But Little Monkeys Sometimes Forget

Brad Sullivan
Proper 24, Year B
Sunday, October 21, 2012
St. Mark’s, Bay City
Job 38:1-7 [34-41]
Psalm 104:1-9, 25, 37b
Hebrews 5:1-10
Mark 10:35-45

The priests in ancient Israel were both the greatest and the least among the Israelites.  They were great because they worked in the service of God’s temple, assisting all Israelites in their religious practices and sacrifices.  The priests were the least of all because they were given no land of their own.  They had no cattle or crops.  Their livelihood was entirely dependent upon the people with whom they lived.  They weren’t mighty rulers above all of the people.  They were servants of the people.

I can’t help but think this was in Jesus’ mind when he told his disciples that the greatest among them must be servants.  James and John wanted glory, to sit at Jesus’ right and left hand, and not only does Jesus tell them “no”, but when the other disciples began grumbling about their request, Jesus tells them they are acting like Gentiles, rather than like Jews. 

Y’all are seeking greatness and glory over and above each other, but that’s not who we are, Jesus was telling them.  Yeah, that’s how the Gentiles do things.  The rest of the world, they scramble and fight to be better than each other, to gain mastery over each other.  They see each other as adversaries and are constantly at odds with each other, but that’s not who we are, Jesus told his disciples.

We’re governed by God’s law, God’s way, God’s will, to be servants of each other.  We’re called to be advocates for each other, not adversaries.  Greatness for us comes not from mastery over each other, but from serving each other, caring for each other, being brothers and sisters and fathers and mothers to each other. 

The disciples were forgetting who they were as God’s people.  Rome was ruling over Israel, and there was plenty of Roman influence in Israel.  With so much Roman influence, it was easy for first century Jews to forget who they were as God’s people.  They were called to be a light to influence the Gentiles of Rome, not to become more like Rome.  Jesus’ disciples were becoming like Rome, wanting to rule over each other, and so Jesus was reminding them to be who they were and to be a light to enlighten Rome.

Here we are now, two thousand years later, and we’re still called to be the light of Christ to the world which is so in need of the Gospel and the Gospel way of life, and here we are, two thousand years later, still at times being influenced by the world, rather than being a light in enlighten the world.  Right now, I’m thinking specifically of how we at times view money and finances.  This time of year, our annual stewardship campaign is just getting underway, and many often think of this in terms of an annual fund-raising campaign, as though we were a non-profit business organization trying to raise funds from our base of donors. 

That is how non-profit businesses work, but that’s not who we are.  We are not a business trying to raise funds.  We are the household of God trying to manage well the affairs of the household. 

We are the household of God, called, not to greatness, not to mastery over the world or each other.  We are called to be servants, the household of God called to be servants of God’s peace.  As members of God’s household, we all then contribute to the household as we are able.  We pool our financial resources together, each contributing as we are able, and pledge what we think we’ll be able to contribute to our household in the coming year.  That way, to manage our affairs well, we can draw up a budget and pay for our ministers, the employees of the household, the building, outreach efforts, pastoral care efforts, etc. 

I can’t help but realize as I’m saying all of this that it does seem a little self serving for the priest to be asking us all to contribute to the finances of the household which pay my salary and for the house in which my family lives.  Does that not seem like the Gentile leaders Jesus was talking about, lording over people, asking for money?  I don’t believe it is. 

St. Mark’s has decided that we want a full time priest who doesn’t have to have another job, but can do full time ministry here at St. Mark’s.  So, we’ve decided to pool our resources to allow that to happen.  We’ve decided we want a church building and parish hall in which to gather for worship, fellowship, and formation.  So we pool more of our resources to make and keep our home here at St. Mark’s.

We also give of our time and talent:  choir, ministry to youth, inreach, pastoral care, outreach, altar guild, children’s ministries, ministries of prayer, teaching, serving on the vestry, etc.  In all of these ways, we give of ourselves to build up the household of God here at St. Mark’s

We give to manage our household well and to be the light of Christ to those in the household and to carry the light of Christ to those beyond the household, but why do we have this household of God?  We have this household of God and contribute of ourselves to the household of God because we believe the Gospel is the greatest story there is.  We believe in the Gospel and the power of the Gospel to heal and to transform lives.  We believe in Jesus, in God become human for our sake.  We believe the words of Psalm 62:1, “For God alone my soul in silence waits; from him comes my salvation.” 

We believe that since Eden, and our distancing ourselves from God, that we desire with all our hearts to be fully reunited with God.  We believe that salvation is being reunited with God, and we believe that salvation comes from God, who united himself fully to humanity in Jesus, that we might be fully united to him through Jesus.  We believe in the light of Christ, brought into the world to dispel the darkness, and that darkness cannot overcome the light of Christ. 

We believe in the peace God gives us through the light he brings us, and we believe in bringing that light to others.  We believe in being servants of God’s peace. That is at least what I believe.  That is at least why I am a part of the household of God. 

I believe in Jesus.  I believe in the healing and reconciliation he brings.  I believe in his call to his disciples to be servants rather than masters.  I believe, as St. Francis prayed, in being servants of God’s peace, to share the light of Christ here within the household of God at St. Mark’s and then brining the light of Christ with us as we go into the world every minute of every day.  Lord, help us to bring your light with us wherever we go.  Lord, make us servants of your peace.  Amen.

My God and My All

Brad Sullivan
Proper 23, Year B
Sunday, October 14, 2012
St. Mark’s, Bay City
Job 23:1-9, 16-17
Psalm 22:1-15
Hebrews 4:12-16
Mark 10:17-31

St. Francis of Assisi embodied the teaching of Jesus in today’s Gospel reading.  Francis was the son of a wealthy merchant, and Francis himself was very rich with many possessions, like the man in today’s reading.  Gradually, however, Francis began to identify more with the poor and needy and decided to give up his possessions to serve the poor, doing exactly what Jesus instructed the rich man in today’s Gospel reading.  I don’t know that Francis had today’s gospel passage in mind; the stories simply say that Francis identified with the plights of the poor and decided to help. 

Francis found joy in living out the kingdom of God life, serving those less fortunate than he, and devoting his life to that service and prayer.  One of Francis’ constant prayers was “My God and my all.”  He would spend hours in prayer with arms outstretched, praying over and over, “my God and my all.”  Loving God, loving people, and living God’s life of love, living in God’s kingdom were everything for St. Francis.  “My God and my all.”

In our Gospel story, we have the story of the rich man who wants to live the life of love in God’s kingdom as well.  He wants to inherit eternal life, but he’s stuck.  He’s trapped.  This is a good guy who loves God and follows God’s commandments.  Jesus, we are told, looked on this man and loved.  “[One thing you lack],” Jesus told him, “go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”

The man couldn’t do it.  He trusted in and loved God so far, but then the love of his stuff became too great for him to trust any further, and he was stymied in his desire to live the life of love in God’s kingdom.  We might read this story and think there was great judgment and condemnation for this man.  “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God,” Jesus said! (Mark 10:23)  This could be read as a statement condemning those with wealth, but such a reading would be a mistake.

In our Hebrews reading, we are told that we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, a priest who is able to sympathize with our weakness, having been tested in every way as we are (yet without sin).  We may, therefore, Hebrews tells us, approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

In Jesus, we do not have a great high priest who condemns us for our weakness, but one who sympathizes with our weakness.  Jesus was sympathized with the rich man in our Gospel lesson.  When Jesus said, “how hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God,” he wasn’t declaring some rule that God had set up, that the rich are unworthy of his kingdom.  What would we say to someone who has done well in his or her job?  As of your last raise, you’ve reached the net worth threshold, and you’re no longer fit for God’s kingdom. 

Of course not, Jesus didn’t say, because that man is rich, he cannot enter God’s kingdom.  Rather, Jesus looked on him and loved him, and when the man ended his desire to live the life of God’s kingdom, choosing his possessions over God’s kingdom, Jesus sympathized with him, saying, “how hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” (Mark 10:23)  I don’t believe Jesus was declaring the rich man to be a terrible person.  I believe Jesus felt sympathy for him because the rich man wanted to be near to God, wanted to follow Jesus and to live God’s life of love, but there was something holding him back.  He wanted to live God’s life of love, to live in God’s kingdom, unless it cost him his possessions.

  Jesus sympathized with the man, knowing the pull our possessions have on us.  Our stuff can sometimes end up owning us, our things sometimes seeming overly important to us.  Deep down, however, we understand Jesus’ teaching.  How often have you heard, when people have lost all of their things in a hurricane or flood, they’ll say, “that was just stuff; the important thing is, my family is safe.”  Deep down, we understand that our possessions are just things, but they do still have pull on us.

Our things give us security, give us some sense of permanence and order.  Our things help give us some control over our lives and help us be more independent.  That’s just natural, but I think Jesus would teach us to seek permanence and order in God and people, and I think Jesus would teach us to be a little less independent and a little more dependent.

For weeks now, however, Jesus has told us the Kingdom of God belongs to children, that we should become like children, now, kids still like things, but children are also dependent.  Kids are knee deep in neediness.  Sometimes, they’re lucky enough even to know that. 

As we grow older we generally become more self sufficient, less needy, and if we’re very unfortunate, we may even come to believe that we are entirely self sufficient.  The more stuff we have, the more self sufficient way may feel.  Of course we’re actually dependent on that stuff.  That may have been one of the problems with the rich man in today’s Gospel reading. 

Again, I don’t think there is anything wrong or bad about being rich.  Jesus didn’t say being rich is a bad thing.  There were those, after all, who followed Jesus and his disciples, supporting them financially, implying that they were rather wealthy, with the means to support this itinerant preacher from Nazareth.

Jesus didn’t say being rich was bad, he said it was a difficult thing.  One of the challenges of being rich is that the more money a person has, the more that person is able to take care of him or herself, and the less that person may need to rely on others.  That person can rely on his or her wealth and things rather than on people.  The more wealthy and things a person has, the more security and control may be wrapped up in those things, and the less one might seek that security and dependence through God and people.

Become like children, Jesus taught.  Like I said, kids like things too, but when kids are hurt or scared, they often want mommy or daddy even more than a blanket or favorite toy.  The man in today’s reading wanted God’s kingdom, was desperate for God’s kingdom, he just didn’t think he could have it without his stuff.  Jesus invited him to give up his stuff, to give up his security and independence, so that he might find security and dependence in God and other people.  When he couldn’t do it, Jesus sympathized with him, seeing how hard it was for him. 

Jesus knows and sympathizes with the challenges we all face in giving up our perceptions of control and acknowledging our dependence on God and others.  Reverting to this childlike state may be an incremental process as we gradually seek God alone and seek to live more fully the life of love in his kingdom. 

As we do so, as we seek to live more fully in God’s kingdom, we may try praying the prayer St. Francis prayed.  “My God and my all.”  It may feel strange at first, but over time, we may discover the truth of those words.  “My God and my all.”  Over time, we may develop even more fully hearts like that of St. Francis, hearts which beat constantly with love, “My God and my all.”  Amen.

Before Fruit Was Tasty

Brad Sullivan

Proper 22, Year B
Sunday, October 7, 2012
St. Mark’s, Bay City
Job 1:1; 2:1-10
Psalm 26
Hebrews1:1-4; 2:5-12
Mark 10:2-16

“Jesus is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being…” (Hebrews 1:3)  That statement from our Hebrews reading tells me is that in any action of Jesus, we see an action of God, and we come to know more fully who God is.  In our Gospel reading today, Jesus says, “’Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.  Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.’  And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.” (Mark 10:14-16)  This tells me that as God’s children, we are as important to God as the children in the story were to Jesus.

             We’re important in God’s eyes because we are God’s children.  If you look at the enormity of the cosmos, we’re on a tiny planet in a small galaxy in an enormous universe.  We’re cosmically very insignificant.  Sometimes even looking at life, we may seem unimportant, compared to other seemingly more important people, and yet, we are God’s children and matter enough to God for him to become one of us, to live, die, and be resurrected for our sake.  The enormity of how much we matter to God cannot be over stated.  Intellectually, many of us might agree with that statement, that we matter to God, and yet many of us might also feel like we don’t matter as much to God. 

            “I’d pray about this, but it’s such a little thing, I don’t want to bother God with it.”  “It’s not important enough for God.”  “I’m not important enough for God.”  Does that sound familiar at all?  Those may not even be conscious thoughts but feelings that folks have at times.  I wonder if part of the reason for that is because of how people treat each other, beginning with how people are sometimes treated as children.

            In our Gospel lesson today, the disciples were thinking Jesus was too busy with important things to be bothered by unimportant children.  Jesus was again saying, “no, children are just as important as adults…if not more so.”  I read this, and I’m solidly on Jesus’ side.  The disciples look kind of bad because they are so uncaring toward the children.  Then I think of how often I, and maybe we, and people in general, tend to act more like the disciples than Jesus.

I’ve noticed this over the years in the church when there are many people around, and a child will want to tell me or another priest about his or her latest toy, or something like that, and an adult wants to talk about a sick family member or some important church business.  I’ve noticed that we often don’t think twice about ending a conversation with a child or even interrupting a conversation with a child, to have a more important conversation with an adult.  As adults, we know that conversations about sick people are more important than conversations about toys, but to the child, that toy may be about the most important thing there is, at least at the time.  While wanting to teach children the importance of people over toys (in this example), we may be unintentionally teaching kids that they are not as important as others. 

We do this to adults too.  It’s not that we think children are unimportant or that particular adults are unimportant, but as adults, we know that we have important things to do and to talk about, and sometimes we can’t be bothered by less important things that children have to do or to talk about.  Their things can wait.  Our important things need to be done right now, and yet, Jesus says the kingdom of God belongs to children and people who are like children.  So, what is it about children, what is it about being childlike that allows us to live in and experience God’s kingdom?

            Well, you could say that children have not yet eaten from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  In the second creation story in Genesis, Adam and Eve were in Eden, walking and living with God.  They were naked and unashamed, totally open with each other and with God.  Then, they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and immediately were ashamed of being naked and hid from each other and from God. 

            Really young children are often not embarrassed about being naked, physically or emotionally.  I’ve heard stories from friends of mine whose three year old kids would run right out the front door of the house, naked as they day they were born…other stories of kids who will say whatever in the world happens to be on their mind, whether it’s overly appropriate or not.  I’m not advocating this behavior in adults…or in children for that matter, but there is an innocence and an openness with children which can at times be a little off-putting for adults, but it is an innocence and openness to the other which is also kind of beautiful. 

            Children haven’t yet eaten from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  There is an enormous amount which they don’t know, and all that kids don’t know gives them a delight in the wonder of creation.  There are so many new experiences.  The world is still beautiful and fascinating to kids.  Even the things which we know are dangerous or could be harmful, to kids, those things are fascinating and fun. 

            Children’s lack of knowledge makes them utterly dependent.  Kids needs loving adults to help guide them as they explore the world.  Young children need help with all kinds of daily tasks:  eating, getting dressed, sometimes getting from point “a” to point “b”, and this makes them dependent upon loving adults.

Kids forgive, easily.  They haven’t eaten from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  They don’t yet know that punishment and restitution should be given before forgiveness is deserved.  Where, as adults, we know about justice.  We know about balancing the scales.  Our knowledge is perhaps right, the scales maybe should be balanced, and yet a child’s way of forgiving even without balancing the scales sure seems easier.  It sounds a bit like God’s forgiveness.  Young children’s emotional memory seems to be a bit shorter than adults’.  As adults, we can hold a grudge and be upset for a long time, even against people whom we love.  Kids tend to get over stuff with people whom they love pretty quickly, and so they can forgive rather easily.

 Jesus tells us to be like children in order to enter and live in the kingdom of God.  That’s a tough thing to do for adults and even for youth and older children, when we’ve got jobs, households to run, responsibilities, homework to do, sports and clubs and music demanding our time and attention.  With all of the responsibilities and demands placed upon, it is difficult to receive the kingdom of God like a child.  Doing so may even seem irresponsible, and yet the God of the universe told us that receiving his kingdom like a child is the best way to live. 

The best way to know and love God and to know and love each other is to receive life, God’s kingdom, like a little child.  Receive God’s kingdom, receive life with childlike innocence, with wonder, with trust and love, with dependence on God and others, with short memories of wrongs, with forgiveness, and playfulness.  God knows what it is like to become like a child.  God became one of his children so that his children might be invited into a loving relationship with him, to know and love him more.

In a similar way, we invite children into loving relationships by becoming like them and receiving the kingdom of God like a little child.  Doing so can help reverse some of the effects of our eating from tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  Doing so may help remind us also of God’s love for us and our tremendous importance in God’s eyes, which then may help us to treat each other as beloved and important. 

See the world through the eyes and mind of a child, Jesus tells us.  Recapture some of the wonder and beauty of God’s creation.  Live with trust and love, with dependence on God and others.  Keep no record of wrongs.  Live with forgiveness, and playfulness.  Amen.