Theme: “God’s Side” 17th Sunday after Pentecost
Text: Mark 9:38-50 September 27, 2009
It is no surprise to many of you that I love to talk about sports. And I hope it would be no surprise to you that I also like to talk about faith. Some athletes like to combine those, almost giving the impression that God made it possible for them to win. A small church college hung a sign on their side of the field, “God is on our side.” I guess my thought is that God doesn’t choose sides or a certain player, God probably could care less. Or we could say that God is on both sides. For 22 years I listened to invocations at the beginning of the Air Force football games, usually the prayer included safety for both teams and doing their best. The exception would be when we played Notre Dame or BYU.
Maybe the side for us to consider is God’s side. If on God’s side, first of all you side with Christ. The end is near; Jesus had warned that, it confused them. They were confused about greatness as well. If on God’s side, greatness involves serving others, humility, hospitality. Confusion I understand, the more I studied this story, the more confused I got. The disciples had been given the power of driving out demons, but had recently failed. (9:18) Then along comes someone no one knows, who casts out demons in the name of Christ. He’s not one of them, the in-group, so they try to stop him. God’s on our side. They are not like us, they don’t believe the right things, or live the right way. Do you ever sound like that?
Surprisingly, Jesus is open to this. The disciples are thumbs- down, he had not been through the classes like they had, yet Jesus tells them differently. Jesus tries to make it simple - “Whoever is not against us is for us.” God’s side is not arrogant or exclusive, “Widen your circle, boys.”
We as Christians have been accused of being cliquish, and that is probably a fair criticism. We gravitate toward those with the same likes and dislikes, the same prejudices, our own little group. We often forget to gravitate to Christ. We are the chosen people of God, but we are not chosen over or above or greater than others. John said, “We tried to stop him because he was not following us.” Excuse me, following who? God’s side, side with Christ. That’s what this unnamed man did, on God’s side; he acted “in the name of Christ.” ” In my name” Jesus says. By doing that he declared publicly his affiliation, his attachment, his link with Jesus, and whose side he was on. A thumbs-up to Jesus. This could mean a drink of water. God doesn’t care about labels, only serving, loving neighbors, even enemies, in Jesus’ name. This is our affiliation.
Being on God’s side will next require surgery. Playing football in high school I got a ruptured spleen. They removed it in the middle of the night or I would have bled to death. If something threatens our existence, the doctor will eliminate it, and without hesitation. If we have a sin, a stumbling block, something that is preventing us from being on God’s side, isn’t that an emergency? Or do we put it off, thinking it will go away, out of sight out of mind?
A stumbling block, literally, is a scandal, a temptation to sin. It’s like cheese in the mouse trap. Doing that is so bad that a millstone, a millstone is so heavy that a donkey is needed to pull it, is hung around the neck and thrown into the sea. A person on God’s side is not to be a stumbling block. You are not to obstruct the faith formation.
This week our confirmands met their mentors, the mentors are not to be stumbling blocks but another aid in the faith journey of these confirmands.
When a child is leaning how to walk it is a constant process of stumbling. Our lives continue to be a path of stumbling. Sin is a reality. You walk along on God’s side doing your best to follow and suddenly you do a face plant, like the kids you must get up and go again. This hyperbole teaches us to get rid of the obstruction, operate, do surgery, and it will affect all of our life, hand, foot, eye. If our hands distract us, then discipline is required, If it is our feet, then we must go where God wants us to go, if it is our eyes, then we must focus on God’s side. We are not literally cutting off or plucking out, but being on God’s side means exercising self-discipline.
Jesus never ripped off anyone’s foot, ear or eye, even though many deserved it, but his hands and feet were pierced. So on God’s side you hear the winning words, “Your sins are forgiven.” This is a form of purification. Salt and fire that Jesus mentions have the ability to purify. God’s side, last of all, provides purification, seasoning. Purifying happens when you purge your sin, when you wash out, flush out, when you eradicate. What great images come to your mind? On God’s side we have salt as a seasoning. You are seasoned to live differently than others, a humble servant, spiced up with the characteristics that set God’s side apart. And those who are seasoned in that way will be at peace with one another.
The beauty of God’s side is that ministry is accomplished in ways that you would not have even thought of, and by those you don’t even know. God’s side works in God’s name. That is something to get excited about and, yes, even talk about. To that we give a thumbs-up. Amen
Related posts:
0 Responses
Stay in touch with the conversation, subscribe to the RSS feed for comments on this post.