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Location: Hattiesburg, Mississippi, United States

Sunday, September 27, 2009

17th Sunday after Pentecost 09/27/09 Text: Mark 9:38-50

17th Sunday after Pentecost
09/27/09
Text: Mark 9:38-50
Title God’s peace be with you.
This morning we are continuing with our study of Mark. You might not have noticed but in the first Sunday of September our readings, particularly the Gospel readings took a new direction. Unlike the world, we in following the rich tradition handed down to us from generation to generation for almost 1900 years are focusing on Jesus preparing his disciples for his death. And in doing so we too are being taught about the significance of Jesus’ death and resurrection, for not only our eternal lives, but also for our lives, as we live them today.
The Orthodox Christian church of which we are a part of makes this shift because we are coming to the end of the church year November 22. The next Sunday is the start of the new church year, the season of Advent when the focus of the texts shift once more to not what the world is focused on, that is the commercial Christmas, but the Second Advent, that is the coming of Jesus in all his glory, as he calls all people from their grave to be reunited with their souls to either spend eternity in hell if they rejected God’s grace or eternity in heaven if they believed and trusted in Jesus as their Savior.
The Sunday before Christmas another shift is made with the Gospel reading concerning the announcement to Mary that she would be the God bearer. That takes us to Christmas Eve when the Christian church starts its celebration of the birth of Christ, unlike the commercial Christmas which will start dismantling its displays the day after Christmas, so that within a few days Christmas packed up and forgotten about until next year. On the other hand while the commercial Christmas is being put away the Orthodox Christian Church, which we are a part of, will be continuing in its celebration of the Lord’s birth for 10 more days.
You might be wondering why I am telling you all this today. It is because this time in the church year is confusing to many people. Until I studied quite some time ago why the particular readings for this time and up to Christmas Eve are read I could not get the reasoning behind the particular readings for each Sunday. They just did not seem to fit with the upcoming holidays. But that is okay; for every since Adam and Eve brought sin into God’s wonderful creation the world has been upside down.
While this place in which you and I live is upside down the Orthodox Christian church which we are a part of is giving us a taste of what it means to live right side up, for it is not focusing on parties, and overspending, and such. The Orthodox Christian church is doing what Jesus did so long ago with his disciples. It is teaching us what it means to live in a right side up kingdom, even if it is just for a short time on Sunday morning
We are going to struggle with living between the two worlds the kingdom of the world and the kingdom of God just as the disciples did so long ago, but just like them we are reconciled to God by Jesus’ death.
While many Christians acknowledge and truly believe that Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection they miss out on the importance of that historical fact in their daily lives. Many, it is sad to say live as if Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection have absolutely nothing to do with the present. They only see God’s work on their behalf as something that is in the future after they have died. While Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection are all about our eternal life after our earthly death, our knowledge and faith in his work of reconciliation should affect our lives in how we live in the here and now.
I say this because in the readings for the past Sundays we saw Jesus teaching his disciples what it means to be a disciple, as he prepares them for his death and resurrection. He is trying, and sometimes not, in fact quite often not, succeeding in getting his message across. It is not the fault of Jesus, but of the disciples, who just like us are quite often full of themselves as they think in terms of the kingdom of the world and not the kingdom of God.
Jesus is patient. He rebukes when he needs to, not in a mean spirit, but always in a loving way, for he wants his disciples that is us too, to get it. He wants us to know that even though we live in the kingdom of the world that we do not belong to it. We are only temporally passing through, for we are as followers of Christ living in God’s kingdom where the rules are not the same as the kingdom of the world where it is all about getting ahead of everyone else. Where it does not make any difference how you do it, just don’t get caught, where you help others because they will help you, where you use people for your advantage and then throw them away, where you stack up riches for yourself.
That is the way those of the world think, but it has not place in God’s kingdom. God’s kingdom is different. It is one of putting others before self. It is one of forgiveness, of not holding grudges even if the person that offended you does not ask for forgiveness. It is of realizing that one’s entire life, all of what they have is not theirs but God’s; given to us so that we might use it to show Jesus’ love to those in need.
You see to be a follower of Jesus is to try to have the heart of Jesus, for we, as followers are his hands, his feet, his mouth, his ears, his heart, as the Holy Spirit works within us prepared for us to do before the creation of time.
That is why 3 weeks ago we learned along with the disciples that it is not our power that allows us to do God’s work, but it is God’s power received through faith and prayer. Last week we learned that being number one is not what being a follower of Jesus is about, for when a person has to be number one in whatever area of life they desire that status they are not doing the will of God, for the will of God for us is to be last, for as he tells us then we will be first in his eyes.
This week our Gospel lesson teaches us several lessons. First, it teaches that it is not a particular church or denomination that that saves you, for if you are being taught the truth and there is only one truth about God you are saved. It is in that truth that your good works are pleasing to God.
The second thing we are taught in our Gospel reading for today is that we are to do nothing, absolutely nothing to harm or potentially harm the faith of anyone, particularly the faith of a new believer. In verse 42 where Jesus is talking of causing a little one to sin he is not talking about a child as he did last week. It is a different Greek word one that means someone young, not age wise but young in according to the context young in faith, in other words a new Christian. We need to be careful with our words and actions toward each other.
The third thing we learn in this Gospel is that God is serious about sin. he tells us that it is better to chop off the offending part rather than spend eternity in hell. He is not, and I repeat not, saying to actually cut off the offending member. If that were true none of us would be able to speak would we, for we all know how the tongue gets us in trouble. It is not a particular part of the body that gets us in trouble. What gets us in trouble is our minds, for out of our minds, or as we commonly say, “out of our hearts springs all types of evils.”
Our Gospel reading closes as Jesus is talking about being pure. He starts off by saying that everyone will be salted with fire. Now that does not make sense unless you understand that salt was and still is used today as a preservative. Back in the time this Gospel was written salt was the preservative of choice. Salt preserved the food, so that it had value and could be used for its intended purpose.
Fire much like salt preserves, in that it, if used to properly to dry or cook food keeps food from rotting. But being salted with fire carries a much deeper meaning in God’s Holy Word, for fire in the Bible is not always used to destroy, but to purify. As gold ore is heated the impurities settle out and you are let with pure gold. We are the gold even though we still have impurities which will finally be completely gotten rid of in our death.
Our Gospel reading closes with what should describe every Christian congregation. “Have salt in yourselves, and be as peace with one another.” What he is saying is simply this, “Believe in Jesus as your Savior. Stay in the Word of God, for that is the salt that keeps us in the faith, and you will be at peace with each other just as I made peace between you and the Father when I died on the cross. Peace be with you. Amen.