September 17, 2006 Sermon
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Proper 19 – B
September 17, 2006 Emmanuel, San Angelo
Somewhere along the way toward child safety and parental peace of mind we have lost a valuable part of what used to be standard fare on every school playground and in every park throughout the country—the “Seesaw.” For those who remember it, the seesaw (teeter-totter, or teeter board) was literally the great equalizer on every kid’s field of dreams. On the seesaw you found out who your friends were, who the pranksters were; you learned who you could trust with your very life, and who the bullies were. The seesaw required partnership, cooperation, and face-to-face interaction something that a swing, or monkey bars, or those little “bouncy things” simply don’t have. It was there, on that long wooden plank, balanced with one child here and the other there- that we first learned the laws of physics, that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. And discovering, sometimes painfully, that what goes up must come down.
In another decade I suppose I won’t be able to even use this as an example but, for today, most will understand it when I say that the life and ministry of Jesus was like a seesaw, with high points and low points, ups and downs. In the Bible we read of Christ’s birth and baptism, his temptations in the wilderness, the miracles, the healings, the teachings, the moments when people hailed him as Lord and followed…and times when people rejected, abandoned and condemned him. Times when he was down to earth and one of us, and times when he defied all earthly understanding.
Using this imagery we see that, insofar as Mark’s Gospel is concerned, the text before us this morning (Mark 8:27-38), is itself the fulcrum upon which the entire story balances. It is both the literal half-way point in the story (chapter 8), and the emotional/spiritual middle of a journey that will find its end at the Cross. The disciples have just affirmed him as the Christ, and Jesus has just told them that the Messiah is going to have to die. Obviously the full understanding that he must go “as a lamb to the slaughter” has not been revealed. It simply does not compute with his followers. Who could blame Peter for saying, as recorded in Matthew, “God forbid it Lord! This must never happen to you.” (16: 22) Through word and actions Jesus had taught his followers about the God and God’s Imperial Rule. This was a kingdom requiring a different allegiance than to the things of this world. However, now he turns the table and asks, “Who do you say that I am.” For Christians of any age that is the $64 thousand dollar question.
Today at Emmanuel we are kicking off our annual Stewardship Campaign, and anyone who has been around here for any length of time knows the drill. Stewardship as a way of life is the work of the church. We are in the business of being stewards and caretakers of the resources given to us by our Creator. Stewardship is not about money, and yet money is a part of our stewardship. In a bit you will hear Sheila Fisher talk about what Emmanuel means to her. Again, those who have been here for a while will tell you that this church is here today because folks have cared enough over the years to give of themselves, and do so sacrificially. Emmanuel has touched many lives and will continue to do so for years to come. God will continue to use this place for God’s honor and glory. So, as we do every year I am going to be asking that every adult, every household, fill in a Pledge Card and make a financial, and physical commitment to God for the coming year. As I do every year I am going to challenge you to think big, and consider making your pledge a Tithe (10%) of your resources, time and talent. Of course the amount you give is between yourself and God, but blessings in abundance await those who make it their priority to put God first. Remember, we don’t give because God needs us to; we give because WE need to.
To be a Christian this day and age is to embrace some of the world’s great paradoxes: Jesus lived his life to lose it…yet he lost his life to gain life, and so that we might have life in abundance. In the end we gain life by giving it away, and we grow in faith by serving others. The call of Christ to us is an eternal call to love, to live and to be all that we can be in God’s sight It is an invitation to work for those things that create life and a challenge to oppose those people, those attitudes and those systems that distort life. As someone once said, “I have never met God by retreating from life. I seem to meet God only when I enter deeply into life.”
Christianity is not an empty and outdated set of scriptural and creedal concepts but a new adventure into wholeness and holiness. As we walk side by side with those in every age who seek to do God’s will, this seesaw journey of faith will take us high and take us low, through good times and bad times. But always and ever surely it takes us to God.
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Revised: 10/10/06