Love, Love and More Love

October 28, 2018

Christ and his followers have made it to Jericho…a city only 20 miles from Jerusalem.  As we have moved through Mark’s Gospel, we’ve talked about a lot of things.  We heard Christ’s words of amputation and what they mean to us.  We have witnessed Jesus embracing and empowering children.  We learned of the rich man who was held captive by his possessions and rendered powerless.  We’ve studied the seemingly central theme of servanthood…the first will be last and the last will be first.

To set the scene for this morning’s lesson from this same Gospel, we need to realize, that these are Jesus’ final days.  The journey he and the disciples are on ends at the cross.  And we know that this isn’t a secret; three times in Mark, Christ has predicted his own passion.  Peter first claimed there is no way this could happen.  The second time, no one was brave enough to speak up about their confusion…and after the way Jesus corrected Peter, who could blame them?  The third, and final time, James and John were more concerned with their position….

I can’t imagine how Jesus felt.  Because, remember, He is fully human just like you and me.  The fact that he has foretold his passion 3 times shows us how much it is weighing on his mind.  It would be weighing on mine too…to the point that if I knew where/when/how I was going to die, I probably wouldn’t be able to think about anything else! 

So, Jesus…knowing he was heading, walking with his disciples, hears a man yelling his name.  He looks over, and it’s a blind man, literally on the side of the street.  But this man wouldn’t just remain a “blind man” to us.  He is one of two miracles where we know the name of the person suffering:  Bartimaeus.  He isn’t the lame man, or the bleeding woman, or the near-dead daughter of a Temple leader or 5,000 hungry people…he is Bartimaeus. 

As Bartimaeus is yelling out to Christ, others can be heard telling him to hush…because, after all, Jesus was a busy man and was surrounded by people who wanted to either protect his time, or free up more of it for themselves.  But Christ hears this named man and his pleas and standing still, calls Bartimaeus to Him.  Christ, similar to the other miracles, askes Bartimaeus “What do you want”.  Bartimaeus says I want to see.  Jesus responds “your faith has made you see…” and with that, Bartimaeus joins Christ and his followers from Jericho to Jerusalem.

Today’s lection is a short one.  When there’s several verses, it’s a virtual literary feast for sermon development.  But, when I see 7 short sentences, I’ll admit I panic a little. 

And as I began to see the truth in these 7 short verses, I began to panic a little more…because they were leading to a place I wasn’t comfortable going.

It took me back to basics.  Back to who we are…or rather who we’re supposed to be as Christians.  We call ourselves Christians because we belong to the religion named Christianity.  We follow the teachings of Christ, and seek to model ourselves after him, who was fully human, fully divine and lived a perfect life free of sin.  We aren’t capable of attaining that fully diving and perfect part in these bodies, I don’t think that’s any secret.  So, with that acknowledgement, I think we can all agree that we aren’t expected to experience the same passion as Christ, nor are we expected to heal the lame and restore sight to the blind.  So what are we expected to do?  Exactly how are we to be like Christ? 

In our love.  It’s that simple.  But…is it?

There are 37 unique named miracles performed by Christ in the New Testament.  The majority of these miracles were performed to benefit individuals, not groups.  And if you’ll think about these miracles, most of them were to alleviate some physical disability or mourning.  Why else, then, would Jesus perform these merciful miracles, if not for love?

 We know this…and we know that Christ died for our sins because he Loves us and God send Christ because He loves us…and we affirm that love is the central theme of not only the New Testament but the whole Bible….

So, do we love the way Christ loved? 

If we think about today’s verses, we see the Jesus who showed love and mercy to Bartimaeus wasn’t a Jesus who was care free without a worry in the world.  Jesus was, at this point, days away from the crucifixion.  Days.  Put yourself in His shoes.  If you knew you were not only making the final leg of your one way trip to die, but to be rejected, beat, and humiliated before dying the most horrific death known at that time, would we have heard that blind man calling our name?  Probably.  I can say that yes, I would hear him.  Would I respond?  Would I be able to put myself aside and go to this man and give him the pardon and mercy I would not be receiving?  I actually don’t think I would be able to. 

I was born with this rare birth defect to my ribcage and sternum.  I was lucky enough to win the 1 in 80,000 pectus excavatum lottery, but not the Powerball.  So in 2006, I had what I was told would be my last surgery.  This was the fix all to be all fix alls.  And with good reason…it was an 11 hour surgery which involved removing most of my sternum, all the cartilage and some ribs.  I woke up feeling like I had been ran over by a caravan of 18 wheelers.  So June 2017, I was in Miami doing a talk about heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, and shortly after landing I became real short of breath.  Like, hardly able to breathe.  Truth be known I hadn’t been taking care of myself and traveling nonstop and I really thought the odds had got me and I had developed a PE, and/or DVT because my legs were also swelling.  So, off to radiology I went to get an Xray.  Oh to my surprise when the tech said “you need to look at this”…because when the adult in the situation calls on you, it’s a big problem.  And there it was…in all its horror…the metal plate that held my chest and sternum had broken.  Titanium…snapped in half.  I never felt it, had no idea when it happened…but it fractured my sternum in the process, which caused my heart and lungs to be severely compromised…hence the swelling and shortness of breath. 

At that point I mentally ceased to function.  I couldn’t review my notes with the person who agreed to step in and give my presentations…I couldn’t even think about that.  I was so inside my own head with dread and fear…it was all I could do to keep a nervous breakdown at bay while I tried to get an immediate flight home…

Well, that really paled in comparison to the situation Jesus was in.  And as I was trying to get home to my surgeon (because Miami didn’t have a surgeon who could perform this procedure because there’s only about 50 in the whole world), if someone would have called out to me for help I’m afraid of what my response would have been.  It would not have been the response of Christ, welcoming this man to me and showing him mercy and love. 

Jesus got outside of himself completely.  He chose to make himself last, and make Bartimaeus first.  Jesus was marching off to die…living out his final days, and he healed Bartimaeus.  Because of this simple act of love, Bartimaeus no longer had to be a beggar.  He was given a new life.

Are we able to see the people around us…friends, family and strangers…those suffering, mourning, in pain, hungry, and fighting battles we can’t even dream about.  Us…who aren’t dying, who have every privilege in the world…are we truly being Christ like?  Are we showing love?  So much love that without hesitation our needs become irrelevant and we put the needs of others first because we are truly concerned with them?

I don’t.  I’d venture to say you don’t either. 

We do try…goodness knows we try.  But I don’t really know if this is something we are actually able to do…if this is a plain or station we are able to achieve.  Because of a condition we all share…the human condition.

So…if we can’t get there, should we even run the race?  YES. 

OK…so if I’m to love, love without restrictions, borders, or hesitation…who do I show love?  Do I show it to people like me?  Yes…and you also show it to people not like you, people you like, people you don’t like, people you can’t stand…get the picture?

That’s hard.  That’s really hard.  There are some people I just don’t care for…and if I wanted I could use the Bible to justify why I don’t like them…maybe I don’t agree with something they’re doing, or don’t like what they stand for, or something else…

But you know what?  Jesus doesn’t care.  Jesus never said draw lines…and I don’t know much, but I do know that when you draw lines, Jesus is standing over with the people who you drew the line to keep out.  You can’t love the sinner and hate the sin.  You can’t love those people, but….  Love doesn’t have conditions…love doesn’t hold back….

See how hard that is?  We have to try.  We have to honestly, truly, with all our heart try.  And the amazing thing is we don’t have to go it alone.  We have this amazing companion…the Holy Spirit…who is able and willing to guide us and remove the doubt, fear, hatred and the humanness we are burdened with. 

Will you pray with me?

Almighty God, we pray that you open our eyes, and restore our sight just as you did for Bartimaeus.  Help us to see all the people…the people in pain, the people who mourn, the people who need our love.  And help us…empower and enable us to share truly selfless love with them.  Give us the courage to overcome our prejudices and stumbling blocks.  In Christ’s name, Amen.

Jesus called....

October 14, 2018

Is there anything you can’t find out online?  I went online this week to see if the Publisher’s Clearinghouse Sweepstakes still existed…and I found out, it does.  The “sweepstakes patrol” is still going around, still with the balloons and enormous checks, still knocking on doors and catching unsuspecting people in their bathrobes to announce to them that they have won millions.  I remember my childhood fascination with the sweepstakes; you could even win if you hadn’t ordered a magazine, and the prizes were out of this world!

This morning’s Gospel reading reminds me of a “reverse” Publisher’s Clearinghouse Sweepstakes.  I imagine Jesus showing up at this rich young man’s house, the man opens the door, and it’s Jesus, and probably Peter, James and John holding balloons while Andrew operates the camera, documenting the whole thing…but instead of a giant check, it’s a giant bill of sale…of all the rich young man’s things, with the proceeds going to the poor and an invitation to follow Christ and his merry gang. 

This scenario doesn’t end with a lady in curlers crying with joy or a man with his napkin tucked in his shirt gasping with disbelief…I imagine the rich young man looked at Jesus and said…”Nope…no winners here”!  Then they step back and the camera captures the door closing and the sound of the deadbolt turning. 

This story fascinates us because this is not the typical person drawn to Jesus.  In each of the Gospels, this man is given a different trait, enhancing his almost celebrity quality.  He’s rich, young, handsome, a ruler with power… all of this, coupled with the fact that he’s lived a most exemplary life, he recognizes and boldly admits that there’s something missing.  He may not be blind, or crippled, but he is suffering.  So Jesus, looking at the man, and showed him love.  Mark plainly shows that to us.  Jesus showed the man love. And out of compassion, and care for this young, rich, powerful, handsome man, and Jesus recognizes his suffering.  He tells him how to remedy this suffering.  You are lacking one thing.  Sell your possessions and give the money to the poor.  Then you will have treasure in heaven.  Then, come follow me.

The man is bewildered by this statement.  Can you imagine?  What would you do if I asked you to sell everything you own and give the money to this church.  Would you look at me like I had lost my mind?  Would you wonder where you would live?  Would you wonder how you would care for your family and children?  What about your pets?  How would you get to work?  What about clothes?  Yeah, I would have those same questions too…and I’m sure this man did as well, even though they aren’t detailed out here. 

We see that this man is rich, and young, and powerful.  I’m sure the excuses started to flow…”but look at the jobs I create…look what I’m doing for the economy…look how many families aren’t on welfare because of me….”.  And all of that is probably true…but we see here that Jesus didn’t then congratulate the man on all he does and continue on his way.  Jesus tells this man to sell your possessions and give the money to the poor and follow me…this will make you whole.

The man then had a choice.  And we know the choice that was made.

How awful, we think.  This man asked Jesus what to do…what else to do.  He’s a good man…he has kept all the commandments since he was a boy.  He’s tried to do all he could with (almost) all he had…and when Christ gave him direction and asked him to come with him and be a disciple, he refused.  This is, interestingly enough, the only time in the Gospels that Christ’s invitation was refused, with sadness.

Jesus turns to his friends and comments, how hard it is for someone who has wealth to enter the kingdom of God…it’s easier than a camel to pass through the eye of a needle.

So… is wealth bad?  Why is wealth bad?  Why is Jesus picking on it today?

We like to snarl and turn our noses up at the man’s reaction to Christ… I believe there’s a lot of this rich young ruler in all of us.  We are drawn to Christ by the feeling that something is missing in our lives.  So we try to fill this void with something…we work ourselves to death, hoping to accumulate wealth, fame or power.  We drive the fastest cars, live in the biggest houses, want to be envied by everyone around. 

We know that wealth is not a guarantee to fill this void, but we still act like it is, because we need something.  We fall prey to the seductive lure of our contemporary culture that convince us that prestige and possessions will bring us a sense of joy and well-being.  And like the young man, we find pride and gratification in our possessions and find it difficult to part with them graciously.  So, if Christ asked us to sell our possessions, give the money to the poor, would we?  Or better, COULD we?

For the man in today’s Gospel lesson, I believe wealth wasn’t exactly the problem.  The power wasn’t the problem.  What they were to this man…that’s where the problem begins.  This man kept all the commandments.  He did everything right…but he wasn’t able to give his whole heart to Christ.  His possessions and his money had such immense control over him that they wouldn’t allow him to release the control they had on him.  To get out from under the control his riches had on him would require great faith…scary faith…faith seemingly beyond reach.   

So those of us that aren’t rich…we must be off the hook…right?

Not so much.

While the Gospel shows us a man who is rich, that’s not the only thing that can have this control over our lives.  Last week we talked about resentment and the week before that about stepping into the unknown. 

What about addiction?  Millions suffer every single day with addiction…alcohol, drugs, pornography, gambling…these addictions have a tight grip on their victims every single day.

What about hatred?  Can we become so consumed with hatred that there’s little room for anything else?  Oh and we hate for the craziest reasons…where you live, where you come from, your religion, your lack of religion…when we don’t have a good reason to hate someone we’ll make one up.

There are so many other things…too numerous to even think of. 

The other thing, though, that needs to be noticed, is the second place this man missed the mark.  He asked what must I do to have eternal life?  He puts the emphasis on the pronoun and action, if you notice here. 

The root of these things is “me”.  And this is no new theme or even the first time we see it in the Gospel of Mark.  This man…this rich young man knows there’s something he needs to do to gain eternal life…but that’s not how it works.  We can’t earn eternal life.  There’s nothing we can “do”…because what’s asked of us isn’t necessarily a direct action but a change. 

The disciples are shocked by all of this.  Peter (good ole’ Peter) steps forward and tells Christ that they have all sold their possessions and left their families…I think he’s looking for Christ to confirm his place in eternity…and after this exchange I think any of us would. Jesus tells them that the rewards for those that give up much for the kingdom will be great in Heaven. 

Is money the problem?  Absolutely.  Is money the only problem?  Absolutely not. 

Jesus ends these passages in Mark with a familiar phrase we heart just a few weeks ago…whoever is first shall be last and the last shall be first. The important shall be last and the insignificant shall be first.  The recognized will be last and the forgotten shall be first. 

Christ doesn’t call all of us to liquidate our lives and follow him.  If everyone sold all of their stuff it would probably cause more problems than it solved.  But if everyone became a little less attached to their “things” and be more willing to give, we would be a lot better off.  Christ calls us to a life of love, and love leads to giving. 

Is it going to be difficult?  Yes.  Is it impossible?  For human beings, yes.  That’s why we need God.  Because through Him all things are possible. 

Thanks be to God.