A New Definition of Family

June 10, 2018 Mark 3:20-35 5B Pentecost A New Definition of Family Children’s Sermon: "Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother." (v. 35) Object: wear a strange piece of clothing or hat (or something completely out of character, like wearing a wastebasket for a hat) Good morning, boys and girls. What do you think of my new piece of clothing? (Let them answer.) It's pretty strange looking, isn't it? I might wear this one time and get away with it. If I wore this all the time, you might think I was strange. My family would become pretty concerned about me. What do you think would happen if I wore this everyday for one week? (Let them answer.) I think I know what would happen. My family would probably sit down with me and have a long talk about how I've changed. They would ask me if something were the matter with me. They would then suggest that I get some help from someone about my problem. Even though I like this (name the object), I think I'll take it off. I want to tell you a story about someone else who did something that made his family very concerned. They wanted to talk with him also. This person was Jesus. Can you believe that? When Jesus started his ministry he began going from place to place healing people. He soon became so popular that people followed him everywhere. Soon his family became concerned. They went to talk to him. He was in a house when someone told him, "Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside asking about you." They were worried about him. They didn't understand his mission from God. Here's how Jesus replied to them. He said, (point to the children and the congregation) "Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother." Jesus was saying that our family is larger than we think. He was saying that anyone who does what God says to do is your brother or sister. This week I want you to think about this. We all have families that you came to church with. You are also part of God's larger family. God's family members are those around you this morning in church. All people who do what God tells them are your brothers and sisters. CSS Publishing Co., Mark 3:20-35 Common English Bible (CEB) Misunderstandings about Jesus 20 Jesus entered a house. A crowd gathered again so that it was impossible for him and his followers even to eat. 21 When his family heard what was happening, they came to take control of him. They were saying, “He’s out of his mind!” 22 The legal experts came down from Jerusalem. Over and over they charged, “He’s possessed by Beelzebul. He throws out demons with the authority of the ruler of demons.” 23 When Jesus called them together he spoke to them in a parable: “How can Satan throw Satan out? 24 A kingdom involved in civil war will collapse. 25 And a house torn apart by divisions will collapse. 26 If Satan rebels against himself and is divided, then he can’t endure. He’s done for. 27 No one gets into the house of a strong person and steals anything without first tying up the strong person. Only then can the house be burglarized. 28 I assure you that human beings will be forgiven for everything, for all sins and insults of every kind. 29 But whoever insults the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. That person is guilty of a sin with consequences that last forever.” 30 He said this because the legal experts were saying, “He’s possessed by an evil spirit.” 31 His mother and brothers arrived. They stood outside and sent word to him, calling for him. 32 A crowd was seated around him, and those sent to him said, “Look, your mother, brothers, and sisters are outside looking for you.” 33 He replied, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” 34 Looking around at those seated around him in a circle, he said, “Look, here are my mother and my brothers. 35 Whoever does God’s will is my brother, sister, and mother.” Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible Today’s scripture begins with the words – Jesus entered a house. Usually when you enter into a house you enter into a the dwelling place of a family. Indeed the theme of the scripture is what it means to be family. The question is asked, who is my mother and brother. And Jesus ultimately responds that those who do the will of God are my family. In other words, the house that Jesus enters is the house of God. And those who are present are all family. But sometimes we don’t treat one another like family. Today’s scripture is also about a house divided. As many of our churches are. I am struck that Jesus says that a house divided cannot stand. What does that mean for us? I have told a similar story before, but this one has a little bit of a different twist. Dr. Eugene Brice tells a delightful but disturbing story about a minister who returned to visit a church he had once served. He ran into Bill, who had been an elder and leader in the church, but who wasn't around anymore. The pastor asked, "Bill, what happened? You used to be there every time the doors opened." "Well, Pastor," said Bill, "a difference of opinion arose in the church. Some of us couldn't accept the final decision and we established a church of our own." "Is that where you worship now?" asked the pastor. "No," answered Bill, "we found that there, too, the people were not faithful and a small group of us began meeting in a rented hall at night." "Has that proven satisfactory?" asked the minister. "No, I can't say that it has," Bill responded. "Satan was active even in that fellowship, so my wife and I withdrew and began to worship on Sunday at home by ourselves." "Then at last you have found inner peace?" asked the pastor. "No, I'm afraid we haven't," said Bill. "Even my wife began to develop ideas I was not comfortable with, so now she worships in the northeast corner of the living room, and I am in the southwest." King Duncan, quoting Eugene Brice, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com A house divided…… I just returned from annual conference at the beginning of last week. Tony is the lay delegate, and I would expect that he will give a report of his experience soon. Did you know that the United Methodist Church turns 50 years old this year? In 1968 – the Evangelical United Brethren Church and the Methodist Episcopal Church merged in order to become the United Methodist Church. The EUB church was of a German church and the Methodist Episcopal was more of an English church – both started by John Wesley. They realized that they had more in common than they had differences. But in the merger they had to spend some time working out those differences and finding new grounds. For instance, when the EUB church says the Lord’s prayer – they said Forgive us our debts. When the ME’s said the Lord’s prayer they said – Forgive us our trespasses. In order to find new common ground, this church says forgive us our sins. Having served a former EUB congregation, I always have to be sensitive to what wording is used in a church. Another issue that had to be thoroughly ironed out was the new church’s stance on racism. In the ME church, the African American churches had their own conference. All afircan American churches irregardless of where they were in the world belonged to the central conference. The EUB’s insisted that all churches were equal and had to be integrated into the general church. I have also served one of the few remaining churches that was actually a member of the central conference. One of my former members still speaks of how her mother vehemently opposed the new merger, because losing the central conference meant losing their identity as a church. And yet it was that integration and unity that made me decide to become a United Methodist. The Baptist church is still divided into the Northern and Southern and separate black denominations. And there will never be a reason for the three to unite – as time goes on, they really don’t have anything in common but a name. I guess that is why it pains me to think that 50 years after putting their differences aside, that the United Methodist church once again faces a division. This time over the question of homosexuality. Not so much in how the church accepts homosexuality, but in the question of whether homosexuality is in keeping with the teachings of the bible. In 2019 – there will be a special general conference of the entire church just to deal with this issue. The regular general conference is in 2020. But there are many on both sides who have threatened to break off from the denomination. The bishops have three proposals for what to do next. The one that seems to have the most support is the One Church model, where the church stays intact, but each conference, church, pastor and parishioner is free to have their own conscious on the matter. But the bishops don’t make the decision. No one knows what will happen in 2019 when the actual vote is taken. But I appreciated our bishops words to the clergy – that whatever happens, whether we split or we stay united – the work of each of us as United Methodist stays the same. – we need to make disciples and save souls for Jesus Christ. To relate to our scripture – we have to remember who our brothers and sisters – and work to stay a family. The conference is preparing itself for how to move forward whatever the decision. And the feelings have been boiling on both sides of this issue for quite some time. But the conference shepherding team offered the word liminal – a state of preparation, prayer and paying attention to what God is telling us. I think that is a very good place for us to be as a congregation – asking God what is next for us. What is it mean to be family here in Wilmington? What do we need to be doing to bring more people into the family. I sat in with the Morning Glory Circle Tuesday for refreshments. We got to talking about transferring to the Presbyterian Church from another denomination. One said when she joined the Presbyterian Church, her mother didn't speak to her for several weeks. Herloise said when she told her mother that she was going to join the Presbyterian Church when she and Jimmy got married, her mother said, "Well, you never were much of a Baptist anyway!" It happens all the time: A son chooses a different line of work instead of joining his father's business; a woman chooses to marry a man her parents don't approve of; couples decide to have children – or not to have children – over their parents' wishes; even deciding who you're going to vote for in the Presidential election can be a problem. Of course, there's no expiration date on parenthood – loving parents will always love their children – but there are boundaries. And to cross the line; that is, to hold on to the dependency of the parent-child relationship is to violate the parental role and thwart the growth and development of the child. As loving parents we have to cut the apron strings and insist that our children stand on their own two feet. We have to let go and entrust them to God: "He who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me." This is the goal of healthy parenting – to enable our children to become the men and women God intends them to be, created not in our image, but in the image of God. John Power says this in a delightful way in his book, The Unoriginal Sinner and the Ice Cream God. In the form of a letter from a father to his teenage son, he writes, "Dear Son: Ever since the day you were born, I have made your life worth living. Make no mistake about it. I have done everything for you. And during all those years, just by being my son, you have made life worth living for me. I would have lived without you, but I would have never lived so well. Let's call it even. And if we see each other after today, let it be because we're friends, not family." (p. 243) Here's the bottom line: Jesus clearly defined the boundaries of parenthood when he asked the question, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" There could be no mistake about it, his relationship to God came first and foremost, and so must ours. Philip W. McLarty, Who Are My Mother and My Brothers? Jesus ends by saying – Whoever does God’s will is my brother, sister or mother. What does that mean for each of us? Amen. Who Are My Mother and My Brothers? A friend named Bill is a minister. He also has been accused of being a little bit nuts. Bill does workshops for churches on clowning. Not long ago, he was in a distant city, packing up after a workshop. The phone rang. Nobody was around. He answered. "Are you a minister?" somebody asked. "Yes, actually I am." "Come quickly," said the voice, "our child is dying of leukemia." Bill dropped everything. He ran out to his rental car and drove to the hospital. He parked the car, ran up the steps, through the double doors, and down the hall. Suddenly it hit him: he was still dressed as a clown, with a white face, red nose, orange hair, and green suspenders. He didn't have time to change. It was an emergency. He kept going. He found the room, knocked on the door, and entered the room where a young girl in a hospital bed lay surrounded by her family. "We called for a minister, not a clown," said the father. The child replied, "He's better than a minister. Can he stay?" No one dared to deny her request. Bill sat on the edge of the hospital bed. He sang songs. He told Bible stories. He cradled the little girl in his arms until the end. When the last moment came, she made a final request. "Would you come to my funeral?" So that's how it happened. On the third day, crazy Bill stood with white face, red nose, orange hair, and green suspenders. He never spoke a word, yet he led the people as they laughed, and cried, and remembered the little girl's life. A few people present thought it was wrong to have a clown at a funeral, much less lead the service. They murmured afterwards, "That minister is out of his mind! He's crazy!" By all the proper canons of pastoral protocol, they were probably correct. But there he stood, acting as if God's joyful power has already defeated death. Was he crazy? Who can say? All we know is that Bill heard Jesus say, "I am the resurrection and the life," and he acted accordingly. "You don't have to be crazy to work around here, but it helps." Likewise, you don't have to be out of your mind to do the work of Jesus Christ, even though a faithful life can provoke the world to think of you that way. Should evil conspire against you, listen closely. You may hear Christ say, "You're my brother -- you're my sister -- you're my family." William G. Carter, Water Won’t Quench the Fire, CSS Publishing Company One of the Lucifer legends tells how one day a priest noticed in his congregation a magnificently handsome young man. After the service the young man stayed for confession. He confessed so many and such terrible sins that the priest’s hair stood on end. “You must have lived long to have done all that,” the priest said. “My name is Lucifer and I fell from heaven at the beginning of time,” said the young man. “Even so,” said the priest, “say that you are sorry, say that you repent and even you can be forgiven.” The young man looked at the priest for a moment and then turned and strode away. He would not and could not say it; and therefore he had to go on still desolate and still damned. There is only one condition of forgiveness and that is penitence. So long as a man sees loveliness in Christ, so long as he hates his sin even if he cannot leave it, even if he is in the mud and the mire, he can still be forgiven. But if a man, by repeated refusals of God’s guidance, has lost the ability to recognize goodness when he sees it, if he has got his moral values inverted until evil to him is good and good to him is evil, then, even when he is confronted by Jesus, he is conscious of no sin; he cannot repent and therefore he can never be forgiven. That is the sin against the Holy Spirit.