First Lesson: Job 1:1, 2:1-10
Responsive Reading: Psalm 26
Second Lesson: Hebrews 1: 1-4, 2: 5-12
​Gospel Lesson: Mark 10: 2-16

Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
​
“Love is patient; love is kind.  It does not envy; it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others; it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”-1st Corinthians 13:4-7. 

Let me begin this morning with an old tale[1].  Nasruddin and his friend were having tea one afternoon where the conversation turned to Nasruddin’s love life.

“How come you never got married, Nasruddin?” said his friend.

Nasruddin pondered the question for a moment before sighing. Nasruddin describes spending his youth in pursuit of finding the perfect woman.  He describes journeying all over in this pursuit, he began in Cairo where he met a woman who was beautiful and intelligent, with dark olive eyes, yet deep down her soul was unkind. 

Finally, Nasruddin journeyed to Baghdad where he met a woman whose possessed a kind and generous spirit, yet they did not possess any common interests together.

One woman after another, Nasruddin described meeting.  In the end, there would always be something missing.  Then one day, Nasruddin’s finally believed that he found love, he had finally found a woman that met all his criteria: beautiful, intelligent, kind, and all sorts of common interests[2]. 

“Well, “What happened?  Why didn’t you marry her?”-said the friend[3].

Nasruddin started shaking his head.  “Well, It’s a sad thing.  It seems she was looking for the perfect man[4].”

This story leads us to our Gospel lesson for Today from Mark 10[5]. 

Our lesson has the Pharisees coming up to Jesus asking: “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?

Now here’s a little background into our passage, so you can best understand Jesus and the Pharisees’ discussion.  Divorce was a hot-button issue within Jesus’ day among the rabbis.  It was debated in multiple camps[6].  One group taught that divorce could only be permissible if a man caught his wife in adultery, whereas another group made the argument that divorce could take place for pretty much any reason including not liking their spouse’s cooking[7].  All the arguments about divorce within Jesus’ day were about what degree a man could use divorce to exert control over a woman.

So to better understand Jesus’ position on divorce consider where it is within Mark’s Gospel.  It comes after Jesus’ instructions are for the care of the church regarding young children[8].  Jesus’ comments have to do with divorce’s ramifications in his day being that a woman (who didn’t work outside the home) would be abandoned and destitute if their husbands casually deserted them. 

Jesus’ response to the Pharisees  is “Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.[9]”  Jesus then later doubles down by declaring: Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery[10].”

Now, these words jump out in the New Testament because at first glance without any background they seem to absent of any grace or understanding of the situation.

Here’s the thing, we’re dealing with the same Jesus here who defended a woman getting stoned to death for committing adultery, the same Jesus who gave grace to the woman he met at Sychar who had been divorced a seemingly unbelievable five times and was now living with another guy, and the same Jesus who welcomes prostitutes, tax collectors, and other assorted sinners into his presence[11].

Now Jesus’ point in this passage is not to draw the line at a woman living in an abusive relationship who dares thinking of leaving her husband[12]. 

Instead, to best understand this passage, you need to understand the nature of Jesus’ conversation.  Jesus is not being asked about “divorce” by a woman who is clearly hurting because of physical or emotional betrayal[13].  Jesus is not being asked about divorce by a person in need of a word of grace. Jesus is being asked about divorce by the Pharisees. 

Jesus was being asked by people trying to expose him as a hypocrite and fraud to anyone who would listen, by asking about divorce.   Jesus instead flips the question back by referring to the created order of the Genesis story[14]. 

“But at the beginning of creation, God ‘made them male and female. ‘For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh[15].”

Jesus’ statement has to do with the importance of marriage. We live in a society where individual satisfaction can often be the greatest of pursuits, until the very moment when people find it no longer convenient[16].

Britney Spears is a pop music singer born in Louisiana in 1981.  Spears has sold over 100 million records worldwide[17].  In 2004, she was visiting Las Vegas with a hometown friend, when on a whim they decided to get married[18].  They got married at 5:30 A.M. in a Vegas wedding chapel, only for Spears to awaken regretting what she had done.

By Monday morning a petition for annulment was filed declaring: “Before entering into the marriage the plaintiff and defendant did not know each other’s likes and dislikes, each other’s desires to have or not have children, and each other’s desires as to state of residency. Upon learning of each other’s desires, they are so incompatible that there was a want of understanding of each other’s actions in entering into this marriage[19].”

Britney Spears’ marriage to Jason Allen Alexander ended up lasting officially 55 hours.   This story highlights a world that is often too casual about the extent of marriage, how its brokenness can easily be shrugged off. 

Jesus is letting the Pharisees know that he didn’t take such a casual attitude to marriage as they implied.  Jesus is instead making the point whenever marriage ends is tragic for whatever reason. 

Pete Rose. Sr. was possibly the worst husband a woman could have.  Pete Sr. repeatedly chased other women while married and said all sorts of nasty put downs to his wife besides.  Pete’s son Pete Jr. became a decent Baseball player in his own right.  He had a shot at the big leagues.  His parents had been divorced for years when he said: “I would trade whatever future I have in big league baseball to see my parents get back together.”

These were the wishes of an adult child long moved out of the family home.  It speaks to divorce’s brokenness of many levels[20].

Jesus’ words on divorce are tough because they speak to pain caused by broken human relationships both those directly involved and the innocent bystanders.  So Jesus within this passage is seeking to address the attitude with which people in his day would approach divorce, especially as it negatively affected both woman and their children.  We must understand these words within the larger context of scripture which continually deals with God’s forgiveness and the new beginnings that such forgiveness brings[21]. 

God does not bless or celebrate divorce.  God weeps along those who experience it!

For despite the best intentions that people have when they make wedding vows; life happens.  People mess up; our loved ones disappoint us, people can’t control their temper, they develop addictions, they drift apart.  We sin with our minds, our tongues, and other parts of our body[22]. 

Jesus’ great point on Divorce takes place when he encounters the woman caught in adultery in John 8. “I do not condemn you…Go and sin no more.[23]”  Jesus is saying no matter how broken your past relationships have been; I can forgive you, so that you may have new life both personally and spiritually going forward. 

The scriptures continually grant forgiveness to those from the most broken of relationships.  David committed adultery with Bathsheba.  David heard a word of harsh judgment from Nathan then suffered his sin’s consequences.  David though was granted a new beginning.  David and Bathsheba got married and their son Solomon became King over Israel[24].  The story reminds us that while they are inevitable breaking points within a marriage, there are no breaking points to the Love of God.  God will not give up on us even when we are at our most broken.  What our Gospel message reminds us of is the following.  No matter how broken your past relationships have been, do not feel shame, do not feel guilt, leave your burdens behind.  In Christ, a message of hope and resurrection has been given unto you many times over. 

Let me close with one final story for Today to illustrate exactly what these means.  This illustration might work within a marriage, but it is more representative of the Love of God.  How in the words that I began with from 1st Corinthians that our love may be imperfect, but God’s love is perfect.  

Once upon a time, there was a couple that had been married sixty years[25].  They talked about everything.  They kept no secrets from each other.  The wife only had one request for her husband, never look into the shoe box on top of the bedroom closest.  The husband followed this advice for every year of the marriage.  Finally, the wife grew very ill.  It became clear that her days were numbered.  In needing to settle their affairs, she instructed her husband to bring down the shoe box.  He opened the box saw two things: two croqueted dollies and a huge stack of money it must have been thousands of dollars.

The wife began to explain. “When we were to be married," she said, "my grandmother told me the secret of marriage was never to argue.  She told me that if I ever got angry with you, I should just keep quiet and crochet a doily[26].”

The husband is so moved that tears come to his eyes hearing that the wife had only been mad at him twice in sixty years of marriage.  He’s beaming with happiness as he says “Honey that explains the doilies, but what about all of this money? Where did it come from[27]?"

"Oh," she said, "That’s the money I made from selling the doilies[28]." 

Relationships are hard and might inevitability break with this lifetime, yet the love of God for us will ultimately never break
. 
Amen
 


[1] Stier, Leon. “She’s Perfect, But…” Email Meditations. 29.May.2017. Web. Aug.28.2018.  Taken from  Rick Fields in Chop Wood, Carry Water, page 35.
[2] Stier, Leon. “She’s Perfect, But…” Email Meditations.
[3] Stier, Leon. “She’s Perfect, But…” Email Meditations.
[4] Stier, Leon. “She’s Perfect, But…” Email Meditations.
[5] Mark 10:2-16
[6] Juel, Donald.H. “Divorce and Forgiveness: The Way of the Cross- Markan Texts for Late Pentecost.” Word and World. Volume XIV. Number 3. Summer 1994. Web. Aug.27.2018
[7] Juel, Donald.H. “Divorce and Forgiveness: The Way of the Cross- Markan Texts for Late Pentecost.” Word and World.
[8] Mark 9:38-50.
[9] Mark 10:9
[10] Mark 10:11-12
[11] Hoezee, Scott. “Mark 10:2-16.” Center for Excellence in Preaching. 28.Sept.2015. Web. Aug.26.2018
[12] Hoezee, Scott. “Mark 10:2-16.” Center for Excellence in Preaching.
[13] Hoezee, Scott. “Mark 10:2-16.” Center for Excellence in Preaching.
[14] Hoezee, Scott. “Mark 10:2-16.” Center for Excellence in Preaching.
[15] Mark 10:6-8.
[16] Hoezee, Scott. “Mark 10:2-16.” Center for Excellence in Preaching.
[17] Spears, Britney. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 24.Aug.2018. Web. Aug.26.2018. 
[18] Today Show. “Judge dissolves Britney's 'joke' wedding.”NBC 4.Jan.2004. Web. Aug.26.2018.
[19] Today Show. “Judge dissolves Britney's 'joke' wedding.”NBC
[20] Sermon Illustrartions. “Divorce” Web. Aug.26.2018. Taken from Jerry Jenkins, Hedges, Wolgemuth & Hyatt, 1989, p. 128.
[21] Stier, Leon. “Divorce and Remarriage (part two of two).” Email Mediations. 27.Mar.2014. Web. Aug.26.2018. 
[22] Stier, Leon. “Divorce and Remarriage (part two of two).” Email Mediations.
[23] John 8:11.
[24] Stier, Leon. “Divorce and Remarriage (part two of two).” Email Mediations.
[25] Zingale, Tim. “Marriage.” Sermon Central. 2.Oct.2006. Web. Aug.26.2018. 
[26] Zingale, Tim. “Marriage.” Sermon Central.
[27] Zingale, Tim. “Marriage.” Sermon Central.
[28] Zingale, Tim. “Marriage.” Sermon Central.

First Lesson: Esther 7: 1-6, 9-10; 9: 20-22
Responsive Reading: Psalm 124
Second Lesson: James 5: 13-20
Gospel Lesson: Mark 9: 38-50

Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
​
“Few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example[1].”-Mark Twain

The year was 1988.  I was eight years old; third grade would be starting in one month.  My Dad and a buddy had recently built a treehouse that stood several feet off the ground.  Dad being responsible had attached a ladder for safe travel up and down.  The treehouse soon became a hang out for kids from my neighborhood (Danny, Tommy, Ben, Ira, and I).  We were all about to start the third grade.  Pretty soon though a few of my friends noticed something about the ladder, it wasn’t very exciting to climb down.  You don’t want to be goody-two-shoes heading into third grade.  So they began jumping down from the treehouse.  Whereas I listened intently to my parents instructions, to always take the ladder.  This went on seemingly the whole summer.  Friends would jump down, and I alone would take the ladder.  So eventually my friends start getting on my case about this.  I keep taking the ladder, until one day.  One day I was going to jump, just like they jumped.  I had seen them jump dozens of times safely without incident.  So I leapt in the air to jump down from the treehouse.  The rest of the night was spent in the emergency room at the Chisago Lakes medical center with Dr. Overgaard.  My leg was broken.  I would spend my first three months of third grade in either a cast transported by crutches or a walking bone.  My friend's example had led me astray and I had paid the consequences for it. 

In Today’s Gospel lesson, Jesus declares: “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea[2].”
These words speak to the power of one’s good example.  Ed Markquart describes reading an article about a pastor and protestant congregation in Ireland[3].  Ireland has been marked with generations of strife between Protestants and Catholics.  So the Pastor will preach to the parents all the reasons for the strife.  The parents will then go home and instruct the children why they are to oppose Roman Catholics.  The children, in turn, will throw bricks throw Catholic homes[4].  So what these examples teach is that hatred, violence, and prejudice for generations are justified if one has a good excuse.  Perhaps Jesus’ words then make a bit more sense: “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea[5].”

The third example, last winter the Silver Bay Girls Basketball team was playing in McGregor.  It was a tight back and forth game.  McGregor had some fans who every time, Silver Bay would dribble up and down the court would yell at our small, short guards that they were committing some violation that should lead to a turnover.  I could tell by the second half that the girls were getting bothered by this harassing.

So I was going to make a point.  Next time, McGregor dribbles the ball up the court, I start shouting “carry” over and over.  A ‘carry’ is a violation that would lead to a turnover in Basketball, even though everyone in the gym knew McGregor was doing no such thing.  A couple of our high school boys watching chimed in the same.

The offending McGregor fans were then quiet for the rest of the game.  Luke Thun was the Silver Bay assistant coach that night; he turns around, shouts at me then gives the knock it off symbol.  After the game, Luke comes up to me to point out “No matter how bad other fans might be, that doesn’t mean we want to set a bad example.”

For even in our own lives, Jesus’ words often apply to those around us “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea.”

Today’s Gospel lesson comes to us from Mark 9[6].  It contains some of the most dramatic language of Jesus within all the Christian gospels.

“If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell.”

Jesus’ words are a reminder that we will all face temptations in this life[7].  These temptations will hit us in different ways from different angles.  For some of us, we will struggle with alcohol more than others; others might be a temptation towards adultery, others might be inclined to be loose with the tongue through destructive language.

When we give in to temptation it doesn’t merely affect us; it affects those around us, especially the littlest ones among us.  As Ed Markquart points out, little ones doesn’t merely refer to young children it refers to new Christians, the poor and vulnerable of society, even seasoned believers who fall short of what God is calling them to do[8].

Jesus to illustrate the importance of the example, we set for others uses the analogy of a millstone.  Millstones in Jesus day were huge being eight feet in diameter and three feet thick.  They would be hauled by oxen to grind grain[9].  They would weigh well over a ton[10].

Jesus says it would be better to drop with a millstone into the deepest, the middle part of the ocean that causes one of God’s little ones to sin.

The themes of our lesson are carried on a generation later by the Apostle Paul who declares in Romans: “Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. “- Romans 14:13. 

Jesus’ words serve as a powerful example of the judgment that awaits those who carelessly interact with not only the church, but the world around us.

Children learn the faith from their parents, grandparents, friends, and neighbors.  If we deny this responsibility, then we cannot cry out when they walk away from the church.

Examples are often more powerful than we think.  Monterrey, California for many years was a paradise for Pelicans from far and wide[11].  Monterrey had a large commercial fishing base.  So when fish were being cleaned, the residue organ meats would be tossed aside, and the Pelicans would feast.  Eventually, changes to the fishing industry started seeing these pieces be utilized.  The Pelicans feast had come to an end.  The Pelicans because of years of habit would not fish for themselves.  The Pelicans began to starve and die.

Monterrey though eventually thought of a genius solution, they started imported Pelicans from different parts of the country, Pelicans that were used to fishing on their own.  Placing these Pelicans among their starving brethren soon changed everything.  The previously hungry Pelicans came to discover once again, Monterrey as a paradise for them.  All that was needed in the Pelicans case was a good example.  Are humans really any different?

Let me close with one final story, in 1853 Hudson Taylor was a 21-year-old missionary moving to China where few missionaries dared to go[12].  Taylor was one of the first missionaries to venture away from the big cities with their large British populations and journey into China’s interior.

Taylor translated the Bible into Chinese, recruited more missionaries, and founded a  missionary organization within China.  Taylor believed his great calling in life was to bring the Gospel to those in China’s most remote areas who had not heard the Gospel.  Hudson Taylor died in 1905[13].

In 1949, after the Chinese Civil War, the communist People’s Republic of China was born.  Government leaders were seeking to discredit Christianity by going after its greatest missionary within the nation of China.  An author was hired to do a hit piece on Hudson Taylor to paint him and all Christians in a bad light[14].  The author researched and researched.  Eventually, though something stood out about Hudson Taylor that was his example to the little ones around him.  The author eventually decides he cannot do a hit piece on such a man.  To refuse assignment from the Communist government could result in one’s death, yet this didn’t matter.  The author would soon renounce his previous Atheism and become a Christian because of Hudson Taylor’s life a few generations before.

“For whoever is not against us is for us.”- Mark 9:40

We are never perfect examples within this world.  Even Hudson Taylor was in need of God’s grace and forgiveness.  What Jesus’ words remind us of though is the power of our example.  How we will all face grave potentially temptations in this life, yet our example has the power to both give life and death to those around us.  This passage serves as a reminder that our greatest calling as Christian people is not to re-earn the salvation that was previously won for us upon the cross.  Our greatest calling instead is the care of our family and neighbors alike[15].  There is no more powerful form of care than our example.  You might even prevent a broken leg or two because of it.  Amen


[1] Found on Sermon Illustrations on August 22nd, 2018 under example.
[2] Mark 9:42. 
[3] Markquart, Ed. “Millstones.” Sermons from Seattle. Pentecost 17B. Mark 9:42-50, Luke 7:1-4, Matthew 18:6-10. Web. August.22nd.2018. 
[4] Markquart, Ed. “Millstones.” Sermons from Seattle
[5] Mark 9;42
[6] Mark 9:38-50.
[7] Markquart, Ed. “Millstones.” Sermons from Seattle.
[8] Markquart, Ed. “Millstones.” Sermons from Seattle.
[9] Markquart, Ed. “Millstones.” Sermons from Seattle.
[10]
[11] Found on Sermon Illustrations on August 22nd, 2018 under example.
[12] “Hudson Taylor and Missions to China”. Christianity Today. Found on Christian History. No.52 published in 1996.  Web. August.22.2018. 
[13] Hudson Taylor and Missions to China”. Christianity Today. Found on Christian History. No.52 published in 1996.  Web. August.22.2018. 
[14] Found on Sermon Illustrations on August 22nd, 2018 under example
[15] Juel, Donald. H. “Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Mark 9:38-50 (Causing One of These
Little Ones to Stumble.” Word and World. Volume XIV, Number 3. Summer 1994.  

First Lesson: Proverbs 31: 10-31
Responsive Reading: Psalm 1
Second Lesson: James 3: 13- 4:3, 7-8
​Gospel Lesson: Mark 9: 30-37

Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
​
Richard Petty was born in North Carolina in 1937[1].  He is one of the most successful Nascar drivers of all time.  By 1978, he was in the midst of a losing streak.  Petty had lost forty-five consecutive races[2].  In early 1979, the biggest race of the year was about to take place the Daytona 500.  One-hundred thousand people would be in attendance.  The winner’s purse would be over $70,000.  It was such a big race that it was the rare Nascar race to be shown on live T.V. in 1979[3]. 

The Daytona 500 would be raced over 200 laps.  Heading into the last lap, Petty’s losing streak seemed likely to continue; he was thirty seconds behind the leaders Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough[4].  Thirty seconds within one lap is seemingly insurmountable within Nascar racing. 

The final lap though would be one of the most unexpected though in Nascar history.  Second place Yarborough attempted a slingshot pass on the backstretch, Allison tried to block Yarborough forcing Yarborough’s tires onto the infield grass, causing Yarborough’s car to start spin out of control, the leader's cars kept coming into contact before eventually crashing into the outside wall.  When both vehicles finally came to a halt within the infield, Allison and Yarborough proceeded to have a fist fight with each other.  What happened to Richard Petty?  He would overcome his long losing streak by beating Darrell Waltrip by a car length[5]. 

Richard Petty and the 1979 Daytona 500 reminds us of the nature of our Gospel lesson for today regarding unlikely outcomes where Jesus declares: “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all[6].”

Here’s the background for our lesson.  Jesus walks up and hears a conversation taking place among the Disciples.  The Disciples were debating among themselves “Who exactly is the greatest Disciple?”

Mark’s Gospel seemingly separates the Disciples into two groups.  Earlier in Mark 9, Jesus takes three of his disciples (Peter, James, and John) with him to the Mount of Transfiguration to witness the seeming high point of his earthly ministry a visit from the resurrected Moses and Elijah appearing before them[7].  Whereas the other nine Disciples stood around the base of the mounting waiting, even further divisions among the Disciples could have taken place[8].  The one disciple with the most impressive background coming from cosmopolitan Jerusalem trained in rather than backwoods Galilee was Judas.  Judas probably didn’t see eye to eye with Matthew, the tax collector after Judas was placed in charge of the Disciples’ joint treasury. 

So Jesus tries to sort out all this bickering among the Disciples by making a point in response about the nature of God’s Kingdom.  “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all[9].”

The Disciples like many of us do would continually struggle with Jesus’ point here. Later in Mark’s Gospel, James and John go to Jesus to argue over who would get to sit closest to him within the Kingdom of Heaven[10].  James and John were convinced they were the greatest of Jesus’ disciples.  The other disciples were mad that they could ever think this way.  Contrast this with Jesus at the Last Supper.  Jesus with mere hours remaining in this world believe the most important statement that he could make about the coming nature of his kingdom was to bend down and proceed to wash the Disciples’ feet. 

Jesus made the point that the Kingdom of God is not about one’s own greatness, it is about reaching those often considered to be lost and the least. 

Jesus on this day wanted to make to the Disciples an important point about the true nature of his ministry:  “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise[11].”

The Disciples heard these words and remained confused; they were so confused they didn’t even want to ask Jesus what they meant in response.[12] 

For the reality of Jesus’ ministry that the Disciples didn’t understand was this.  Jesus was God in the flesh, yet he came to this world to serve, not be served[13].  He came to give his very life as a ransom for many[14]. 

Jesus’ wishes to make the point to the Disciples that his kingdom is way more inclusive than merely whether one is first or last within this world. 

Eddie Edwards dreamed of being an Olympic Skier within Great Britain.  The only problem was he wasn’t that good an athlete, he was too-heavy, and his eyesight wasn’t all that good[15].  Edwards dreams of becoming an Olympian seemed destined to end in disappointment.  Edwards did indeed fail to make the Olympics downhill skiing.  He thought of a solution though; he would become Britain’s only ski-jumper[16].  He lacked training, talent, and funds but Britain eventually agreed to send him to Calgary to compete in the Olympics.  In training, he was forced to live in a psychological institution for lack of funds.  When Eddie showed up to the competition, the security guards didn’t believe that someone that looked like him could be an Olympic athlete, so they were going to refuse him access[17].  The competition begins.  Eddie comes in 56th out of 57.  The 57th place finisher had been disqualified.  Most of us would be embarrassed at such an outcome but not Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards[18].  He was thrilled to be at the Olympics.  He didn’t care if he basically came in dead last.  Eddie’s enthusiasm in the gift that he had been given to compete continually shown.  Eddie was soon such a sensation that he appeared on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.  He became a celebrity in his native England. 

Here’s the thing, no child would dream of growing up and ending up like Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards.  Jesus’ disciples Peter, James, Judas and John were correct that you’d want to be like Lebron James instead[19]. 
The Olympic Committee in response was so uncomfortable with Eddie’s presence that in response, they tightened qualifying rules.  So no more Eddie Edwards could embarrass the Olympic Games in the future[20].

They wanted the Olympics to highlight the “first” rather than the “last.”  Eddie failed to qualify in 1992, 1994, and 1998 in returning as a ski-jumper to the Olympic games[21]. 

Here’s the point though of our Gospel lesson.  People like Eddie will not eventually fade away from God’s presence.  Jesus’ point Today is that it the seeming unsuccessful that will indeed be embraced within God’s kingdom.  The last shall eventually indeed become first.  Fortunes shall ultimately be reversed.  Because of this, we need not see our callings as Christian people to merely be by resumes. 

Let me close this morning with one final story to illustrate the nature of what it means for the first to become last.  While in college, Robertson Mcquilkin spotted Muriel Webendorfer for the first time[22].  They soon began dating.  Robertson quickly fell for Muriel: she was smart, fun, and loved being around people.  They proceeded to get engaged on Valentine's Day 1948[23].  They would marry in August of that year.  Over the next three decades, they would raise six children together and work all over the world as missionaries.  Eventually, Robertson achieves his dream job by becoming a college president at his alma mater.  Muriel was well respected in her own right as a prominent conference speaker with the occasional T.V. and radio appearances[24].

In 1978, Robertson and Muriel McQuilkin ’s life would change forever[25].  While on a trip to Florida, Muriel who was a renowned story-telling, proceeded to repeat a story that she had just told a few minutes prior.  The same issues with Muriel kept increasing with greater frequency.  Muriel would grow confused about planning dinner and she had to begin to withdraw from public life.  In 1981, while still a relatively young woman Muriel was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease[26].  The next several years would see Muriel’s conditions continually worsen while Robertson did his best to serve as her caregiver.  Communicating in full sentences became next to impossible for Muriel.  The one complete phrase that Muriel was able to keep communicating with Robertson was “I Love You.”  Eventually, whenever Robertson would leave for work, Muriel would grow greatly distressed and leave the house trying to find him.  These incidents forced Robertson to make seemingly the most difficult decision in the world of whether to continue with his dream career or work full-time as Muriel’s caregiver.  Robertson would resign as a college president[27]. 

Robertson’s reason his vow to Muriel forty-two some years prior, she had been a loving and faithful wife in the previous decades.  So Robertson finally realized “I don’t have to care for her.  I get to.  It is a high honor to care for so wonderful a person[28].”  Robertson came to realize that caring for Muriel would be God’s assignment for him for the rest of her life[29].

Muriel would speak her last words to Robertson in 1995.  They were her first words spoken in months.  They were spoken forty-seven years to the day after their engagement in 1948. Muriel who called out to Richard “Love, love, love.” 

Muriel would not speak for the last 8 ½ years of her life.  She passed away in 2003[30]. 

Robertson McQuilkin understood something about our Gospel lesson. Robertson McQuilkin had seemingly given up everything of value within this world, yet in the end, he received something much greater in return. 

The McQuilkins’ story illustrates something about the Kingdom of God. How Earthly resumes are not the most important things.  The Kingdom of God is not meant for the richest or the most powerful.  The Kingdom of God is meant for those who cling to the greatest of promises previously spoken unto them.  “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all[31].” God’s grace and forgiveness are given unto each on every one of us on this day regardless of resume!    Amen


[1] “Richard Petty.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 18. Aug.2018. Web. Aug.27.2018. 
[2] Sermon Illustrations. Com. “LAST, first shall be.” Web. Aug.27.2018. 
[3] “1979 Daytona 500.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 23.July.2018. Web. Aug.27.2018
[4] “1979 Daytona 500.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation.. 
[5] “1979 Daytona 500.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation.
[6] Mark 9:35. 
[7] Mark 9:2-4. 
[8] Markquardt, Edward. “Jesus Loves All the Little Children of the World.” Sermons from Seattle. Pentecost 16B. Gospel Analysis. Web. Aug.27.2018.
[9] Mark 9:35. 
[10] Mark 10:35-37. 
[11] Mark 9:31
[12] Mark 9:32. 
[13] Markquardt, Edward. “Jesus Loves All the Little Children of the World.” Sermons from Seattle
[14] Mark 10:45. 
[15] Hoezee, Scott. “Proper20 B.” Center for Excellence in Preaching. 14.Sept.2015. Web. Aug.27.2018. 
[16] “Eddie the Eagle.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 27.Aug.2018. Web. Aug.27.2018. 
[17] Hoezee, Scott. “Proper20 B.” Center for Excellence in Preaching.
[18] Hoezee, Scott. “Proper20 B.” Center for Excellence in Preaching.
[19] Hoezee, Scott. “Proper20 B.” Center for Excellence in Preaching.
[20] Hoezee, Scott. “Proper20 B.” Center for Excellence in Preaching.
[21] Eddie the Eagle.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation
[22] Stier, Leon. “Valentine’s Day Last Words.” Email Meditations. 14.Feb.2016. Web. Aug.27.2018. Adapted from a Family Life.com article.
[23] Stier, Leon. “Valentine’s Day Last Words.” Email Meditations.
[24] Stier, Leon. “Valentine’s Day Last Words.” Email Meditations.
[25] Stier, Leon. “Valentine’s Day Last Words.” Email Meditations.
[26] Stier, Leon. “Valentine’s Day Last Words.” Email Meditations.
[27] Stier, Leon. “Valentine’s Day Last Words.” Email Meditations.
[28] Stier, Leon. “Valentine’s Day Last Words.” Email Meditations.
[29] Stier, Leon. “Valentine’s Day Last Words.” Email Meditations.
[30] Stier, Leon. “Valentine’s Day Last Words.” Email Meditations.
[31] Mark 9:35. 

First Lesson: Proverbs 1: 20-33
Responsive Reading: Psalm 19
Second Lesson: James 3: 1-12
​Gospel Lesson: Mark 8: 27-28

Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
​
The year was 1996.  King Carl Gustaf XIV and Queen Silvia of Sweden were traveling to America in honor of the 150th Anniversary of Swedish Immigration to the States[1].  They were going to visit Ellis Island, meet with the Head of the United Nations; they were then going to make their way to Minnesota to visit the college named after perhaps Sweden’s greatest king Gustavus Adolphus, they were going to visit the American-Swedish Institute in Minneapolis and dine with Governor Carlson.  They had one additional stop planned on the five-day stateside trip.  They were going to visit a small town of about 2,500 people just outside the Twin Cities.  They were coming to my hometown of Lindstrom.  The visit was big news.  The President of the United States probably had never heard of Lindstrom.  Never even remember the Governor of Minnesota stopping by.  Here were the King and Queen of Sweden coming to town.  They were coming to see the “Nya Duvemala” house which was a replica of the prairie house found in Vilhelm Moberg’s Emigrants book.  So I got out of a day of school to attend!  Local musician’s serenaded the King and Queen.  Other locals dressed in their most authentic Swedish garb.  Hanging in my dad’s office is a picture of the King and Queen immaculate dressed, walking towards the house, standing right next to my dad and I where it looked like they were conversing with each other.  I had never dreamed up of being this close to actual royalty, so I imagined that this was exactly how it should look.  What if my picture of true royalty is wrong??  What if others have made similar mistakes?

Today’s Gospel lesson comes to us from Mark 8[2].  Our lesson takes place in the middle of Jesus’ public ministry[3].  People had heard him preach.  They had witnessed miracles.  His reputation had begun to spread.  Peter and the rest of the Disciples had front-row seats to it all.  They had recently witnessed him feeding thousand with just a few loaves of bread and small fish[4].  They had just witnessed him heal a man born blind at Bethesda[5]. 

So Jesus as a way of figuring out what the Disciples understand about his ministry asks: “Who do people say I am[6]?

The Disciples answer “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets[7].”

This answer reveals the problem of comparison.  Every new articulate politician might be the next John F. Kennedy or Ronald Reagan.  Every great young Basketball player might be the next Michael Jordan, every preacher whose fame spreads might be the next Billy Graham.  The problem of such comparisons is they tend to downplay what people bring to any given moment of history[8].

Jesus knowing these comparisons didn’t work asks the Disciples directly.  “Who do you say I am[9]?

Peter then answers quickly, “You are the Christ[10].”  Peter declares that Jesus is more than just a mere prophet like in Old Testament days.  Peter declares Jesus to be God in human flesh.  Peter declares that Jesus will be the savior of the nation of Israel.  Peter answered the question, correctly. 

Only for moments later, Peter had his answer flipped completely upside down.

Once upon a time, there was a farmer named Hank who lived in a small town in Central Minnesota[11].  One of his relatives invited him to visit in Saint Paul for Thanksgiving.  Hank didn’t want to deal with Twin Cities traffic, so he decided to take the passenger train that passed through his town.  At the first stop, the conductor announces a brief stop.  Hank being hungry goes to find a vending machine where he purchases a carton of milk and a six-pack of Oreo cookies.  Hank proceeds to wander to the waiting area, puts down his stuff, and sits next to what Hank would term a “city-slicker.”  The man was dressed immaculately and was reading the Wall Street Journal.  Not a lot of gentleman looked like this guy where Hank came.  He reminded Hank of Ward Cleaver of Leave it to Beaver fame.

Hank just wanted to get something to eat though.  So he sees his Oreo's opened lying between both gentlemen.  Hank takes a cookie, only for Hank to be shocked as Ward Cleaver grabs one for himself without asking, never even looking down from his paper.  Back where Hank came from, no one would ever do something as rude as this.  Ward grabs another cookie.  Hank is so irritated he quickly grabs a second and third cookie, and then begins to eat them quickly.  Only for Hank to see Ward grab the final cookie, fold his paper, and walk away from Hank huffing and puffing looking annoyed.  Hank couldn’t believe how strange city folks like Ward acted.  So Hank finishes his milk and approaches the train to re-board.  Hank reaches into his pocket for his ticket, while feeling something else in there he wasn’t expecting.  As soon as Hank pulls out his ticket, he pulls along with it an unopened six-pack of Oreo cookies.

Now picture Hank’s reaction to Ward.  Now let’s look at what takes place within our Gospel lesson after Peter declares Jesus to be the Messiah.

Jesus then starts talking exactly how the Messiah isn’t supposed to talk.  He must go to Jerusalem. The “Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again[12].”

For Peter, these words would have been as seemingly out of place as Ward eating those Oreo cookies.  Kings don’t talk like this. King don’t speak of their death.  Kings need to be like when the King of Sweden came to Lindstrom hailed by people for their title and the ways they stand out for the rest of us. 

So Peter gets mad.  Peter getting mad would have made sense[13].  Peter and his brother Andrew had given up their fishing business to follow him; they had given up their home for generations in Galilee.  They had trusted everything on the promise that Jesus was indeed the long-awaited Messiah, who was going to save the people of Israel not end up upon a cross. 

So Peter takes Jesus aside for rebuke and correction, to minimize Peter’s embarrassment[14].   Jesus can merely say to Peter in response: “Get behind me, Satan!” “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns[15].”

What if when we hear Jesus’ rebuke of Peter, we remember how we might think the same way, often looking for royalty in all the wrong places.

Once upon a time, there was a mayor of a small village not much bigger than Lindstrom.  The mayor received a message that was seemingly too good to believe[16].  The message had just been delivered by a royal messenger himself.  The message read: “I, King Edward, am on a tour of the northern provinces, and I would like to stay in your village tomorrow night.  If this is agreeable to you, please have prepared a warm supper and a place of lodging[17].”

The mayor said “Of course, who would turn down the King of the land.”  He is greatly loved in these parts and we will anticipate his visit.

The mayor immediately gets to work in anticipation of the King’s visit.  He enlists everyone that he knows in the preparations.  Everyone important would be immediately invited.  By the next afternoon, the town was looking perfect.  All the citizens gathered on the road to greet King Edward[18].

Just then a figure appeared off in the distance.  He was slovenly dressed and on his back carried only a ragged sack.  The mayor was embarrassed at what the king would think seeing such a man in town.  He had previously ordered all the beggars away from the street.  The mayor thought of a solution; he told one of his servants “take that traveler down the road to old Jacob’s hut[19].”  Jacob is a good and decent man who would never turn anyone away.  We will pay for his accommodations for the night.  The man was hurried away.  The town resumed waiting for King Edward only for hours to pass with no king appearing.  They were all like Peter upon hearing Jesus’ predictions for his upcoming death; they were gravely disappointed.

The beggar eventually arrives at Jacob’s hut.  Jacob’s hut wasn’t much to see.  But Jacob served him the best soup and bread that he had.  The beggar then began to tell Jacob about his travels; all the lakes and mountains he had seen, and all the cities that he had visited.  Jacob was having the time of his life in the presence of this beggar[20].

The following morning, the Mayor received another message.  What the Mayor saw left him frozen and shaking his head in despair.  It was on the same paper as the previous message as the King[21]. 

“I wish to express my sincere gratitude for the fine provision of food and lodging, and the generous hospitality of such a fine host.  You could not have chosen for me a better companion than Jacob.  Perhaps on a later visit I can meet with you.”  It was signed, KING EDWARD[22].”

The Mayor had just experienced, exactly what Peter experienced in our Gospel lesson.  He had such expectations for the King’s visit that he ended up missing out on what was truly important. 

“Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?”-Mark 8:34-36.

The Messiah came not for Earthly power, but for Earthly people.  He came within their midst.  As he was soon to go to the Cross they did not recognize him.  He didn’t fit with their expectations of how the Messiah of Israel should look.  Although Peter rebukes Jesus Today, although he denies knowing him three times upon his arrest and Peter would be a witness to Christ’s resurrection, Peter would see a world of forgiveness and hope begins to be unveiled before his very eyes.  For Peter, these things would serve as a reminder that there might indeed be unopened Oreo cookies in your pocket after all. Amen 
 


[1] “Sweden’s King and Queen on Whirlwind Tour of America.” Vestkusten. No 16. 1. Oct.1996. Web. Aug.21.2018 taken from California Digital Newspaper Collection.
[2] Mark 8:27-38
[3] Zingale, Tim. “Faith's Famous Four Words.” Sermon Central. 17. Sept.2003. Web. Aug.21.2018. 
[4] Mark 8:1-13
[5] Mark 8:22-25
[6] Mark 8:27
[7] Mark 8:28. 
[8] Hoezee, Scott. “Mark 8:27-38.” Center for Excellence in Preaching. 7. Sept.2015. Web. Aug.21.2018. 
[9] Mark 8:29
[10] Mark 8:29
[11] Stephens,  Rev. Dr. Wiley. “Read the Fine Print.” Day 1. 14.Sept.2003. Web. Aug.21.2018.  Story comes from Baxter Black on National Public Radio. 
[12] Mark 8:31.
[13] Carder, Kenneth. “Why Follow Christ.” Day 1. 14.Sept.1997. Web. Aug.21.2018. 
[14] Mark 8:32
[15] Mark 8:33
[16] Stier, Leon. “Mistaken Identity.” Email Mediatations. 15. Jan.2018. Web. Aug.21.2018. 
[17] Stier, Leon. “Mistaken Identity.” Email Mediatations.
[18] Stier, Leon. “Mistaken Identity.” Email Mediatations.
[19] Stier, Leon. “Mistaken Identity.” Email Mediatations.
[20] Stier, Leon. “Mistaken Identity.” Email Mediatations.
[21] Stier, Leon. “Mistaken Identity.” Email Mediatations.
[22] Stier, Leon. “Mistaken Identity.” Email Mediatations.

First Lesson: Deuteronomy 4: 1-2, 6-9
Responsive Reading: Psalm 15
Second Lesson: James 1: 17-27
Gospel Lesson: Mark 7: 1-8, 14-15, 21-23

First Lesson: Deuteronomy 4: 1-2, 6-9
Responsive Reading: Psalm 15
Second Lesson: James 1: 17-27
Gospel Lesson: Mark 7: 1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
​
The place was Springfield, U.S.A[1].  The date was May 10th.  It was a tradition that traced its origins to the fictional Revolutionary War hero Jebediah Springfield.  The day was known as “Whacking Day.”  Every year the townsfolk would round up all the snakes within Springfield to the town square and whack them to death with sticks.  Only eight-year-old Lisa Simpson would speak out against the cruelty of such a practice.  Lisa’s words though were ignored though as she was going against the town’s long-standing tradition.  Lisa Simpson then sets out on a one-woman campaign to save the snakes of Springfield.  What ended up happening, we’ll get back to the story of Whacking Day in just a little bit.

Second Story, Once upon a time a little girl was sitting in her mother’s kitchen[2].  She was watching her mother prepare a roast; she noticed her mother every time before putting the roast in the oven would cut a piece off the end of the roast beef discarding it into the trash. 

Little girl pipes up “Mom, why do you do that?”  Mom says in response “Because that’s how my mother taught me to do the roast?” The girl was more curious, so a few weeks go by, and she sees her Grandma at a family gathering,  she asks “Grandma, why do you cut the end of the roast off before cooking.” Grandma thought and said “I’m not sure, but I remember that’s the way that my Mom prepared the roast. I’m sure she’s got a really good reason”. Finally, a few more weeks, go by when the little girl goes to visit her great-grandmother she asks “Why do you cut the end of the beef off before cooking it, Mom said she learned it from Grandma, and Grandma said she learned it from you.” Great-Grandma starts shaking her head; she then blurts out “ Imagine the two of them doing that! Why I only cut the piece off because my pan was too small[3]!”

Both these stories tell us about how we often cling to tradition, because that’s the ways it’s always been, no matter how outdated the practices might seem to be.  People can confuse the true meaning of tradition within Religion like nowhere else.

Fiddler on the Roof tells the story of Tevye and his family[4].  Tevye was merely a poor farmer, yet he was respected as the leader of the family.  Tevye had three daughters who were all needing to be married.  Within Tevye’s tradition, a matchmaker would meet with the family then find suitable husbands for each of the three daughters.  The system had been working well for generations.  The daughters as you can imagine didn’t like this arrangement.  Tevye’s oldest daughter Tzietel gets set up to marry a rich farmer in his mid-fifties.  Tevye thought the family hit the jackpot.  The only problem was Tzietel was in love with a poor tailor who couldn’t even afford a sewing machine.  Tzietel and her prospective husband break the news to her father.  Tevye was outraged that Tzietel would go against tradition. Tevye huffs and puffs finally gives in[5].  The second daughter, similar story.  Finally, Tevye’s third daughter Chava went even further in wanting to marry outside the faith.  The following was unforgivable.  Tevye would bend no further.  He refused to take part in the marriage.  He kicked his daughter out of the house.  He declared Chava to be dead[6].  What ends up happening to Tevye and his traditions, we’ll get back to his story in just a little bit. 

Today’s Gospel lesson is about tradition[7].  It’s about a tradition that arose for very good reasons in ceremonial hand-washing.  Now within the Old Testament, there were all sorts of laws about what one could or couldn’t eat: shellfish, pork, mixing meat with dairy were all forbidden.  Now even if you were self-disciplined enough to exclude these foods from your diet, if you ate non-forbidden foods then you must wash your hands not merely for cleanliness, but also for ceremonial purposes.   For example[8], you needed to wash your hands with your finger-tips pointed upward, then dry with the opposite wrist, then finally turn hands downward to let excess water drip.   You violate these laws then you were declared unfit to be on holy ground.    Now good holy people of Jesus’ day like the Scribes and Pharisees had these rituals down from childhood.  Now as they were observing Jesus’ Disciples they realized they weren’t washing their hands according to proper tradition, so they went to Jesus for an explanation. 

They say to Jesus “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands[9]?”

Jesus’ answer isn’t that such traditions are bad, they had served a very good purpose for generations, just like Tevye had seen his tradition of matchmaking make many happy marriages including his own.  The issue is expressed by Jesus as such: “You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.[10]”

Tim Zingale tells the following story[11]: Once upon a time, a man grew ill between two villages.  Back in these villages whichever village was closer would take care of the stricken man.  The only problem was, in this case, it wasn’t entirely clear.  One village argued that the distance needed to be measured from the man’s belly button whereas the other village argued from the man’s mouth.  Both villages wished to pass off the responsibility onto the other.  They went back and forth between each other.  One problem was in the midst of all this drama; the poor fellow passed away.

The point of this story is even though your answer may be right, it can be very wrong at the same time.  How Jesus came not to do away with tradition, but give tradition a new meaning.  Jesus came to point all of the Old Testament in the direction of the Cross.  The promises given are in our Gospel are more significant than any tradition that came before it or since.

Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them[12].

Once upon a time, there was a gentleman named Narcissus[13].  One day, Narcissus wandered into the forest where he went looking for a spot to get a drink of water.  As Narcissus looked down at the pond, he saw the most beautiful sight he had ever seen: a beautiful face, pretty eyes, a noble nose, the most beautiful human being he had ever laid eyes.  So Narcissus stared and stared wanting to kiss this figure.  Every time though he bent down to kiss the face in the stream, the face would disappear.  Narcissus would grow depressed, back away, until he saw the face once again.  He sat there withering away until the very moment he died[14]. 

We often think the following way about tradition.  What we think we see has more beauty than ever was intended for it, traditions are merely markers to the point to much greater truths. 

As long as people have worshipped God, they have often viewed tradition in the same way as within our Gospel lesson. 

“For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person[15].”-Mark 7:21-23.

Tradition does not eliminate human sin. Tradition does not put to death our own selfishness.  Tradition unto itself will merely lead to death, whereas the Gospel is the Gift of God which shall bring forth eternal life[16].

Earlier, I told you the story of Tevye disowning his daughter for marrying outside the faith.  The final scene of Fiddler on the Roof, the Russian Revolution was beginning[17]. The family was going to be split up forever.  Tevye’s daughter Chava returns.  She hoped to make amends with her father against tradition.  This was where tradition’s authority would ultimately make itself known within Tevye’s life.  Tevye turned his back on her once again; the story ends in nothing but brokenness, pain, and separation.

Compare this story to the ending of another story where tradition isn’t quite so sacred.  A story like within our Gospel lesson where traditions are redefined forever. 

Also earlier, I told you the story of Springfield’s whacking day[18].  Bart Simpson after being kicked out of school did a little bit of research.  He found out Whacking Day’s origins were not with the town founder not in the Revolutionary War, the origins were much, more recent, and the day originated as an excuse for ethnic bullying.  The Simpson children then hatch a plan to save all of Springfield’s snakes, before pointing out to the gathering crowd all the good the snakes had in fact done in taking care of Springfield’s rodent population.  The snakes against all odds had ended up being cheered upon the conclusion of Whacking Day.

Sometimes traditions live on; sometimes they die natural deaths.  The great Christian hope though does not come through how we wash our hands.  The great Christian hope comes that we have a savior who washes away the very sins of the entire world. 

Since being a young child, I’ve never cared much for snakes.  Even seeing a harmless garter snake out hiking, causes me to flinch.  Like all traditions, it’s a good thing that my traditions aren’t what ultimately determine whether our God could possibly work through even snakes for his purposes and for our salvation.  Amen
 
 


[1] “Whacking Day”. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation.  5th.July.2018. Web. Aug. 1.2018. “Whacking Day” is the tweinth episode of The Simpsons fourth season originally airing on the Fox network on April 29th, 1993. 
[2] Higgins, Scott. “The Pan.” Stories for Preaching. Web. Aug.1.2018. 
[3] Higgins, Scott. “The Pan.” Stories for Preaching. Web. Aug.1.2018. 
[4] Markquardt, Ed. “Tradition, Fiddler on the Roof.” Sermons from Seattle. Pentecost 13B. Web. Aug.1.2018. 
[5] Markquardt, Ed. “Tradition, Fiddler on the Roof.” Sermons from Seattle.
[6] Markquardt, Ed. “Tradition, Fiddler on the Roof.” Sermons from Seattle
[7] Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23. 
[8] Zingale, Tim. “Using Religion To Escape Religion.” Sermon Central. 5. Sept.2003. Web. Aug.1.2018.    
[9] Mark 7:5
[10] Mark 7:8
[11] Zingale, Tim. “Using Religion To Escape Religion.” Sermon Central.
[12] Mark 7:14-15. 
[13] Sterne, Rev.Martha. “Looking in the Mirror.” Day 1. 30.Aug.1999. Web. Aug.1.2018. 
[14] Narcissus (mythology). Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 1.Aug.2018. Web. Aug.1.2018. 
[15] Mark 7:21-23. 
[16] Markquardt, Ed. “Tradition, Fiddler on the Roof.” Sermons from Seattle.
[17] Markquardt, Ed. “Tradition, Fiddler on the Roof.” Sermons from Seattle.
[18] Whacking Day”. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation

First Lesson: 1 Kings 8: (1, 6, 10-11), 22-30, 41-43
Responsive Reading: Psalm 84
Second Lesson: Ephesians 6: 10-20
​Gospel Lesson: John 6: 56-69

Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
​
The year was 221 B.C.  The place was Northern China.  China had recently unified through a series of battles among is its six previous independent states[1][2].  China though remained under constant threat of attack from Barbarian nomads.  Emperor Quin Shi Huang proposed the construction of a “wall” in response.  The wall would stretch for 3,000 miles.  The wall worked just as intended.  China was indeed safe from Barbarian attack for centuries afterward.  Eventually, problems arose within China.  The wall had seemingly made them safe.  The wall’s upkeep fell into more and more disuse with each passing year.  Fast forward to the year 1211 A.D. a neighboring empire the Mongols led by Ghengis Kahn was able to circumvent openings in the wall.  The Mongols would rule over China for the next 157 years. 

Interestingly enough what is known as the “Great Wall” today was rebuilt beginning in 1474.  This wall has not been nearly as effective with multiple dynasties being brought down by popular uprisings despite the presence of the seemingly insurmountable re-built wall[3].

China has certainly seen its share of threats and enemies from both inside and outside their wall.  For Christian people; it remains the same. 

Today we look at our last lesson from the Book of Ephesians.  The Book of Ephesians describes our enemies as such:  Our “struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms[4]."

Ed Markquart describes it as such: “We are not merely fighting petty battles with booze or drugs or sex or material pleasures, important as these are.  No, the Bible says that we are fighting an evil force greater than ourselves, the very powers of darkness[5].”

It is this darkness which starves children, sends children and parents to the grave within human history: Hitler, Stalin, Mao.  It is this darkness which causes mass murderers to show little care for human life.  The darkness doesn’t happen if evil’s very, real and present forces don’t surround us[6].  We are often surrounded by forces of which the odds of ever overcoming seem insurmountable.   

So what is the Apostle Paul’s response to all these evil forces of sin, death, and the Devil.  Paul says “Put on the armor of God[7].” , put on resistance against whatever nasty forces threaten to attack us. 

Our lesson begins with the following: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes[8].”

The problem is people are often hurting by the time they’re called to take a stand[9].  They would often rather hide in a foxhole instead.  They might believe too many battles have already been lost.  They believe they’re too imperfect to take up the cause against the forces of darkness.  They might be depressed, they might be ill and weak, they might be anxious, and they might be afraid.  They might believe their sin has been too great for God’s armor to adorn them.

What Paul is saying to the Ephesian Church Today is this.  No matter the battle of any past battles, you are not defeated.  You will be hurt!  You will have nights where you see nothing but darkness!  You do not fight these battles without armor.  As we fight the great battles of our faith, Temptation will constantly seem destined to devour us, yet our Lord equips us with the full armor of God.
Here’s what the armor of God consists of[10]:
Paul begins with the Belt of Truth.  This belt seeks to confront the lies of the present age that you are unworthy of God’s love.  You are too broken for redemption.  The world is nothing more than here today gone tomorrow.  The belt reminds us that truth is not seen merely in the forces that surround us.

Paul then moves on to the upper body when talking about the “Breastplate of Righteousness.- In Paul’s day as he’s writing to the Ephesian Church.  A breastplate would protect one’s heart.  It served the same role that a bulletproof vest would serve within our day[11].  The Vikings several weeks had an Assistant Coach Tony Sparano die suddenly because his heart gave out.  Lose one’s heart, lose one’s life.  So what serves as our Breastplate of Righteousness?

We hearken back to Paul’s early writings: “The righteous shall live by faith[12].”  What Paul is saying is the first line of defense against all these spiritual enemies is our faith.  The source is your imperfect faith. The faith given in Baptism, the faith sustained in our Lord’s Supper and the preaching of the Gospel, the faith that calls out in prayer.  Our shield of faith.  It is a reminder that this faith has the potential to move mountains, even when we are at our most discouraged. It is ultimately your faith that should protect you from any arrows lobbed at you by the evil one no matter how nasty[13]. 

Paul then goes down to the feet.  “Shoes of the Gospel”- The older I get, the more I recognize the importance of good footwear.  When I go hiking there is nothing you fear more than your shoes failing you, feet getting marked by blisters and the feet being unable to go on because of pain.  What Paul is reminding us is that living as Christian people is that we will face tough situations.  It is at these moments that we cling to the promises of our Gospel upon our feet.  Christ Jesus Died for the Ungodly[14]. 

Paul then moves on to a believer’s head. “Helmet of Salvation”. Picture a football helmet; it serves as a source of protection against all sorts of nasty hits, bumps, and bruises, Whereas the Helmet of Salvation, reminds us that nothing shall separate us from the Love of God found in Christ Jesus[15][16].

It is ultimately the Sword of the Spirit to which we cling that shall fight off all these enemies as Satan threatens continual destruction and damnation. 

The whole armor of God is a reminder that regardless of any battles that we’re going through, the outcome of the eventual battle is certain.  God’s people will prevail.  The Gospel will become true before our very eyes. No matter how long the odds, or unbelievable the potential outcome.

Let me close with one final story for this morning.  This story illustrates how just a little bit of faith can help you overcome the strongest of adversaries.  Earlier this summer, I was coaching the Silver Bay Boys Basketball team in the Summer League down in Superior.  We were one of the smaller schools in the league.  The kids we did have weren’t always available to play.  We had lost nine games in a row.  Some close, some not so close.  On this night, we had five kids.  The kids we did have most of them played on a Junior Varsity team that won one game the previous year.  We were playing Duluth East J.V who had thirteen kids.  Silver Bay’s high school enrollment this year will be less than 100 kids in grades 9-12.  Duluth East ’s, enrollment will be nearly 1400 kids.  Before the game, I was dreading the outcome as a coach. 

The game starts.  We start making baskets.  Before I know it, we’re up 10.  Pretty soon the kids whole demeanor changes as they believe they can win.  They begin to play with confidence that I hadn’t seen the rest of the summer.  We go into the half with a sixteen point lead.  I was the most surprised person in the whole gym. 

The second half begins, Duluth East changes their strategy.  They start to press the whole court to tire our five guys out.  Duluth East starts chipping away at the lead.  Every time, Duluth East would get close, and the lead seemed destined to slip away, we would get a bucket.  The game gets down to its closing seconds.  Our lead was three points; one bad pass could lead to what seems like an inevitable loss.  My previous flaws at late-game strategy seemed destined to fail again.  The Duluth East coach then gets called for a technical foul for not quite understanding the rules of the game.  We hit a free-throw then run the clock out.  Five very, sweaty, tired young boys hug at center-court after taking down mighty Duluth East. 

This game reminds me of something about our lesson for Today.  Faith can provide Armor that it is impenetrable against the most powerful of forces.  It doesn’t matter what you think, or anyone else thinks.  Faith in spite of long odds is the most powerful force in the whole, wide world.  This is why Paul closes out the Book of Ephesians by instructing Christians to see their faith as serving as a force just as powerful as armor given by God. 

Some years, a great wall was built in China.  It cost all sorts of money and was the product of all sorts of labor.  When finished, it was thought that no one could overcome it.  An enemy though eventually overcame it[17].  All the best of human works eventually end in disappointment, whereas faith has the power to achieve victory against even the strongest forces which challenge us.  On this day, we close our summer study of Paul’s letters.  We are encouraged to put on the whole Armor of God.  Armor that is impenetrable against the darkest of spiritual forces: sin, death, and the power of the Devil.  What Paul’s writings remind us is that in the end: Grace shall win! Forgiveness shall win! Eternal life shall be inherited! God’s people shall emerge as the victors!  Amen
               
 


[1] “Great Wall of China.” History Channel. Web. July.23.2018. 
[2] “Warring States Period.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 19.July.2018. Web. July.23.2018. 
[3] Chen, Alexander. “How effective was the Great Wall at protecting China's border? Quora. 6.Mar.2016. Web. July.23.2018. 
[4] Ephesians 5:12. 
[5] Markquardt, Ed. “Put on the Whole Armor of God.” Sermons from Seattle. Web. July.23.2018. 
[6] Markquardt, Ed. “Put on the Whole Armor of God.” Sermons from Seattle.
[7] Ephesians 6:10-11 
[8] Ephesians 6:10.
[9] Stier, Leon. “Stand Your Ground.” Email Mediatations. 30.Apr.2014. Web. July.23.2018. 
[10] Molin, Steve. “Dressing for Success.” Sermon Writer. 2006. Web. July.23.2018. 
[11] Molin, Steve. “Dressing for Success.” Sermon Writer.
[12] Romans 1:17. 
[13] Ephesians 6:16b. 
[14] Romans 5:6. 
[15] Markquardt, Ed. “Put on the Whole Armor of God.” Sermons from Seattle
[16] Romans 8:38-39. 
[17] Fosdick, Harry Emerson. “Defense.” Sermon Illustrations. Web. July.23.2018.  

First Lesson: 1 Kings 2: 10-12; 3: 3-14
Responsive Reading: Psalm 111
Second Lesson: Ephesians 5: 15-20
​Gospel Lesson: John 6: 51-58

Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
​
“Experience comes from what we have done. Wisdom comes from what we have done badly[1].” -Theodore Levitt, Harvard Business School.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”-Proverbs 1:7
As I was growing up in Lindstrom, one cannot be separated from the reputation of one’s parents.  Lindstrom was a town of about 2,000 people then.  My Dad not only owned a business but served on the City Council since I was three years old.  He has been elected Mayor of the town seven times since 2002.  Before him, his Dad served as mayor.  Before him, his Grandpa served as mayor.  In fact, a direct descendant had served the town every decade since the town’s inception in 1894.  So with a family tree like that, you’re always going to be in other people’s shadows.  You don’t merely want to be remembered as Keith Carlson’s son.  There are all sorts of ways to stand out from your ancestors: you can do it in sports, in music, you can become wildly successful be a doctor or a well-known businessman.  What if there are other ways to stand out from those who came before you in ways that we don’t often consider.

King David was Israel’s greatest king.  The land had known unity, peace, and prosperity like no other time in Israel’s previous 500 years.  Replacing David as King was going to be like replacing Babe Ruth on the New York Yankees, it seemed to be nothing but an impossible task. Solomon seemed destined to forever be known as David’s son within Israel.

Shortly into King Solomon’s reign, his life would change forever.  The Lord appeared to him in a dream.  God said to Solomon: “Ask for whatever you want me to give you[2].”  What an unbelievable offer[3].  Solomon began to ponder perhaps wealth or long lives for oneself or their loved ones.  Solomon though thought differently.  Solomon asked God for Wisdom instead.  “Give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong[4].”  The Lord was impressed with Solomon giving such an answer[5].  So God promised that Solomon would possess wisdom like no one would have ever walked the Earth before[6]. 

Soon right after this, Solomon’s gift would be put to the test[7].  Solomon is approached one day by two women[8].  Both women were the mothers of young infants.  Both women slept in the same house.  Tragedy struck during the night as one of the women rolled over crushing her infant to death.  The grieving mother in response decides to take the other mother’s child and place the dead infant in her bed.  As soon as the other mother awakens, she knows that the dead child lying next to her is not her own.  The mothers go back and forth; they bring the dispute to King Solomon.  Solomon listens patiently.  Solomon suggests the only solution is “Cut the baby in two[9].”  One mother agrees while the other mother cries out in agony: “Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him[10]!”  Solomon had his answer as to the true mother of this child.  So brilliant, that the whole nation of Israel is in awe of Solomon’s wisdom[11], Solomon’s reign quickly becomes a smashing success.  Solomon is an expert in diplomacy, he built foreign alliances so strong, that Israel would never be under threat like in his father King David’s reign[12].  Solomon’s diplomacy led to great wealth through foreign trade.  In fact, Solomon was greater in riches than all the other kings of the Earth.  Solomon was regarded as not just the wisest man in Israel, but eventually the whole, wide world.  What eventually happened to Solomon, we will get back to the conclusion of his story in just a little bit.

So as we hear the story of Solomon - what might such wisdom look like within our own lives.  In our lesson from Ephesians 5[13], the Apostle Paul begins to answer this question. 

“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is[14]”.

How exactly might we acquire wisdom?  In 1993, the comedian Bill Murray starred in a movie called Groundhog Day[15].  Murray plays a weather forecaster who is forced to journey to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania famous for the nation’s Groundhog Day celebration[16].  The weatherman was upset about having to go to a small backwater town populated by what he thought was nothing but hicks.  He tapes a lazy report from Punxsutawney hoping to go home as soon as possible.  The worst thing imaginable soon happens a blizzard kicks up, and he gets stranded.  The next morning, the weatherman is stunned to awaken to another February 2nd.  He acts like a fool would act binge-drinking, reckless driving, and finding any woman around[17].  He eventually grows depressed at all this, thinking suicide would be the only way out.  When he realizes the emptiness of all this, he begins to acquire wisdom.  He decides to use his new-found experience of every other Groundhog Day to better the world around him.  He becomes a piano-player, an ice sculptor, picks up French, and begins enthusiastically reporting on all that took place in Punxsutawney on Groundhog’s Day[18].”

What is Wisdom as Christian people?  Wisdom is best summed up by King Solomon as he writes the Proverbs which declare: “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom[19].”

Wisdom is recognition of the brokenness of the world around us and within us.  Wisdom is recognizing our own foolishness.  As said by Mickey Anders: “To be foolish in the Jewish tradition means throwing away the chance for salvation[20].”

Roy Harrisville was a mentor of mine at Luther Seminary[21].  Roy served thirty-some years in the New Testament at Luther Seminary.  Roy preached shortly after his ninetieth birthday, at my installation here at Sychar six years ago.  Roy is considered among the best New Testament scholars in the country.  He’s the only friend of mine with a Wikipedia entry. 

Well once upon a time, Roy was speaking to a church.  The Pastor didn’t like what Roy had to say.  The Pastor was going to let everyone in the room know how wrong that Roy was.  So he begins to appeal to his forty-some years of experience serving various churches.  Roy was merely a young Seminary professor at the time.  Roy in his annoyance merely snapped back: “You don’t have forty-years, you’ve done the same year forty years straight.”

Roy is making an important point about wisdom that just because time has passed doesn’t mean we are wiser because of it if we don’t learn from our mistakes.

Even King Solomon the wisest man who ever lived did not have a happy ending to his story.  One of the ways that diplomacy was done in Solomon’s day took place by intermarrying among the kingdoms[22].  So Solomon took all sorts of wives: “had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines[23].”  All these wives would soon bring trouble to Solomon’s kingdom.  They would bring Gods other than the God of Israel into the land.  Solomon would use his great wealth to build impressive shrines to these foreign gods[24].  Pretty soon the faith which had brought Solomon such great wisdom had been corrupted. 

Solomon’s foolishness brought the following curse: "Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant[25]."

Israel upon Solomon’s fall would begin to collapse as a kingdom slowly.  Solomon had many great building projects, but they brought a lot of debt to the land[26].  The people began to rebel against Solomon’s taxes.  A near civil war broke out throughout the land.  Upon Solomon’s death, the war finally broke out[27].  Israel would soon divide into the Northern Kingdom of Samaria and the Southern Kingdom of Judah.  Israel would never again enjoy such good times as when Solomon was the wisest man in the world. 
A thousand years after Solomon’s reign[28], Jesus was speaking of Solomon when he declared “not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.” [29] Jesus was pointing out how all our eventual foolishness shall be redeemed and we shall know a kingdom way beyond anything that Solomon could ever know.  Where we are weak, we will soon cling to Christ’s strength.  True wisdom will point its way to a cross.

This wisdom has a way of overcoming all forces that might afflict us on this day.  Let me close with one final story; once upon a time, there was the owner of a small store[30].  He was being pressured day after day to sell to the owners of a much, larger department store.  The man seemed destined for bankruptcy against the much stronger competition.  The man continually refused to sell his store.  So the Department store makes other plans, they open their store on both sides of the smaller shop.  They spend all sorts of advertising dollars promoting their grand-opening, hanging giant banners bringing in people from far and wide.  The store owner seemed defeated.  He thought of an idea though.  So right above his store, he hung a small banner which proclaimed “Main Entrance.”  His store remained open for many years afterward, all thanks to a little wisdom.  The little guy took down the big guy.  The Cross of Christ shall eventually take down all not only Solomon’s sin but our own, our eventual death, and make the devil ultimately look foolish.  Amen


[1] Found on Sermon Illustrations under Wisdom on July 19th, 2018. 
[2] 1 Kings 3:5b
[3] Stier, Leon. “Solomon (part one of two).” Email Meditations.10. Aug.2016. Web. July.19.2018.   
[4] 1 Kings 3:9a. 
[5] Stier, Leon. “Solomon (part one of two).” Email Meditations.
[6] 1 Kings 3:12. 
[7] 1 Kings 3:16-28. 
[8] Stier, Leon. “Solomon (part one of two).” Email Meditations.
[9] 1 Kings 3:25. 
[10] 1 Kings 3:27. 
[11] Stier, Leon. “Solomon (part one of two).” Email Meditations.
[12]Stier, Leon. “Solomon (part two of two).” Email Meditations. 11. Apr.2016. Web. July.19.2018. 
[13] Ephesians 5:15-20.
[14] Ephesians 5:15-17. 
[15] “Groundhog Day (film).” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 22.July.2018. Web. July.22.2018. 
[16] Analogy idea comes from Erwin F. Goedicke on Text Week for Ephesians 5:16. 
[17] Groundhog Day (film).” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation.
[18] Groundhog Day (film).” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation
[19] Proverbs 11:2
[20] Anders, Mickey. “How to Live.” Sermon Writer. 2003. Web. July.19.2018. 
[21] Idea was sparked by a similar story on Stories for Preaching  titled “Two Teachers” found under Wisdom on July 19th, 2018. 
[22] Stier, Leon. “Solomon (part two of two).” Email Meditations.
[23] 1 Kings 11:3. 
[24] Stier, Leon. “Solomon (part two of two).” Email Meditations.
[25] 1 Kings 11:11. 
[26] Stier, Leon. “Solomon (part two of two).” Email Meditations.
[27] Stier, Leon. “Solomon (part two of two).” Email Meditations.
[28] Stier, Leon. “Solomon (part two of two).” Email Meditations.
[29] Luke 12:27
[30] Found on Family Times under Wisdom Illustrations on July 19th, 2018.  Analogy comes from Paul Decker on Sermon Central.  

First Lesson: 2 Samuel 18: 5-9, 15, 31-33
Responsive Reading: Psalm 130
Second Lesson: Ephesians 4: 25 - 5:2
Gospel Lesson: John 6: 35, 41-51

Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
​
I want to begin this morning with the story of a young boy[1].  The young boy is like many a young boy you might know.  When he would play baseball and didn’t like the umpire’s calling of balls and strikes, he would get mad.  When he would argue with his brother and sister, he would get so mad that he would storm out of the house and not come back for hours.  When he got mad at school, his face would turn red; he tended to let words slip that he shouldn’t say, and he would get sent to detention. 

His dad was getting frustrated at all the boy's temper tantrums during the first bit of adversity.  So his dad one day came home and handed his boy a bag of nails.  He then gave the following instruction “Whenever you get mad, I want you to take one of these nails and hammer it into the back of the fence out back.”  This advice didn’t seem to work too well at first.  The boy lost his temper just as much.  Pretty soon, though the boy’s outbursts became rarer and rarer, the boy came to realize that it was easier to either walk away or calmly state his concerns then continually pound nails into the fence.  One day, the boy comes home proudly announcing to his father that he had finally made it through the day without losing his temper. 

Father then gave the following advice. ‘Every day you don’t lose your temper, why don’t you pull a nail out of the fence[2].”

Days go by until finally, the boy had restrained his anger enough to remove every single nail.  The father told the son “he was proud,” but they needed to go look at the fence.  The Dad pointed out all the holes in the fence where nails used to be.” Dad then made the point “It is the same way with anger, every time your anger wounds another, the wound remains long after the outburst[3].” 

Today’s lesson comes to us from Ephesians 4[4].  In our lesson for Today, Paul is seeking to address conflict within the Ephesian church.  What the exact nature of the conflict is the text doesn’t say.  What Paul implies is that the conflict was old, the conflict was long-standing.  There was some long-standing grievance from the past that prevented the Ephesians from moving forward.  The Ephesians probably weren’t that different from us in dealing with conflict.  We sit on opposite sides of the sanctuary.  In bigger churches, people even might dare to attend a different service to avoid certain “Christians[5].” 

When I first started attending Viking games with my dad, I remember sitting across the aisle from a gentleman.  He was a short gentleman with a mustache.  He was mad throughout the Vikings game, even if they managed to win.  His face seemingly got redder and redder with every play.  He looked like a heart attack waiting to happen.  He was mad at the coach!  He was mad at the offensive coordinator!  He was mad at the Quarterback!  He would do the best he could to let these people know how they disappointed him from section 235 in row 19, whether the Vikings could hear him or not didn’t matter!

While the Vikings losing might be a disappointment, it need not be a source of wounds.   

Christians like those in Ephesians, like those in our churches probably struggled with discerning the difference between a disappointment and a wound.  A color you don’t like in the fellowship hall is a disappointment; it is not a wound[6]. 

Even on more critical issues, such as the treatment of a former pastor or a church budget[7], it cannot permanently wound a church’s mission to bring the Gospel to their wider community. 

So Paul gives the Ephesians some advice, “Be Angry, but do not sin[8].”

To consider the following verse, let’s reflect on whether anger is a sin[9].

Paul would say that anger, in fact, does have its place among Christian people. 

When I was growing up, I had a park up the street where kids would frequently congregate.  One day a fight broke out.  It wasn’t much of a fight but rather a beating where a group of junior highers were beating up and begin to bloody another junior higher.  Living right across the street from the park was Mr. Allen.  Mr. Allen was a mountain of a man.  He stood 6’4; he weighed over 300 lbs at the time.  As soon as Mr. Allen saw what was happening, he stormed out of the house.  The kids saw Mr. Allen approaching, raising his voice, they cleared as quickly as they could.  Mr. Allen was a devout believer and was right to get mad.  There were limits to anger’s power.  If Mr. Allen had sought an eye for an eye retaliation against the children, then anger would have been taken too far.  For example, within the Old Testament, it was not uncommon for the prophets to lash out in anger regarding how God’s covenant with the people was being violated[10].  Anger’s limits need to be realized when placed in the hands of flawed and sinful people like ourselves.  We must be cautious of seeking to justify our anger.  We must be even more cautious not to try to stir up anger further.  The Christian calling is not to respond to anger with violence.   The Devil can very easily feed off our anger[11].  The Devil will attempt to destroy the Christian community by making getting even into a higher priority[12]. 

So how does Paul encourage Christians to respond to anger: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry[13], “

When I was in high school, I had a friend named Ben.  Ben was very well-mannered, and I never heard Ben raise his voice.  Ben’s whole family was the same way.  The more time I spent around them, I saw them as good religious people who seemed incapable of anger.  Ben was in for a million dollar education when he decided to go with me to Grandma’s on one summer night.  Grandma, Ben, and I were sitting in the kitchen when my Uncle Gregg comes bursting in the door.  Gregg was mad!  Gregg was mad because Grandma couldn’t be reached earlier in the day! Now a family member was going to show up at Gregg’s house in the middle of the night and wake his young children.  Gregg didn’t begin by exchanging pleasantries.  Gregg merely started raising his voice to let Grandma know everything that was wrong.  Grandma being about seventy-five at the time wasn’t just going to sit there and take this.  She stood up and started yelling at Gregg right back!  Even nearing ninety-five, I know of no one who should think it’s a good idea to start a screaming match with Grandma.  Grandma and Gregg go back and forth for like five-ten minutes.  Ben looks on mortified at what he was witnessing.  Then remarkably, Grandma and Gregg solve their issue.  They exchange a few jokes.  Gregg walks out the door smiling, Grandma resumes business like normal, and their issues were resolved.  The following story is an example of not letting the sun go down on one’s anger.  They believed it was better for the relationship to disagree however uncomfortably and ultimately work their way forward as people.

This is why Paul encourages us Today to : “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you[14].”

Let me give you a painful truth on this day.  We will have unlovable people in our lives[15].  You will have people disappoint you.  You will have people speak wrongly about you.  For what the Gospel does is reveal the exact opposite of anger.  The Gospel reveals love at those very moments when we or those around us seem to be unlovable.  We cannot or will not make ourselves right with God in comparison to other people.  So their needs to be better ways to deal with anger even as difficult as they may be[16].

Let me close this morning with one Final Story, Chet Bitterman was an American missionary and Bible Translator[17].  Bitterman begins his missionary work in Colombia, South America[18].  While in Colombia, Bitterman one morning, terrorists bang on his door demanding to see his supervisor.  When the supervisor is unavailable, Bitterman is kidnapped instead[19].  Bitterman’s wife and children witness this scene.  Bitterman is eventually killed by his captors.  Few people will ever be justified in their anger like Chet Bitterman’s family.  You can understand if the family wanted nothing to do with the people of Colombia ever again.  Bitterman’s family wanted to funnel their anger to more productive means[20].

They decided to enlist the support of friends and neighbors to begin a fundraising campaign for the people of Colombia to buy an ambulance where one was needed.  Chet Bitterman’s parents even traveled to Colombia to present the new ambulance.  During the ceremony, Chet Bitterman’s mom declared “We can do this because God has taken the “anger” hatred from our hearts[21].”

On the cross, God gave hope and life eternal in response to the very people who put him to death.  God gave forgiveness to those who had denied it to others.  God had declared the “unlovable” to now be beloved.  Anger had turned into grace.  The world was now going to forever change because of it.  Paul’s message to the Ephesian church is other people will disappoint us, but we cannot let them wound us.  We will get angry, but this anger isn’t a bad thing if it points us to the day when our Lord shall permanently take all anger and brokenness from not only the Ephesian Church, but our church, and ultimately our world, only to the sunrise again as we witness the power of Resurrection.
 Amen
 
 
 
 


[1] Higgins, Scott. “Nails in the Fence.” Stories for Preaching. Web. July.18.2018.  Taken from Unknown Source. 
[2] Higgins, Scott. “Nails in the Fence.” Stories for Preaching.
[3] Higgins, Scott. “Nails in the Fence.” Stories for Preaching.
[4] Ephesians 4:25-5:2. 
[5] Molin, Steve. “Had Any Good Church Fights Lately?” Sermon Writer. 2006. Web. July.18.2018. 
[6] Molin, Steve. “Had Any Good Church Fights Lately?” Sermon Writer.
[7] Molin, Steve. “Had Any Good Church Fights Lately?” Sermon Writer.
[8] Ephesians 4:26
[9] Tranvik, Mark. “Commentary on Ephesians 4:25-5:2.” Working Preacher. Luther Seminary. 12. Aug.2012. Web. July.18.2012. 
[10] Tranvik, Mark. “Commentary on Ephesians 4:25-5:2.” Working Preacher.
[11] Ephesians 4:27
[12] Tranvik, Mark. “Commentary on Ephesians 4:25-5:2.” Working Preacher.
[13] Ephesians 4:26b. 
[14] Ephesians 4:31-32. 
[15] Tranvik, Mark. “Commentary on Ephesians 4:25-5:2.” Working Preacher.
[16] Tranvik, Mark. “Commentary on Ephesians 4:25-5:2.” Working Preacher.
[17] Fritz, Paul. “Overcoming Anger Toward Belligerent People.” Sermon Central. 18.Oct.2000. Web. July.18.2018. 
[18] “Chet Bitterman.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 14.Jan.2017. Web. July.18.2018. 
[19] Steffen, Bonnie. “Chet Bitterman: Missionaries have never been off-limits for terrorists.” Christianity Today. March/April 2002. Web. July.18.2018. 
[20] Fritz, Paul. “Overcoming Anger Toward Belligerent People.” Sermon Central.
[21] Fritz, Paul. “Overcoming Anger Toward Belligerent People.” Sermon Central.

First Lesson: 2 Samuel 11: 1-15
Responsive Reading: Psalm 14
Second Lesson: Ephesians 3: 14-21
​Gospel Lesson: John 6: 1-21

Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
​
This summer we’ve been having a good deal of Road Construction upon the North Shore.  I’ve had trips from Two Harbors that have taken 1 ½ hours.  We all can understand this frustration.  Now picture a bigger city like Minneapolis where the cars aren’t just in the hundreds but the hundreds of thousands on the road at any given time. 

With road construction in mind, let me begin by telling a children’s story as told by Alice Schertle[1].  Once upon a time, there was a little, blue truck[2].  The truck was small.  The truck was slow.  The truck looked like it didn’t belong on the road with the other cars.  One day the little blue truck dared to venture into the big city.  As the little, blue truck drove around, everyone couldn’t help but see all the ways that it didn’t measure up to the other vehicles on the road.  Other vehicles would shout out at the little, blue truck “Shove on, Shorty,” honk their horns, or yell “Get out of the way[3].”

Finally, the little blue truck encounters the biggest limousine around.  The limousine was the prettiest car around.  It was obvious that someone important is inside.  That person turned out to be the big city’s mayor.  Pretty soon a traffic jam came to the big city.  Cars were stuck with nowhere to go. Drivers were yelling and honking at each other.  The little blue truck though had a realization; a little patience will help things move a lot faster.  “One at a time is the way to go[4].”

As the little blue truck encountered the limo once again, the limo started to go attempting to cut off the little blue truck, only to have its engine give out right in the middle of the city.  The little blue truck then offered the mayor a ride.  Everyone was shocked when the mayor took the little blue truck up on its offer.  The mayor encourages all the cars to follow the little blue truck’s advice.  Pretty soon, all the cars in line.  Soon everyone around begins to cheer the little, blue truck for ultimately leading the way out of the traffic jam once and for all[5]. 

Now the little, blue truck showed something important about leadership how it's not always the biggest trucks on the road that are needed to get the job the done[6]. 

Sometimes all that’s needed to change the world is a simple servant who sees a much bigger purpose. 

Let me tell a second story; Once upon a time, there was a seminary professor on vacation[7].  He and his wife were having dinner when an old man they hadn’t seen before in their lives began to approach them.  The old man asks what do you the professor “What do you do.”  To which the professor replies “I work as a preacher.”  Normally announcing he was a preacher would put a quick end to a lot of conversations, but the old man grew more excited.

He said, let me tell you a story.  The old man began to explain his life as a child[8].  He never knew who his father was.  His mother was ostracized by nearly everyone around in their town in Tennessee. The young boy had never gone to church because of this.  One day though a new preacher came to town.  The young boy to the amazement of everyone showed up at the church.  The boy left the service early before anyone could talk to him.  He would keep coming back week after week.  He would be the last one in and the first one out. He was skilled at never talking to anyone.  One Sunday though the boy got caught up in the sermon and didn’t leave.  As soon as the service was over, the aisles started to fill.  The boy started scurrying for a side door, embarrassed that he had been caught at church.  Pretty soon though he feels a giant hand come down upon his shoulder.  The boy turns around sees the preacher staring right at him.  “What’s your name, boy? Whose son are you?”  The little boy was ashamed at the question; he didn’t want to dare tell this preacher the truth that he had no idea who his father was.  He thought he’d be told to never come back to the church ever again.  The preacher begins looking the boy up and down.  Before the boy could answer, the preacher began to speak “know who you are. I know who your family is. There’s a distinct family resemblance. Why you’re the son, you’re the son; you’re the son of God!”.  The old man described this encounter in the midst of a church traffic jam as forever changing his life, even years after it had taken place.  The old man got up and left the preacher’s table then finally the restaurant.

The waitress comes up to deliver the bill “Do you know who that was?” The preacher got confused, only to hear the waitress answer “That was Ben Hooper, the two-term governor of Tennessee.[9]”

On that day the preacher was merely a simple servant who saw a much bigger purpose at work in the life of this fatherless child. 

These two stories lead us into our lesson for Today from Ephesians 3[10].  In this chapter, Paul begins to pray for the Ephesian church.  Ephesians was one of Paul’s last letters.  Paul probably wrote Ephesians while sitting in prison[11].  Paul though in these days saw a much bigger purpose for the Ephesian church. 
Paul’s prayer goes as such: “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God[12].”

Paul’s prayer for the Ephesian church is that they comprehend the vastness of God’s love.  The vastness of God’s grace in all kinds of life’s situations.  The reality that this grace does not end even when you’re an outcast child trying to escape a church in Tennessee. 

Rev. Dr. Guy Sayles sums this passage up best when he says[13]: ‘ Thankfully, as Paul’s prayer for the Ephesian Christians reminds us, we don’t have a small and distant god.  The real God revealed to us in the history of Israel and in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is magnificent, mysterious, and mighty.”

The type of God that Paul prays can take the smallest of acts and use them for much, much bigger purposes.

Let me close with one final story; Once upon a time in Romania, there was a pastor named Laszlo Tokes[14] who was continually harassed by the secret police of the communist government.  Pastor Tokes refused to back down, so the government set out to arrest him and deported to his native Hungary.  Yet all the members of his church gathered to protect him and form a blockade around him[15].  Just like the little blue truck or the small boy in the church, the communist forces were flummoxed.  Pretty soon people from all over the Romanian countryside came out to join Pastor Tokes cause.  Nine days later, the Romanian government fell.  The reign of the Iron Curtain over Eastern Europe was soon to come to an end.  All these things took place because one Pastor saw a much bigger purpose that his current oppression.   In the wake of Pastor Tokes’ victory and the fall of the Communists, a sign went up declaring “The Lamb Wins[16].”  The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  Paul’s prayer to the Ephesians had come true.  God’s spirit filled the land, and the church was assured of their eventual, final victory in Christ Jesus.  God’s purposes are often bigger their own.  The following reality is why we often struggle to see God’s purposes on any given day.  Within the Kingdom of God eventually, the tiny, little blue truck becomes the most admired car in the city. The little-ashamed boy in the back of the church becomes the Governor of Tennessee, or the simple country Pastor changes the whole wide world.   The one theme all these stories have in common is they all took place in the midst of various traffic jams.  Remember this the next time you encounter a little bit of road construction. Amen
 
 
 
 
 


[1] Landes, Elizabeth Boulware. “Little Blue Truck: Leads the Way.” Storypath. William Smith Morton Library, Union Presbyterian Seminary. 19.Jun.2015. Web. July.12.2018. 
[2] Miss Becky. “Little Blue Truck Leads the Way by Alice Schertle.” You Tube. 12. May.2017. Web. July.12.2018. 
[3] Miss Becky. “Little Blue Truck Leads the Way by Alice Schertle.” You Tube
[4] Miss Becky. “Little Blue Truck Leads the Way by Alice Schertle.” You Tube.
[5] Miss Becky. “Little Blue Truck Leads the Way by Alice Schertle.” You Tube
[6] Landes, Elizabeth Boulware. “Little Blue Truck: Leads the Way.” Storypath.
[7] Higgins, Scott. “You’re the Son of God.” Stories of Preaching. Web. July.12.2018 taken from Tony Campolo’s It’s Friday but Sunday’s Comin. Word Books. 1985.
[8] Higgins, Scott. “You’re the Son of God.” Stories of Preaching.
[9] Higgins, Scott. “You’re the Son of God.” Stories of Preaching.
[10] Ephesians 3:14-21. 
[11] Markquardt, Edward. “Fill Er’ Up: Books of the Bible: Ephesians.” Sermons from Seattle. Web. July.12.2018. 
[12] Ephesians 3:16-19. 
[13] Sayles, Rev.Dr. Guy. “Our Vast and Loving God.” Day 1. 29. July.2012. Web. July.12.2018. 
[14] “László Tőkés.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 25.June.2018. Web. July.12.2018. 
[15] Buchanan, Rodney. “I Believe In The Holy Catholic Church.” Sermon Central. 10.Jun.2012. Web. July.12.2018. 
[16] Buchanan, Rodney. “I Believe In The Holy Catholic Church.” Sermon Central.