Jesus' Faith Journey

Waiting to preach this morning I was struck by the words to the old hymn we sang during the Lord's Supper.

They bound the hands of Jesus in the garden where he prayed;
They led him through the streets in shame.
They spat upon the Savior so pure and free from sin;
They said "Crucify him; He's to blame."

The following verses continue this theme of suffering as the song poetically describes the shame of the cross.  At the conclusion of each verse we remind ourselves that he could have called ten thousand angels to set him free, but instead, "He died alone for you and me."

Thinking about the faith journey that Jesus' walked made me a little emotional this morning.  Pondering the fact that Jesus became a human, endured poverty, temptation, and injustice for the single purpose of reconciling sinful human beings with the High and Holy One should take my breath away more often than it does.  But more than an emotional reaction, I know that what Jesus really wants is my faithful obedience.  He has shown the way through voluntary submission to the will of the Father. 

Watching him walk his faith journey teaches us how to walk ours.  I specifically choose the song after the lesson to reinforce this message.

That's why we praise him, that's why we sing
That's why we offer him our everything.
That's why we bow down and worship this king,
'Cause he gave his everything, 'Cause he gave his everything

Meet Him in Galilee

I've come to appreciate how Mark ends his Gospel.  I love the image of sitting underneath the cross where I realize He died for me and then being transported back to Galilee where I find the risen Christ and begin the process of discipleship all over again.

So many commented today on the impact of the Bible reading during the sermon.  In my Mark reading this week I read silently until I came to the text I knew I would be preaching.  I then began to read aloud.  Hearing the words in my ears as well as in my imagination (as we all do when we read silently) made a difference in how I understood the significance of Jesus' death for me.  "He bore it all that I might live!" we used to sing.  Jesus wants us to admit our failures, but he doesn't want us to stay there!  He wants us to live!  Receive the gift of grace and get back to Galilee.  We'll be much better followers now than when we first  began!

Reaching the end of preaching on the Gospel of Mark was actually an emotional experience for me.  The past 27 sermons I have preached have all been prepared by reading the Gospel in it's entirety and then focusing attention upon the specific text to be addressed in that week's sermon.  As I mentioned this morning I feel like my friend Mark, who I've enjoyed spending time with and getting to know, is leaving.  I know we'll visit from time to time but it will not be the same.  May I honor Mark's friendship by learning and living the lessons he has taught.  What about you?  What has Mark taught you that will make a difference in your life?

The Intersection of Hope and Fear

Daniel's baptism was the perfect exclamation point for the sermon this morning!  As Daniel stood in the baptistry with his arm extended to heaven, I was reminded of Jesus' baptism, his prayer, the dove, and the proclamation, "This is my son".  Baptism places us in solidarity with Jesus and everyone who has ever followed him.  It is an awesome expression of faith as we put aside our puny efforts at making life work and surrender to the one who promises to partner with us to move mountains. 

I think I said something in the sermon about hope and fear being emotions.  Upon reflection I would reclassify them as beliefs.  Both are very real (and inescapable by the way).  Both have the power to control our lives in ways that can be good and bad.  When dreams fail and fear takes hold of a person bad things are almost always the result.  The solution, Jesus said, is to put our faith in God. 

May God teach us how to hope again and may God keep us from obeying our fears.  Baptism is a perfect picture of this: we die to old life (the old dreams) and accept Jesus' resurrection life.  We pledge our lives to follow him come what may.  May we follow him all the way to the cross, trusting God for resurrection.  As the old song says, "Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come.  His grace has brought me safe thus far; and grace will lead me home."  Amen.  Come, Lord Jesus!

Don't Be Afraid, Just Believe

I am continually amazed at the ways in which Mark's picture of Jesus speaks to my heart.  Who would have thought that the most dangerous place to be in 1st Century Palestine was Jesus' hometown of Nazareth?  At least, it was dangerous in terms of faith development. 

Sure the Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem made it challenging to put one's faith in Jesus.  But, I get the sense that people kind of enjoyed "stickin' it to the man" and Jesus gave them plenty of ammunition when it came to disregarding the petty rules and senseless legalism of the religious leaders. 

But in Nazareth, it wasn't just a challenge to put one's faith in Jesus, it was downright impossible!  How could one stand up against the people who had known Jesus from infancy?  They'd watched him grow up.  Jesus had played in their streets.  His mother, brothers and sisters were all still living there.  If you think it's hard to go back to your hometown and have people respect you as an adult . . . . perhaps you can understand why it was so difficult for those living in Nazareth to develop faith in Jesus as the Lord of the universe and Savior of the world. 

The most challenging part of this for me is realizing that the most difficult place for one to develop faith today may very well be the place where Jesus is best known -- the church!  After the sermon I was speaking to one of our long term members about how much easier it is for new Christians to "just believe" than it is for us seasoned members.  Do these new Christians grow bolder in their attitudes and actions because of their association with us; or do they tend adopt our ways of doing church and just kind of blend in? 

Perhaps the best thing all of us "veteran" Christians could do is take a giant step backward away from all our "knowledge" and begin the journey again.  Stop listening to all those voices defining and refining the faith; putting limits on the power of God.  Listen to the voice of Jesus and he will tell you, "don't be afraid, just believe" (Mark 5:36). 

Managing the Unmanagable

"I'm just doing the best I can!"  This can be a commendable statement made by one who is truly making the best of a bad situation.  On the other hand, it could indicate the fear that keeps one in a bad situation.  No matter how horrible life becomes it is often not as frightening as the unknown.  One of the problems faced by contemporary Christians is the "tame" Jesus; the smiling, happy, good buddy Jesus. 

Perhaps it's reflected in a t-shirt I saw not long ago that read, "Jesus is my Homeboy".  Now, I don't want to judge anyone wearing the shirt as I appreciate those who are unashamed of their faith.  But the townspeople of the land of the Gerasanes did not beg Jesus to leave their region because Jesus was too cool for them.  They begged him to leave because he had just demonstrated his unbelievable power over an army of demonic forces.   They were scared of him because a man with that much authority and power could not be controlled.  He would do whatever he wanted to do.

By" taming"  Jesus we have unintentionally turned him into our buddy instead of our Lord.  We expect Jesus to do what we want him to instead of giving him the obedient allegiance he deserves.  We wonder why we don't walk more in victory over sin and instead have to just "do the best we can" trying to manage it.  The man formerly known as Legion could tell you.    

"I've got a plan Jesus," he said.  "Let me become one of your followers."  It was a really great plan and I'm sure the man thought it was a great idea for him to leave his old life behind and go with Jesus everywhere.  He could give testimonies and listen to Jesus teach.  He could grow in his faith and be trained to do wonderful service in the future.  Jesus said, "I'm not going to do your plan.  Here is my plan.  Go back to your family and friends and  tell them what the Lord has done for you."  The man didn't argue.  He didn't continue to beg Jesus to follow the plan he had offered.  He just did what Jesus said. 

How different our lives would be if we just did what Jesus said.  We did what he tells us to do with our money, our relationships, our priorities, our principles, our . . . well, our everything.  Stop trying to manage your unmanageable life and give Jesus control.

Are you crazy?

Following Jesus is sometimes difficult; but often we make it more difficult than it should be. We do this when we allow our expectations to blind us to God's desires. We do this when we let our ideas form our decisions instead of Jesus' teachings. As we continue to study Mark's Gospel we will see the Twelve fail in just these ways over and over and over.

In this morning's sermon we examined the threefold commission Jesus gave to the Twelve from Mark 3:14-15. In our eagerness to prove our worthiness to God we often jump ahead of the Holy Spirit and attempt to do something wonderful for God's kingdom. Our triumphant expectations eventually splatter against the reality that working with people is hard! We then begin to experience resentments, anger, bitterness, and a whole host of other unpleasant attitudes. Finally, we turn our disappointment to God in utter disbelief that He would let these things happen to us after ALL we have attempted to do for him.

At this point (as the disciples would have to learn) we need to go back to EXACTLY what it is that God has called us to do. Yes, God did call the twelve to preach and to exercise authority over the enemy. But, before they were to even attempt to do any of that they were to "be with him." As we spend time with Jesus he makes us into the people who can do his work. He shapes us and forms us. He supplies us and equips us. He also clarifies the work that he specifically has in mind for us.

THEN, when we do our work; it may be difficult at times, but it fits who we are, and the gifts God's Holy Spirit has given us. As we spend time with Jesus he transforms us into people through whom he can work by means of his Spirit. If people think we're crazy because of how we live and love, may it not be because we've run ahead of Jesus on our own ideas; but because we have come to know him so well that we are like him. After all, Jesus was accused of being crazy himself (Mark 3:21).

What Did You Expect?

Expectations are normal in every walk of life. They create problems for us, however, when they fail to be fulfilled. Especially are they problematic when they are unspoken or even unacknowledged. One way you can discover your expectations is when you become angry, depressed, frustrated, etc.... ask yourself, "What did I expect?" Answer the question in writing (I journal a lot for this reason) and be honest. The answers might surprise you.

When we get angry, frustrated, or disillusioned with God it probably goes back to our unmet expectations. As you write out answers you may discover something like the following:

• I expect God to allow me to maintain my standard of living.
• I expect God to keep me and my loved ones free from sickness, especially terminal illnesses.
• I expect God to keep my marriage happy.
• I expect God to make my children obey me.

On and on we could go. The list is endless. By acknowledging our expectations we can get honest with God about our disappointments. We can also invite him to help us develop expectations based on His Word (not what we assume he's said but what he's actually promised us.)

Living in the kingdom of God may be quite different from what we've thought it was. However, when we truly follow Jesus we can be assured that everything he has truly promised us will come to pass. The kingdom of God is indeed GOOD NEWS! Let Jesus teach you what that Good news actually is.

On a related note, I am excited to have so many join our weekly reading of Mark's Gospel. Send me your email address if you want to be included in reading this "short" Gospel each week for the duration of the sermon series.

The Beginning of the Gospel

The best comment I heard today about the sermon was from a visitor. He identified himself as an evangelist and said that the sermon made him want to do more study in the Gospel According to Mark. I say that was the best comment I heard because that was exactly the effect I wanted today's sermon to have. I want us all to have such a desire to know Jesus better that we dig deeply into Mark's Gospel and let him teach us what it means to follow Jesus.

Several people told me that they would read the Gospel of of Mark but no one yet has accepted the challenge I gave this morning of reading the Gospel each week for the duration of the sermon series. I have done this in the past when preaching through Mark and look forward to doing it again. Won't you join me? Let me know if you want to do this and we can keep each other accountable.

Finally, I want to express my sorrow over losing David Layman as my co-minister. David has truly been God's gift to me for the past nine years and his leaving saddens my heart. However, I am confident that he made his decision prayerfully and am thankful that he will still be an active member of the congregation even if I don't get to work beside him every day. May God's blessing be on his family in this transition and may God give us eyes to see the direction and opportunities He has in store for our church in the future.