The Rest of the Story - March 8, 2009

March 8, 2009
The Rest of the Story
Romans 4:13-25
Mark 8:31-38
Year B
Second Sunday of Lent

Telling of a story that we have all heard before.
Once upon a time there was a little girl, with a read hood. Her mother sent her to her grandmother’s house with some cookies. In order to get the grandmothers house, she had to pass through a forest. Along the way, she met a wolf. She told the wolf where she was going. The wolf seemed intrigued, and wished her well on her journey. She made it to her grandmother’s house – they sat down together with milk and cookies and told stories all afternoon, and both lives happily ever after.

That is not how the story goes. Stories don’t have happy endings – there has to be some drama, some struggle between good and evil, something bad has to happen.

We all know that in the real story – The wolf gets to the house before little riding hood and eats the grandmother and that both have to eventually be rescued, before they live happily ever after.

We want happy endings – but that is not how the story goes.


That is the point that Jesus is trying to make in the gospel for today.

Back up a little, Jesus is talking with disciples and Peter realizes that he is talking with the messiah.

But in his mind the messiah is the happy ending, the triumph, the answer to his prayers. When Jesus starts talk about suffering and dying, and giving up what you have to follow me – Peter is upset and tells Jesus not to talk like that.

Jesus response – get behind me Satan

Reminder that because we want happy endings – that is not the life that we live. Life of suffering, pain and problems.

Jesus not here to be the hero of our dreams – the savior of our lives. The definer of our faith. In order for faith to matter – it has to be connected to real life.

We all fall into the temptation of Peter – Jesus this is who you should be for us. Jesus reminds us this is who he really is. Jesus reminds Peter, and us, that we get out fairy tales and our faith tales confused. We confuse the stories of man and the stories of God. No matter how bright and creative we are, we could never create the stories of God.

This lent we are dealing with the promises of God. The things God said would always be so. God promised Abraham that the world would be blessed for generations to come – because of his son.

We know that this was strange for a couple who were almost in their 90’s. But it happen. And today- Abraham is our biggest example of faith. The story of his life sticks with us. Not because it was a strange story – but because it is a faith story.

Faith is not belief in things that we can’t see, or in things we don’t understand. Faith is being willing to be obedient without reservation. (repeat that again).

In God’s story of faith – are we Peter, or are we Abraham? Do we tell God what God should be doing to fit into our story and make us happy – or do we listen to God, and trust that God knows far more about us that we could ever know?

In our story of faith, where is Jesus? Is he the hero who makes everything perfect for is, or is he an example of what God can do in our lives, or is he the one who stands next to us to support us every step of the way in life.

Most importantly, where are you in God’s story of faith? Does your trust in God enable you to follow instructions, or does it limit your actions?

God asks each of us that question – are you willing to go forward in trust, or do you need to stand back until things go your way. True faith is being able to go forward, even though things are not going as you planned. True faith is knowing that God can make some pretty improbable promises to us – but God is always reliable. The story does not go on the way we would write it, but there are reminders along the way that it is not our story – but God’s story. Life is not a story of happy endings – but a story of faith. Which is a grander story then we could ever imagine………. (the end of the sermon)

The story of faith is not just a story of words – it can be told in many ways. This morning – our word from God will be in song. Songs of faith, of God’s promise of love, and of our response to God’s love in our lives.