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Proper 20

Mark 9.30-37
They went on from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it; for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, ‘The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.’ But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.
Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, ‘What were you arguing about on the way?’ But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, ‘Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.’ Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, ‘Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.’


Mark’s Gospel is the scriptural equivalent of a beef cube. Not only is it the shortest Gospel, it is also the most dense. It takes the narrative and strips it down to the most essential parts, with an almost breathless pace and an economy of language.

Today’s reading is a case in point. There are eight verses and more-or-less three sermons. The verses interconnect, and there is a sense of flow, but each section of the reading really deserves its own treatment. The lessons drawn from Mark are already among the shortest we use in worship, and most often can be broken down further.

So, three sermons from Mark 9.30-37: Ignorant disciples don’t understand the passion of Jesus; a foolish argument about greatness prompts Jesus to remind the disciples that the last shall be first; and welcoming the most humble (a child) means welcoming Jesus and the Most High.

So, taken together, it’s a reading about self-sacrifice and humility and understanding God’s unique concern for the powerless and the invisible in our midst. Maybe it is one sermon. But it’s a tough sermon to preach considering that all of these ideas run counter to the zeitgeist of 21st century Canada.

Great word, zeitgeist. It means “spirit of the age” in German, one of those words that does the same ‘beef cube’ thing with language that Mark does with story. Like our old friend schadenfreude (“taking pleasure in the misfortune of others”) using the word zeitgeist will dazzle your conversational partners every time.

Some say the pulpit is not a place to dismiss and to judge, but I say that any look at the ‘spirit of the times’ (zeitgeist) will point to a society that is sadly diminished:

Parliament resembles a schoolyard at recess.
The most popular shows on television are “reality-based” drivel.
Some bureaucrat thought sending body bags would be helpful.
People used to take to the streets for meaningful things: now people protest taxes.
Public officials used to apologize and resign: now they sue.

And that’s just from the past week. If you really want to see how we’re going to hell in a handbasket, look south to the person who paid $63,500 on Ebay to have a meal with Sarah Palin.

On the topic of zeitgeist, then, the words petulant, vacuous, thoughtless, self-serving and arrogant come to mind. Maybe the pulpit is place of judgement after all. But before we reach for the speck in society’s eye, we need to go after the Douglas Fir in our own. The words most often used to describe the church are outdated, irrelevant, self-interested, greedy and hypocritical. Are we in a position to judge?

To recap: Society is petulant, vacuous, thoughtless, self-serving and lacking humility. Church is outdated, irrelevant, self-interested, greedy and hypocritical. It almost sounds like the basis for a great reality-based television show: church people and non-church people form two “tribes” compete in a variety of “challenges” to see who can stop judging the other first.

‘But wait,’ United Church people will say, ‘we belong to neither tribe.’ We don’t suffer from the worst excesses of society. We pay our taxes happily and we care for the most vulnerable and we would never have dinner with Sarah Palin. And we represent the enlightened part of the Christian church: we Twitter, we only think of others and we rarely ask for money.

Okay, back at the beginning, we were talking about Mark 9. We decided it’s a reading about self-sacrifice and humility and understanding God’s unique concern for the powerless and the invisible in our midst. And it appears, at least from our imaginary game of “Survivor: Weston” that we are neither society nor church. We have found some ‘third way’ where we actually care for the vulnerable, practice self-giving, and do it all in a spirit of humility. In other words, we follow the Gospel imperative and tell no one.

And this, of course, is good for us and lousy for Weston. It is good for us because I truly think we have moved beyond the stereotype of the church in the eyes of many. The harsh words I used to describe the church a minute ago came from actual research, sponsored by the Emerging Spirit programme, where people where drawn from outside the church and asked what they thought of church and church people. “Self-interested, greedy and hypocritical” were among the kinder things said. The overall learning was that when we described ourselves to Canadians between the age of 30 and 45, an astonishing 77% said they would be interested in knowing more about this church if such a church really existed.

77% said they would be interested in knowing more about this church if such a church really existed. This seems to highlight two problems. The first is making sure that the church as described can actually be found on a street, in a neighbourhood, with doors open ready to receive newcomers. The researchers described a church that encourages questions, remains open to change and respects other religious traditions. I like to think we embody these traits, in the United Church generally and certainly here at Central.

The second problem is telling somebody. Mark also recorded these words from Jesus, words that may speak to us more than reminding us to be humble and serve others. Jesus said, "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."

Ouch. Someone says why ‘do you do these things?’ We say, ‘because it’s the right thing to do.’ Someone says ‘what’s your motivation? We say ‘human decency and building community.’ Someone says ‘what does your church do?’ We say ‘help others.’ Rarely, if every, do we say ‘live out the Good Samaritan parable’ or ‘follow the model Jesus gave in Matthew 25.’ We don’t say ‘to glorify God’ or ‘to bring about God’s Kingdom’ or even something simply like ‘the Bible tells me so.’ (You could sing that one)

Why did Tommy Douglas invent medicare? Because the Bible (he cited Matthew 25 and the parable of the Good Samaritan) told him too. He helped define “practical Christianity” and embodied a United Church-style commitment to social justice. And he was a Baptist! He never hid his motivation on the long path to becoming the greatest Canadian.

So, we don’t have a humility problem. We’re so humble about our life as faithful followers of Jesus Christ that it’s the best kept secret in town. And here lies the paradox: it seems that when you become the kind of church that Jesus wants you suddenly become very quiet about it. Which, of course, is not the kind of church Jesus wants at all. We are to be leaven (transforming society) but we are also a light in the darkness. We are supposed to pray quietly but “make disciples of all nations.” We are humble and we are proud. No wonder we settle for silence.

So, homework. This week, I want you to look for a sign of something God is doing in Weston. You can look at the whole city if you are stumped. Look for something God is doing in our midst and come prepared to report. It might be a word or a sentence, or just a quiet thought, but we need to practice. We need to spend more time giving God the glory or we risk forgetting why we are here at all. If you are particularly keen, you can do next weeks homework too, which is telling someone what you have discovered God is doing in Weston. But let’s not get too far ahead.

posted by michael jacob kooiman @ 12:19 PM