Sermon for 19th Pentecost
All Are Welcome?
By The Rev. Eric Christopher Shafer -
I believe that his week’s Gospel lesson from St. Mark contains some of the more heart-breaking lines in all of Scripture:
“And we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.”
Just pause and think about that for a moment. The disciples come across someone who, as they report to Jesus, was “casting out demons in your name.” That is, they came across someone who was relieving intense misery, following Jesus’ example and doing so in Jesus’ name.
But none of that is enough. Why? “Because he was not following us.” Notice the shift in pronouns. This other healer is doing works of power in “your name,” but “not following us.” Apparently, it is not enough to be a follower of Jesus; you have to be a certain kind of follower. One that tows the line, that shares their theological commitments, that conforms to the disciples’ expectations, perhaps that is therefore under the oversight or control of the disciples.
It’s interesting that John, the disciple making the report, seems to expect Jesus’ approval. John does not say, “should we have stopped him?” No, John offers an almost matter-of-fact account: “And we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.”
Jesus responds quickly and strongly. Far from giving his stamp of approval, Jesus corrects John and the others: “Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterwards to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us.”
It is almost as if the disciples do not realize how significant or challenging their mission is, and Jesus admonishes them to find and accept help wherever they can.
But then Jesus goes further, saying: “For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.” Notice what a small, ordinary example Jesus uses. In a mere sentence or two, Jesus has gone from talking about “deeds of power” to “giving someone a cup of water.” Strikingly, that small gesture alone, according to Jesus, is enough to secure one’s reward.
According to many scholars, Mark is re-telling this scene from Jesus’ ministry in order to help deal with some of the internal conflicts with which his own community was struggling.
We do not know quite what these conflicts were, just that there were significant divisions. And so, Mark invites his diverse and conflicted parishioners into Jesus’ story in order to reframe how they think about their lives, their commitments, their identity, and their vision of what constitutes authentic Christian community.
“What constitutes authentic Christian community” has been on my heart and mind this past week. As a nation, we are deeply divided and polarized, as the events of this past week in Washington have shown again and especially. And, as I found again this week after I posted on Facebook the remarks I shared with you last Sunday, my remarks asking men to believe and listen to women who report abuse, I found again that it is very hard to have a civil discussion about many topics in these times.
My remarks last Sunday is that they were not new. I checked past sermons this week and I have shared similar thoughts in the past. But these days…….
So, what does constitute authentic Christian community in 2018?
Well, again, I think Jesus gives us some clues in today’s Gospel lesson. Authentic Christian community is a place where people are committed to service, giving “a cup of cold water” to those in need. Authentic Christian community is NOT a place where “those who are not for us are against us,” that’s not what Jesus said. Rather, Jesus said, “whoever is not against us is for us.”
Whoever is not against us is for us.
That means our welcome needs to be wide, our table large. If we really believe Marty Haugen wonderful hymn which we sang earlier in today’s worship, “All are welcome in this place,” than we need to practice that in our congregation’s and personal lives.
How are we welcoming others? Are children welcome? Gay and lesbian people? Homeless people who have no place to get a bath? People of a different race, ethnicity, nationality, age, or income level? Those who voted for Donald Trump? Those who did not vote for Donald Trump? Those who have beliefs far different than our own?
Marty Haugen’s hymn is not, “All are welcome in this place, unless you are different from us or disagree with us.”
Many more things still unite us than divide us. Many more things still unite us than divide us. God’s love for humankind is very wide. God’s salvation in Jesus Christ is open to all, even those whose beliefs and commitments are far different than our own.
I have shared with you in the past some of my own “litmus” tests, so to speak, for Christianity. Commitment to refuges is one of those for both Christians and Jews. It is in our DNA. From the earlier days of Christianity commitment to the “widow and orphan” was unquestioned. Today that would mean, I believe, commitment to children and the poor and marginalized.
But it is also true that we can carry out those commitments in very different ways. I vividly remember doing disaster relief work in Central America after Hurricane Mitch. We were helping to build new homes for those who had lost them in the hurricane. New homes on higher ground so that they would now live away from any flooding caused by the next storm. We followed the rebuilding model familiar to anyone who has worked with Habitat for Humanity, working with the very families who would occupy these new homes.
However, other Christian groups were also working nearby, ones that had come in, built homes without local input and then left. Some in our group criticized that model of aid. My feeling was, yes I liked our model, but, regardless of how new homes were being built, new homes were being built. There were different paths to the same goal.
Can we imagine that God is at work in and through someone who bears the name of Christ but disagrees with us profoundly on an issue that is important to us? Can we make room in our worship and fellowship for those who disagree with us without labelling them? Can we try to stop, at least for a moment, trying to convince someone else of why they are wrong – or, worse, condemning them because they believe differently than we do – and try to understand what experiences have shaped those views? Can we imagine that given the enormity of the challenges in front of us, there may be good ideas coming from persons who hold different perspectives and commitments than we do? Can we accept a cup of cold water from someone who does not follow us?
I am not advocating surrendering one’s convictions, but rather encouraging us to try to know, understand, and even respect those with whom we disagree.
There are so few spaces in our world and culture right now that create space for genuine conversation where each party takes on the responsibility to be able to hear and describe the beliefs of the other, for heartfelt engagement that does not devolve into partisan name-calling, and for respectful while also spirited disagreement that refuses to give up on the inherent worth and dignity of those in an opposing party. Can the church be that kind of place?
Perhaps our version of today’s Gospel lesson would have us telling Jesus, “Lord, we saw some people working for justice, advocating for those who have lost their jobs and feel left out, caring for veterans, protesting injustice. We saw these and more, all in your name. Some of them are not part of our congregation, our denomination, or even claim to be Christians. With some of them we have strong disagreements. But, we did not stop them for they gave others a cup of cold water.
Whoever is not against us is for us. That is how we build authentic Christian community in 2018. That is how we live out “All Are Welcome” in our congregation and in our everyday lives. God’s welcome is wide, and God is always with us all.
Amen.
(With thanks to the Rev. Dr. David Lose).
The Rev. Eric Christopher Shafer
Senior Pastor - Mt. Olive Lutheran Church
Santa Monica, California
Sunday, September 29 & 30, 2018
