peaceful protest of injustice.

            Colin Kaepernick and some of the others who are protesting are our brothers and sisters in Christ.

            Kaepernick is a Christian who was baptized Methodist, confirmed Lutheran and attended a Baptist church during his college years.  He has a Bible scroll with Psalm 18:39 tattooed on his right arm. Underneath is written “To God be the Glory.”

            Is it possible that Kaepernick and some others kneel not out of disrespect but as an act of faith?

            I keep thinking about the kneeling and how Kaepernick decided to kneel rather than sit after talking with a veteran. But I keep thinking there’s a link to his Christian faith.

            Kneeling can show respect or reverence. It can show humility.  Many churches, especially Catholic churches, have kneelers. I remember that to take communion in the Methodist church in which I grew up, you had to go forward and kneel at the railing to receive communion.  In the church, over the centuries, kneeling has been seen as a holy, worshipful act.[6]

            Some of the beautiful things about our nation are our diversity… our freedom of religion--freedom to practice any religion we choose or not to practice any religion-- and separation of church and state.

            On my Grandmother Frances’ side of the family, I have Brethren in Christ roots, which is part of the Anabaptist tradition, which came out of Radical Reformation.  Within the Anabaptist tradition, it is believed that it is a denial of their Christian faith to pledge their allegiance to anyone or anything other than to Jesus, and it’s common to abstain from symbolic acts such as displaying the flag or singing the national anthem.  There is also a deep appreciation that they live in a country where religious differences are tolerated and gratitude for the freedoms we enjoy, including the freedom for conscientious objectors whose scruples prevent them from bearing arms in the military to perform alternative service  

            As a Presbyterian, I remember that John Calvin wrote, “The human mind is a perpetual factory of idols.” [7]

            Among the great themes of the Reformed tradition listed in our Presbyterian Book of Order is “the recognition of the human tendency to idolatry and tyranny, which calls the people of God to work for the transformation of society by seeking justice and living in obedience to the Word of God.”[8]

             As I followed the commentary this week and meditated on the questions of authority and the call to humility and unity in our scripture lessons, I kept remembering what the John Pavlovitz suggested in a post:

            “Maybe we should all be kneeling right now….

            “And instead of demonizing Colin Kaepernick and instead of blaming shooting victims, and instead of shouting down our brothers and sisters of color as they mourn—we should be listening to them.
            “More than that, we should be saying with our presence and our pain and our social media voices and our dollars, that we are grieving alongside them; that this is not okay with us, that this is not the America we want either.”[9]

            On this World Communion Sunday, we celebrate our unity with our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world.  We celebrate the good news that Christ has broken down the dividing wall between people...  and that Christ is our peace.^[10]  

             Today, Christians come together around the Lord's Table-- the one place where we are one, no matter what our race, or language, or nationality or theology or politics.

            As we come to celebrate this sacred feast with our brothers and sisters in the faith, let us pray that we may be filled with Christ's passionate dislike of whatever keeps us from his peace. Let us heed those in our time those who raise a prophetic voice against the ways of injustice and oppression and call God's people back to God's ways of righteousness and peace, and let us remember them each day in our prayers.

            As we eat the bread and drink from the cup, may we do so in thankfulness for the unity we find in Christ...  and in willingness to go out to be God's peacemakers in the world.

            Amen! 

Rev. Fran Hayes, Pastor

Littlefield Presbyterian Church

Dearborn, Michigan

October 1, 2017

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[1]Philippians 1:27-30

[2] Susan Eastman, in “Commentary on Philippians 2:1-13, at Working Preacher. http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=1009

[3] Philippians 2

[4] Nick Wagoner, “From a seat to a knee: How Colin Kaepernick and Nate Boyer are trying to effect change. http://www.espn.com/blog/san-francisco-49ers/post/_/id/19253/from-a-seat-to-a-knee-how-colin-kaepernick-and-nate-boyer-are-trying-to-affect-change

[5] Micah 6:8

[6] Angela Denker, “Colin Kaepernick and the powerful, religious act of kneeling.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2017/09/24/colin-kaepernick-and-the-powerful-religious-act-of-kneeling/?utm_term=.2da79f11637a

[7] Jean Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion (1560), Book 1, Chapter XI, section 8.

[8] Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Book of Order 2015-2017, F-2.05.

[9] https://johnpavlovitz.com/2017/09/26/protests-arent-flag-anthem-military-know/

^[10]Ephesians 2:14-

.