Together like Family

June 6, 2021 Mark 3:20-35 Together like Family 2nd Sunday After Pentecost Year B Opening Song Welcome Call to Worship #2: L: Welcome to worship today! P: Thank you. We are glad to be here! L: Open your eyes and your hearts to God’s spirit. P: We open our lives to God’s word for us. L: Rejoice! For God is with us this day! P: Thanks be to God for God’s loving presence. AMEN. Opening Prayer Lord, we come this day, having seen the miracles of everyday creation in our world. We have enjoyed both the bright sunshine and the gentle rains. We have marveled over the beauty of flowers and the complexity of your creation. Make our hearts ready to receive your word for us, that we may go forth from this place ready to joyfully serve you all of our days. AMEN.. Stewardship Moment Moment for Stewardship In South America, Africa and Asia, hunters learn a very effective way to trap monkeys. The plan is deceptively simple: take a gourd, drill a hole just large enough for a monkey’s hand to pass through, add some weight to the gourd with sand or pebbles, place a nut or fresh fruit inside, put the gourd where a monkey will find it. Here’s what happens: the monkey reaches in the hole to get the food — but the hole is too small for the monkey’s hand to pass through while it’s holding the treat, and the gourd is too heavy for the creature to carry. Because the monkey will not let go of its prize, it becomes trapped. The animal gives up its freedom to hold on to a small piece of food. Sometimes we, humans, act much the same! Our offering is a weekly opportunity for us to move beyond holding tightly to our wealth/treasure, trapping ourselves with what can be seen. Good news! What we SEE is not all there is to God’s creation! Let’s open our hands to make our morning offering, knowing by sharing, we’ll find freedom! For in 2nd Corinthians, we hear “look not at what can be seen (temporary), but look at what cannot be seen (eternal)”. Prayer of Thanksgiving Loving God, you offer us so much! Thank you for modeling the eternal truth of abundance, even when we mostly see scarcity. Receive our gifts this day, freely given. Free the hands and hearts of those not yet able to give. Open us all to see beyond the compulsive grab-ability of what traps us in this present moment. Use these gifts, and use us, to find ways to share your Good News. AMEN Scripture Mark 3:20-35 Common English Bible 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.” Sermon Together like family The Despair of Feeling Disowned by God One morning I was roused from sleep around 3 a.m. by the ringing of the telephone (that is almost always a bad thing for a minister!). The person on the other end of the line was distraught because, she said, she had committed the unforgivable sin. It is interesting to me that such calls often occur at such an hour, after the bars have closed. The woman went on to say that at some point in her life she had really been angry about something, and had said, "Damn the Holy Spirit." Now she was remorseful, but she knew that Jesus had said that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is unforgivable. Therefore, she was sure that there was no hope for her, either in this world or in the next. Her situation is certainly not unique. The eighteenth century poet, William Cowper, suffered recurrent attacks of insanity due to his belief that he had committed the unforgivable sin. After one such terrible bout he wrote: Damned below Judas; more abhorred than he was, Who for a few pence sold his holy Master! Twice-betrayed Jesus, me, the last delinquent, Deems the profanest. Man disavows, and Deity disowns me.... There, indeed, is despair -- the despair of one who feels disowned by God. David G. Rogne, Sermons for Sundays after Pentecost, CSS Publishing Company I would think that we have all been in that situation at some point in our lives. The point when we loose all hope in ourselves and think that we are at the point of no return. I think that we have all thought at one point in our lives that we have committed the unforgivable sin. Not only have I thought at times that I have done the unforgivable sin, when I was much younger I would mock the bible in my head, and intentionally mock God in my head just to see what would happen. Of course nothing happened. There are several places in the bible where Jesus talks about this unforgivable sin. Most of them are in Matthew. But Jesus seems mad enough here in Mark to strike back at those who have striked out against him. Jesus has just called all of his disciples together as the 12. He is wandering all along the countryside preaching what he calls the good news. And people are starting to listen to him and his crazy topsy turvy ideas. He is starting to experience some backlash for his success from two places. First from the religious leaders of the community, and then from his own family. His family is convinced that he has gone mad and it is their job to control him and to bring his home. The religious leaders take it one step further. They believe that not only has he gone mad, but that he must be possessed by the devil. What else would have him out in the streets disrespecting himself, his community and even God. This is what Jesus so mad – he has dedicated his whole life to going out and healing people and creating a future for him. He is not exercising demons, he is just making sure that the negativity of normal life does not take over and destroy people. After all – how can he be driving demons out of people if he was a demon himself. That accusation makes Jesus so mad – that he starts talking about the unforgivable sin. What is the unforgivable sin? In this case it is calling good evil, and calling evil good. In other words blaming the devil for what God has done. In the book of Matthew there are two unforgivable sins first is speaking against the holy spirit, saying that the holy spirit ois not effective, or important or even it is really from God. The second is suicide. I served as the chaplain of Edward Hospital in Naperville at one point. Part of my duties were to visit patients in their room. I visited one man and asked if he wanted me to pray with him. In the conversation he said that he used to attend church on a regular basis. Until his brother committed suicide and the priest told the family that there was no way that he could go to heaven. The man knew that his brother was not a bad person, and if his brother could not go to heaven, then there was no reason for him to go to church. 20 years later, he asked me if his brother was able to go to heaven. We talked about grace and the love of God. Is there anything that God does not understand about what is going on in our spirits? Is there anything that we can do in life that God will not forgive? I told the man that I believed that he his brother was in heaven, and that God had forgiven him. God’s grace applies to all people and to all situations. Just knowing that his brother was okay – seemed to bring some peace and healing to his soul. Not only was he able to heal his body, but we prayed – he said that he would probably return to church. God’s grace is sufficient. God forgives all sins. Sins that we are able to admit and to repent from. 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 The unforgivable sin is the sin that we are not willing to repent from. The one which we are not willing to accept the grace that God gives us freely. The book of Mark is very powerful. Mark has this gift of bringing up the naked truth about so many issues. Not only does he speak about unforgivable sins, but he also speaks about demons in our life, and he is not ashamed to address issues of mental health and the dynamics of family issues. In this scripture lesson, Jesus family is convinced that he has some mental challenges. Usually in Mark, when Mark talks about the presence of demons, the person involved seems to show symptoms of mental illness. Once again, in every case, when that person comes in contact with Jesus they are healed and able to go on with their lives. So how can someone with a mental illness actually cure someone else of mental illness – that does not make any sense – which is why Jesus was so angry. Another interesting thing about the book of Mark – in this story Jesus mother and brothers come to get him, but the dad is absent. Mark never one time mentions Joseph as Jesus father. Joseph is never mentioned at all. Jesus tells everyone that God is his father. When he leaves his family and the life they have planned for him as the first born son – he leaves it in order to follow the will of God. Put God First Some of us grew up watching the afternoon television program, Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood. Others of us may be reluctant to admit that we sat down with our children and watched it, too. I think Mr. Rogers exemplified in a gentle way what Jesus was getting at. When Mr. Rogers changed into his sweater and took off his shoes, it was a biblical gesture of self-emptying humility and welcome to all of us in TV land. Then he sang the litany we loved to hear, "It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood, a beautiful day for a neighbor, would you be mine? Could you be mine?" Even Mr. McFeely, the postal carrier, went around from house to house making a neighborhood out of what would have been a bunch of separate houses divided by hedges and picket fences. The family values we saw in Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood were courtesy and kindness and curiosity. In one episode, Mr. Rogers took us to a sneaker factory where there was an assembly line of workers. He watched one woman working, and he wondered out loud if she ever thought about the people who would wear the shoes she made. The values of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood came right through that television screen into our family room. That woman making sneakers became my neighbor as well as the unknown people buying the shoes she made. You and I may differ on definitions of family and what constitutes family values, but we all know we can learn something indispensable from Jesus. He teaches us to put God first. When you fall back into the habit of loving flesh and blood more than God, don't worry too much. God is always at work redeeming and expanding our earth-bound loves to make them heaven-sent. Kristin Borsgard Wee, Sermons for Sundays after Pentecost (First Third): Do You Love Me?, CSS Publishing Company, Inc. Finally, when defending himself against the critics he speaks of binding the strongman in order to control him. Jesus binds our evil intentions, our sins, our hardened hearts. So that we can be free to live in God’s grace. Think What God Can Do with Our Sins M. H. Schubert shares the story about a group of fishermen in the Scottish highlands. They gathered for tea and discussed the day's catch. As a waitress set down a cup of tea, a hand accidently knocked it against the wall. It left an ugly stain. One of the guests got up, went to the wall, and began sketching around the stain with a crayon. What emerged was a stag with magnificent antlers. The man was Sir Edwin Landseer, England's foremost painter of animals. If an artist can transform an unsightly stain into a beautiful masterpiece, think what God can do with our sins. He absolves them and, in their place, refashions us toward full maturity. James Weekley, Tilted Haloes, CSS Publishing Company Our story starts with the unforgivable sin and it ends with grace, freedom, forgiveness, family and church. We worship a truly and graceful God. Amen. Prayer Lord, in this season of growth, open our hearts to grow in your love. Help us to truly trust in your creative process in our lives. We look around and we see the beauty of your world, the blossoming flowers and plants, the growth of children, the joy of celebrations of graduation and marriage, of receiving new life. And we also see the sadness and sorrow that has invaded the world when systems of injustice and hatred lay claim to people’s lives. Prepare us, O Lord, to become ambassadors of peace and hope. Help us to place our trust in you, so that when we are serving others, they may come to know your abiding love and power. Give us courage and great joy as we serve you. AMEN. Lord’s Prayer Song for Reflection They’ll know we are Christians by our Love TFWS 2223 - no need to print the words Invitation to communion (just print the title) A woman engaged in ministries with those experiencing homelessness in Atlanta, Georgia, continues to teach many who “just want to help”. She encourages the erstwhile “helpers” to come share time and conversation with those on the streets, rather than showing up at a corner, standing by a car trunk, tossing out sandwiches as tho’ offering bread crumbs to the birds. This woman helps others understand what’s more valuable: relationship, rather than charity. In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus and the disciples were in the midst of a crowd when Jesus’ mother, sisters and brothers appeared, seeking to “help” Jesus. However, when he was told of their arrival, Jesus looked at those pressing close to him, claiming “here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.” When we come to this Table, we’re claimed in relationship to Jesus. Though we may not always know how best to live out that relationship, we continue to grow in our understanding of what it means to do God’s will as we pray, worship and seek to serve. Today you are invited to come to this feast, rejoicing in the relationship we have through baptism into Christ. May these gifts of bread and juice become for us the power to grow in knowing and living the will of God, for this week, in this place, with all those whom we encounter. Communion turn in your hymnal to page 13 Announcements Benediction Children’s Sermon Teachers or Parents: In this lesson Jesus explains that we are part of our family - and of God's larger family. Jesus tells us that whoever does the will of God is your brother and sister and mother. Give your child a large piece of paper. At the top write "My family." Have your child draw a picture of your own family. Then have him add his larger family to the picture. This larger family of God could include members of his Sunday school class and other church friends. This larger family could include persons of other races and from other countries. Certainly Jesus should be in the family drawing. Additional Illustrations Humor: Differences of Opinions 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 Training to Hear the Voice of God There is a positive message to be learned from these words of Jesus. The lesson is that we must keep ourselves alert to the way God is working in the world. Remember that those who were seeking to discredit Jesus were religious people. Their problem was that they just didn't expect God to be acting as Jesus said he was acting, so they missed the movement of God in their midst, and in fact, they called it evil. Today God may be speaking to us in causes that are unpopular, or in political events that cause us to feel threatened and insecure. The cries for justice and fairness in the world may come from quarters that we are not accustomed to listen to. We need to exercise diligence so that we don't miss the voice of God today just because it happens to be spoken by unfamiliar lips. I once sat in on a class my wife was taking in music appreciation. The instructor was asking the class members to listen for the recurring theme as it was passed from one instrument to another and was modified. I quickly lost it, but others in the class, who had benefited from their training, were able to keep track of the theme and even state which instrument was playing it. It is a law of life that we hear what we have trained ourselves to hear. What we must do is to train ourselves to listen for the voice of God in areas where we have not expected to hear it. We hear that voice only by attentive listening: by asking ourselves whether there is a valid message in those things which make us uncomfortable. Jesus spoke of an unforgivable sin, not because any act is unforgivable, but to warn us that our own hardness of heart can close the channels through which God's forgiveness flows and, as a consequence, leave us feeling alienated. Let us, therefore, affirm the good that is in others, so that our own hearts become generous and accepting of others, even as God is generous and accepting of us. David G. Rogne, Sermons for Sundays after Pentecost, CSS Publishing Company When Perceptions Shift In Mark 3, those who try to turn the work of God into the work of the devil show by so doing that they are so far gone, so deeply enmeshed in a spiritually inverted reality, that there is no reaching them. Some of you will recall the dwarves as depicted by C.S. Lewis in the last book of the Narnia series. The dwarves had been brought by Aslan the Lion into the glories of the New Narnia, which stood for heaven or the kingdom of God. These stubborn dwarves sat smack in the middle of a sunlit meadow full of wildflowers and were being fed fruit and vegetables more exquisitely flavorful and fresh than anyone had ever before imagined was possible. Yet their minds were darkened, their hearts were cold. And so they were convinced they were sitting in the middle of a stinky old stable being fed moldy bread and cow manure. When one of the other characters asks Aslan what can be done for these hapless figures, the answer comes back that nothing can be done. When black becomes white and white becomes black, when evil is good and good is evil, people are gone. God can’t get through to them. The reason the unpardonable sin can never be forgiven is because it will never, ever be recognized as a sin. Even if God came to such people bearing the sweet fragrance of his grace, all these people would smell would be the stink of a rotting corpse. They won’t be forgiven because they cannot be forgiven and they cannot be forgiven because they have come to believe that the gospel’s elixir of life is strychnine: pure poison. Scott Hoezee, Comments and Observations Who Are My Mother and My Brothers? 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? ____________________ ____________________________