April 30, 2017
Stetson Memorial UMC
Sermon Series:
“Mending
Fences-Healing the Heart…”
“A Season of Healing”
Adapted from Marcia McPhee’
“On the Mend” Sermon Series
Psalm 116:1-4;12-19
Mark 5:1-8;14-15;
21-23
“Why Did I Say…”
The Lord be with you
And also with you
Let us pray (Prayer that God’s Word is heard
through me or in-spite of me)
Please stand for the Gospel according to
Mark, chapter 5, verses 1-8;14-15; 21-23. Listen to the word of God from His
love letter to His beloved, you and I…
(Read Scripture from the
Good News Bible)
She sat and listened to all
that was being said. She thought to herself “Why did I even ask? All I wanted
was a little direction for my life and now…this. I knew I should have just kept
my mouth shut.” She didn’t want to be rude and leave but it was getting to be a
little too much for her. Finally, when they were done, she smiled and said, “it
still doesn’t make sense. I am not sure of this really is a place…the place…for
me…” got up and left…and never to returned.
They all thought to
themselves how rude this girl was. “We were only trying to help. Besides, she
asked what our opinion was. She seemed to want to know things that really
should concern her. She’s just one of those “trouble makers” who want to
“change the world”.” They were dumbfounded…how could this person disrespect
them. They were the ones who had the
answers to all her questions. They were older and so much wiser than she was.
Their opinion…their wisdom…was wasted on the younger generation. If they aren’t
going to listen, why do they ask? Why do they have to make life so complicated
for everyone else…
Earlier that evening, this
girl (we will call her Hope) had gone to the group she had always gone to. It
was just what she did. Hope had these questions in her mind from day one about
the group but she was too afraid to ask. On this night, she decided to ask
those questions that burned within her.
“Why do you only let just a
few in? Why do think the way you do? Why is it that you do what you do? Well
what if we…?” she asked as she poured out her heart to them. “You are so young,
you wouldn’t understand why we do what we do. We have been this way since the
beginning. We are an elite group and you need to understand…we don’t want
“rabble rouser” coming in…you never know what “they” will do. We have tried
before and well let’s just say that it didn’t go well for them…” as they
laughed with almost a delight… “Are you one of those kinds of people or are you
one of our kind of people”? This is the point that she got up and left…this
rude little girl called Hope…
Good
morning. This morning I want us to be
interactive with each other as we were last week. I need audience
participation. So please play along as the Spirit leads…In the story I just
shared with you, what stands out for you? Give
time for answers. What stands out for me is the fact that she left with her
questions still not addressed. All she was given was pretty much data…
Beloved,
we as Christ church need to have conversation of what ails us. What is hurting
inside of us. What hold us back from living the life, individually and
collective, that we are offered through Jesus. All too often, we sound a lot
like this “group” of people. If we are to live our lives as Resurrection people
we need to act as if we have been resurrected. All too often we are stuck in
the tomb with our comfortable “death cloths” on not want to come out first
being seen naked…leaving those things behind that binds us…and put on the robe
of righteousness that we receive in and through Christ.
As
I stated last week, over the next few weeks we will be talking about some of
the things that ail us…that stop us from living that life in Christ. We will be
mending fences and healing the heart with one another. And there may be no fences that need mending but we are all broken.
What in us needs mending? My hope is that we will have that conversation
that will lead to healing. Not only that but after the service each Sunday, I
invite us to have further conversation…living room conversation with each other
in the green room with a little coffee…a little snack and I hope a whole lot of
conversation and mending. We will put ourselves in front of Jesus where we can
be healed. There will be a week that my
friend Margaret will come for you to have conversation with her of what ails
your heart. Conversation is hard but it is vital if we want to be that vital
congregation for Christ.
So,
to begin with one word…intentions…what are our intentions in life?
Definition:
purpose or attitude toward the effect of
one's actions or conduct. In Short…why do we do what we do…why do
we say what we say…why do we act as we act. Let’s try to figure out what this “group”
of people from the story may be all about…
Were
they inclusive or exclusive? Give time to
answer… What do you think that their underlying factor…their motivation
was? Again, time to answer…
Jesus
was presented with the whole intentions thing a lot in his ministry and daily
life. When Jesus started His ministry, He caused a lot of fear in the lives of
the Pharisees. Jesus practiced “radical hospitality” when He took pity on
others and loved them where they were. This shook the whole world, especially
that of the Religious leaders. They we seen as wrong in their ways and they
just couldn’t stand it or let it continue… So, they planned and executed their
plan of getting rid of that outsider to their theology.
One
of the instances was in the scripture I read this morning… Now the teachers of
the law and Religious leaders lived and breathed their traditions. There were
none better at that then they were and they enjoyed pointing that out. They
wanted to show Jesus how He should act. They said that “His” disciples were not
doing what was right…and of course they were what was right…right? What do you think their intentions were?
Well
Jesus’ answer really did rock their world… As
our president might say they were “wrong.” They were more concerned about what
was on the outside…a showy faith…than the…real faith. They needed to get rid of this Jesus…He made them look bad…they feared
that if He continued they would be seen as the frauds they really were…So they
thought up and executed their plan to get rid of the thing…the one person…that
caused them the most fear…Jesus… It is what is on the inside that God is
concerned with…that is why we have this hope that no matter what our outward
appearance shall be…race, gender, challenged, pierced, tattooed, sex, nationality,
economically challenged… (fill in the blank)…God sees the inward appearance of
a repentant heart…God sees the inward potential that can move mountains and
bring Him glory…the kind of heart that not only brings Him glory but a smile to
His face…
We
as the body of Christ try to be inclusive…or at least I hope that we would be.
Unfortunately, we can fall a little short of being that inclusive church…in other words…we are no Sandals vacation.
There are many factors that make for an “exclusive group”…that needs to become
inclusive:
©
Underlying factor - why do we do what we do.
Is there something in the history of the group that would cause them…cause us
not to want other to be part of the group. What is the motivation? Is it not
wanting “outsiders” …” those people” or is much more than that? Is it power and
prestige that is being “threatened”?
©
Trying to be help but not quite so helpful –
There are times when we say the wrong thing unknowingly… We can only go from
what we know.
©
How about tradition – those “we have always
done it this way”. It will shatter all we know if we break that tradition. We
will also have to admit we are wrong.
©
That leads into fear – sometimes it is things
from our past, individually, and corporately, that causes us to fear…we don’t want
(fill in the blank) to happen again.
It can even be a displaced fear of… We are bombarded daily fear situations.
Fear of the unknown. That whole
shattering of tradition can lead to fear… The only fear is fear itself…
©
And there are times that we really do have
the best intentions and somehow, it all just goes off the rails… We don’t know what others bring to the
table…we don’t know what others life experiences have been…but when we begin to
hear them we begin to heal…
Beloved
children of the Most High God. What is ailing us…as a church…as individuals…as
one body? How can we be on the mend, of fences and our hearts? I know that a
lot of times we have good intentions, but what we need to ask ourselves why we
act or say what we do. Is there some kind of underlying situation or belief
that shouldn’t be there and if there is…how can we have conversation to heal
ourselves and each other? Are we more like the Pharisees and their legalism or
more like Jesus who loved and included all. As
a side note…Jesus fulfilled the law so you and I can live under grace…grace
received should be grace given. Also it is only because of His inclusiveness
that we are grafted into the family of God…just sayin… I ask that we
prayerfully come together…as family…to heal what ails us. Let us become that
group that the Hope would be able to ask questions and receive thoughtful God
inspired answers and if we are wrong in our beliefs may we admit it and heal
beyond our vision. Maybe…just maybe…she will come through our doors. The
question is…are we willing to let her in…?
Amen.
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