| 1 Samuel 8:4-11, (12-15), 16-20, (11:14-15) | ||
| Psalm 138 | ||
| 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1 | ||
| Mark 3:20-35 |
They think Jesus is crazy The
people are talking---we can almost hear the murmuring and whispering. They say, “This Jesus dude is out of his
mind. He is cray, cray!”
And if Jesus were here with
us today, doing his Jesus thing, living his Jesus way, we’d probably think he’s
crazy too.
We’d think he’s crazy
- · because for Jesus, God and God’s mission is his top priority-- not his own preferences, comforts and riches
- · because his life is all about the other, not his own preservation
- · because he forgives when others hurt him
- · because he heals when there is sickness
- · because he shows mercy when he is wronged
- · because he hangs out with the outcast, eats with the sinners, and prays with the marginalized….not to mention that he seems to be praying a lot….going off and giving over chunks of his time to be with the Father (weird, right?)
In fact, not only do the
people think Jesus is crazy, they think he might be possessed by evil, ha satan,
the Adversary. Yep, anyone who lives
life the way Jesus lives---not according to society’s expectations and customs
whatsoever---anyone like that has got to be out of his mind.
Even his own family thinks
so.
So, Jesus redefines
family---perhaps we who are struggling within our nation and our church with
this whole issue of defining relationships---perhaps we should pay particular
attention to this point.
Jesus redefines family—and
it’s not based on status or bloodline or labels—family, for Jesus, is all about
those who are willing to put God and God’s mission at the top of their list —those
who give God and God’s work large chunks of their time, those who use their gifts to meet the needs of others, those
who share their abundance, and yes that means money, so that all may have
enough---those who risk being misunderstood, not meeting society’s code all
because they are not in their right mind but instead they have the mind of
Jesus---these are the ones Jesus calls family---God’s children, divine siblings,
disciples of the Way.
Here at Intercession, we
invite you—and anyone who is willing—to come and be crazy right along with
us. Let’s be crazy and welcome in anyone
and everyone—believers, non-believers, women, men, children, young, old, gay,
straight, bi, transgendered or cisgendered, black, brown, white, immigrant,
citizen, foreigner, stranger, rich, poor, middle-class, sinner, saint, heathen
and angel—let’s welcome them all in, taking them just as they are, not
demanding change, but inviting mutual transformation as the Holy Spirit
breathes over the entire messy lot of us and possesses our being.
Let’s be crazy and take
action that gives our neighbors and our family glimpses into God’s
Kingdom---actions of mercy, grace, love and compassion like:
- · our Shalom Center where we share our treasure and resources with those in need
- · our teams who serve dinner at the Hope Center every Friday
- · our prayer groups that intercede for the needs of the broken, lost, hurt, and hungry
- · our Fair Trade Market that invites us to become consumers with the laborers in mind
- · our support of the African Team ministries that supports orphanages, education, and the health and well-being of our African brothers and sisters
- · our book discussions and bible studies that bring us together to recognize the beauty of learning from one other’s ideas and understandings and not just our own opinions
- · the opening of our doors and offering our space to our brothers and sisters in Alcoholics Anonymous
- · our ministers who make our worship services available
- · our ministers who share their love and time with the residents at our monthly Portage County nursing home service
- · our fellowship opportunities where we can greet one another, eat a meal together, share a story, look one another in the eyes and see the face of Christ.
Rachel Held Evans writes: The
Gospel doesn’t need a “coalition devoting to keeping the wrong people out. It
needs a fmily of sinners, saved by grace, committed to tearing down the walls,
throwing open the doors, and shourting, ‘Welcome! There’s bread and wine. Come
eat with us and talk.’ This isn’t a kingdom for the worthy; it’s a kingdom for
the hungry.”[1]
So, beloved, I’m calling us
to action: let’s be out of our minds---let’s take on the mind of Jesus, let us
be Holy Spirit possessed and God-soaked, full-fledged disciples, not nominal
Christians. Giving our all for the Kingdom---God’s Kingdom. Let us mean what we pray: Thy Kingdom come,
Thy Will be done. And even though the
world won’t understand, and society might look at us and say, "They be
crazy.” Let us hold fast to family---as
Jesus defines it---and let us, through our words and actions, define ourselves
as God’s family with arms spread out, hearts flooded with love and mercy, doors
open wide. All for God’s Kingdom.
We are God’s agents for
transformation, reaching out to the spiritually hungry and offering them the
rich banquet of the Christian life. Let us be a missionary church dedicated to
community, discipleship, and personal transformation.
As Bishop (and nominee for
Presiding Bishop) Michael Curry proclaimed at General Convention in 2012:
“We need some
Christians who are as crazy as the Lord. Crazy enough to love like Jesus, to
give like Jesus, to forgive like Jesus, to do justice, love mercy, walk humbly
with God— like Jesus. Crazy enough to dare to change the world from the
nightmare it often is into something close to the dream that God dreams for it.
And for those who would follow him, those who would be his disciples, those who
would live as and be the people of the Way? It might come as a shock, but they
are called to craziness.” [2]
Beloved: let’s be crazy
like Jesus.
Amen and Amen!!
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