The following is my first look at the next four Sundays. It is my work in process for Sunday messages. In general, the actual messages will follow these verses, titles and themes. In a few cases, the verses will stay the same but the titles and themes will be adjustied and refined.
Jan 11 –
Mark 1:4-11 – “
Being the Beloved – The Unexpected” – Jesus’ baptism is an interesting scene. In some ways, it has elements foreshadowing what is to come. The introduction of both the baptism scene and Jesus himself speaks to what might be expected – which is the unexpected. The Messiah that they were expecting was a king, a king of kings, a grand ruler. He was to save them from them heavy handed rulers who had historically oppressed and even enslaved them through the use of might, force and violence. Presumably, the saving work would be done by someone…well, more powerful and mighty. Imagine then their surprise when this king of kings is introduced by some nut job running around in the desert in clothes made of camel hair and eating locus and wild honey. Not what one might expect. It was, in some ways, a foreshadowing of what it means to be named the “beloved” of God. Everything we know of Jesus, from this baptism on, tells us what the unexpected life of the beloved should look like. It isn’t about power and might. It isn’t about the status quo. It is about humbleness and servanthood. It is about the unexpected.
Jan 18 -
1 Samuel 3:1-10 – “
Called – Open Ears, Open Minds” – Dr. King did not plan to be a leader in the Civil Rights movement. Technically, he didn’t even want to. He wanted to preach, be a professor and maybe ultimately be the Dean of Morehouse, his alma mater. Here’s the thing though. He had an open mind and a willingness to listen for God’s voice – even when it called him places he did not want to go. Samuel also had his ears wide open and it lead to his “Here I am, Lord.” Stories like Samuel’s and various stories of strong Christian leaders throughout history remind us that God calls us to unexpected and remarkable things, but we have to always open our minds to the possibility of something unexpected and open our ears that we might hear the very voice of God.
Jan 25 –
Mark 1:14-20 - “
Discipleship Sometimes Means Leaving What We Know Behind” - Those who think discipleship is easy or that it really seldomly requires sacrifices must not have read this part. I am particularly struck by what it says about James and John, “they left their father Zebedee in the boat...and followed him.” Wow. They left there Dad standing there literally holding the net. I can't imagine doing that to my Dad and that's by today's transient measures. In their times, James and John were not only tied to their family by blood but also by currency. Most likely this was the lifeline of the family. The sons weren't just expected to work the family business, they were
needed in the family business. Without them, it (and the family) would certainly struggle. Yet, they left it all on Jesus' words, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of people.” I wonder...how much are we willing to sacrifice to follow Jesus? How much is Jesus asking of us?
Feb 1 –
Deuteronomy 18:15-20 - “
Using God's Name in Vain” - I don't like to curse. It is very seldom that I do it, if ever. So, few people have even heard such words from my lips. Now I don't think that makes me a particularly special or a particularly holy person. As a matter of fact, I happen to be leave that not using God's name in vain has nothing to do with curse words. I'm amazed at the number of times people get deeply upset by people using them. Truth is – it doesn't bother me at all. I'm equally amazed at how those same people don't seem to mind when people like Pat Robertson claim to speak for God and call for things like the assassination of President Hugo Chavez or says that God caused Ariel Sharon's massive stroke as punishment. While I don't claim to speak the mind of God, I do think that the God Jesus came to teach us about doesn't smite people –
that God loves people. It is also particularly interesting to note that for Rev. Robertson, it is always people that he himself dislikes that are being smited (smote?). Today's scripture gives us this understanding of using God's name in vain or for false pretenses, “any prophet who ...presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded the prophet to speak – that prophet shall die.” Before we jump on the God-will-smite-Pat bandwagon, let's ask ourselves, how many times have we judged other people and in one way or the other have found them to be...well, not quite as close to God as we are? My question then is - when we do that , in it's own way, are we presuming to speak for God? Does the God whose book says, “judge not” put those judgments in our mouths or might we too, in a deceptively subtle way, be using God's name in vain?
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