Sermon by The Very Rev Chris Yaw, 6/2/2024
Mark 2:36 – 3:6, Proper 4b
Centering Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, May your will be done, through me.
Good morning!
And welcome to our first outdoor service of the summer, and the day we honor, with prayer and a picnic, a lot of the people who are responsible for making our parish the vibrant, beautiful place it is!
Which means we will not be mentioning the rector...
But we will be thanking those who head up our garden ministry, like Jeannie Peterson and Cindy Rush
Our Sunday school, like Maureen Mahar and Jeannie Peterson
And we will also honor our fine musical program, our soloists, instrumentalists, and of course our choirs led by our highly esteemed, and multi-talented music director, Mary Connelly...
Today also marks the day when our Bible readings take us back to the Book of Mark!
So this summer go ahead and bookmark the Book of Mark!....
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Now I wonder how many of you may remember the very popular film, starring my lookalike Will Ferrell, called "Talladega Nights?"
Those who have not heard of this movie have just demonstrated to the rest of us that you indeed have much better cinematic taste...
But in this farcical romp through the world of stock car racing, Will Ferrell plays a successful race car driver, who credits Jesus with his success,
And at one point, an argument breaks out over a prayer at meal time over the kind of God different people prefer.
Ferrell's Father-in-Law prefers a traditional caricature of Jesus who is in his early 30s, flowing robes, long hair, who was always good to his mother
Will Ferrell argues vehemently for his preference of a baby Jesus in gold fleeced diapers,
While his best friend voices his preference for a Jesus, who wears a tuxedo t-shirt, because it says that he likes to party.
And as only humor can do, It gets us to laugh at something we all do, which is to have a preference for the kind of God we like to serve.
For example,
Psalm 23 gives us a pastoral image of God as our Shepherd who keeps guard alongside us through the valley of the shadow of death.
John chapter 15 sets up an image of Jesus as the vine to whom we are connected, and with whom we have now become friends!
And in our gospel this morning, we are invited to look at Jesus as a provocateur, a sassy, rabble rouser - Someone who is going to push back against a corrupt social order, call to account hypocrisy, and stand up to religious crooks who rob widows to pay for their caviar...
However,
If you're like me, I'd much rather to pray to the kindly Shepherd or The Trusted Friend than to Malcolm X...
But that's who Mark gives us, like it or not, as they say at my child's preschool, you get what you get, and don't throw a fit.
And, yet, following a God who is a rabble-rouser has always been difficult for the church.
Bring me a hungry person, and I will buy him a Whopper
Bring me a homeless guy, and I will even let him sleep on the church floor
But ask me to show up for a protest, picket the nuclear plant, or even write my congresswoman, and I'm going to draw the line: my comfort zone is only 'so' roomy...
Which is why getting comfortable people like me out of that zone is the challenge here -
As we just read, Jesus purposely violates the sacred Sabbath code right in front of his critics - first by harvesting grain, then by healing an invalid on the Sabbath.
He does this to make plain the hypocrisy and corruption of the established religious order:
Jesus sees his critics are more concerned with the prestige, power, and paychecks than they are with prayer, piety, and genuine service to the needy - which means that even if God walked right up to them and said 'I'm here!' they would not recognize him - which is literally what is happening here.
Jesus not only wants them to do their job - but he also realizes that worshipping the false Gods of power and money are ultimately unsatisfying and empty for them.
So on a couple of levels, Jesus wants change.
He asks them - he asks you and me:
What needs to change -
What's broken -
How is God calling you to change -
And how are we responding to it?
I would bet that there are more than a few of us who want to see change in their lives but are having a hard time doing so.
Some of you are fed up with our nation's politics -
With this nagging inflation -
With your neighbor who will not turn down his stereo -
Or with the potholes you had to negotiate in the church parking lot - and don't worry - they'll be patched on June 6.
But the point is, that for one reason or another, you may be facing at least one thing in your life, in which change seems impossible.
We get caught up in these rhythms -
Neuroscientists describe them as grooves and pathways that we literally burn into our brains over time -
We get comfortable where we are - even if where we are isn't that great!
And we get SO comfortable that we can't envision things improving if we would change - which is what should have happened with these religious leaders - and definitely happened with a friend of mine.
His name is Dave and he's 68.
He finally retired and moved to Florida!
Something I'd like to do if I could just live that long.
But Dave was overweight, out of shape, and used to eating anything he wanted,
He visited his doctor who told him unless he changed, he wouldn't be around in 5 years.
While Dave had all the athletic prowess of a bowl of Jello, he also wanted to be around a bit longer.
So the first day, he got up, put on his walking shoes, and made it to the end of the driveway.
He did that for a week, before walking down the block, then, around the block, then to the beach, so that in 6 months, he was actually walking a mile a day, and a year later, five miles.
After that, other changes became easier:
Dietary changes, adjusted sleep habits, and ultimately this guy lived way longer than his doctor thought.
It starts so small, by walking to the end of the driveway,
I bet you didn't know you were capable of such amazing transformation!
But you are, you've probably done it before in fact, and the question is what's keeping you from doing it again?
Don't wait till you're 68 years old and your body is turned to Jello.
Set that career goal, exercise goal, financial goal, and start very small, because you can probably make the change you want to make.
It's the season of Pentecost - the season of power.
And this power is not to influence to make money, command an army, lead a corporation, or see your name up in lights.
The power we look for from God is the power to change.
Cardinal Newman famously put it this way:
"To live is to change - and to live perfectly is to have changed often."
What needs changing in your life?
Did you know that God is out to change us this morning -
Because the problems in our lives, in this community, in our state, nation, and world, are crying out for help.
And they don't go away when we just keep doing what we've always been doing.
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- Before Africans were forced onto slave ships bound for Portugal -
Christian priests would sprinkle them with holy water as part of a baptismal ceremony.
- When slave ships from Britain were launched in the 1560's -
Captain Sir John Hawkins began offering twice-daily religious services for those on his ship -
which was named "Jesus of Lubeck."
- Another English slave trader named John Newton, who wrote Amazing Grace -
Famously spent 2 hours each morning in prayer and Bible reflection.
Yet somehow, some way, the religious rhythms and habits of the day-
their hymns, prayers, sermons, and rituals of Baptism and Eucharist - could not help them see the horrors and evils they were participating in - But lulled them into a comfortable and blinding regimen that kept them from doing what they should - and being who they could.
Today marks the first Sunday of a new Church Season -
Those colorfully imaginative authors of Church terminology have creatively called it 'The Season after Pentecost' - nice ring to it, huh?
But like other times and dates we mark in church -
We do so because small changes like the turn of a Church Season - can inspire big changes that we so desperately need.
So let's get serious once more -
What's that change that you're looking for today?
What's that change God's looking for today?
In our heart of hearts, can we pray for the insight - the help - the assistance that God's dying to give us?
I'm looking at a sea of possibility - spilled out before me - of power and potential -
Lord, have your way with us - that we may be the change in the world you desire.
Can I get an amen?