From the Pastor |
Psalm 62: 5-12 & Mark 1: 14-20
When we look around at everything that has gone on in our nation … I have to admit that it has upset me to see such and incredible rise in what I consider to be Christian “Extremism”. I look to the teachings of Our Lord, Christ Jesus and am rendered speechless and angry when I see what has done and said in the name of Jesus…every day in our nation. It is seriously no wonder that Christians in America have received the reputation of being hypocrites… fanatics… religious extremists! The values held by true Followers of Jesus have been lost in the shouts of intolerance, anger and hatred. That is why I believe we really need to look at the two scriptures we have heard this morning. For in these two readings we can clearly hear the two-fold call of Christ. First, we have the call to put our trust in God… and then we hear the call to follow Jesus. Psalm 62 rings out with our first call… the call to not to depend on the things of this world… the call to not place our hope or trust in the things that cannot save us… those things that are temporary and ultimately unsatisfying… Instead we are called to put our trust ONLY in God. “For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from him… He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress… On God rests my deliverance and my honor… Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.” The psalmist reminds us that we need to trust God at all times… and not the ways of the world. Greed, robbery, and extortion will lead people astray… but true power is found in God. Especially in times of crisis… the only true refuge is the Lord, who is the ultimate source of all hope and steadfast love This call is the message that I think we REALLY need to hear as we look to address the huge challenges we face in our world. It is not easy because we have to fight our human desires to accumulate money and power… to find strength in words and weapons that we think will bring us some sense of security and self-preservation. And in times of crisis, it is easier to look to our status, our money… even extortion and robbery to see us through… but the only true refuge is found in God… our rock… our salvation… our fortress. That is because… if we follow the call to put our trust in God… even in chaotic times such as these… we come to know the truth… that God is the only power we need… Our problems won’t magically disappear… but God’s steadfast love is forever with us… Peace of heart, soul and mind will be ours to help strengthen and support us through whatever this world can throw at us. With God, we can find joy in this life even amid times of suffering. God is the rock… salvation and fortress… the strength, hope and love that is needed… not only for the psalmist but for all who seek the Lord. It is along this same idea that Jesus begins his own ministry. Mark tells us that Jesus starts to preach in Galilee just after the arrest of John. In fact, Jesus begins right where John left off. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” Like John… Jesus speaks with urgency and insistence that the Kingdom of God is near… This was definitely Good News for people who were being oppressed by the military and political powers. The call to repentance was a call for them to decide… whether to continue to live in fear of the earthly powers that be… or to, as the Psalmist declares… put their trust in God alone! Then, Mark tells us that Jesus goes a step further and issues the second call… a quiet, gentle call in the middle of a typical day in the life of the people… “Come, follow me!” Here Jesus issues his first call to authentic Christian discipleship. “Come, follow me!” When we, like Simon and Andrew… like James and John… drop what we are doing… leaving what we know behind and answer Jesus’ call to follow him… then we can learn all that Jesus would teach us. You see… following Jesus embodies the act of repentance that Jesus was calling for. Following him led to a new way of being that embraces the life, security and generosity that we find when we fully put our trust in God. For in the kingdom of God, we no longer need to cling to weapons or violence. The security we obtain from the things of this world… money, power, weapons… it is temporary… unreliable… they can be easily taken away, and true security is only found in God In God’s kingdom, we can focus on things that are more important than the accumulation of money and things because we know they can’t provide us with love and meaning… and in God’s kingdom… there is enough for ALL. In the kingdom of God, we have all been granted the identity as God’s own children… we are all brothers and sisters, and the steadfast love and grace of God is eternal. Through Christ, we can fully recognize all that we gain from God because God’s grace and love are revealed completely in Christ. So it makes sense that when we put our trust in God and experience the life God offers… we would also want to share the tremendous joy that we have found. Then… like the psalmist, we can share this incredible… life changing revelation with others. We become the people who have witnessed God’s glory, and who then reflect it to others. Sadly… this has not been what many throughout history and more recently in our own nation, have experienced when dealing with Christians… Unfortunately, for many people… Jesus’ call to follow him… to go and “make disciples of all nations” has been interpreted as a call to change others… by force if necessary… or by threats of hell and damnation. For far too long… evangelism has been about trying to change others… to force others to think, speak and act as they do… to believe what they believe and worshipping ONLY as they do. There are too many who would rather proclaim eternal damnation for those who disagree with them than inviting others to learn and follow Jesus. The message has been about the church… about a religion… instead of about Jesus himself. Rather than allowing God’s glory, revealed in Christ, to shine out for all to see… it has been obscured and distorted and hidden from others. These Christians would rather be right than allow others to see and obtain God’s grace… especially if they do not believe the others are deserving. However, if we are to think that this is following Jesus… we are wrong. What this signifies to me is that by acting this way… we have stopped trusting in God… we have failed to actually follow Jesus, and have instead put our faith in our wealth, our churches and doctrines, our strength, or even our nation. If we are to be true disciples… true followers of Christ… we need to make a choice. We can either respond to the challenges of this world with aggression, or malevolent words… we can repay evil with evil and violence with violence… putting our trust in ourselves, our leaders, our nationalism… OR we can hear Jesus calling us to follow him on a path that is more difficult... but it is the path that breaks the cycle of anger, hatred and violence… the path that calls for his followers to always speak and act in the spirit of the two greatest commandments. You see… when explaining these two commandments… to Love God and to Love our neighbor… Jesus does not provide any outs. If we are to follow him… we MUST Love the Lord our God with our WHOLE being. And we must love our neighbor as ourselves. There were NO clauses or allowances made available for excluding ANYONE from this command. Jesus never said to love the neighbor who is like us… who looks like us… acts like us… believes as we do. He never gave the ok to not love another based on any difference… not their nationality, race, faith or even lack of… not their gender, age or even their sexuality. NO… we are to love any and all of our neighbors… even those we do not like at all. When Jesus called for repentance and faith… he was calling for us to put our whole trust in the Lord our God. When he calls for us to follow him… when he calls us to discipleship… he is not simply calling for us to leave a hostile world of darkness and suffering… offering a better life someday in God’s heavenly kingdom. NO! Jesus is calling us to be a part of God’s kingdom NOW… HERE… he is calling us to follow where he leads so that the world might be changed… so that this world will cease to be a hostile place of suffering… If we are to really follow Christ, we need to embrace the radical inclusivity and grace of God’s kingdom… allowing the light of God’s glory… God’s presence and love to shine and to attract others… openly… boldly inviting them into an inclusive and trusting life that welcomes all… shares with all… and loves all. Amen.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Yeon Shin
|