17th Sunday after Pentecost Proper 21 Sermon

17th Sunday after Pentecost

Proper 21

Mark 9:38-50

"Are you Salt?"

38 John said to him, "Teacher, we saw a man casting out demons in your name, and we forbade him, because he was not following us."

39 But Jesus said, "Do not forbid him; for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon after to speak evil of me.

40 For he that is not against us is for us.

41 ¶ For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ, will by no means lose his reward.

42 "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung round his neck and he were thrown into the sea.

43 And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire.

44

45 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell.

46

47 And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell,

48 where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.

49 For every one will be salted with fire.

50 Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its saltness, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another."RSV

Grace and Peace to you from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus who is the Christ.

What kind of people does a church produce? Let me repeat that question, What kind of people does a church produce? That may sound like a strange question but in all reality that is the question which our gospel lesson asks in many different ways this morning. Does the church produce people who give a drink of cup of cold water to someone who is thirsty in Jesus' name? Does the church produce people who lead others to sins? Does the church produce salt, pure and willing to preserve the goals and ideals of Jesus? Does the church produce people who practice what they preach? Does the church produce people of faith who are willing to put their faith into action in their own lives as well as the lives of others?

This lesson is asking us to look seriously at our conduct as members of the body of Christ, not only how we treat others, but also how we conduct our own individual lives in relationship to the teachings of Jesus and the commands of God as found in the 10 commandments.

To get a better understanding of what Jesus means in this text, I would like to look at four individuals,

"First a gal named Shirley. Shirley was a dedicated mother. Her children lacked nothing. If they were hungry, at the first sign of hunger, they were fed. If her children's friend got a new toy, Shirley's children got the same one.

They were the first at school when they got older to have their heir own car. They weren't made to do anything, because once upon a time, Shirley's father made her go to church. Shirley's children don't go to church, but they are good children, with good manners and good grades. They are good and bland--tasteless salt less. No faith, no belief in Christ. These children are good but selfish, looking out only for themselves.

Then there is Bill. Bill is retired now and as he says. He had it made. He worked hard all his life and as Bill says he is going to take it easy in retirement. Sit on the porch and rock in the rocker. Bill has been asked to do volunteer work for the Senior Citizen Center, but as he did with the people at the church, he told them to let the younger ones take their turn. He just wanted to rock and rock and rock. Bill lacks salt, too.

But Tom just the opposite of Bill. Tom is going to be somebody. He graduated early from high school. Got a good scholarship to college. He worked hard getting good grades. Now he is working hard for the company. They promised to make him rich and they are. But Tom lost something on the way up the corporate ladder, his wife and children. She left taking the children with her. He says she didn't understand. But she says his job is an obsession. His children visit on every fourth weekend, for the afternoon. He really does love his job. Money is Tom's way of keeping score concerning life. As far Tom is concerned, he is way ahead, running up a huge score. But Tom is salt less!!

Then there is Mage. Mage is the town gossip. She has just been part of a juicy and really slanderous gossip. But Mage has second thoughts about what she has done. She finds her pastor and asks if there is anything she can do to make amends. She says, "But Pastor, I will do anything to wipe the slate clear."

The pastor said , "Mage come here. In this basket are goose feathers. Let us go to the top of the bell tower." When they reached the top of the bell tower, the pastor pours the feathers into the wind and they scatter in every direction. "Now Mage," said the Pastor, "Now you go out and gather up all the feathers and bring them back to me and I will tell you what you can do to make amends for your lies."

The pastor returned to his desk and Mage ran out the door chasing the feathers. Many hours past, then the pastor heard a knocking at the door. It was Mage. She was crying and had only a few feathers in her basket. "I see what you mean, Pastor, I cannot undo what I have done."

"That is right, Mage," said the Pastor, "You cannot undo it, but from now on you can do good deeds and say good thing. While that will not undo what you have done, it will help to counteract the effect a little, and that will be the most that you can do. For all the rest, your lies, your spreading false gossip, you will have to trust God to forgive you. "

What kind of people does the church produce? I think all, it produces a Shirley, who is selfish, a Bill who is willing to let others do his duty, Tom who is only concerned about material things and a Mage who liked to talk about others.

But who does Jesus say out of these four will receive their reward? I think Mage, because she eventually saw herself as she really was and was willing to repent, to change her live, to try to live as Christ commands us to live.

Shirley, Bill and Tom didn't see anything wrong with their lifestyles. They didn't see how they had lost their saltiness, how they had lost what Jesus says is important for Christian living, love, kindness, faith, trust and belief. Shirley had a faith but she was too selfish, to self-centered to allow that faith to grow. So she didn't pass it on to her children.

Bill saw the world now that he was retired as someone else's. He didn't have to be involved. He didn't have to work, he didn't have to care, or show kindness or compassion or love, "Let someone else do it." But does our life as a follower of Jesus ever end on this earth? Is there a retirement in Christian living?

What about Tom, money, fame, prestige were really his gods. They became so much his god that he forsook family, children and maybe his soul if he doesn't repent and wake up.

But Mage, she was different. Somehow she felt she had done wrong. Somehow she felt guilty. Somehow she felt she had to make amends for the wrongs she had done. But she could never really take back those hurts, she could never take away the pain of her lies. She could never really undo all the misery she caused. However, she learned that by changing, by trying to do what was right, by being kind, compassionate, caring and loving, she could bring a measure of God's grace into this world. And maybe in that way she could even the scale a little.

All through this lesson, Jesus is making the point that our lifestyles, our conduct, our attitude, our very way of life does make a difference as we live in faith. Jesus understands that we cannot be perfect, we will sin, but it is that attitude concerning sin which he is speaking about here. We are to be like Mage, willing to repent, willing to change, willing to say we are sorry, then try to live better. Jesus says this in some very harsh language when he says, "And if your hand causes you to sin, cut if off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go to hell. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut if off, it is better for you to enter life lame that with two feet to be thrown into hell." and he goes on and on.

But is Jesus really saying the church should be made up of maimed and lame people? I think not. But he is pointing out the seriousness of our sins, and he says we need to acknowledge these sins before Him and the Father so that we might receive forgiveness.

In Scotland many years ago, the farmers wanted to appease the evil spirits, so they left a corner in each field unplowed. They felt if they sacrificed this small part to these evil spirits, the remainder of the field would yield good crops. But what happened, the corner that was left to itself produced a lot of weeds, and those weeds scattered by the wind spread over the whole field and the whole field became full of weeds and the yield suffered.

So it is with our life in Christ. Jesus doesn't want us to leave one part of our life empty so that sins can infect the rest of it. He wants us to do some thing about it. He wants us to get rid of the weeds, so that the whole field might be clean. Jesus doesn't want one part of our life in the Devil's hand, because eventually the devil will have our whole life. Jesus wants us to be realistic about life, to repent and change those areas which separate us from him, which drive a wedge between us and God.

This repentance happens each day when we are honest with ourselves and with God. Each day we come to him and ask him to forgive, to cleanse, to renew, to make right again. This happens for us in our daily prayer life. It happens here this morning as you come to his table to eat and to drink his body and blood given and shed for you. It happens each time you reconcile yourself with your neighbor when you are seeking forgiveness for a wrong from your neighbor and from God. Our lives are in a constant state of confessing, receiving forgiveness and the whole process is repeated again and again. Jesus is calling us from our compliance with sin, to a life that each day seeks God's forgiveness for the wrongs that have been committed.

A professional piano player said, "If I miss a day of practice, I know it. If I miss two days, my friends know it. If I miss three days, my audience knows it. " He had to keep at it day in and day out. So with us in our life with Christ. We need to keep at it each day. Confessing, receiving forgiveness, loving our neighbor, worshiping Christ. Living in Christ is a day in and day out way of life for a Christian.

What kind of people does a church produce? I hope people who recognize the realty of life which sees the sin in our lives. They see the sin so that each day they need to confess, to repent, to receive forgiveness and the strength and courage to live in God's everlasting grace.

Amen

Written by Pastor Tim Zingale September 25, 2006

You may freely use this but please give credit. Not for commercial use.




"You can't always beat what is difficult in your life. Sometimes you have to let it win and shout hallelujah anyhow."
Bebe More Campbell



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16th Sunday after Pentecost Proper 20 Sermon

16th Sunday after Pentecost

Proper 20

Mark 9:30-37

"The High Price of Godly Living"


30 They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he would not have any one know it;
31 for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, "The Son of man will be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him; and when he is killed, after three days he will rise."
32 But they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to ask him.
33 And they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, "What were you discussing on the way?"
34 But they were silent; for on the way they had discussed with one another who was the greatest.
35 And he sat down and called the twelve; and he said to them, "If any one would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all."
36 And he took a child, and put him in the midst of them; and taking him in his arms, he said to them,
37 "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me."

Grace and Peace to you from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus who is the Christ.

A woman we'll call Mary had worked for many years in a large downtown business office. Many different things were said about Mary, hut there was one thing all of her colleagues agreed on: Mary was a very unlike able, hateful person.

No one ever managed to get close enough to her to know her very well. Mary had a way of quickly turning off anyone who tried to get close to her. No one ever managed to get to know her well. She was a loner, a crab, very disagreeable and when eve a new employee was hired, the warning went out very quickly "Stay away from Mary!!!" This situation went on for many years, until a new employee named Sally arrived on the scene. Sally disregarded all of the warnings about Mary and she made a very special effort to let her know there was someone in the office who really cared about her. Slowly Mary came out of her shell, relaxed began communicating and even developed one or two friendships.

Then early one morning, the whole office was shocked to learn that Sally had died suddenly in her sleep. When Mary heard the news, she cried and cried and said over and over again, " SHE WAS THE ONLY CHRIST I EVER KNEW!!!!"

Isn't that a powerful statement, "She was the only Christ I ever knew!!!" What did she mean by that? What was Mary trying to say about this special person, Sally?

Our gospel lesson this morning gives a clue to this powerful statement of Mary's. Jesus told his disciples a second time what was going to happen to him went he arrived at Jerusalem. He told them he would be delivered into the hands of men, and they would kill him and then after three days he would rise again. But unlike the he first time he said this, the disciples didn't understand what he was saying. Instead they were working on their own agenda. They were discussing who would be first in this new kingdom that Jesus was going to begin. They were wondering who would be the ones who would sit on Jesus' right and left hands, the places of power and authority. If we would think in terms of our modern government, they were wondering who was going to be vice-president and who was going to be secretary of state with Jesus being the president.

Jesus having sensed they didn't understand at all about this new kingdom calls the disciples together and explains that the places of honor in this kingdom were not the places of power, fame and wealth as in other kingdoms. No, the place of honor in this kingdom who would be place of servant hood, the last place in line. Jesus was explaining to the disciples that one would sacrifice himself for the sake of the other in this new kingdom.

Then Jesus asks a child to come forward and he says that one must be as innocent, as trusting, as naive, as this child as he serves in God's kingdom.

36 And he took a child, and put him in the midst of them; and taking him in his arms, he said to them,
37 "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me."


Jesus was telling the disciples that one must be willing to serve out of the same kind of love that a child has for its parents, a love that is trusting, a love that is simple, a love that is accepting.

Now if we would think back to our story about Mary and Sally, we can see why Mary called Sally the only Christ I ever knew. Sally was willing to give of herself, she wasn't willing to see only the bad side of Mary, but knew that Mary had a good side and she was going to bring it out.

I imagine that at the beginning, Sally took a lot of abuse from Mary, because Mary probably didn't understand what was going on. But the more Sally treated Mary with love, mercy and compassion, the more Mary responded, the more she came to trust, love and accept this person. Sally was willing to risk herself to help this very unloving person. Yes, indeed, Sally was Christ for Mary. Sally was willing to give of herself so that Mary would find peace, contentment, happiness and love in her life.

This kind of living for others, living for even those people whom we have a difficult time liking is not easy. But living a life of sacrifice was never suppose to be easy. It is a difficult life, it is a hard way to live, but it is the way of the cross. It is the way of Jesus. Jesus life was not easy, but he was willing to love the unlovable of his day. He was willing even to forgive those who killed him. Jesus was willing to live a life of sacrifice for others, and he asks us to follow in his footsteps.

There is a story about a man in a apartment house who had a very difficult time with one of his neighbors. It seemed his neighbor liked to play his radio very loud and at all times of the day and night. Todd couldn't get any sleep. As a matter of fact, he got to the point where he actually hated his neighbor, and they always had unkind words whenever they meet. The radio never got turned down. One day Todd went to see one of the older neighbors in the building. This older neighbor was a kind old man who listen very carefully to Todd's complaints concerning the men with the radio.

The old man said, "You really have to love people in order to put up with them."

"You mean to say," said Todd, "I have to love a fellow who turns up his radio full volume at all hours of the day and night."

Where upon the old man replied, "Well it's no stick at all to love someone who has no radio, at all."

Yes, it is not easy to love those who seem unlovable, but that is the task you and I are called to do for Jesus. We are called by him to love even the unlovable, to give of ourselves even when that giving hurts, when it is difficult, when it seems others don't appreciate but self-sacrificing love.

God calls you and I to such a role in life. We are called to be servants to others, and servant to God. We are called to sacrifice our wants, our desires, our position in order to serve God and our neighbor.

God is calling us to make our lives a sign of his power in this world. God is calling us to serve him with our entire lives, to be the Christ in this world. He is calling us to be the light of hope, to be the instruments of justice, love and mercy in this world. God is calling us to servant hood, to give of our selves.

There is a story about a Grandmother who died several years ago. She lived to a ripe old age and it could be said of her, "To live is Christ to die is gain." She lived her live as a testimony to the faith and spirit that was inside of her. Her loved ones wanted her funeral to be a witness to the kind of life that she lived. One of the grandchildren suggested that Grandma always carried a bible in her hand and wore a cross around her neck. She was never seen without a bible or a cross. That was it, They would place in her hand's that which was most precious to her in life. As granny lay in repose. there was a Bible her tattered worn Bible- folded in one hand an her pectoral cross in the other. All agreed! That was Grandma!

All of us are called to live such a life of service to God. All of us are called to live a life filled with that kind of spirit, with that kind of commitment to God. What will they place in your hands as you lay in repose to be depicted in death that which was most precious to you in life? Will it be a bible and a cross, or a TV knob, a golf club, a telephone, a stock market sheet, a bottle, a stitching needle, a pillow, a knife of hatred or just plan nothing as the sign of the indifference you had for life. What will it be?

So far this morning we have seen that Jesus calls us to a life of self sacrifice, a life where we are called upon to serve God and our neighbor.

A closing story sums this up well:

The pastor asked one of the church council people to pray, but the council person paused for a moment in embarrassment and said, "Pastor, before I pray I first need to clear something up. I have been trying to knife one of our elders in the back for a wrong l thought he did to me I must ask for his forgiveness before I can pray?

He stepped over and took the other man by the hand. To his surprise the other man said, "And I want to say that I have been trying to put the skids under you. It was an unchristian thing to do, and I want to quit trying to be vengeful. Each man gripped the other's hand and then there was a time of prayer.

Other council people responded in kind, there were confessions all around the table. At the close of the council meeting the secretary asked the pastor what should be recorded in the minutes since very little official business was done that evening.

The pastor replied, "Never was more entered on the records of this council than tonight. Put down "They loved each other!"

These people found the wisdom of Cod in their lives, they found the peace and comfort of God and then change came. Hatred turned to love, disrespect turned to respect, wrongs were righted. They loved each other.

I hope we can say that about our relationships as we come to together today to God's table to share in his supper.

I hope we can forgive another's wrong, I hope we can learn to love each other as we gather as the family of Christ. Yes, when our priorities are right, when our wisdom is on that that is from above, then we can say about our relationships as that pastor did, They loved each other.

Amen

Written by Pastor Tim Zingale September 18, 2006

You may freely use this but please give credit. Not for commercial use.

"You can't always beat what is difficult in your life. Sometimes you have to let it win and shout hallelujah anyhow."
Bebe More Campbell



Home pages


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main sermon and illustration page

http://www.dodgenet.com/~tzingale/St_Olaf.html
St Olaf Lutheran Church Fort Dodge (where I am a member)


Join my yahoo group

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15th Sunday after Pentecost Sermon

15th Sunday after Pentecost

Proper 19

Mark 8:27-38

"Faith and Works"



27 ¶ And Jesus went on with his disciples, to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, "Who do men say that I am?"
28 And they told him, "John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others one of the prophets."
29 And he asked them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered him, "You are the Christ."
30 And he charged them to tell no one about him.
31 And he began to teach them that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.
32 And he said this plainly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him.
33 But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter, and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are not on the side of God, but of men."
34 And he called to him the multitude with his disciples, and said to them, "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
35 For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it.
36 For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?
37 For what can a man give in return for his life?
38 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of man also be ashamed, when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."RSV

Grace and peace to your from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus who is the Christ. Amen

"An old boatman in Scotland had the job of taking passengers across a like in his rowboat. One day, one of the persons on board inquired concerning the oars the boatman was using. One oar had the word FAITH carved on it and the other WORKS.

The old man said, "I'll show you the reason." He put one oar into the water, the one marked FAITH and began to row. The boat would just go in circles. Then he took the oar out and put in the one marked WORKS and began to row. The same thing happened, the boat went in the opposite circle.

Then he picked up both oars, FAITH and WORKS placed them in the water and began to row. As he pulled these oars together, the boat began to move forward in a straight line. To the passenger who questioned the oars he said, 'That is the way in the Christian life -- one is no good without the other."

The principle that both FAITH and GOOD WORKS are important in the life of a Christian was demonstrated very well by that story. Our lesson this morning deals with the subject of faith and works. It is a very difficult subject to understand. But it is a subject that is important for the life of a Christian believer.

First let us look at the faith part.

In our gospel lesson, Jesus is in the middle of his public ministry. He is in northern Galilee, and he is now heading down to Jerusalem where he knows that the cross, suffering and death await him. As he begins this most difficult part of his ministry, he has to know if he has done any good ? He has to know if anyone has figured out who he is, why he has come. He doesn't ask the crowds, but he asks the men who have been with him night and day for a year and a half. He asks the ones who are suppose to know him best. He begins by asking them what others are saying about him. They tell him, some say you are Elijah, other a prophet. Then Jesus brings the question from out there to home, he asks them, "But who do you say that I am"

But who do you my disciples say that I am? Who am I in your eyes?

Notice they all don't start talking at once. There is a long pause. What were they thinking this was a test and they did not want to get the answer wrong? Were they worried Jesus would get offended by their answer?

Then good old Peter probably could not stand the deafening silence any longer and blurts out the famous four words, "You are the Christ."

You are the Christ, faith's most famous words. Peter understood who Jesus was, he knew that Jesus was the Messiah, the son of God, the one who would bring God's good news into the world. Peter knew who Jesus was, he thought, and blurted it out. "You are the Christ." Peter blurted out those famous words because we think he understood who Jesus was. Jesus was the Saviour who came to earth to save us from our sins.

After the Peter answers the question, "But who do you say that I am", Jesus tells the disciples that he must go to Jerusalem. Our Lesson says: "And he began to teach them that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again."

Peter answers the question of faith, but we will see that he had a difficult time seeing the work that Jesus had to do. He could not see the work of faith that Jesus had to do on the cross.

Peter takes Jesus aside and as the text says "And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him."

Peter goes from the one who knew who Jesus was and could not let his faith see Jesus was to be the suffering Messiah.

And Jesus could not let stand Peter's rebuke stand so as the text says:" But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter, and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are not on the side of God, but of men."

Peter goes from understanding who Jesus was, to not understanding at all within a few short sentences. Peter wanted Jesus to be the kind of Messiah that was like an earthly king. But Jesus saw that He was the suffering Messiah who would give his life for the people.

And then Jesus tells the disciples and us that we too but forsake our lives for the good of those around us.

and said to them, "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
35 For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it.

Jesus was the suffering Messiah and we must also be willing to suffer, to give of ourselves for the sake of Christ. This is where the idea of Works and Faith come together.

We have faith in Jesus which allows us to help our neighbor. We have faith in Jesus so that we may serve others. Works and Faith. Faith and Works they go hand in hand.

Our gospel lesson this morning asks us who Jesus is. Then asks us what are we gong to do about it.

A faith that is alive is a strong two edged sword. It believes in the salvation who for us by the cross of Calvary, where the body of Christ was broken and His blood shed for our sins. At the same time, faith is willing to work to be expressed in our actions as we minister to those who have felt the brokenness of the world as they are visible around us.

Faith must believe in Christ' s action on the crosss.

The following story I believe, sums up what faith means in the life of a Christian.

Far away in a lonely desert stands a water pump in the sand. You are a solitary traveler, and your canteen is empty and you come upon that pump. Tied to it is a hand written sign put there by some pilgrim.

The sign reads "I have buried a bottle of water to prime the pump. don't drink any of it.

Pour in half of it to wet the leather. Wait, and then pour in the rest. Then pump. The well has never gone dry, but the pump must be primed to bring the water up. Have faith, believe. When you are through drawing water, fill the bottle and bury it in the sand for the next traveler."

Having come upon this pump in the desert with this sign and being out of water, what would you do?

Will you dig the water bottle from the sand and drink from it? Or will you believe and believing dare to pour that water every drop of it down into the old trusty pump? Because you trust, you take a risk, both for yourself and for the next person who will pass that way. What will you do?

Faith in Jesus Christ is just like that. We must trust in our belief that He is the Saviour as Peter says: "You are the Christ."

Can you say that Jesus is the Christ, the Saviour in your life? Can you risk saying those words, Jesus you are the Christ in my life? Faith means you are willing to trust your whole being to Jesus, who is the Christ? Like the water bottle and pump, are you wiling to trust all to Jesus?

That brings us to the next part of our gospel lesson, works.

Jesus says who who has faith must be willing to sacrifice for others. Jesus says: "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

We must be willing to reach out to others with our faith.

But sadly many are like Charlie Brown and Linus int he following Peanut cartoon:

"Charlie Brown and Linus come across Snoopy shivering in the snow. Charlie Brown says:'Snoopy looks kind of cold, doesn't he?'

'I'll say, replies Linus, 'maybe we'd better go over and comfort him.'

They walk over to the dog, pat his head and say, 'Be of good cheer Snoopy.' Yes, be of good cheer.'

And in the final frame, the boys are walking away, still bundled up in their winder coats. Snoopy is still shivering and over his head is a question mark."

The boys were not willing to really get involved with Snoopy's plight. They gave lip service to his suffering, but no action. There was no sacrifice. There was no willings to get involved with Snoopy's plight. They could have found him a blanket. They could have given Snoopy one of their coats. But no, they only gave lip service to his plight.

Sometimes the church, you and I are like that. We talk about a problem, but are not willing to really get involved to solve.

A poem by Bob Rowland says this about how we might be:

" I was hungry and your formed a humanities club and discussed my hunger. Thank you.

I was imprisoned and you crept off quietly to your chapel and prayed for my release.

I was naked and in your mind you debated the morality of my appearance.

I was sick and you knelt and thanked God for your health.

I was homeless and you preached to me of the spiritual shelter of the love of God.

I was lonely and you left me along to pray for me.

Your seem so holy, so close to God. But I'm still very hungry and lonely and cold.

Thank you, thank you thank you"

Someone has said:

" Believing in Jesus and following Jesus are not the same! The call is not to watch and admire from a distance, but to join in the procession, become part of the parade. For our Lord is not some great cosmic clown who puts on a show in the center right for the religiously inclined, rather, he is the Messiah, as Peter affirmed, who calls men and women to hit the trail of life with him; to work up a swat and get their hand dirty on the behalf of the guilt-ridden, the down-trodden, the broken, the bruised and the rejected, that God's Shalom might become a reality for all of this children."

Becoming part of the parade, following Jesus means we must be willing to sacrifice, to give part of ourselves in the process. We must be wiling to work, to give, to sacrifice. We must allow our faith to become active in love. Our faith is alive as it believes in Jesus as the Messiah and as it is alive in the lives of those around us.


"Then he picked up both oars, FAITH and WORKS placed them in the water and began to row. As he pulled these oars together, the boat began to move forward in a straight line."


"Jesus calls men and women to hit the trail of life with him; to work up a swat and get their hand dirty on the behalf of the guilt-ridden, the down-trodden, the broken, the bruised and the rejected, that God's Shalom might become a reality for all of this children."

Amen

Written by Pastor Tim Zingale September 11, 2006

You may freely use this but please give credit. Not for commercial use.

"You can't always beat what is difficult in your life. Sometimes you have to let it win and shout hallelujah anyhow."
Bebe More Campbell



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15th Sunday after Pentecost Sermon

15th Sunday after Pentecost

Proper 19

Mark 8:27-38

"Faith and Works"



27 ¶ And Jesus went on with his disciples, to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, "Who do men say that I am?"
28 And they told him, "John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others one of the prophets."
29 And he asked them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered him, "You are the Christ."
30 And he charged them to tell no one about him.
31 And he began to teach them that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.
32 And he said this plainly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him.
33 But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter, and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are not on the side of God, but of men."
34 And he called to him the multitude with his disciples, and said to them, "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
35 For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it.
36 For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?
37 For what can a man give in return for his life?
38 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of man also be ashamed, when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."RSV

Grace and peace to your from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus who is the Christ. Amen

"An old boatman in Scotland had the job of taking passengers across a like in his rowboat. One day, one of the persons on board inquired concerning the oars the boatman was using. One oar had the word FAITH carved on it and the other WORKS.

The old man said, "I'll show you the reason." He put one oar into the water, the one marked FAITH and began to row. The boat would just go in circles. Then he took the oar out and put in the one marked WORKS and began to row. The same thing happened, the boat went in the opposite circle.

Then he picked up both oars, FAITH and WORKS placed them in the water and began to row. As he pulled these oars together, the boat began to move forward in a straight line. To the passenger who questioned the oars he said, 'That is the way in the Christian life -- one is no good without the other."

The principle that both FAITH and GOOD WORKS are important in the life of a Christian was demonstrated very well by that story. Our lesson this morning deals with the subject of faith and works. It is a very difficult subject to understand. But it is a subject that is important for the life of a Christian believer.

First let us look at the faith part.

In our gospel lesson, Jesus is in the middle of his public ministry. He is in northern Galilee, and he is now heading down to Jerusalem where he knows that the cross, suffering and death await him. As he begins this most difficult part of his ministry, he has to know if he has done any good ? He has to know if anyone has figured out who he is, why he has come. He doesn't ask the crowds, but he asks the men who have been with him night and day for a year and a half. He asks the ones who are suppose to know him best. He begins by asking them what others are saying about him. They tell him, some say you are Elijah, other a prophet. Then Jesus brings the question from out there to home, he asks them, "But who do you say that I am"

But who do you my disciples say that I am? Who am I in your eyes?

Notice they all don't start talking at once. There is a long pause. What were they thinking this was a test and they did not want to get the answer wrong? Were they worried Jesus would get offended by their answer?

Then good old Peter probably could not stand the deafening silence any longer and blurts out the famous four words, "You are the Christ."

You are the Christ, faith's most famous words. Peter understood who Jesus was, he knew that Jesus was the Messiah, the son of God, the one who would bring God's good news into the world. Peter knew who Jesus was, he thought, and blurted it out. "You are the Christ." Peter blurted out those famous words because we think he understood who Jesus was. Jesus was the Saviour who came to earth to save us from our sins.

After the Peter answers the question, "But who do you say that I am", Jesus tells the disciples that he must go to Jerusalem. Our Lesson says: "And he began to teach them that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again."

Peter answers the question of faith, but we will see that he had a difficult time seeing the work that Jesus had to do. He could not see the work of faith that Jesus had to do on the cross.

Peter takes Jesus aside and as the text says "And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him."

Peter goes from the one who knew who Jesus was and could not let his faith see Jesus was to be the suffering Messiah.

And Jesus could not let stand Peter's rebuke stand so as the text says:" But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter, and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are not on the side of God, but of men."

Peter goes from understanding who Jesus was, to not understanding at all within a few short sentences. Peter wanted Jesus to be the kind of Messiah that was like an earthly king. But Jesus saw that He was the suffering Messiah who would give his life for the people.

And then Jesus tells the disciples and us that we too but forsake our lives for the good of those around us.

and said to them, "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
35 For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it.

Jesus was the suffering Messiah and we must also be willing to suffer, to give of ourselves for the sake of Christ. This is where the idea of Works and Faith come together.

We have faith in Jesus which allows us to help our neighbor. We have faith in Jesus so that we may serve others. Works and Faith. Faith and Works they go hand in hand.

Our gospel lesson this morning asks us who Jesus is. Then asks us what are we gong to do about it.

A faith that is alive is a strong two edged sword. It believes in the salvation who for us by the cross of Calvary, where the body of Christ was broken and His blood shed for our sins. At the same time, faith is willing to work to be expressed in our actions as we minister to those who have felt the brokenness of the world as they are visible around us.

Faith must believe in Christ' s action on the crosss.

The following story I believe, sums up what faith means in the life of a Christian.

Far away in a lonely desert stands a water pump in the sand. You are a solitary traveler, and your canteen is empty and you come upon that pump. Tied to it is a hand written sign put there by some pilgrim.

The sign reads "I have buried a bottle of water to prime the pump. don't drink any of it.

Pour in half of it to wet the leather. Wait, and then pour in the rest. Then pump. The well has never gone dry, but the pump must be primed to bring the water up. Have faith, believe. When you are through drawing water, fill the bottle and bury it in the sand for the next traveler."

Having come upon this pump in the desert with this sign and being out of water, what would you do?

Will you dig the water bottle from the sand and drink from it? Or will you believe and believing dare to pour that water every drop of it down into the old trusty pump? Because you trust, you take a risk, both for yourself and for the next person who will pass that way. What will you do?

Faith in Jesus Christ is just like that. We must trust in our belief that He is the Saviour as Peter says: "You are the Christ."

Can you say that Jesus is the Christ, the Saviour in your life? Can you risk saying those words, Jesus you are the Christ in my life? Faith means you are willing to trust your whole being to Jesus, who is the Christ? Like the water bottle and pump, are you wiling to trust all to Jesus?

That brings us to the next part of our gospel lesson, works.

Jesus says who who has faith must be willing to sacrifice for others. Jesus says: "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

We must be willing to reach out to others with our faith.

But sadly many are like Charlie Brown and Linus int he following Peanut cartoon:

"Charlie Brown and Linus come across Snoopy shivering in the snow. Charlie Brown says:'Snoopy looks kind of cold, doesn't he?'

'I'll say, replies Linus, 'maybe we'd better go over and comfort him.'

They walk over to the dog, pat his head and say, 'Be of good cheer Snoopy.' Yes, be of good cheer.'

And in the final frame, the boys are walking away, still bundled up in their winder coats. Snoopy is still shivering and over his head is a question mark."

The boys were not willing to really get involved with Snoopy's plight. They gave lip service to his suffering, but no action. There was no sacrifice. There was no willings to get involved with Snoopy's plight. They could have found him a blanket. They could have given Snoopy one of their coats. But no, they only gave lip service to his plight.

Sometimes the church, you and I are like that. We talk about a problem, but are not willing to really get involved to solve.

A poem by Bob Rowland says this about how we might be:

" I was hungry and your formed a humanities club and discussed my hunger. Thank you.

I was imprisoned and you crept off quietly to your chapel and prayed for my release.

I was naked and in your mind you debated the morality of my appearance.

I was sick and you knelt and thanked God for your health.

I was homeless and you preached to me of the spiritual shelter of the love of God.

I was lonely and you left me along to pray for me.

Your seem so holy, so close to God. But I'm still very hungry and lonely and cold.

Thank you, thank you thank you"

Someone has said:

" Believing in Jesus and following Jesus are not the same! The call is not to watch and admire from a distance, but to join in the procession, become part of the parade. For our Lord is not some great cosmic clown who puts on a show in the center right for the religiously inclined, rather, he is the Messiah, as Peter affirmed, who calls men and women to hit the trail of life with him; to work up a swat and get their hand dirty on the behalf of the guilt-ridden, the down-trodden, the broken, the bruised and the rejected, that God's Shalom might become a reality for all of this children."

Becoming part of the parade, following Jesus means we must be willing to sacrifice, to give part of ourselves in the process. We must be wiling to work, to give, to sacrifice. We must allow our faith to become active in love. Our faith is alive as it believes in Jesus as the Messiah and as it is alive in the lives of those around us.


"Then he picked up both oars, FAITH and WORKS placed them in the water and began to row. As he pulled these oars together, the boat began to move forward in a straight line."


"Jesus calls men and women to hit the trail of life with him; to work up a swat and get their hand dirty on the behalf of the guilt-ridden, the down-trodden, the broken, the bruised and the rejected, that God's Shalom might become a reality for all of this children."

Amen

Written by Pastor Tim Zingale September 11, 2006

You may freely use this but please give credit. Not for commercial use.

"You can't always beat what is difficult in your life. Sometimes you have to let it win and shout hallelujah anyhow."
Bebe More Campbell



Home pages


http://www.dodgenet.com/~tzingale/SermonIllst.html
main sermon and illustration page

http://www.dodgenet.com/~tzingale/St_Olaf.html
St Olaf Lutheran Church Fort Dodge (where I am a member)


Join my yahoo group

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tzingalesermons

14th Sunday after Pentecost

Proper 18

Mark 7:24-37

"Friends, the Deaf Man & Jesus"

24 ¶ And from there he arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And he entered a house, and would not have any one know it; yet he could not be hid.

25 But immediately a woman, whose little daughter was possessed by an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell down at his feet.

26 Now the woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter.

27 And he said to her, "Let the children first be fed, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs."

28 But she answered him, "Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs."

29 And he said to her, "For this saying you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter."

30 And she went home, and found the child lying in bed, and the demon gone.

31 ¶ Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, through the region of the Decapolis.

32 And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech; and they besought him to lay his hand upon him.

33 And taking him aside from the multitude privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue;

34 and looking up to heaven, he sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened."

35 And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly.

36 And he charged them to tell no one; but the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it.

37 And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, "He has done all things well; he even makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak."

Isaiah 35:4-7

4 Say to those who are of a fearful heart, "Be strong, fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you."

5 ¶ Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped;

6 then shall the lame man leap like a hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert;

7 the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp, the grass shall become reeds and rushes.

Grace and Peace to you from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus who is the Christ. Amen

In Stockholm, Sweden, a woman was injured as she rushed to catch a streetcar. She stumbled in front of the moving car and was caught beneath it. The police sent for a crone to lift the heavy streetcar off her body.

While waiting for the crane, a crowd of people gathered. One man pushed through the crowd, crawled beneath the car, and said to the woman, "Take my hand." As she took his hand she felt the nearness and warmth of the stranger. This calmed her and prevented her from going into shock.

After the crane arrived and the woman was released, she said, "I never thought an outstretched hand could mean so much."

Our outstretched hand can mean a lot to someone who in need, but just imagine what the outstretched hand of Jesus can mean.

In our gospel lesson, Jesus reaches out his hand to touch a man who had bean mute and deaf and it changed his life. But at the same time, the friends of that man reached out their hands together and brought that man to Jesus,so Jesus would have a chance to reach out his hand.

To get a better understanding of God's grace in our lives, I would like to look closely at the three main characters in our gospel story, the friend, the deaf man and of course Jesus. We will look at them closely, to feel their emotion to try to understand their feelings as God's free grace come unexpectedly into their lives.

First the friends. One thing we can say about these friends at the very beginning is they loved this deaf and mute man. They loved him enough to make a special effort to bring him to Jesus. They loved him enough to forget about their own welfare for a moment, so that this man could experience the grace of God. These men, these friends were fulfilling what Paul tells us in Phil. 2:4 as he says "do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others."

And they were looking out for the interest of their friend. They brought him to Jesus.

They had a dream for their friend. A dream which said if they could just bring him to Jesus, then Jesus might or could heal him. They had a dream of something better for their friend, a dream where his life could enjoy the sounds of God's creation, where he could speak to others in conversation, a dream where this man would no longer have to talk by signs but he would understand everything and be understood. As Don Quixote says in the play The Man of La Mancha , about madness, " Maddest of all," he says, "is to see life as it is and not as it should be." These friends had a vision, a dream for their friend of a different life, not life as it was, but life as it could be as God's grace through Christ was brought to this man couldn't hear or speak.

And in order for this man to find the salvation of God, his friends become as James says in vs 22, of last week's lesson: "But be doers of the word and not hears only, deceiving yourselves. " These friends knew they had to put their dream into action. They had to bring their friend to Jesus.

And they did. But what drove them to Jesus? How did they know Jesus could heal their friend?? They had faith in Jesus. They must of heard Jesus before and in their hearing they believed that this man Jesus could heal their friend. They had faith, they had trust in Jesus.

Luther says in an sermon on this text: " Now you here observe the nature of faith which grows out of the word. For the Word first sets forth to us the mercy and goodness of God; then faith causes us to cleave unto it with a firm confidence, and to obey the Word." These friends heard Jesus, they understood him to be a man sent from God, they trusted him, so they developed a vision, a dream for their friend, to have Jesus heal him, all because they had faith.

Then these friends shared their faith with the deaf and dumb man. They wanted him to obtain his own faith in Jesus. As Luther further says: "Therefore my faith can help you in no way except that it may assist you to obtain faith of your own."

The faith of these friends was passed on to this man which allowed him to stand before Jesus with the sure confidence that Jesus would and could heal him.

As we look carefully at these friends, what did we learn from them for our own faith lives? I think the major point for us, we, the church, the body of Christ, are like those friends in the world today, We are the ones who reach out a hand to the ones suffering from the brokenness a of this world, we reach out with a hand of faith in the power of Jesus Christ to overcome this world. We reach out a hand of tenderness, of kindness, of compassion, of healing to all those who are experiencing the burden of suffering in any form, be that death, sickness, broken relationships, what ever. We the body of Christ, the church are the friends for all those people in today's world. Friends who have come to know Christ, who have faith in Christ, who are willing to share that faith that other might come to believe. We are the ones who reach out hand so that others might know the love of Christ.

Now for the deaf man. Can you imagine what went through his mind? First of all he had to believe and trust in what his friends were telling him. He had to go along with them as they took him to hear Jesus. The faith had been passed on. He, I imagined, believed too that Jesus could heal him or he wouldn't of come. Then Jesus beckons him to come to one side, to be alone with him. Standing there in front of Jesus the man could feel Jesus touch his ears, place the spittle on his tongue, then looking at Jesus he could see him look toward heaven, then say this funny word EPHPHATHA, then all sorts of sounds were invading his ears; voices, birds. Can you imagine hearing for the first time?

Then knowing that he could speak? What did he say? He looked at the Jesus. What was the word that he wanted to express his, gratitude and the overwhelming feelings inside him? What could he say?

I can imagine all he could do was beam as the tears streamed down his face. Then he saw one of his friends running toward him and the next thing he knew his friend was hugging him and saying to him, "This is Jesus".

From his friends he received the faith to trust in the power of Jesus to heal him. His faith was strong as he stood in front of Jesus and allowed him to extend God's grace into his life through the word. and touch.

Because of Jesus, his life was forever changed. He experienced God's grace in a powerful way in his life. I think the message we get from this character is one of faith along with the willingness to turn his life over to the hands of Jesus with the confidence that Jesus would act. As we experience the brokenness of this world, as we are led by others to see Jesus, we can learn to fully trust Him with our lives as we surrender them to Jesus. Whatever the brokenness is Jesus meets our needs. He meets us at our point of need, be it frustration, fear, futility, fatigue, failure,sin, guilt, sorrow, broken relationships, whatever is our burden, Jesus meets us with his grace.

As an example: "Jim he had reached the bottom of life. He had family, a business and was well respected in the community. However, everything seemed to be going wrong and he didn't know where to, turn. He remembered that his mother had told him to pray when everything else had failed.

In the midst of his desperation, Jim tried to pray but realized he didn't know how. Finally, he said, " Jesus, this is Jim." Not knowing what else to pray he repeated it again: "Jesus, this is Jim." After a long period of silence, the words came pouring forth from his soul and heart again: "Jesus this is Jim."

Jim was hit by a car that very night. He said, "Lying in the hospital and not knowing if he would live or die, I become aware of a voice saying; "Jim this is Jesus." In a few moments, I heard it again, said Jim " Jim this is Jesus." And then the same words a third time, as I felt, said Jim,, a great burden roll off of my bask. I felt so light so free. I knew that everything as going to be all right.'"

Everything was going to be all right, in the sense that Jesus was now in charge of Jim's life. He might not get his business back, but he had far more than that, He had Christ. That was the best friend he could ever have. As we experience our own per personal brokenness, our hope, our prayer can be the same as Jim's that Christ will be there for us. He will walk with us through our valley whatever it may be and bring a measure of his grace into our situation.

Now we turn to the final character in our story, Jesus himself. I think the important point for us to notice about Jesus was his concern for the plight of this man. His concern that the people who understood that he was more than a man who performed miracles, he was God's Son sent to earth to achieve salvation for the human race through the cross of Calvary.

He was concerned in an equal way. He knew the plight, the suffering of this man and he wanted to help. But at the same time, he knew what his mission was all about, to bring salvation to all people. So that is why he asked the people, the friends of this man and the man himself, not to tell everyone what had happened. He wanted to show the people as he neared the end of his journey to Jerusalem, that miracles, free bread, were just a part of his ministry. His mission was also to bring salvation by the way of the cross. Jesus knows our healing is important, but our salvation is essential. Jesus understood the need of this man as he understands our needs. He also realized the importance of understanding the salvation he brought by the way of the cross. It is not either or, but both/and as we look at Jesus healing and salvation.

Jesus shows us very clearly that he wants to be port of our brokenness to bring a measure of his grace into it. But at the same time, he wants us to accept and believe that only through him can we obtain the salvation God has, planned for all his children.

He does and will walk with us through the valleys of our lives as seen in the following taken from James Bjorge book, Girded With Truth. "In a little town in the mountains of France there is a shrine famous for its miracles of healing. One day shortly after WW II an amputee veteran appeared at the shrine. As he hobbled painfully along the way, someone remarked, 'That silly man! Does he think God will give him back his leg?'

The young veteran overheard the remarks and said, 'Of course I do not expect God to give me back my leg. I am going to pray to God to help me to live without it,"'

Yes, Jesus is the Lord of the valleys of life, and the way, the truth and light to eternal salvation for all who would turn over their lives to him. I think as we allow Jesus more and more control of our lives in the valleys as well as on the mountain tops, we will eventually turn over to him control of our salvation. We will allow him to be in charge. We will allow his broken body and spilled blood to be our way into heaven. Not our works, not our high opinions of ourselves, not our traditions, not even our faith as the way to heaven. The only way to heaven is the body broken on the cross of Calvary and raised on Easter is the salvation planned by God for all his children.

We can be as the friends of the deaf and dumb man, loving the unlovable in such a way that we bring them to Christ with our faith. Then we can be like that man standing in front of Jesus turning our entire lives over to Him. And we remember not only does Jesus walk with us in the valleys of life and celebrates with us on the mountain tops. But at the same time he is concerned for our salvation as he wants us to turn our lives completely over to his power.

As the crowds said over 2000 years ago, we can say too, "He has done all things well; he even makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak."

Amen

Written by Pastor Tim Zingale September 4, 2006


"You can't always beat what is difficult in your life. Sometimes you have to let it win and shout hallelujah anyhow."
Bebe More Campbell



Home pages


http://www.dodgenet.com/~tzingale/SermonIllst.html
main sermon and illustration page

http://www.dodgenet.com/~tzingale/St_Olaf.html
St Olaf Lutheran Church Fort Dodge (where I am a member)


Join my yahoo group

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tzingalesermons