August 30, 2015 - Put God in Your Heart

The Rev. Charles Barebo

August 30, 2015 - Pentecost 14

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Put God in Your Heart

Today’s gospel switches from John and metaphors about bread to Mark. Mark’s story of Jesus is powerful and to the point. His gospel is believed to be the first gospel written down. This fall we’ll be hearing about the ongoing conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees from Mark. And how the disciples do not comprehend Christ’s methods or mission. To get the most out of Mark it is important to understand what makes the Pharisees tick, the group that Paul calls the strictest of the strict.

The ancient Israelites believed that God lived in the temple in Jerusalem. In Isaiah it tells us that when God was in the temple so much smoke filled the building that humans could not enter. The temple was where earth and heaven interlocked and one would go to be in God’s presence. Ancient Judaism was about the temple. At least until the second Exile when the Babylonians took Jerusalem and destroyed the temple.  Seventy years later the Persians took Babylon and allowed the Israelites to return home and rebuild the temple. Then in the second century the Syrians took Jerusalem and desecrated the temple. The desecrated temple and living under the pagan rule began to change the way that the Israelites looked at their faith.

By Christ’s time Jewish theology began to change. If you kept the Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament, it was as if you were in the Temple itself – that is the place where heaven and earth met. Regardless of whether pagans or corrupt Jews ruled and what when on in the temple, practicing the laws set forth in the Torah became where first century Israelites found God. The Pharisees were sticklers for the Torah.  Never numbering more than 6,000 in Palestine’s population of 2,500,000 they were nevertheless a force to be reckoned with. Knowing what makes the Pharisees tick is important in understanding Mark’s Gospel and the traps they set for Jesus.

Jesus’ message would have been seen as very subversive or revolutionary by the Pharisees.  When challenged about the Levitical cleanliness laws Jesus tells the Pharisees that these laws were never important, that the Pharisees gave God lip service but never accepted God in their hearts.  They had “abandoned the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.”  Jesus, never one for political correctness, points out their sin for ignoring God while focusing on human traditions.

The disciples are not understanding Christ’s message.  After the exchange with the Pharisees they ask Jesus what the parable meant.  Jesus is clear, the real evil was not what we eat or how we wash or the things that come from the outside but rather things that come out of the heart like theft, murder, immorality, greed, wickedness, envy, slander and pride, these are the things that make us unclean. Then Jesus goes on to strike down the kosher food laws. Jesus is challenging the very rubrics of Jewish life. Jesus is always brutally honest. And this honesty will cost him his human life.

The Pharisees are still with us today. It seems so much easier to accept our politically correct rules of man-made tradition as opposed to accepting Jesus in our hearts. It’s not easy to be a disciple; in fact it seems almost impossible at times.  We can see the Pharisees in action everyday if we have our eyes open. In our leadership at local, state and national levels; where politicians tell us about change that is needed and then play party politics, ignoring the call to work together and compromise to fix our many ills. And both parties do it, all the time. When our mayors, congress men and women, state officials and candidates prattle on about state building or helping what we call the poor, while being investigated or charged with crimes we see the Pharisees at work. This is happening in Allentown, in Harrisburg and in DC at this very moment.

In our schools where we are more concerned with avoiding lawsuits than teaching wisdom, justice and mercy; Where we are more interested in correctness and a common core as opposed to teaching each and every child to the best of their abilities-the Pharisees are at work. Even in the church, we sometimes become so caught up that we forget that we are charged to love God and our neighbor. The farther we stray from the Great Command, Christ’s mission for His disciples, the closer we edge into the Pharisees camp. In fact, this can become our litmus test for our actions in the church. Does this further Christ’s mission? Does it love God, does it love our neighbor, and does it build the Kingdom? If it does we’ve let God into our heart.

I catch myself wandering into the Pharisees camp too often. Sometimes I hesitate before praying aloud in a restaurant – Correctness or Jesus? Or to express the core values we are taught in the church.  I push Jesus out of my heart and buy something I don’t need or worry about a market downturn becoming fearful and greedy. If I have faith market turndowns are a lot less scary. Too often my pride keeps me from turning the other cheek. Too often I buy a meal for a homeless person and then do not invite them to eat at my table or look the other way. It’s so easy to look down on the Pharisees when in fact I am acting like one myself. No it’s not easy living with Jesus in my heart. Too often, as St Paul remarks, I do exactly what I didn’t want to do – I get frustrated and angry with someone who really just needs a helping hand. Too often like the disciples I don’t really understand what it is Jesus is calling me to do. All this bubbles up from within. And later in the quiet moments, like Peter after denying Christ, I regret it.

In Mark’s Gospel today, Jesus calls us into the true relationship with the Father and the Son. It is simple, pure and just. It opens the door to true peace, love and happiness. In our hearts lie the seeds of the Pharisees way – missing Christ’s invitation and focusing on man-made tradition, planted there by evil to lead us from the Way. Let Christ then be our guide to allow God into our hearts. And may all our actions meet Christ’s litmus test – Does this love God, our neighbors and build the Kingdom? For first century Jews, the temple was where heaven and earth meet and God’s presence was felt. For Christians when God is in our hearts, heaven and earth interlock and we are in His presence.

The Rev. Charlie Barebo - May 17, 2015

The Rev. Charlie Barebo May 17, 2015

John 17:6-19

 

Canon Kim - Proper 10B - July 12, 2015

The Rev. Canon Kimberly Reinholz
Cathedral Church of the Nativity
July 12, 2015
Proper 10B

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Mark 6:14-29

This week some of you on social media may have seen a Meme (a Meme is a picture with a caption super imposed on it) of an Inspirational Bible Quote of the day calendar.  This photograph is of a passage of scripture which reads: “If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine” Luke 4:7.  And the caption reads: “Less inspirational if you know who said it”. 

Just in case you were wondering, who said that quote, it is Satan, when he tempts Jesus in the wilderness.  Context is everything. 

I forgot that simple statement that context is everything for about half the week, as I found myself totally wondering what kind of crazy pills the people who compiled the Revised Common Lectionary were taking when they chose this Gospel reading.  The first 5 times I read the Gospel this week all I could think was, really?  Why on earth did you include this story in our Sunday Lectionary?  The whole story seems to focus on the gruesome the death of John the Baptist. 

Why does this matter?  What good does it do to hear about the drama between Herod, John and Herodias?   What on earth does murder have to do with the Good News?

Context is everything. 

I kvetched a bunch early in the week about how this Gospel message was un-preach-able.  I’d preach on Ephesians or the Psalm or Samuel.  David dancing in front of the arc that’s a good last sermon to preach here at the cathedral.  In one of my many conversations with Andrew about this Gospel I said, how we are supposed to hear about the Good news, of Jesus Christ, if Jesus isn’t even mentioned in this passage?

 Oh wait, Jesus is mentioned.  Briefly, in the first sentence of the passage.  Jesus is the context of the entire story.  This entire account of John’s demise is told is to explain why it is that that Jesus became known to Herod because of his exorcisms healings and anointing and Herod feared the Jesus was John resurrected. 

It’s all about the context.

Knowing what happened to John the Baptist gives us a sense of perspective as to why Herod was afraid.  A Roman official with great political power, and military strength shouldn’t be afraid of a man who is traveling throughout the countryside healing the sick, casting out demons and anointing those who come to him for aid.  Unless you know that this seems to be history repeating itself. 

Remember what we know about John the Baptist?  He started out in the wilderness preaching repentance, offering baptism and anointing, promising healing and that there would be someone who was more powerful than he coming after him. 

If you don’t know that John spoke out against Herod’s marriage to Herodias, or that Herod was perplexed and challenged by John’s teachings you might think that Herod has nothing to fear.  If you didn’t know that Herod only executed John the Baptist because he didn’t want to lose face in front of honored guests, and that he couldn’t deny the wish he promised his daughter then you might not understand why Jesus possibly being John reincarnate would strike fear into Herod’s heart.

We know that Jesus isn’t John reincarnate.  We know that John wasn’t resurrected, but Herod didn’t know that.  Herod therefore has every reason to fear that the man who he had beheaded at the request of his daughter, the man who proclaimed that his marriage was unlawful, the man who perplexed him and challenged what he believed had possibly and even in his mind probably come back to life.  After all if this man was in the wilderness was healing people, casting out demons and preaching about repentance and his message sounded a lot like the messages John had preached about repentance it would seem that anything was possible.   That’s enough to scare anyone right?

Imagine being in Herod’s shoes.  I don’t honestly think that any of you have done exactly what Herod did, it was pretty horrific but all of us have done things that we regret.  All of us have hurt someone either intentionally or unintentionally and we’d rather not face the consequences of these actions.

 Think about it.   Is there someone you know, someone who you disagree with, someone who perplexes you, someone who challenges you, someone who makes you uncomfortable that you have stood in judgement against?

How would you feel if they walked in the room right now? How would you feel if you saw them in the aisle at the grocery store? How would you feel if your son or daughter brought them home for Thanksgiving dinner?

 I doubt you’d welcome that person into your home with open arms.  I bet you would be suspicious about their motivations, you’d probably wonder if they are seeking revenge or if they are holding judgement against you for the things you have done.  I bet you would be carrying some baggage around whatever it is that you were challenged by, perplexed by or disagreed with.  I know I do.

I know that personally I have a lot of guilt that I carry for sins that I have committed and sins that have been committed on my behalf.  I cannot forgive myself for some of my trespasses.  I live daily with the debts I owe to others and more importantly I wrestle with how I might be able to “pay back” God for all the goodness which has been given to me.   Emotionally I struggle with this.  I find myself asking, “How can Jesus love me?”

This is where Herod and I find common ground because where Herod is afraid of Jesus because of the sins he committed against John.  I am afraid of Jesus because of the sins I know I have committed against God and my neighbor. 

It’s part of why I love the Eastern prayer of the Heart practice, the recitation of the Jesus Prayer. “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”  It’s one of the prayers I use when I pray the rosary or walk the labyrinth.  I also pray “Lord I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed” When I receive communion.  I don’t know how, but I do know that Jesus loves me. 

It’s actually easier for me to accept that Jesus loves you, than it is for me to accept the love of Jesus for myself. 

I blame philosophy because, as a former philosophy professor   I intellectually know how a simple syllogism works.  If premise A is true and premise B is true, then the conclusion is true.  It’s a matter of definitions usually one example of a syllogism is: If a bachelor is an unmarried man and Mark is an unmarried man then Mark is a bachelor.  The intellectual part of my brain understands the following to be true:  If Jesus died to forgive all sin, and all people sin, then because I am a person, Jesus died 

for my sin.  Even Spock would abide with this argument.

I think this is where Herod and I, and I think most of you, stand when we hear about Jesus’ miraculous healings, and exorcisms, and anointing.  How can this be?  What is going on here?  And what does it mean for me? 

For Herod, when he heard about Jesus, and he connected the dots- incorrectly- he thought this man is following the footsteps of John, he is preaching repentance, and offering healing and anointing like John.  If he sounds like John and acts like John he must be John.

The Good News is, that Herod is wrong.  Jesus is not John.  Jesus is Jesus.  One of the most amazing things about Jesus is that even though Jesus is human, he is also divine and that means that Jesus doesn’t carry all the junk that we carry with us.  Its good news because- we don’t have to be afraid that Jesus is holding a grudge.  We don’t have to be afraid that something we have done in our past is going to come back and bite us.  We don’t have to be afraid that our debts, our trespasses or our sins are going to be held over our head for the rest of our lives.  Jesus isn’t the Ghost of Christmas past come back to haunt us.  Jesus isn’t keeping track of our wrong doing like a calorie counter on our smart phone.  Jesus has already forgiven us.

What we have to do, to keep from falling into the same patterns as Herod is to remember to forgive ourselves.  Because we aren’t really afraid of Jesus are we?  We are afraid of who we think Jesus might be, rather than accepting at face value the promise of salvation we are afraid there is a catch, a loop hole, a trap.  We’ve all heard it said that if something seems too good to be true it probably is.  This doubt that Jesus is as good as he seems; that the forgiveness he proclaims is absolute and infinite; that our sins are in fact completely and utterly removed from us – as far as the pole from the pole, as far as the East from the West, because of Jesus’ complete and ultimate sacrifice on the cross for all of us means that our sins are no more. 

Now if we can just remember that …
 

Context is everything.

Amen