Jesus Calls Us Into
a Hostile World
Mark 8:23-27,
Aldersgate
I.
Watched a movie
Friday afternoon
a.
Yes, as many of you know that’s when I draft sermon
b.
Thought it would help me prepare for this sermon -
The Perfect Storm
i.
In Matthew 8,
Jesus takes on a wild and hostile storm at sea
1.
first hearers understood the sea to represent chaos
a.
feared wind and sea as untamed and out of control
b.
sailing for them was to take their life in their
hands
2.
original Greek even more frightening and evocative
than English
3.
the sea shook like an earthquake such that the boat
was hidden by the waves
ii.
I knew that was
what happened on the sea off Georges Banks during that perfect storm in 1991
1.
Never wanted to see the movie
2.
Too frightened
3.
Thought I would get seasick
4.
Scripture drove me to watch it
c.
Metaphor for wild and chaotic forces of the world
i.
Life-threatening
ii.
Uncontrollable
powers
iii.
In a sense,
parable for life of the church
1.
usually, I think of church as safe place
a.
used to dream about my home church as a shelter
i.
in 1970’s,
during nuclear freeze movement
ii.
when my children
were young
iii.
at one point
told my husband that’s where we would be
b.
nave shaped like a boat
i.
always thought
that meant it was safe
ii.
not sure after
this reading
iv.
Picture of the
disciples
1.
that’s who we want to be
2.
tossed about by the angry sea
3.
sea represents every insidious power that tears at
the heart of God’s good creation
v.
revealing symbol
of church ever shaken by battering winds of the winds and waves of world
vi.
wonder how
churches in
II.
Good news -
Jesus shows us his power over this chaos
a.
Once the disciples realize that Jesus is with them
i.
Even though
asleep in bottom of boat
1.
he’s apparently unconcerned
2.
for Jesus boiling sea and howling winds are to be
expected
ii.
We need to be
reminded, just as disciples did
1.
Christ is not distant and passive
2.
Word is stronger than world
b.
i.
Two cultures,
two world tried to destroy
ii.
God continues to
work
III.
Today’s lessons
remind us of Jesus’ call to us
a.
to follow him into the world rather than playing it
safe behind these walls
i.
follow him of
verses 22 and 23 means more than just getting into the boat
1.
some suggested represents a call to the disciple
2.
in Matthew only Peter, Andrew, James and John
mentioned before Sermon on Mount
3.
in 10 we read of others: Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas,
Matthew, James, Thaddeus, Simon, and Judas are sent out
4.
perhaps they were also the ones who followed him into
the boat
ii.
represents a
separation of those who follow and the crowds who just listen
b.
in one sense Jesus is saying, “Follow me if you would
be my disciples.”
c.
Do we dare follow out upon the sea and into the
hostile world?
i.
Christ will be
with us
ii.
and wants us to
have faith
IV.
This call by
Jesus to his disciples is solidified in verses from chapter ten as he sends
them out into the world
a.
It’s a call and a response – the call is not complete
without the response
b.
mission of church is confirmation of ministry of its
Lord
i.
Jesus, if he
were here, would bring health to the sick and life to the dead
ii.
he would reach
out to the untouchables
iii.
and kick out the
demons that threaten life
iv.
he would be
preaching that the kingdom is at hand
c.
but Christ is present
i.
this time we
might have to wake up to his presence
ii.
when we do, he
reminds us that our/his ministry is right here
1.
in
2.
3.
and the suburbs
4.
there are a lot of confused people right here
iii.
when we wake up,
Jesus leads us to wrestle with
1.
the issues of public health care and high cost of
housing
2.
he is our
forerunner with regard to racial and social alienation
3.
he confronts the powers of domination and oppression,
and calls us to follow his lead
iv.
when we wake up
we realize, Jesus wants us to share the love of God
1.
Thomas Merton
a.
One of most influential spiritual writers of 20th
century
b.
Hailed as a prophet, yet censured for his outspoken
social commentary
The gift of love is
the gift of power and the capacity to love, and, therefore to give love with
full effect is also to receive it. So,
love can only be kept by being given away,[love can
only be kept by giving it away] and it can only be given perfectly when it is
also received.
2.
so we honor God’s love by receiving it and then by
giving it away
d.
not so much that we’re supposed to touch leper
patients or cancer patients and heal them
i.
or shout “Be
gone!” to raging forces of an afflicted diseased mind
ii.
rather recognize
that God is at work in world of Jesus
iii.
and is till at
work in this world through Christ
e.
our role to offer hope and comfort wherever
i.
disease
discourages a sister
ii.
evil seeks to
overcome a brother
iii.
unbelief damages
a person’s soul
iv.
death seeks to
destroy
v.
powers of world
seek to diminish our faith making us believe we do not count
f.
our task is not
to replace Christ
i.
but to join
Christ in the work
ii.
to help others
see goodness
1.
point out the healing that God works through science
2.
shed light on places where Christ working in our
community
3.
proclaim and point our goodness for our world needs
to see and hear the goodness of God
iii.
so let your light
shine in a hostile world
1.
“This Little Light of Mine”
2.
“hide it under a bush”
a.
what happens if you hide under something
b.
what happens when we want to keep the light for
ourselves
g.
Nelson Mandela spoke about how fearful we
are about living a life that is "lacking in nothing."
i.
after
spending years in prison
ii.
watching
his country struggle with evil of apartheid
iii.in
his inaugural address as the first black president of So.
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that
we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most
frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of
God.
Your playing small
doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that
other people won't feel insecure around you.
We were born to
make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It's not just in
some of us. It's in everyone, and, as we let our light shine, we unconsciously
give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated
from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
h.
So let us we step into that boat and
follow our Lord out onto the chaotic seas of our world
i.
May
we hear the call of Christ and follow him into a hostile world, trusting that
he is with us every step, or should I say every ocean wave, of the way