Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, Grace and Peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
You know, I love how kids relate to the bible and I love how they give theology a fresh viewpoint. Most of us know the first part of the Jonah story and especially the part where Jonah was vomited onto the beach after three days in the belly of the big fish. Here is what some kids learned from that part of the story: 10 year-old Samantha says that she learned that people make whales sick. 8-year-old Robert learned that it’s better to travel by air. And 10 year-old Mark learned that you just can’t keep a good man down. Now these are interesting points of view but when you take the Jonah story as a whole it becomes evident that Jonah was a reluctant prophet. Unlike the disciples of today’s gospel lesson (Mark 1:14-20), Jonah did not immediately get up and obey God’s call. [In fact he was disobedient to the point where he made a mess of others peoples lives as well.] I think this story can also be a parable for our reluctance to be called as ordinary people to do extraordinary things.
Lets look at the story from the beginning. If you would like to follow along you can find this in your pew bibles on page 844. Chapter 1 starts out with God calling to Jonah to preach against the city of Nineveh because of its wickedness. As we know Jonah turns and runs away. He wants no part of this. The question is why. Nineveh, which is located in modern day Iraq, was the capital of Assyria. This was the nation that destroyed the northern kingdom of Israel and considered the southern kingdom of Judah as a servant to it for almost one hundred years. Assyria was more than an enemy; it was a brutal occupying force that forever changed Israel's fortunes. For God to ask Jonah to go into this city would be like asking one of you to go preach against Al-Quida in Afghanistan. This is the source of Jonah’s reluctance. So Jonah takes off running in the opposite direction of Nineveh, hops a ship bound for Tarshish, which then becomes involved in a storm of epic proportions. The crew, determining that Jonah is the cause of this calamity, throws Jonah overboard. Jonah is immediately swallowed by a great fish, which is provided by God. It is after Jonah’s prayer to God that the fish then expels Jonah unto dry land.
It is at this point then we pick up today’s lesson where the Word of the Lord comes to Jonah a second time. God again tells Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach against it. And so Jonah goes. Verse 3 says that Nineveh was an exceedingly large city and that it would take three days to walk the width and breadth of it. It would be like one of us trying to walk through the city of Chicago. Nineveh is that large. Does Jonah walk the whole length? No. He goes a third of the way in and then cries out, “In forty days Nineveh will be no more.” I don’t know what you think about this proclamation but I think that it sounds really lame. Can you imagine walking into St Paul, camping yourself on a street corner, and begin telling people that in 40 days the city would be destroyed? I am not sure that many people would pay attention. [Maybe that was Jonah’s plan as well.] Seriously, if a person nowadays is to make a proclamation like that, you’d want to buy some radio or television time, or call a press conference, or at least stand in front of the XCEL Energy Center during a hockey game to get your message out. Looking at this I really don’t think that Jonah was giving it his all. As noted earlier Nineveh was the center of this evil empire. I’m not sure that I can fully blame him for being a little hesitant.
In many ways, I can relate to Jonah. My own call narrative has been somewhat similar. As you know, after my conversion experience in 1994 I became more involved in the church. I began to usher, read the lessons, run the soundboard, and teach Sunday school (believe me this was not as easy it sounds as I was biblically illiterate). It wasn’t that I thought God was calling me, but rather if I saw a need that could be filled I would meet that need. As time wore on I became involved with and then headed up the confirmation program. I served on the church council. I became a discussion leader in a bible study. And although there were people telling me that I would be a good pastor, or a good teacher, or that they appreciated my leadership, I dismissed those accolades thinking that these people really didn’t know what they were talking about. Something strange happened in the summer of 2001 that changed me though. One Sunday afternoon, I was involved in an ecumenical service. As I was watching the pastors distribute communion, a thought passed through my brain that said, “You can do that”. It was sort of like a light bulb coming on. Two weeks later I happened to be in a meeting with our associate pastor and I told her of that moment. Her response surprised me. She said, “You know Bob, we’ve been talking about this for the last five years. When are you going to do something about it?” Needless to say I was floored. I didn’t and still do not remember any of those conversations. However I also knew that she was right. 3 months later I received confirmation of that call during a visit to Luther Seminary.
Now I have no idea what God is going to do with this call. I will leave that to him. But look at what happened when Jonah gave his half-hearted proclamation. In verse 5 the people of Nineveh repented. Not just one or two. It was everyone, great and small. Even the king of Nineveh repents! In verses 7-10, he issues a proclamation telling everyone to turn from their evil ways, that in doing so God might “relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish”. Notice on whom they believed. It wasn’t Jonah. It was God! Even though Jonah said nothing about God in his proclamation, the people of Nineveh knew whom Jonah was speaking for. So they change. And it is in their turning that God also turns. He has compassion for them, changes his mind and lets Nineveh off the hook. And what about Jonah? Jonah should be ecstatic; he is the greatest prophet of all! With a couple of words, he turns a whole nation to God. He should be doing an end zone dance and telling the world that he is going to Disneyland! He should be headed for the evangelism hall of fame. But no. He instead becomes angry with God for changing his mind. He wanted Nineveh to be destroyed, just like Sodom and Gomorrah. He did not want to see this evil empire live on. He did not want to believe that God would be consistent with God’s self, that is: being gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing. So he goes out into the desert and has himself a pity party. Even though God tries to console him, he turns away from the One who called him.
Do you see yourself in this story? Maybe you too have been called in some way to go and proclaim God’s love and forgiveness. I know that many of you already have. Pastor Wayne last week gave many examples of this faith community of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. We have all been called in our baptism to go and make disciples of all nations. And making disciples takes as many different forms as there are people. We all have different gifts and abilities to do this. But I would be willing to bet that there are some of you who have felt the tug to do or say something, yet have been reluctant to follow up on that tug. Or you might see a need that needs to be met and thought, “well someone else can get that.” Please do not get me wrong! I am not trying to guilt anybody into doing anything! However, I would ask what is the source of that reluctance? Is it that you’re afraid? Fear can paralyze and yet God repeatedly tells us not to be afraid. Is it that there will be too much asked of you? Or is it that you do not have the talent or expertise? God does not call the equipped but equips those he calls. Do you really trust God’s will in whatever venture he asks you to do? In other words, are you looking out for your own self-interest rather than God’s? And in that process, are you possibly disrupting God’s will or plans for other people’s lives? Just as Jonah knew that God’s ways are not our ways, we all should remember that, every time we pray the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”.
We have, in the last two weeks, heard 4 different call narratives. We have heard the call of Samuel, who at first was not sure who was calling him. We have heard the call of two of the first disciples in the book of John, where Nathaniel was skeptical of the call. Today we heard a second call narrative of the disciples where they immediately left everything to follow Jesus. We have looked at the call of a reluctant Jonah. And there are other call stories in the bible. There is the call and conversion of Paul in the book of Acts, where Jesus comes to him in a blinding light. There is the call of Isaiah who declares himself unclean before the lord. There is Jeremiah who claims to be too young for such a task. And of course there is the granddaddy of them all, the call of Moses at the burning bush. Even he was reluctant and put up a slew of excuses before God in effect tells him get over it, I will be with you. When you look at all of these accounts it is evident that all of these people were eventually faithful to God’s call, even Jonah. They were folks like you and I who, with God’s help, and trusting in God’s promises did amazing things. And here in this faith community called Peace Lutheran, there are those of you who have responded to God’s call in a variety of ways. However I still believe that this question needs to be asked: Is God calling you? And if so, when are you going to do something about it? [Amen.]
And may the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Who Do You Say I Am?
Grace and peace to you from God our Father, from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and from the Holy Spirit, who gives us life, Amen.
How many of you have seen the movie, The Bourne Identity? To give a quick recap the movie begins with an amnesiac, Jason Bourne, who is rescued at sea by the crew of an Italian fishing boat. Nearly dead, he carries nothing but the bullets in his back and a bank account number embedded in his hip. Although completely without identity or background, he discovers he possesses an array of extraordinary talents in fighting, linguistics and self-defense that speaks of a dangerous past. In the present he is disoriented and wary as he is forced into an urgent search to discover who he is and why his life has taken a hazardous turn. This becomes the basis for three movies as he slowly and finally discovers who he is and how he came to be the person he is now. Granted the movie is violent but I think it speaks to a deep-seated need that we all have to define who we are.
On the other hand we see in the gospel lesson that Jesus had no need to be defined. It says that as soon as he came out of the water the heavens split open, a spirit like a dove descends on him, and a voice declares him to be his son, with whom he is well pleased. The gospel writer wastes no time to identify Jesus as the Son of God! Plain and simple. And though his baptism must certainly have been a significant experience it may be hard for us to interpret it this way. We do not get many clues from this text. We cannot be certain that the writer is speculating about the nature of Jesus call, or that is was the confirmation of a vocation already accepted or even about how Jesus understood the role that was being laid upon him. Unlike the other gospel writers, Mark’s purpose here is not to write a spiritual biography, but rather it is to make a christological statement. In other words the story provides a setting for the revelation of Jesus identity, spelled out in the terms of the descent of the spirit and the words addressed to Jesus from heaven. Mark does no waste many words here. In the first 11 verses of his book, we get who this person Jesus is. BAM this is who Jesus is. Son of God.
Which is quite ironic because for the rest of the book of Mark, no one else gets it. The disciples don’t get it. The scribes and Pharisees don’t get it. The crowds that surround him don’t get it. The folks in his hometown don’t get it. Even his own brothers and sisters don’t get it. They all call him by various other names or titles. He is tagged with labels like; Rabbi, teacher, healer, prophet, King of the Jews, he is even called Beelzebub which means Satan. Paradoxically it is only the demons and unclean spirits that recognize Jesus for who he really is. One of them actually cries 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." Jesus himself half way through the narrative asks his disciples, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered him, "You are the Messiah." Even then the disciples still don’t have it quite right. Peter’s affirmation only suggests that his understanding of Jesus was that he was to redeem Israel. And although in a sense this is right, it still does not truly identify Jesus for who he really is. We also have a scene at towards the end where Jesus stands before the Sanhedrin and the chief priest asks him if he is the Messiah and the Son of the Blessed One, meaning God. Jesus answers in the affirmative. But here too the leadership declares that this is blasphemy and it is for this reason that they put him to death. They do not want to believe what Jesus has told them. It is only at the end of the book that we find someone who recognizes Jesus for who he is: Mark 15:39 9 Now when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he (that is Jesus)1 breathed his last, he said, "Truly this man was God's Son!" And this is the final irony. It wasn’t a Jew that identifies Jesus but a gentile!. It was one outside of the faith that would truly confess Jesus as who he really was.
Which leads me to this question. Who do people say you are? In your baptism do people know that you are Christian? Do they know that you are also a child of God? I ask this in light of how the people of Jesus time saw him. Either they truly did not recognize him or they chose not to believe that he was the Son of God. You see, the same holds true today. The world out there does not want to confess Jesus as you confess him here each week. They only want to put other labels on him, such as prophet, healer, teacher, or rabbi so as to deny Jesus his true identity. And in doing so they are also denying your identity as Child of God. And because they either do not recognize or chose not to believe that Jesus was the Son of God, they want to put other labels on you that will identify and define you in ways that negate your status with God. How many times have you been asked, “Well what do you do”? As if doing something, or anything defines your identity as a person. Seriously, what is meant by that question? Are they speaking of occupation? Vocation? Tasks that you perform everyday? What time frame are they speaking of? For instance there are many things that I do each day, and not all of them are things that I would consider part of my identity. Is eating lunch, or driving to and from work, or using the restroom tied to whom I see myself as? I don’t think so.
Maybe the better question to ask is the same one Jesus asked, “Who do you say that I am?” Who do you say you are? Do you go along with what the outside world tells you who you are? Do you try to match up with the constant barrage of images that are played out before us, telling us we can be younger, more beautiful, more virile, and more interesting if we look a certain way, or buy a certain product? I tried playing that game when I was younger and ended up being slightly schizophrenic. I really had no idea who I was. How could I define myself if I had no discernable identity? I had in effect become an amnesiac to what my true identity was.
Who do you say you are? Do you return to your baptism recognizing that it isn’t how other people see you, but how is it that God sees you? There are many great things about being here in this community of faith that is called Peace Lutheran church. One great thing is the fact that you publish the names of those who are celebrating their baptism in “The Tidings”. [So for instance we can give a shout out today to Karrie Swenson who was baptized on this date a few years ago. And although the Tidings doesn’t publish the baptism dates of the interns, I will tell you that tomorrow I will be 50, in baptismal years]. In having our names published each month, we are reminded of who we are and whose we are. We are reminded that, unlike Jason Bourne, we do not have to search high and low for our missing identity. We are reminded that we are defined not by what the outside world sees or imagines we are, but rather we are defined by the Son of God who by dying on the cross took our sins upon himself, and through his resurrection we have new life daily. And it is by this we can take to heart the same words that Jesus heard at his baptism “You are my son, you are my daughter, with you I am well pleased”. Amen.
And may the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
How many of you have seen the movie, The Bourne Identity? To give a quick recap the movie begins with an amnesiac, Jason Bourne, who is rescued at sea by the crew of an Italian fishing boat. Nearly dead, he carries nothing but the bullets in his back and a bank account number embedded in his hip. Although completely without identity or background, he discovers he possesses an array of extraordinary talents in fighting, linguistics and self-defense that speaks of a dangerous past. In the present he is disoriented and wary as he is forced into an urgent search to discover who he is and why his life has taken a hazardous turn. This becomes the basis for three movies as he slowly and finally discovers who he is and how he came to be the person he is now. Granted the movie is violent but I think it speaks to a deep-seated need that we all have to define who we are.
On the other hand we see in the gospel lesson that Jesus had no need to be defined. It says that as soon as he came out of the water the heavens split open, a spirit like a dove descends on him, and a voice declares him to be his son, with whom he is well pleased. The gospel writer wastes no time to identify Jesus as the Son of God! Plain and simple. And though his baptism must certainly have been a significant experience it may be hard for us to interpret it this way. We do not get many clues from this text. We cannot be certain that the writer is speculating about the nature of Jesus call, or that is was the confirmation of a vocation already accepted or even about how Jesus understood the role that was being laid upon him. Unlike the other gospel writers, Mark’s purpose here is not to write a spiritual biography, but rather it is to make a christological statement. In other words the story provides a setting for the revelation of Jesus identity, spelled out in the terms of the descent of the spirit and the words addressed to Jesus from heaven. Mark does no waste many words here. In the first 11 verses of his book, we get who this person Jesus is. BAM this is who Jesus is. Son of God.
Which is quite ironic because for the rest of the book of Mark, no one else gets it. The disciples don’t get it. The scribes and Pharisees don’t get it. The crowds that surround him don’t get it. The folks in his hometown don’t get it. Even his own brothers and sisters don’t get it. They all call him by various other names or titles. He is tagged with labels like; Rabbi, teacher, healer, prophet, King of the Jews, he is even called Beelzebub which means Satan. Paradoxically it is only the demons and unclean spirits that recognize Jesus for who he really is. One of them actually cries 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." Jesus himself half way through the narrative asks his disciples, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered him, "You are the Messiah." Even then the disciples still don’t have it quite right. Peter’s affirmation only suggests that his understanding of Jesus was that he was to redeem Israel. And although in a sense this is right, it still does not truly identify Jesus for who he really is. We also have a scene at towards the end where Jesus stands before the Sanhedrin and the chief priest asks him if he is the Messiah and the Son of the Blessed One, meaning God. Jesus answers in the affirmative. But here too the leadership declares that this is blasphemy and it is for this reason that they put him to death. They do not want to believe what Jesus has told them. It is only at the end of the book that we find someone who recognizes Jesus for who he is: Mark 15:39 9 Now when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he (that is Jesus)1 breathed his last, he said, "Truly this man was God's Son!" And this is the final irony. It wasn’t a Jew that identifies Jesus but a gentile!. It was one outside of the faith that would truly confess Jesus as who he really was.
Which leads me to this question. Who do people say you are? In your baptism do people know that you are Christian? Do they know that you are also a child of God? I ask this in light of how the people of Jesus time saw him. Either they truly did not recognize him or they chose not to believe that he was the Son of God. You see, the same holds true today. The world out there does not want to confess Jesus as you confess him here each week. They only want to put other labels on him, such as prophet, healer, teacher, or rabbi so as to deny Jesus his true identity. And in doing so they are also denying your identity as Child of God. And because they either do not recognize or chose not to believe that Jesus was the Son of God, they want to put other labels on you that will identify and define you in ways that negate your status with God. How many times have you been asked, “Well what do you do”? As if doing something, or anything defines your identity as a person. Seriously, what is meant by that question? Are they speaking of occupation? Vocation? Tasks that you perform everyday? What time frame are they speaking of? For instance there are many things that I do each day, and not all of them are things that I would consider part of my identity. Is eating lunch, or driving to and from work, or using the restroom tied to whom I see myself as? I don’t think so.
Maybe the better question to ask is the same one Jesus asked, “Who do you say that I am?” Who do you say you are? Do you go along with what the outside world tells you who you are? Do you try to match up with the constant barrage of images that are played out before us, telling us we can be younger, more beautiful, more virile, and more interesting if we look a certain way, or buy a certain product? I tried playing that game when I was younger and ended up being slightly schizophrenic. I really had no idea who I was. How could I define myself if I had no discernable identity? I had in effect become an amnesiac to what my true identity was.
Who do you say you are? Do you return to your baptism recognizing that it isn’t how other people see you, but how is it that God sees you? There are many great things about being here in this community of faith that is called Peace Lutheran church. One great thing is the fact that you publish the names of those who are celebrating their baptism in “The Tidings”. [So for instance we can give a shout out today to Karrie Swenson who was baptized on this date a few years ago. And although the Tidings doesn’t publish the baptism dates of the interns, I will tell you that tomorrow I will be 50, in baptismal years]. In having our names published each month, we are reminded of who we are and whose we are. We are reminded that, unlike Jason Bourne, we do not have to search high and low for our missing identity. We are reminded that we are defined not by what the outside world sees or imagines we are, but rather we are defined by the Son of God who by dying on the cross took our sins upon himself, and through his resurrection we have new life daily. And it is by this we can take to heart the same words that Jesus heard at his baptism “You are my son, you are my daughter, with you I am well pleased”. Amen.
And may the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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