Sermon 4th February 2024 – 5th Sunday after Epiphany Text: Mark 1:29-39 – Blessed proclaiming the Gospel

 Sermon 4^th February 2024 – 5^th Sunday after Epiphany

Text: Mark 1:29-39 – Blessed proclaiming the Gospel

 

The first chapter of Mark is an amazing chapter. Here we are about to end our Epiphany season and we are still in chapter one. In this chapter we’ve had the story of John the Baptist including his imprisonment; We’ve had the baptism of Jesus.

We’ve had the temptation and 40 days of fasting by Jesus. We’ve had the exorcism of an evil spirit in the synagogue. We’ve had the calling of the first disciples. And today we’ve had the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law and the gathering of all the people bringing Jesus their sick. And we have still got a fair bit to go yet.

 

Mark is trying to set the scene of who Jesus is – that there is a lot to know about this special person that has arrived on the scene for us to grasp. But it is all summed up in Jesus words today to his disciples who have not yet connected with his mission to the world. They think it’s to do all this miracle work in order to build up a bigger and bigger following – As the crowds started building up looking for this ‘miracle worker’ Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.” They want Jesus to come back and keep doing the miracles – the healings – if he wants people to follow him. But that is not what Mark focuses on.

 

The miracles were a means to spreading the Gospel message. Jesus knows that he has come for a different reason and responds: Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do. Sometimes it’s easy to forget that this is our mission as church and as Christians – to proclaim the Gospel – the Good News. Sometimes we get sidetracked on social justice issues or ensuring theological integrity is our mission. Now, these are important. In fact our reading begins with social justice – Jesus healing Peter’s mother-in-law.

 

But look at how Paul sees the importance of spreading the gospel is: If I proclaim the gospel, this gives me no ground for boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe to me if I do not proclaim the gospel! Is that a message – a warning – to the church today? Have we been sidetracked? Have we stopped proclaiming the Gospel as our primary goal and replaced the mission of the church with something else? Paul made great sacrifices as he went around telling the Jews and the Gentiles about Jesus Christ: And he said: I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings. Isn’t that what we want? To share the blessings we have received. Isn’t that our motivation to share the blessings of God.

 

Sadly our motivation has often been on getting our churches bigger so we can balance our budget. I say that because that has often been my motivation. This is an increasing difficult and important task as we grow in a society that really has no idea about God or about Jesus. And if they know something about God and Jesus then it’s probably a misconception of the reality and most likely negative. This is not a new challenge. In fact this was Paul’s great challenge where had to go to great lengths in order to preach the gospel to the unbelievers. He said - For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law) so that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some.

 

Paul made all these great sacrifices just so he might save “some”. If our motivation is to increase our numbers rather than sharing the Gospel and our blessings then we will quickly become disheartened when we don’t see results. Paul worked tirelessly to save “some”. He knew the momentous task ahead of him but he also remained realistic and trusting in God who seeks the one lost sinner. Maybe there is just one person that God has sent to us. Remember – Jesus left 99 to go looking for the one lost sheep. Jesus said there is more rejoicing in heaven over ONE person who repents rather than 99 who need no repentance. Sometimes we feel like giving up because it seems like we’re not making any headway but here Paul says – it’s worth it, even if it’s just some and not all.

 

It even seems like Isaiah in the Old Testament was needing to break things down to basics: Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to live in;

 

There seemed to be a lack of knowledge amongst the Israelites – God’s own children – who had lost their way. It’s the same challenge we have today to a generation that doesn’t know God. Who has lost their way. Have you not known?

Have you not heard? We have an enormous challenge to let the world know about Jesus Christ. But let’s not look a the big picture because that can be quite daunting. Let’s look at the small picture – the one lost sheep who is in search of meaning. Not so we get them into church – that would be great – but so we can share the blessings we have experienced. As Paul says in Romans 10 The Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” But how can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

 

How beautiful it is to bring Good News that God loves us unconditionally and sent his son Jesus Christ to us. The Gospel is the gift that keeps on giving for both the giver and the receiver.

Sermon 28th January 2024 – 4th Sunday after the Epiphany Text: Mark 1:21-28 – A new authority

 Sermon 28^th January 2024 – 4^th Sunday after the Epiphany

Text: Mark 1:21-28 – A new authority

 

Authority.

It’s a word that is supposed to bring us comfort and assurance. But in a world with increasing insecurity, authority can seem to be an invasion of our privacy which is what it’s actually supposed to be protecting us from. If you have any sort of online account – bank account – mygov account – or even one of your private interests – their attempt to protect you can cause major frustrations. You logon to your account and you have to find your phone because of what they term – 2 factor authorisation – and enter the code they sent you. A Password is no longer enough authorisation.

 

Or maybe you’ve been asked to update your password because it’s not considered strong enough and you have to include at least 8 characters including a number, a capital and lower case letter and a special character. And they are so hard to remember. I face a similar issue when I wanted a particular password that I can remember but the organisation says NO – you must do this – even though it’s MY account. In fact I read a funny comment this week that most people can remember their very first phone number from childhood but not the password they created yesterday. The uneasiness comes when someone uses their authority to keep us safe which seems to take away our rights. These were some of the complaints during the pandemic. These are many of the issues we face after terrorist attacks such as September 11 where our rights are removed for OUR safety as authority takes over.

 

And I think this is what we are seeing in our Gospel reading today with a sense of uneasiness when the people in the synagogue saw a new and different type of teaching from Jesus  -  They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes and previous teachers. What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him – (disciples – who is this that the wind and waves obey him?

That might sound like a good thing but it frightens them like the time Jesus removed a legion of demons from the man in the tombs and they begged Jesus to leave. And we know that down the track that this authority of Jesus will challenge them and they will begin to reject him when it infringes on their lifestyles. They challenge his right to have this authority. Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get this authority?” Who does he think he is? And they took offense at him.

 

Sadly the word authority is easily misused such as when James and John wanted the place of honour next to Jesus over against their fellow disciples. Or when they wanted to call down fire and brimstone on the Samaritans for having the audacity to not recognise their authority. Jesus explains to them - “In this world the kings and great men lord it over their people, but among you it will be different. Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant. Which is what Jesus did when he emptied himself of his heavenly authority to become a servant: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!

 

At times the church has been seen to misuse its authority. Now, let’s understand – the church DOES have authority.

Before his Ascension Jesus says to his disciples: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

The authority Jesus speaks about is what we call The Gospel which Jesus explains in several places;

 

In Matthew’s Gospel he says:

I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

 

In Lukes Gospel he says:

He opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

 

And in John’s Gospel he says:

Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

That’s the authority Jesus has give to you – to Christians and to the Church – to bring comfort and peace to people through the forgiveness of sins – through the Gospel – to reconcile people with God. That’s it!

 

Yes, in some instances we have to warn of unforgiveness where there is refusal to repent. But still, that is encased in love as Jesus says in Matthew 18: If they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector. “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. And let us remember how Jesus treated pagans and tax collectors. He ate with them – he walked among them and assured them of God’s love for which he was regularly criticised by the supposedly righteous Pharisees.

 

But Paul warns Christians against using the authority we have to harm others. And it’s in ways that we don’t always realise that we’re doing it. He uses the example of food sacrificed to idols. His argument is that since we know an idol is nothing we have freedom to eat whatever we wish without worry if the food was sacrificed to an idol – which was a common practice.

But, he says, there may be a fellow Christian who has a different view to us and would be offended if they saw us eating food sacrificed to an idol.

 

So we have the situation that I could argue – I can eat whatever I want because of my faith – so why can’t I? BUT – is that the only scenario. What if we offend someone by our freedom? Paul sums it up by saying - if food is a cause of their falling, I will never eat meat, so that I may not cause one of them to fall.  The principle of this goes to every aspect of our faith – not just eating particular foods. We can extend this example to anything that sets ourselves apart from others giving the impression that we are superior to them.

 

But let us understand what this is not saying. It doesn’t mean we have to accept matters that are against the Word of God so we don’t cause offence. Sadly that is happening in the church today as it tries to fit in with the world rather than the world fitting in with God. No, Moses makes that quite clear in our Old Testament reading: But any prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, or who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded the prophet to speak—that prophet shall die.

 

What it does mean is that we love our neighbour in all situations – even when we are in disagreement with them. As Jesus says – love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Our thought should be for our neighbours faith since we are certain of our freedom in Christ. We are not to use our freedom and authority to build ourselves up which is always the temptation. Paul says - Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. We have seen the damage that the church and Christians can do when they lord it over people. When people feel harassed rather than loved. Jesus exampled that servant approach to authority when he washed his disciples’ feet – when he let a woman of ill-repute wash his feet – when he ate with Zacchaeus – when he freed a woman caught in adultery but warned her to flee from sin that had entrapped her.

 

We have an amazing Gospel that has freed us and we have been given authority by Jesus to assure others of that same freedom. No one else has the keys to the kingdom of heaven so let us use those keys to open the door to heaven so people can experience what we have – the peace of God that goes beyond all understanding.