PUTTING OUR STUFF ONTO JESUS
Psalm 19: 7-14
MARK 9: 38-50
SEPTEMBER 29, 2024
Have you ever been confounded by the realization that what you understood was not reality? Seriously, even though we are all mature and obviously even to the most casual observer … just look around … this group that we are each part of here at St. Paul’s and I am sure it is also true for those choosing to worship with us this morning … clearly we are each extremely intelligent folks … but have you ever been thrown for a loop by the obvious?
In a way that is our Gospel lesson of the day because Jesus is creating a “duh moment” for those who are hearing Him or reading the Gospel while providing us with a reminder of what really matters in this life’s journey that we are all traveling on. In these days of all too many ongoing information streams perhaps those of us who call ourselves Christians are overdue to put our stuff … our realities … our lives … our struggles and frustrations … and how we ACTUALLY CHOOSE to live our lives onto Jesus. You know getting connected with God before it is too late. Jesus the great teacher and the One who was sent to save us from our sins while providing us a path to an eternal life with God.
I find it so interesting that many non-believers talk about Jesus as being a teacher and a good man yet so many who claim to be amongst the faithful pay almost no attention to the lessons Jesus taught much less adopt them. There are some in this 21st century world who might even mock Jesus or worse if they were given quotes from Him without Jesus being identified as the speaker … I certainly hope that due to our highly advanced level of intellect that does not apply to anyone worshiping with us today.
Friends, I would hope that most of us would say that when we start to make decisions about our life’s paths that the obvious choice to align with Jesus as you look around at the world this morning. At least while we are in church we can all agree with that.
As we consider this life journey if ours shouldn’t we who have faith … we who have made the active decision to attend a church today either in person or online … shouldn’t we again be considering the foolishness of any allegiance that we might have to a worldly philosophy or to any world leader that runs counter to the faithful person who we each claim to be because after all … King David … David who knocked down Goliath … David who danced with absolute unabandoned joy because of the Lord God … David who Jesus could look up on His Ancestry.com app on Jesus’ cell phone and discover that David was part of His family heritage … David, the imperfect sinner like all of us … THAT DAVID knew what mattered even in the most difficult moments when dark clouds surrounded him and so he wrote it in today’s Psalm … “THE LORD’s instruction is perfect.”
And, on this “healing Sunday” at St. Paul’s perhaps the next few words of David are essential for each of us to consider … perhaps to bring about our “duh” moment again at a time … at a time when we might be hurting emotionally … at a time when we might be hurting physically … at a time when we might be confused or perhaps for some of you when your financial resources seem incapable of paying all of your bills … friends I continue to make this call to you and really to me … that we need to find the still waters and the green meadows and reconnect with God. It is my plea to you … it is my personal ongoing kick in the pants … David put into this Psalm these essential words … “The Lord’s instruction is PERFECT … REVIVING ONE’s VERY BEING!”
So, isn’t it past time that we put our stuff onto Jesus … that we invest our time in finding the peace that goes beyond human understanding … isn’t it time to wise up. Ok, there I am quoting David from this Psalm again … “The Lord’s laws are faithful, making naïve people wise.”
In today’s CHILDREN’s MESSAGE I shared my experience with Dax yesterday … our POWER HATS … our energizing hats and I shared a few verses about God’s availability to be our strength … and our power … but Paul in Corinthians goes a bit further when he shares, “The Lord said, “My grace is enough for you. My power is greatest when you are weak.” Paul continues, “Christ’s power can rest on me in my weakness. I am all right with weaknesses, insults, disasters, harassments, and stressful situations for the sake of Christ, because when I am weak then I am strong.”
Paul in another letter talks about experiencing a “Peace that goes beyond human understanding.” When we understand that the “Lord is near.” And, we put our requests to God not being anxious but instead … my favorite verse woohoo “BE GLAD in the Lord always … again I say be glad.” REJOICE ALWAYS …
<<Go down into the church>> On Friday I went to see my “heart failure doctor.” I know what a stupid name for someone in the healing profession. It was on October 14th of last year that I discovered the first of my now personally overwhelming health challenges. And, yes even though I am doing well … I will admit I am frequently overwhelmed including being scared, sad, mad … actually VERY ANGRY and frustrated.
Until May 21st of last year I was good … real good … seemingly a healthy juggernaut but at the end of the day I was just a small, faulty human being. Ross, my doctor and I had a good conversation about life, about THE BILLS, and about my health. I like him; he’s honest. Sitting in a doctor’s exam room when you know you have a heart condition and cancer is always a time to be apprehensive. When your health slams you in the face and in your body … well, you start to think about realities that you might otherwise ignore.
Not asking for hands but have you ever been scared after being really sad and wondered why. Have you ever needed to escape? That’s me… I do try to escape to my TREEHOUSE at Longwood Gardens… I try to find still waters and avoid any waves that can overwhelm…even though I was there for my heart, Ross and I spent more time talking about cancer and life. He cursed cancer there in that exam room and then put those words on a printed follow up and later in a text message we shared Friday afternoon but most importantly he hugged me not once but twice before I went on my way off to another doctor’s appointment.
He had admitted he doesn’t do miracles but those hugs helped … do you hug? Do you help? Do you have God’s peace? Are you part of the still waters for someone?
Today, I am hoping that some amongst us … someone or maybe a few of us perhaps here in this sanctuary or online will experience the ‘DUH MOMENT’ and realize that our faith needs to be healed. That we need to adjust or readjust who we are so that our life honors the Lord God and frankly we all need to realize that God’s truths are solid and as David taught more desirable than gold.
Since that fateful Saturday in October 2023 I have repeatedly been told I need to be healed. First the heart and now my prostate. Things are going perhaps better than expected. I am trying to avoid stress and am doing my best to listen. I am going to the gym and this week started my new career in pickleball (Those demure take it easy players better watch out because I am already slamming balls across the net while trying to stay out of the kitchen.). I take all of my medications and make sure I don’t forget.
But God friends is calling us to listen to God and frankly it’s not that hard … the real question remains and it comes down to being willing to focus on God and actually reject the world stuff that if we were as smart as I said we are we’d know was abjectly opposite of what God wants us to align with. We’d want peace and we’d reflect joy because of our faith.
Yes, Jesus provided some harsh lessons about God’s expectations … you have heard them before I am sure don’t cause a child to trip and fall into sin yet we don’t even teach kids about God and Jesus. Jesus talked about humanity’s overwhelming need to judge others … you know you can find those folks rather easily these days … and said we need to take care of the logs in our eyes before worrying about others’ specks.
But, just as in Matthew 25, Jesus in today’s Gospel lesson says whoever gives a simple cup of water will be rewarded but in Matthew we hear Jesus say we are to care for the poor, feed the hungry, and be reflections of Jesus in this world. In fact, Jesus said we are to love our neighbors as Jesus loved them. And, at the end of today’s Gospel lesson Jesus words reflective of the Sermon on the Mount said “KEEP PEACE with EACH OTHER.”
And, here we are … ready to head out into the world again.
This morning’s first song of the day when I work up was Procol Harem’s ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale.” It was on my instagram with lyrics across the screen. I started to sing but I also watched the words streamed. I have been singing this song all of my life but my goodness the words the band was singing were not the words I have always sung … come on now …. I got the first lines spot on, “We skipped the light fandango. Turned some cartwheels across the floor I was feeling kind of seasick when the crowd called out for more.” But later I was just wrong … I had not listened carefully.
I have my Dax energizer hat … I have a great team of doc’s a couple of whom have become friends not just doctors … I am blessed with an amazing church family … I now know the correct lyrics to that song but most importantly friends, I know how much God loves me … I know that God is ready to provide a place to restore my soul and I know the Lord’s instruction is perfect reviving one’s very being and I hope and pray that for myself and for all of you that the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts will be pleasing to the Lord GOD … who we all need to be truly our ROCK and OUR REDEEMER. AMEN