A Place at the Table

Prayer of the Day

Almighty God, you have knit your people together in one communion in the mystical body of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Grant us grace to follow your blessed saints in lives of faith and commitment, and to know the inexpressible joys you have prepared for those who love you, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.Amen.

Isaiah 25:6-9

 ⁶On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples
  a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines,
  of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear.
 ⁷And he will destroy on this mountain
  the shroud that is cast over all peoples,
  the sheet that is spread over all nations;
  ⁸he will swallow up death forever.
 Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces,
  and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth,
  for the Lord has spoken.
 ⁹It will be said on that day,
  Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us.
  This is the Lord for whom we have waited;
  let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

Psalm 24

 ²For the Lord has founded it up- ^| on the seas
  and established it up- ^| on the rivers. 
 ³Who may ascend the mountain ^| of the Lord,
  and who may stand in God’s ^| holy place?
 ⁴Those of innocent hands and puri- ^| ty of heart,
  who do not swear on God’s being, nor do they pledge by ^| what is false.
 ⁵They shall receive blessing ^| from the Lord
  and righteousness from the God of ^| their salvation.
 ⁶Such is the generation of those who seek ^| you, O Lord,
  of those who seek your face, O ^| God of Jacob. 
 ⁷Lift up your heads, O gates; and be lifted up, O ever- ^| lasting doors,
  that the King of glory ^| may come in.
 ⁸Who is this ^| King of glory?
  The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, might- ^| y in battle!
 ⁹Lift up your heads, O gates; and be lifted up, O ever- ^| lasting doors,
  that the King of glory ^| may come in.
 ¹⁰Who is this ^| King of glory?
  Truly, the Lord of hosts is the ^| King of glory.

Revelation 21:1-6a

¹I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. ²And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ³And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 
 “See, the home of God is among mortals.
 He will dwell with them;
 they will be his peoples,
 and God himself will be with them;
 ⁴he will wipe every tear from their eyes.
 Death will be no more;
 mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
 for the first things have passed away.”
  ⁵And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.” ^6aThen he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.”

John 11:32-44

³²When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” ³³When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. ³⁴He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” ³⁵Jesus began to weep. ³⁶So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” ³⁷But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”

  ³⁸Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. ³⁹Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.” ⁴⁰Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” ⁴¹So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me. ⁴²I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” ⁴³When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” ⁴⁴The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

Sermon – Pastor Meggan Manlove

Someone wise pointed out the combination of complaint and confidence in this morning’s gospel story. Mary says, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” In that one statement alone, we hear the complaint that Jesus was not here and the confidence that he is able to heal, to overcome death.

Mary’s words and their motivations speak volumes for what it has always meant to be a follower of Jesus. But they are especially appropriate for All Saints Sunday–when we grieve the ones who have died and simultaneously confess our faith in a God of resurrection. Complaint and confidence. These two words may also capture how we feel and what we want to express in every challenging season of life.

We were dropped into the middle of the story this morning. Lazarus has been in the tomb for four days. His death is final. Jesus did not come when he first heard that Lazarus was ill. He delayed so he could show God’s glory. In raising Lazarus, Jesus conquers death. 

Raising Lazarus from the dead was Jesus’ seventh and greatest sign. This sign was also the final straw. The decision to put Jesus to death results from his giving life to Lazarus. The village of Bethany, the scene for this text, is just east of Jerusalem. As he performs his last sign, Jesus is approaching his own death and resurrection. Raising Lazarus is the miracle, but more awesome is what is being illustrated.

Earlier in the story, Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” God has power over life and death. Today’s text from Isaiah is clear about this. “God will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations; God will swallow up death forever.” 

Jesus is one with the Father and he shares God’s power over life and death. But Jesus is not only one with God. He is fully human. Because he has so clearly identified with us, his death becomes our death. But his resurrection also becomes our resurrection. This resurrection gives us freedom to face the future in a counter-cultural way.

Today, we are again reminded that what truly gives life is Jesus himself. Jesus raised each one of us in holy baptism. In the waters of the baptismal font, we hear God speak this word of life and resurrection. Lifting us out of the waters, God frees us from death and dresses us in the royal clothing of Christ. At the table, we feast with the God who swallows up death forever. The holy meal is a foretaste of the great and promised feast where death and pain will be no more. The last word is not death, but life as a beloved child of God.

So Jesus is the giver of life. But we are the ones who unbind. Jesus tells us, as he told the onlookers by Lazarus’ tomb, unbind him. “Unbind one another,” Jesus commands us. We might be called to unbind one another from obsessing about how to take control of our lives. We might be called to help unbind so many from fear. Or maybe we are called to physically unbind people from abusive relationships or other conflicts. 

One challenge of following Jesus is discerning the specific calling to unbind. It varies by context. But wherever we are located, we have freedom, freedom to care for the world God has made. Our hope is no longer that we might escape from this world. Escaping this world is neither the goal nor the hope nor the focus. Jesus turns things on their head. Our hope is transformed. Our hope is in God’s plan of healing and reconciliation and recovery for the world.

Today we lift before God those who, during the past year were brought into the sainthood through the waters of Holy Baptism. We lift before God those who, during the past year, entered into the eternal sainthood of the Church. In Jesus, death will be no more. In Jesus, God makes a home with humankind and all creation. 

I love All Saints Sunday because we remember the giants of the faith who have gone before us and set an example. In my first internship church in Chicago we had banners up on this Sunday of modern saints, people not yet canonized by our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters but recognized as pillars: Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King Junior, and Oscar Romero. Every continent and country and ministry can lift up and be influenced by particular saints who create the great cloud of witnesses.

On All Saints Sunday, we also take time to remember all those who have died in the past year. We know through conversations with one another and through the prayer concerns listed in our bulletin that many of us have lost family members and friends dear to us, some listed but many are not. 

Losing people is hard and painful and life is not the same after someone we love dies. When Jesus learns that Lazarus has died, he is greatly disturbed. His world is not the same. The same is true for us, and no one should belittle another individual’s or community’s grief. It is right and good to take time to honor our grief.

Finally, All Saints Sunday reminds us that we Christians mourn death in a particular way. We grieve, to be sure. But we grieve as a people with hope. We trust that resurrection follows death. We cling to those promises made in Holy Baptism. When we place the white funeral pall over a coffin, we remember that our loved one remains clothed with Christ.

What do we pray in the midst of our collective story, our grief and our hope? I’d like to close with the prayer from our graveside committal service. Let us pray, “Holy God, holy and powerful, by the death and burial of Jesus your anointed, you have destroyed the power of death and made holy the resting places of all your people.  Keep our brother safe, whose body we now lay to rest, in the company of all your saints.  And at the last, O God, raise him up to share with all the faithful the endless joy and peace won through the glorious resurrection of Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.”

Prayers of Intercession

Eternal God, you hold firm amid the changes of this world. Hear us now as we pray for the church, the world, and everyone in need.

A brief silence.Merciful God, we give thanks for all missionaries who have brought your message of hope to new communities and wiped tears away (especially John Christian Frederick Heyer, Bartholomaeus Ziegenbalg, Ludwig Nommensen whom we commemorate today). Continue to raise up courageous missionaries to share your gospel of hope. Hear us, O God.Your mercy is great.

Creating God, we praise you for abundant harvests and the goodness of creation. Create communities of care for your earth so that all land, water, and soil will be celebrated and cherished by future generations of saints. Hear us, O God.Your mercy is great.

God of peace, we give you thanks for nations of peace that serve as a refuge for all whose homelands are afflicted with violence. Strengthen those who continue to work for peace and support all veterans who carry the scars of war. Hear us, O God.Your mercy is great.

God of healing, we give you thanks for health care workers who labor around the clock to answer cries for help. Bring wholeness to all who struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, addiction, and all who long for healing in any way (especially). Hear us, O God.Your mercy is great.

God of justice, we praise you for the feeding ministries and for all meals that bring people together for nourishment and fellowship. Bless chefs, bakers, servers, dishwashers, communion assistants, and meal ministry coordinators. Hear us, O God.Your mercy is great.

Here other intercessions may be offered.God of the ages, we give you thanks for the saints of this congregation who have inspired, challenged, loved, and taught us (those who have died during the past year may be named). Wipe away our tears and lead us by their example until we feast together on your holy mountain. Hear us, O God.Your mercy is great.

God our protection and strength, we entrust to you all for whom we pray. Remain with us always, through Jesus Christ, our Savior.Amen.

Prayer of the Day

Almighty God, gracious Lord, we thank you that your Holy Spirit renews the church in every age. Pour out your Holy Spirit on your faithful people. Keep them steadfast in your word, protect and comfort them in times of trial, defend them against all enemies of the gospel, and bestow on the church your saving peace, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.Amen.

Deuteronomy 6:1-9

[Moses said to the people,] ¹Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the ordinances—that the Lord your God charged me to teach you to observe in the land that you are about to cross into and occupy, ²so that you and your children and your children’s children may fear the Lord your God all the days of your life, and keep all his decrees and his commandments that I am commanding you, so that your days may be long. ³Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe them diligently, so that it may go well with you, and so that you may multiply greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has promised you.
  ⁴Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. ⁵You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. ⁶Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. ⁷Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. ⁸Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, ⁹and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Psalm 119:1-8

 ¹Happy are they whose ^| way is blameless,
  who follow the teaching ^| of the Lord!
 ²Happy are they who observe ^| your decrees
  and seek you with ^| all their hearts,
 ³who never do ^| any wrong,
  but always walk ^| in your ways.
 ⁴You laid down ^| your commandments,
  that we should ^| fully keep them. 
 ⁵Oh, that my ways were made ^| so direct
  that I might ^| keep your statutes!
 ⁶Then I should not be ^| put to shame,
  when I regard all ^| your commandments.
 ⁷I will thank you with ^| a true heart,
  when I have learned your ^| righteous judgments.
 ⁸I will ^| keep your statutes;
  do not utter- ^| ly forsake me. 

Mark 12:28-34

²⁸One of the scribes came near and heard [Jesus and the Sadducees] disputing with one another, and seeing that [Jesus] answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” ²⁹Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; ³⁰you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ ³¹The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” ³²Then the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that ‘he is one, and besides him there is no other’; ³³and ‘to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength,’ and ‘to love one’s neighbor as oneself,’—this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” ³⁴When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that no one dared to ask him any question.

Sermon – Pastor Meggan Manlove

What a great gospel for a festival Sunday! This morning we will all participate as Diane affirms her baptism in the presence of this assembly. I will ask her if she intends to continue in the covenant God made with her in holy baptism, specifically to live among God’s faithful people, to hear the word of God and share in the Lord’s supper, to proclaim the good news of God in Christ through word and deed, to serve all people, following the example of Jesus, and to strive for justice and peace in all the earth. 

At the heart of these collective promises and at the heart of the Christian faith are the two great commandments that Jesus names in Mark chapter 12: Love the Lord your God and love your neighbor as yourself. These commands provide the framework for ethical thinking and actions, theological reflection, and biblical interpretation. They also guide much of our instruction and conversations in Confirmation classes. So, echoes of the two great commandments were heard in Diane’s responses just moments ago.

It should not surprise us that Jesus first quotes Deuteronomy 6, known as the Shema: Hear O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This was central to the people’s identity and life. More surprising is Jesus quoting the verse from Leviticus.

It may help us to know that this verse is the culmination of a litany of commands prohibiting the oppression and exploitation of the weak and poor. The litany includes- leave your field for the sojourner to glean, do not steal, deal falsely, or profane God, do not oppress the neighbor, exploit the employees, or discriminate against the disabled; do not show partiality in judgment. 

The two commands Jesus names make us ask if our words and actions reflect and embody love of God and love of neighbor. When we read Scripture, we might ask whether the text inspires us to love God and neighbor. The 16^th century church reformers, who we also celebrate today, knew that love of God and love of neighbor needed some specificity, needed interpretation for each time and space. 

Martin Luther’s explanations of the Ten Commandments adds a positive command, instructing us what to do after explaining what we shall not do. The explanations are surprisingly relevant today. Take for example his explanation to the 7^th Commandment, you shall not steal: “We are to fear and love God, so that we neither take our neighbors’ money or property nor acquire them by using shoddy merchandise or crooked deals, but instead help them to improve and protect their property and income.” 

Or the explanation to the 8th commandment, you shall not bear false witness: “We are to fear and love God, so that we do not tell lies about our neighbors, betray or slander them, or destroy their reputations. Instead, we are to come to their defense, speak well of them, and interpret everything they do in the best possible light.”

Neighbor love has always been about both our daily interactions with individuals (co-workers, next door neighbors, strangers on the interstate) and changing the systems and networks we all live in. Yes, it absolutely matters how we treat the cashier and the relative with whom we disagree on everything. Neighbor love is also expressed in how we spend our money and time and how we vote. 

Interconnected to our love for God and love of neighbor is self-love, which Jesus’ words absolutely imply. One of my teachers [RHW] writes powerfully about this: “My faith journey has led me to understand that loving yourself is necessary to loving others. The more that I have leaned into God’s love for me, the more that I understand how revolutionary and absolutely necessary it is to love myself, without apology. And when I love myself and my God, I can love others in ways that I didn’t even know were possible.” 

I, Meggan, think it is no accident that Jesus commands us to love our neighbors as ourselves. If there is not deep, authentic, self-love, it’s nearly impossible to truly love our neighbors. 

We are called back, once again, to the heart of faith for the sake of the kingdom of God. Jesus’ words to the questioning scribe offer a sharp critique of the teachings of the scribes, who have been guardians of the religious establishment. At every turn the scribes have opposed Jesus with questions about his authority and the source of his power. 

Jesus has demonstrated that the scribes are on the wrong side of the work of God. But in today’s story, a scribe stands in solidarity with Jesus. The scribe shares Jesus’ anguish over a temple cult that has lost its soul and purpose, its moral authority, its heart for renewal, and can no longer hear, discern ore respond to God’s voice. 

Martin Luther and the other reformers were not Christ come again. They were flawed human beings. And yet their legacy of reforming the church is one worth celebrating. Maybe it is their very imperfections that give us hope today–hope that we who follow in their footsteps can reform the church once again, help bring the larger church back to these two crucial commands. 

Instead of pointing fingers at who is getting it wrong, we can show love and acceptance to people who have been hurt by the church. Instead of fighting over all that might divide us we can come together over neighbor-love practices that most of us agree on, such as food access, affordable housing, child poverty, saving the planet, and sharing the good news about a God who first loves us with abundance.

Today we celebrate this good news. In the ministry of Jesus, the proclamation of the good news is accompanied by the casting out of demons and the healing of many who are sick. It is the good news of God that does not command, coerce, or mandate love, but rather evokes worship, love and obedience. 

The story of love is not complete until we see the cross of Jesus and power of God wielded there. The Gospel presents us with love, worship, and discipleship. It invites us to anticipate that the scribe will experience the full life of love of God, neighbor, and self when love embraces him. In joyful response, we follow where only love can lead.

Prayers of Intercession (adapted from Sundays and Seasons by Mary Braudrick)

Made children and heirs of God’s promise, we pray for the church, the world, and all in need. (A brief silence)

God of true might and redemptive mercy, We pray for all who long for a word of truth and long for the radical grace that flows from the cross. Inspire congregations to freely and boldly proclaim your love for all people, with persistence and hope. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.God of new beginnings, 

We pray for your creation, for mountains, rivers, streams, cities, homesteads and neighborhoods. Write on our hearts a new love and care for creation. Give us the will to curb wasteful habits. May we hold accountable those people who have not cared enough and have damaged the earth. May we do our part to restore it. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

God, the giver of life, You intend for humans to live together in peace. In these days of grief over gun violence, we pray for your presence among us. We remember before you the victims in the recent shooting in our community: Jo Acker and Roberto Padilla Arguelles. Bring comfort to their families whose lives are forever changed. Grant healing and wholeness to the survivors who were wounded or traumatized. Each name you know. May your mercy be upon the one who fired the weapon and also died; whose name you also know. Console his family with your grace. We commend them ALL to your steadfast love. Lord in your mercy,Hear our prayer.

God of compassion,We give you thanks for the first responders, for police officers, firefighters, EMTs and all who offer compassionate aid in situations of tragedy.  Give them courage, sound judgement, safety and support as they risk their lives for others. Lord in your mercy, Hear our prayer. 

God of justice, We pray for all who aspire to public office and for all who will vote on Tuesday at local polling places. May we see clearly our civic duty to vote as appropriate. Pour wisdom and understanding upon all who govern so that communities of justice and peace may thrive. Lord in your mercy, Hear our prayer.

God of righteousness, We pray for all who, in these present days, seek to grow in faith and love of you. We give you thanks for all the saints and reformers who have gone before us who dwell in your holy habitation. Give us courage through their example to challenge unjust systems and work toward life-giving reformation. Lord in your mercy, Hear our prayer. 

God of peace, By your mercy, make us instruments of your peace. Receive these earnest, spoken prayers, O God, and those in our hearts known only to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Prayer of the Day

Eternal light, shine in our hearts. Eternal wisdom, scatter the darkness of our ignorance. Eternal compassion, have mercy on us. Turn us to seek your face, and enable us to reflect your goodness, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.Amen.

Job 42:1-6, 10-17

¹Job answered the Lord:
 ²“I know that you can do all things,
  and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
 ³‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’
 Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,
  things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.
 ⁴‘Hear, and I will speak;
  I will question you, and you declare to me.’
 ⁵I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear,
  but now my eye sees you;
 ⁶therefore I despise myself,
  and repent in dust and ashes.”
  ¹⁰And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he had prayed for his friends; and the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. ¹¹Then there came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and they ate bread with him in his house; they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the Lordhad brought upon him; and each of them gave him a piece of money and a gold ring. ¹²The Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; and he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand donkeys. ¹³He also had seven sons and three daughters. ¹⁴He named the first Jemimah, the second Keziah, and the third Keren-happuch. ¹⁵In all the land there were no women so beautiful as Job’s daughters; and their father gave them an inheritance along with their brothers. ¹⁶After this Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his children, and his children’s children, four generations. ¹⁷And Job died, old and full of days.

Psalm 34:1-8 [19-22]

 ¹I will bless the Lord^| at all times;
  the praise of God shall ever be ^| in my mouth.
 ²I will glory ^| in the Lord;
  let the lowly hear ^| and rejoice.
 ³Proclaim with me the greatness ^| of the Lord;
  let us exalt God’s ^| name together.
 ⁴I sought the Lord, who ^| answered me
  and delivered me from ^| all my terrors. 
 ⁵Look upon the Lord^| and be radiant,
  and let not your faces ^| be ashamed.
 ⁶I called in my affliction, and ^| the Lord heard me
  and saved me from ^| all my troubles.
 ⁷The angel of the Lord encamps around those who ^| fear the Lord
  and de- ^| livers them.
 ⁸Taste and see that the ^| Lord is good;
  happy are they who take ref- ^| uge in God! 
 ¹⁹Many are the troubles ^| of the righteous,
  but the Lord delivers them from ^| every one.
 ²⁰God will keep safe ^| all their bones;
  not one of them ^| shall be broken.
 ²¹Evil will bring death ^| to the wicked
  and those who hate the righteous ^| will be punished.
 ²²O Lord, you redeem the life ^| of your servants,
  and those who put their trust in you will ^| not be punished. 

Hebrews 7:23-28

²³The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office; ²⁴but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. ²⁵Consequently he is able for all time to save those who approach God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
  ²⁶For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, blameless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. ²⁷Unlike the other high priests, he has no need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for those of the people; this he did once for all when he offered himself. ²⁸For the law appoints as high priests those who are subject to weakness, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.

Mark 10:46-52

⁴⁶As [Jesus] and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. ⁴⁷When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” ⁴⁸Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” ⁴⁹Jesus stood still and said, “Call him here.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart; get up, he is calling you.” ⁵⁰So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. ⁵¹Then Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said to him, “My teacher, let me see again.” ⁵²Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.

Sermon – Pr Meggan Manlove

Jesus continues on the way in today’s gospel text. He and the disciples reach Jericho. Jerusalem is next, but not before one last encounter. There is so much in this vignette that reaches back into earlier parts of the Jesus’ story. The goal all along has been a changed perspective. At the beginning of the gospel narrative we heard Jesus say, “The time if fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe in the good news.” 

The call to repentance was a call for a changed perspective. At the very beginning of the pandemic, our first devotion on tvprays.org was titled, “The Rules of Perspective.” My colleague wrote, “Perspectives shift with the incarnation. In Jesus, we are given an additional point of perspective. In art, the two-point perspective gives an object the appearance of being three-dimensional. The incarnation is God embodied, flesh and bone, birth, death, and beyond. God in 3-D.”

Along with calling people to repentance, Jesus has been asking people to follow him. Repent and follow are the overwhelming verbs, and they are completely interwoven and interrelated. When both commands are followed, a changed perspective comes naturally.

Following Jesus is always supposed to include a particular way of seeing, a particular perspective. I do not believe it is the only good perspective in the world. Other religions and philosophies have similar and complementary perspective. However, we gathered here continue to be compelled the way of seeing that comes with being a follower of Jesus. Ultimately, we find it life-giving and life-affirming. It is life-giving for we individuals and for the collective, the world, the cosmos.

This particular perspective or lens is one that, in Jesus’ words, includes servanthood, where the one who wishes to be first among you must be slave of all, where little children set the example for receiving the kingdom of God, where power is manifest by dying on a cross, where the last are first and the first are last.

The disciples, those closest to Jesus in proximity, have struggled with this new perspective, this lens of faith. There have, to be sure, been a few moments of incredible insight. There were times when they truly got it. And they are not alone in their blurred vision. Other would-be-followers of Jesus have struggled as well.

For example, a rich man came to Jesus asking what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus told him he lacked one thing, “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 went away grieving, for he had many possessions. 

The man could not adopt the new perspective. Jesus’ instructions, Jesus’ way of life, was not going to leave the rich young man destitute. Jesus’ command had been to redistribute the wealth, for the good of the collective, so everyone, including the man himself, could truly flourish. We do not hear the rest of that rich man’s story. Maybe in the end he changed his mind. We also never learn exactly what hindered him.

We know better what hinders our own inability to change perspective, to adopt fully and completely the lens of faith. Chiefly, we are overwhelmed by fear. Fear dominates the headlines we read. It drives the advertisements on television, on the internet, on the radio. Fear seeps into daily conversations and interactions. Yes, fear can be good when teaching a child to look both ways before crossing the street, but that’s not what I’m talking about.

It is not just illness or technology or natural disasters we are told to fear. Often, we are encouraged to fear other people. In my lifetime, the litany of people to fear has highlighted: communists, gay people, black people (especially black men), immigrants, and Muslims. The fear about these groups of people has been a driving force for all sorts of messaging. Messaging about fear drives policies, marketing, elections, and now algorithms in cyber space that we can hardly comprehend.  

Sometimes even the gospel itself becomes a tool in this fear-dominant culture, as in “confess that Jesus is Lord, or you are going to hell.” Well-intentioned as that message is, it is not true to the good news. It is not life-giving. 

The perspective of faith and trust in Jesus is not in fact dominated by fear. The lens of faith is shaped instead by hope, abundance, belonging, and promises that are irrevocable, “You are a child of God. Now and always” and “God’s grace and mercy know no limits.”

Blind Bartimaeus has some of this perspective, even without physically seeing Jesus. He shouts out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.” He foreshadows Jesus’ own passion with the title Son of David, Israel’s great king. Jesus will accept that he is the anointed one. Jesus has a kingship, be it a surprising one. So Bartimaeus perceives something correctly at the beginning. 

The great hope in today’s gospel story comes soon after Bartimaeus shouts to Jesus. Like the rich man, Bartimaeus encounters Jesus “on the way.” The rich man could not liquidate his fortune. But poor Bartimaeus throws away his garment, his sole element of livelihood. Beggars spread out their cloaks to receive alms. The one on the bottom of the social scale does not even wait for a call, springing up and “following Jesus on the way.” 

The story immediately precedes Jesus’ final entry into Jerusalem, where he will be put on trial by those in power. And here is Bartimaeus, following Jesus on the way. The poor join in the final assault on the current order, and the rich have walked away. The first have become last and the last first. Bartimaeus shows us that it is possible to follow Jesus. Can we see like he does? Can we adopt his perspective?

His response to Jesus is quite a contrast to Jesus’ disciples’ James and John. Upon their approach, Jesus had asked James and John, “What do you want me to do for you?” He responds to Bartimaeus with the same words. The disciples wished for status and privilege. Bartimaeus wished simply for his “vision.” The status and privilege Jesus cannot grant. The vision he can. It is Bartimaeus who is told to “take courage.” And it is Bartimaeus who follows.

A favorite commentator wrote, “The narrative discourse of hope is now clear in this last discipleship/healing episode. Only in the disciples struggles against the internal demons that render us deaf or mute, only if we renounce our thirst for power–in a word, only if we recognize our blindness and see true vision–then can the discipleship adventure carry on.”

We also are on the way. We are invited each day to be followers of Jesus. Sometimes this means calling him teacher, another title Bartimaeus used for Jesus. We recognize that our vision gets blurry. We need refreshers in precisely what it means to follow Jesus on the way. We gain insight by praying, reading the old old story found in holy scripture, worshiping with other followers.

This story provides deep and abiding hope because Bartimaeus does follow Jesus, even throwing off his cloak as he runs. “Let me see again,” he asks Jesus. Whatever is broken in our lives, individually, as a community, as a global community that is more and more interconnected, isn’t our prayer the same, “Let me see again, Jesus.” 

Let us see abundance of loaves and fishes. Let us see those on the margins we would rather ignore. Let me see the love that neighbors are showing neighbors. Let us see God’s love and mercy for each one of us. Let us see the power of God wielded in ways that astound the empires and kingdoms of this world. Let us see how God is in relationship with us and how we could be in relationship with one another. Amen.

Prayers of Intercession (Sundays and Seasons)

Set free from sin and death and nourished by the word of truth, we join in prayer for all of God’s creation.

A brief silence.Risen One, we give you thanks for congregations and ministries throughout the world that serve as centers of prayer and action. Empower missionaries, teachers, healers, evangelists, and all who are sent to share your song of joy. Hear us, O God.Your mercy is great.

Holy One, we give you thanks for generous land that produces abundant harvests. Strengthen and protect all soils, from rooftop gardens to prairie farmlands, to patio planters to fertile valleys, and bless all who lovingly tend them. Hear us, O God.Your mercy is great.

Ruling One, we give you thanks for leaders of nations who work to build up the common good. Strengthen efforts of reconciliation among all nations (especially), that peace extends in every direction. Hear us, O God.Your mercy is great.

Healing One, we give you thanks for all who labor for the health of others. Comfort and strengthen all who struggle with chronic pain. Send healing and relief to all who are sick (especially). Hear us, O God.Your mercy is great.

Providing One, we give you thanks for all who provide for others. Inspire generosity in your people, so that we carry out the work of making disciples of all nations. Hear us, O God.Your mercy is great.

Here other intercessions may be offered.Living One, we give you thanks for the saints who have increased our faith. Give us courage to follow in hope until you gather us all around your table of abundance. Hear us, O God.Your mercy is great.

Confident that you hear us, O God, we boldly place our prayers into your hands; through Jesus Christ, our truth and life.Amen.

Prayer of the Day

Almighty and ever-living God, increase in us your gift of faith, that, forsaking what lies behind and reaching out to what lies ahead, we may follow the way of your commandments and receive the crown of everlasting joy, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.Amen.

Job 23:1-9, 16-17

¹Job answered [his friend:]
 ²“Today also my complaint is bitter;
  [God’s] hand is heavy despite my groaning.
 ³Oh, that I knew where I might find him,
  that I might come even to his dwelling!
 ⁴I would lay my case before him,
  and fill my mouth with arguments.
 ⁵I would learn what he would answer me,
  and understand what he would say to me.
 ⁶Would he contend with me in the greatness of his power?
  No; but he would give heed to me.
 ⁷There an upright person could reason with him,
  and I should be acquitted forever by my judge.

 ⁸“If I go forward, he is not there;
  or backward, I cannot perceive him;
 ⁹on the left he hides, and I cannot behold him;
  I turn to the right, but I cannot see him.
 ¹⁶God has made my heart faint;
  the Almighty has terrified me;
 ¹⁷If only I could vanish in darkness,
  and thick darkness would cover my face!”

Psalm 22:1-15

 ¹My God, my God, why have you for- ^| saken me?
  Why so far from saving me, so far from the words ^| of my groaning?
 ²My God, I cry out by day, but you ^| do not answer;
  by night, but I ^| find no rest.
 ³Yet you are the ^| Holy One,
  enthroned on the prais- ^| es of Israel.
 ⁴Our ancestors put their ^| trust in you,
  they trusted, and you ^| rescued them. 
 ⁵They cried out to you and ^| were delivered;
  they trusted in you and were not ^| put to shame.
 ⁶But as for me, I am a worm ^| and not human,
  scorned by all and despised ^| by the people.
 ⁷All who see me laugh ^| me to scorn;
  they curl their lips; they ^| shake their heads.
 ⁸“Trust in the Lord; let the ^| Lord deliver;
  let God rescue him if God so de- ^| lights in him.” 
 ⁹Yet you are the one who drew me forth ^| from the womb,
  and kept me safe on my ^| mother’s breast.
 ¹⁰I have been entrusted to you ever since ^| I was born;
  you were my God when I was still in my ^| mother’s womb.
 ¹¹Be not far from me, for trou- ^| ble is near,
  and there is no ^| one to help.
 ¹²Many young bulls en- ^| circle me;
  strong bulls of Ba- ^| shan surround me. 
 ¹³They open wide their ^| jaws at me,
  like a slashing and ^| roaring lion.
 ¹⁴I am poured out like water; all my bones are ^| out of joint;
  my heart within my breast is ^| melting wax.
 ¹⁵My strength is dried up like a potsherd; my tongue sticks to the roof ^| of my mouth;
  and you have laid me in the ^| dust of death.

Hebrews 4:12-16

¹²Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. ¹³And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account.

  ¹⁴Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. ¹⁵For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Mark 10:17-31

¹⁷As [Jesus] was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” ¹⁸Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. ¹⁹You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.’ ” ²⁰He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” ²¹Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” ²²When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.
  ²³Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” ²⁴And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” ²⁶They were greatly astounded and said to one another, “Then who can be saved?” ²⁷Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.”
  ²⁸Peter began to say to him, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.” ²⁹Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, ³⁰who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. ³¹But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”

Sermon – Pr Meggan Manlove

Following Jesus is radical. It is counter cultural. His message is sometimes downright shocking. It does not get any more radical than this morning’s gospel text. Convenient as it might be, this teaching is not just for the Jeff Bezoses of the world. It is not even just for the rich. This scripture passage, which I fully admit is uncomfortable to sit with, is for all of us who are trying to be disciples, followers of Jesus. 

The passage is full of interesting and important details, which illumine the scene and give us clues about discipleship. Let’s start with the rich man himself. First, we know that he is a deeply religious man. He has kept all of the commandments. Yet he knows that there is something more. There is something about this man Jesus. He is the way to abundant life. Jesus will guide the man he supposes. The rich man wants to become a true disciple. So the man runs when he sees Jesus.

As he reaches Jesus, he kneels down. We have seen this posture before. Picture other instances when people knelt at Jesus’ feet. A leper came to Jesus, kneeled and begged for healing. Jairus, the leader of the synagogue, fell at Jesus’ feet and begged Jesus to heal his little daughter. And now here comes yet another man who believes that Jesus can give life. This man is breathing fine and does not need any physical healing. Still, he comes and kneels at Jesus’ feet and asks, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”

“You know the commandments,” Jesus says. He lists them for the man. “Teacher,” the man says, “I have kept all these since my youth.” This man knows he is still lacking. 

The gospels more often show rather than tell us about Jesus’ love. We see Jesus’ love again and again through his actions. But here, we read specifically, “Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, ‘You lack one thing.” Jesus’ instruction is paired with his love, even when the teaching will be difficult to hear. Keep in mind Jesus’ love for the rich man in this moment.

Jesus’ precise instructions are also significant. Jesus does not tell the rich man to burn the possessions and walk away. Instead, Jesus tells the rich man to sell the possessions and give the money to the poor. He instructs him to redistribute his wealth among the poor. Jesus calls for more than a change in the man’s bottom line. He calls for a relinquishment of his possessions for the sake of those people who are poor. What could the results of such actions be? Jesus is telling the rich man to change his relationship with the poor. At its heart, this entire passage is all about relationships.

The man is “shocked.” He cannot do what Jesus has told him. It is so radical. The costs are too great–financial, social, and political. And so the man who had run to Jesus, wanting to be a disciple, turns and walks the other way. The man goes away grieving. 

Jesus’ disciples have watched this whole encounter. After the rich man leaves, Jesus then looks at the disciples and says, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

It is impossible for us to hear Jesus’ words as his first disciples did. In their time and place people viewed the wealthy as blessed by God. Put another way, they believed God blessed people with wealth and riches. And so, if the rich, who have seemingly been given their by God, cannot enter the kingdom of God, then who can? The disciples ask one another, as we might, “Then who can be saved?” 

This last part of our passage sometimes gets overlooked. The disciples have already renounced much of their lives, security, and identity to follow Jesus. Peter does not boast but speaks out of panic. “Look, we have left everything and followed you.” Jesus explains that he does not call people to severe simplicity. He calls people into a new community with an alternative richness. Again, Jesus points to changed relationships.

Listen to the two lists Jesus gives. “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age–houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields with persecutions–and in the age to come eternal life.” 

The lists are not identical. Fathers is missing from the second list. At the very least, this is a nod to the fact that the kingdom of God is led by Jesus’ Father, the creator of the universe. This loving father has invited us all into a relationship of adoption–to be children of God. This new family might include all or part of the family you were born into, but it will certainly including new family members. It is expansive and as radical as Jesus’ vision of the reign of God.

You might be wondering [Don Juel], “Is the call to follow Jesus a call to abandon the world?  Is there no way to follow Jesus and also live in the world in such a way that one can be involved with such ordinary and essential matters as property and possessions?”

Yes, there is a way, “Jesus’ response heads off any notion that discipleship requires … abandonment of the world.  It also affords a glimpse of community life among Jesus’ followers…To those who have suffered the losses attendant upon following him, Jesus promises, not simply rewards in the life to come, but concrete rewards in this life: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands.”  

The early Christians were not impoverished.  For the homeless there will be homes; for those who have abandoned families there will be new families.  New social units will take the place of the old.  Jesus’ words sketch a vision of a real community of believers prepared to live in this time.  Implementing the ideal is hardly ever easy.  In the end it is life giving.  The potential for community is immense.  There is strength and new life when everyone has enough.

The man whom Jesus loves cannot free himself to follow Jesus. His possessions hold him fast. His survival depends upon being freed to spend himself on his neighbor—and that means spending his money. He is unable to get himself free.  Jesus tells his disciples, “With God all things are possible.” Our own captivity might look different. It might be wealth, or the desire for wealth. We might be captive to something else, like individual freedoms or complete security or a vision of a career. 

Rather than condemning the rich man’s “sin,” Jesus confronts the man with his weakness, his captivity to possessions that prevents him from living into the full life of the reign of God. Jesus here names the “power” that holds the man captive and invites the man to step into freedom.

Although we are freed once and for all in the waters of baptism, the truth is that we struggle with captivity daily. It’s one reason we confess our sins together each week and gather at the table to receive forgiveness and new life. And, importantly, we confess not alone, but communally. And we share the bread and wine together.  

In today’s passage, Jesus promises that those who have spent themselves and suffered for the sake of the gospel will not have to wait until the age to come for full life. He promises new family, fields, homes, and friends, “a hundred-fold in this age.” God does not intend that we live solitary, empty lives. Discipleship involves discovering a new family.  

Hard as it is to swallow, I am grateful for Jesus’ vision. Before my mom and my vacation to Oregon last week I will admit to being quite weary. My heart was broken from so many things–big and small, local and global. But what was worse was that my imagination was cloudy. I was having trouble imagining, visioning. The beauty of Crater Lake, the Umpqua River, the Central Oregon Coast helped a lot to restore my imagination. 

But the beauty of the natural world is not enough. Fortunately, scripture is full of visions and dreams of what the world could look like, of what we need to watch for, of how to catch a glimpse of the reign of God breaking into the here and now. One interpretation of scripture that I’ve leaned into off and on the past year is the song “Beautiful City” from the musical Godspell. I assume that composer Stephen Schwartz had, as his inspiration, the passage from Revelation 21, in which we see the holy city.

The second verse goes, “We may not reach the ending. But we can start. Slowly but truly mending. Brick by brick. Heart by heart. Now, maybe now. We start learning how. We can build a beautiful city. Yes we can, yes, we can. We can build a beautiful city. Not a city of angels. But we can build a city of man.”

Prayers of Intercession

Made children and heirs of God’s promise, we pray for the church, the world, and all in need.

A brief silence.Uniting God, you call forth different gifts in those who follow you. Encourage us to welcome the diverse benefits and blessings of the whole church in teaching, preaching, prophecy, healing, and more. Lord, in your mercy,hear our prayer.

Nurturing God, you bring forth crops from the soil and bounty from the trees. Increase the produce of the land and bless all who toil in fields and orchards. Provide for good working conditions and keep them safe. Lord, in your mercy,hear our prayer.

Empowering God, you offer compassion for those who are overlooked or forgotten. Open the hearts of local, national, and world leaders to show such compassion and love for their neighbors. Lord, in your mercy,hear our prayer.

Sheltering God, in Jesus you travelled among us without a place to lay your head. Provide safe places to sleep and rest for those who have no place to live. Sustain ministries that offer food, clothing, and peace of mind (local ministries may be named). Lord, in your mercy,hear our prayer.

Renewing God, you bring life out of death. Help us part with those things that are no longer beneficial to us and open our hearts to see where new life is budding in this congregation. Lord, in your mercy,hear our prayer.

Here other intercessions may be offered.Eternal God, we thank you for the lives of those who have died (especially). Make us confident in your promise of salvation and support us in our own journey of faith. Lord, in your mercy,hear our prayer.

Receive these prayers, O God, and those in our hearts known only to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord.Amen.

Prayer of the Day

O God, our teacher and guide, you draw us to yourself and welcome us as beloved children. Help us to lay aside all envy and selfish ambition, that we may walk in your ways of wisdom and understanding as servants of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.Amen.

Psalm 54

 ¹Save me, O God, ^| by your name;
  in your might, de- ^| fend my cause.
 ²Hear my ^| prayer, O God;
  give ear to the words ^| of my mouth.
 ³For strangers have risen up against me, and the ruthless have ^| sought my life,
  those who have no re- ^| gard for God.
 ⁴Behold, God ^| is my helper;
  it is the Lord who sus- ^| tains my life. R
 ⁵Render evil to those who ^| spy on me;
  in your faithful- ^| ness, destroy them.
 ⁶I will offer you a ^| freewill sacrifice
  and praise your name, O Lord, for ^| it is good.
 ⁷For you have rescued me from ^| every trouble,
  and my eye looks down ^| on my enemies

James 3:13–4:3, 7-8a

¹³Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. ¹⁴But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth. ¹⁵Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. ¹⁶For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. ¹⁷But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. ¹⁸And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.^4:

  ¹Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you? ²You want something and do not have it; so you commit murder. And you covet something and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts. You do not have, because you do not ask. ³You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures. ⁷Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ^8aDraw near to God, and he will draw near to you.

Mark 9:30-37

³⁰[Jesus and the disciples went on] and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it;³¹for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.” ³²But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.
  ³³Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” ³⁴But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. ³⁵He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” ³⁶Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, ³⁷“Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”

Sermon – Pastor Meggan Manlove

Have you ever said to someone, “I don’t think we’re on the same page”? It’s a description of a frustrating conversation. There seem to be similar words and concepts but also a clear disconnect. Finally, you pause, and you realize you are talking about two completely different things. It happens in our passage from Mark’s gospel today. 

Simon Peter had a moment of brilliance earlier. Jesus asked his disciples “Who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.” He was on the same page as Jesus. And Peter’s conclusion was logical. Peter had been up on the Mountain of Transfiguration and been blinded by a radiant Jesus. Jesus had healed countless people. Jesus seemed like a savior, the Messiah. So, topping off these great moments was Peter’s confession.

On the other hand, there have been disturbing moments. Jesus speaks several times about his future suffering and death. Peter rebukes him for these unpleasant predictions. And Jesus scolds Peter for this rebuke. They are still talking about Jesus, the Messiah, but Peter’s idea of what a Messiah is, how he acts, is not in sync with Jesus. Jesus says, “The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands and be killed.” Jesus and the disciples are not on the same page.

Then, as they enter the town of Capernaum, Jesus turns and asks the disciples what they were arguing about. They must have been embarrassed. Their awkward silence is palpable. One writer [Eugene Peterson] calls the silence “deafening.” We have all been in that position.  

Imagine—some kids make a raucous in the basement. A parent calls down the stairs, “What’s going on down there?” The response is “Nothing, nothing!” The disciples have been discussing who among them is the greatest. Jesus has been talking about his death and they are talking about who is the greatest. Who would not be embarrassed? Of course, Jesus, like a parent, already knew what was going on.

We should not think ourselves superior to the disciples. We would probably feel similarly uncomfortable in their place. This is not an exercise in attacking their flawed ideas about discipleship. We could easily become distracted by judging ourselves greater than the disciples—more faithful, more aware, more on the same page as Jesus. Today’s stories are about how we, so many years later and with the full narrative of Jesus in mind, might follow Jesus today, in Canyon County, Idaho.

After interrupting the argument about who is the greatest, Jesus sits down like a teacher. We know this is not casual conversation. He is going to say something crucial. Jesus often uses more than words to teach his lessons. This case is not different. This time his illustration is a little child. We have several stumbling blocks to go over before we can truly understand this illustration.  

A child in our culture is deeply valued and put first in our priorities. At least we would like to think so, in spite of the number of children in poverty. We coo over babies. We cheer on kids when they sing and play. And youthfulness is glorified just about everywhere.

And artists through the ages have not helped us. Can you pull up in your memory a painting over an altar or in a church narthex portraying children? They were often, at least in the last century portrayed as pure and angelic. More importantly, there seem to be lacking in nothing. It is easy for us to sentimentalize Jesus’ action of picking up a small child and telling his followers to do likewise. It is a sweet scene—Jesus tenderly cuddles a child and appeals to the soft hearts under the tough exterior of these big rough disciples.

But that is not what is going on here. Instead of a sweet moment, the disciples are experiencing a radical up-ending of the way they think things should be.  In the time of Jesus, a child was lowest on the priority list. Children had no status. They were subject to the authority of their father. Often, they were expendable. And so Jesus gesture here is potent. 

The child that Jesus reaches out to is similar to many of the children in Charles Dickens’ novels. This does not include Tiny Tim, the star of the famous story “A Christmas Carol.” When I hear Jesus tell his disciples, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me,” I imagine characters like Jo from the great novel “Bleak House.” 

Dickens writes that “Jo lives in a ruinous place, known to the like of him by the name of Tom-all-Alone’s.  It is a black, dilapidated street avoided by all decent people, where the crazy houses were seized upon when their decay was far advanced by some bold vagrants who, after establishing their own possession, took to letting them out in lodgings…It must be a strange state to be like Jo!…To be hustled, and jostled, and moved on, and really to feel that it would appear to be perfectly true that I have no business, here, or there, or anywhere, and yet to be perplexed by the consideration that I am here somehow, too, and everybody overlooked me until I became the creature that I am!”  

Jo and other child characters in Dickens’ works are often referred to as urchins, small raggedly children who do their best to survive in an adult world. The root of the word comes from the Latin for hedgehog, a rather prickly unkempt-looking animal. The good news is that there are people who not only look out for Jo but who bring him into their home.

Jesus’ disciples are not there yet. This is a radical up-ending of the way they think things should be. This is not what they hope life will be like when Jesus comes into their idea of glory. They want to find their way to the top. They want to claim greatness. And he tells them to lay claim to the last and lowest place and people. When they welcome a child, they welcome him. They even welcome the one who sent him. Picture the urchin child Jo again.  

Jesus’ command makes no sense to the disciples. Welcome someone who does not have the power or ability or place to welcome them in turn? No expectation of reciprocity? No return on our investment. (There really is very little in the Jesus story that commends pure unchecked capitalism.) First, our teacher keeps talking about suffering and dying instead of victory and glory. Now we must welcome and even value small, insignificant, powerless people, the least among us?

Every generation of Christians in every geographic context gets to translate “the least among us” for our time and place. What does that look like in 2021 Canyon County? We might consider the Afghan refugees who will be coming to our state and many others. But we might also think of veterans who return and returned after unpopular wars and were shunned, with no consideration for their sacrifice or how their minds were harmed by what they experienced. Despite the progress made in understanding all sorts of mental illnesses, too many people are still ashamed to seek treatment. We think since it’s in our head, we should be able to to fix it ourselves, though no one has the same expectations for fixing a broken leg or a heart condition. We understand drug and alcohol addictions much better now than we did 100 years ago, but often people suffering from addiction are still viewed as the least among us. Who would you add the list today? Who are we being beckoned to welcome? What are the hurdles? 

One of the greatest mysteries in Mark is Jesus’ relationship with his disciples.  The conversations in Mark chapter 9 are part of a pattern. The disciples have moments of insight, but they often misunderstand Jesus, or they don’t like what he has to say.  The mystery is this—they all keep at it. The disciples keep following Jesus and he keeps teaching. The truth is no one can ever really get it.  

But the disciples are tenacious even when they don’t have a clue what Jesus is talking about. They don’t have it all clear in their heads.  But they know there is something about this Jesus. It is impossible to do anything but stay and listen to him. They keep talking with him, even when they get it wrong.

That is no small thing. We don’t like to hang out in settings where we are told over and over that we’re not getting it. But the disciples stayed. We will probably never get the paradoxes of the Christian story. Strength comes in weakness. Glory is found in the death on a rugged cross. Welcoming urchin children is like welcoming Jesus. We don’t have to understand in order to stay. Full comprehension is not required to hear the words of forgiveness or to share in the Lord’s Supper.  We stay as the disciples stayed, because we know that Jesus is the only place worth being. In him there is love and abundant life for the world.     

Prayers of Intercession (Sundays and Seasons)

Made children and heirs of God’s promise, we pray for the church, the world, and all in need.

A brief silence.God of community, we pray for the church around the world. Unite us in our love for you. Help us overcome our divisions, that we are encouraged to work together for your sake. Lord, in your mercy,hear our prayer.

God of creation, we pray for this hurting earth. Awaken in us a new desire to care for this world and empower us to support agencies, organizations, and individual efforts to heal our environment. Lord, in your mercy,hear our prayer.

God of cooperation, we pray for nations of the world embroiled in conflict (especially). Inspire leaders to listen to each other and work towards peaceful solutions to disagreements. Protect the vulnerable, especially children, who cannot find safety in their home or country. Lord, in your mercy,hear our prayer.

God of comfort, we pray for all who live with mental or physical illness. Help them find appropriate care. Bring healing and wholeness when the path forward seems bleak. Lord, in your mercy,hear our prayer.

God of compassion, we pray for the young people of this congregation. Renew in us your call to welcome the children in our midst. As they grow, strengthen their faith and our commitment to them. Lord, in your mercy,hear our prayer.

Here other intercessions may be offered.God of consolation, we give you thanks for our loved ones who have died and pray for all who grieve today (especially). Shine your grace on all your saints. Lord, in your mercy,hear our prayer.

Receive these prayers, O God, and those in our hearts known only to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord.Amen.