Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost – Year B – Proper 20 (RCL) 2009
Wisdom of Solomon 1:16 – 2:1, 12–22; Ps 54; James 3:13 – 4:3, 7 – 8a; Mark 9: 30 – 37
St. Stephen’s Episcopal Parish, Portland, OR
Sunday, September 20, 2009

THE ONLY THING YOU HAVE TO CHANGE IS EVERYTHING

Let us pray: God our tendency is to honor those among us who are the greatest acheivers, thinkers and leaders. We revel in competions which declare who is the greatest among us. Nobel prizes and van Kleiburn competitions – national spelling bees and American Idols grip our attentions and our accolades. You came among us to model something different. You tell us time and again that the greatest among us are those who would serve the lowliest – that achievment will be measured by the amount of service to others in your name. Help us to value the peacemakers more than the Generals, the dishwashers more than the master chief’s; the paupers more than the princesses. Challenge our conventions and shatter our sureities so that we might revel in your call to welcome the lowly and in doing so welcome you. Amen.

(SUNG) FROM THE VOICES OF CHILDREN LORD,
COMES THE SOUND OF YOUR PRAISE.
FROM THE VOICES OF CHILDREN LORD,
COMES THE SOUND OF YOUR PRAISE
THE SOUND OF YOUR PRAISE.

The journeing Jesus and followers continue down the paths of the Palestinian countryside, through Galilee and into Capernaum and arrive at a house to rest. All through this traveling the author of Mark’s Gospel account continues to cloak Jesus’ teachings and conversations with the disciples in secrecy. Jesus is constantly telling those whom he heals and those to whom he reveals aspects of the truth of coming among them; that they are to tell no one what has been seen or done in their midst. This “messianic secret” thread which runs through this Gospel account can often be confusing in light of the overall imperative to “preach the good news” to all the ends of the earth. Why does Jesus caution the inner circle of followers to remain silent about the deeds and revelations to which they become privy? I think that a large piece of the literary technique used by this author is to whet the appetite of those who are listening to the narrative, that we might be all the more anxious and excited to spread the message when we are finally enabled and encouraged to do so. Jesus, however, wants to be sure that the message is fully understood and grasped before the disciples set out to change the face of the world. They, like us are able to grasp the truth of Jesus’ miracles and ministry among them only in small doses; and always within the context of their everyday life experiences. Jesus, however, is always aware of the limited amount of time which he has to prepare them for their ministry – and so continues teaching in the midst of the rushed journey toward Jerusalem. Often we will experience Jesus’ frustration and observe the patient reiterating of lessons which must be grasped if the followers are to carry on the bringing of God’s Kindom among them.

Today’s story follows closely, though not immediately, on the heels of the events which we read about last week. In this 9th Chapter account we encounter the 2nd of the three passion predictions which Jesus will proclaim to the confused followers. Last week, when we heard the first – it was followed by a rebuke from Peter; this time the twelve are no more able to grasp what Jesus is trying to tell them but they have learned their lesson. No attempts at rebuking the teacher this time, instead we are told that they were afraid to ask him what they could not understand. When they arrive at Capernaum Jesus, I’m sure quite tounge in cheek, asks what they had been arguing about on the way. Can’t you just picture the response? None of them wants to admit that they had been having petty squabbles about who was the greatest among them. “No, not simon; he’s the one who’s always getting the answers wrong – and when he does get it right he sticks his foot in his mouth.” “I’m bettin on the beloved disciple – look at how much attention he gets paid?” Ego driven discipleship tends to lead to televangelists who eventually fall under the weight of their own reputations. Patiently once again the teacher takes a seat among the chosen twelve and tries to explain how different things will be in the reign of God than from what they have known.

(SUNG) FROM THE VOICES OF CHILDREN LORD,
COMES THE SOUND OF YOUR PRAISE.
FROM THE VOICES OF CHILDREN LORD,
COMES THE SOUND OF YOUR PRAISE
THE SOUND OF YOUR PRAISE.

In the house where they were staying, Jesus picks out one of the youngsters and sets the child in the midst of them. If you think we have seen examples of Jesus reaching out to the disenfranchized and lowliest of the society before – here is the ultimate example of the undervalued or completely ignored. It’s not that children were despised or “unclean” it’s simply that they held little to no value to the adults who surrounded them. Not really able to provide any financial or labor advantages for the household – and requiring food and shelter for their upkeep; children were seen as a necessary burden to be held onto only until they could join the labor field (males) or be bartered in marriage to the best economic advantage (females). Children’s status was just a little above that of the household slaves. A perfect example of this is illustrated in the writing of the narrative. The author not only failing to name the child whom Jesus takes into his arms – doesn’t even tell us the gender – and so the translation is “then he took a little child and put it among them.” Then Jesus takes the whole social paradigm and turns it upside down. Jesus is famous for doing this – think prostitutes, tax collectors, bleeding women and lepers! Now what was seen as having the least value is held up as the very source of our connection to God – for Jesus tells them “whoever welcomes one such Child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”

Those of you who consider yourselves members or at least regular attender’s of this community will receive a letter in the next few weeks from our Bob Tayler who is leading our Stewardship Planning Team and it will inform us as a community of the theological underpinning of this years campaign theme, which will in some way or another will link us to Mic’s suggestion in his remarks a few weeks ago that we need to concentrate on “A Year of Mission Building”. Over the next Sundays for the month of October we will hear from our sisters and brothers who will share their insights and passions and invite us to share ours around this special place in God’s Kindom that we call St. Stephen’s. Our time in community and around the Holy Table will remind us of the necessity of our commitment with our time, talents and treasure to the builiding up of the Kindom of God among us. Each of us has a story (at least one; and probably more) of how God’s work in our lives and in the Church has affected our families, our relationships and our lives for the betterment of the world we have been given; and instructed to guard as its stewards. We spent the past 8 weeks in small groups; and hopefully in our prayer lives and our liturgical life as Parish – reflecting on what this place has meant to us, and what we can do as a community to ensure its continuing as a presence of God’s love and healing in downtown Portland. Creative and exciting ideas are beginning to emerge – ideas which will require the commitment of ALL of us to bear fruit and blossom. We also contemplate our responsibility to ensure that God’s work continues to be done and God’s Word continues to be lived out through and among us by offering our gifts of time, talent and treasure back to the God who provided them to us in the first place. Whatever contribution we decide to set apart from the first fruits of our labor – we ask God to bless and accept our offerings because we need to make them. We will gather all of our combined offerings in November – cleaverly timed to be around the season of “Thanksgiving” that we celebrate as a Nation and also around the time that we will call a new leader to come among us as Bishop. In that timeframe we will take our offerings of treasure and talent and time - and place them upon God’s holy table as the symbol of all that we have and all that we offer.

We contribute to continue this legacy of God’s work through and among us so that we may pass it on to those generations after us just as it has been passed to us from those generations which came before. In 1977 a Presbyterian clergyperson named John Westerhoff wrote a ground breaking book in which he explored the model that Christian Churches used for education of its member, this book was titled Will Our Children Have Faith. In 2003 The National Episcopal Church’s office of Ministries With Young People sponsored a conference which they titled “Will our Faith have Children?” Over 600 faith leaders gathered to explore what the Church had lost as a result of decades of indifference to forming and enriching the faith of children, youth and adults. The conference focused on the promises of embracing lifelong learning and formation at all levels of the Church’s life. We continue to reap the benefits of placing our focus on the “little child” among us as Jesus did. Our small faith community is sadly lacking the young people that used to fill our Sunday School classrooms and noisly clammor into the pews with their parents to hear God’s Word and be filled with God’s Holy food. Our hopes and dreams as a community lead us by their very nature toward imparting that important message of God’s love for our future generations. I am confident that as we begin to more clearly define where we believe God to be calling us as a Community – God will send into our midst the laborers that are needed for the building up of God’s Kindom. In the meanwhile I share with you two stories from my work with youngsters that have filled my life with joy and my heart with hope. Harry’s family had moved quite a bit in his young life. When they arrived in town they started “church shopping.” One Sunday they would visit the Unitarians, and the next the Presbyterians. When they decided that Resurrection was going to be their spritual home – Harry was starting to get used to the place; I heard from the open car window one morning as they came rolling into the parking lot and Harry recognzied the “red doors” - “Oh great we’re going to CHURCH”! Finally, my heart will always be stirred as I remember Max who had been receving communion since his first visit after being born when I would dip my pinky into the chalice and place a small drop of the Blood of Christ the Cup of Salvation onto his tounge. When Max was about 7 months old, as I was distributing communion and approached his family waiting at the rail – out of the corner of my eye I caught his little hands reaching up from his mother’s arms and saw him making those little fingers stretch out as he screeched with joy “ah, ah, ah” at the anticipation of the small bit of sacred bread and finger full of holy wine that had become his Sunday morning treat!

(SUNG) COMES THE SOUND OF YOUR PRAISE
THE SOUND OF YOUR PRAISE.