“Who is the greatest?”

Mark 9:33-37

Tom Johnson, September 23, 2012

Jesus question in our Gospel reading is similar to the question asked in Genesis right after Adam and Eve eat the forbidden fruit. “Where are you?” the Lord asks. “Who told you that you’re are naked?” “Did you eat of the tree I told you not to?” He knows what happened. Yet Jesus asks the disciples, “What were you arguing about back there…as you trailing behind me…well out of earshot?” The disciples were silent because they were busted. It’s not easy keeping things from the Lord who knows the thoughts and intentions of the human heart. They didn’t say a word to Jesus—that they were having an argument about who was the greatest. It’s kind of embarrassing. It’s kind of silly, isn’t it? I don’t think I’d say anything either. What could they have said? “Jesus, I was just telling the guys that either John or James was the greatest because you nicknamed them “the Sons of Thunder—the Thunderous Ones.” “Jesus, I argued Peter is because you called him “the Rock.” They said nothing in response to Jesus—not even a description of their disagreement about which one of them was most important of all. Perhaps because when Jesus asked them to give an account of their actions, they realized how childish they were acting.

Did you have arguments in elementary school about whose dad had the biggest muscles, whose mom had the most expensive jewelry, or which family had the nicest car or house? What the disciples’ argument reveals is our human nature to measure one human being against another—to classify people according to our standards of importance—to rate people on scale of worldly significance. Greatness is often measured by what the word implies—great-ness—that more is always better—that outnumbering perceived opponents makes a person a winner. Greatness can also be measured by possessions, reputation, or performance.

This is the curse of comparison—to constantly live under the watchful eye of judgment. It may be self-imposed. We may find that we needlessly live under the burden of comparison because of our insecurities—because our security is not grounded in the unconditional love and worth that we have from God. When we look over the fence and see a newer car—or a beautiful lake view—or the proverbial greener grass—we actually aren’t being thankful for the things that God has provided for us. And maybe we have forgotten that we aren’t owners but stewards mere caretakers of the things we have.

What I love about Jesus in this text is how much he communicates without saying anything at all. Remember, the disciples never fess up to their argument about who is the greatest. They are silent. And for the moment Jesus is silent too. Our text says, “he sat down.” He diminished his standing among his companions. He lowers himself toward the ground and calls the twelve to him to hear a sermon with a visual illustration. He welcomes them around him with the words, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” He then takes a little child—an infant or a toddler I suppose who just happened to be nearby. He puts the child among them—he puts a tiny human being next to twelve full-grown ones. And I’m sure that they looked enormous next to such a little one. And then he gathers the little one in his arms and says, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the One who sent me.” It is a brilliant illustration. And it is a beautiful message.

Greatness is not measured in the ridiculousness of comparing one person standing in the company of others—like a little person in the company of grown-ups towering over them. Greatness is measured by compassion, hospitality, and the unconditional love of receiving a person for who they are. Our greatness is not found by self-promotion, Jesus tells us, but the promotion of the worth of every human soul. Our security is not found in external comparison and praise but by acceptance and hearts that always have room for another friend.

“Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me,” Jesus says, “and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the One who sent me.” In other words, we are living out the Gospel when we accept and love others as God has accepted and loved us. Later in Mark’s Gospel, in chapter 10 verse 45, Jesus will say, “For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.” It is by Jesus coming down from his heavenly throne—diminishing his standing among the angels and archangels that he lowers himself by taking on human flesh and giving himself to purchase forgiveness and eternal life for all humanity. Even though we are little in the eyes of an eternal and almighty God and cannot stand before him sinless or without blame—even though we have nothing to give to him—he reaches down and gathers us up into his arms and welcomes us. He came to proclaim and deliver—not the greatness of his incommunicable attributes—but to proclaim and deliver the greatness of his love and acceptance of every human being—giving his life on the cross to secure us as members of his eternal and loving family.

“The Tongue Is a Fire”

Ephesians 2:11-22

Pastor Tom Johnson, Sept. 16, 2012

Sticks and stones will break my bones

But words will set me on fire.

“The tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness…setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.”

It was the fiery tongue of the serpent in the garden of Eden. It was the words coming from its tongue that deceived Eve and Adam. The serpent’s tongue set a spark—and caused a fire to spread to our first parents and to every human soul. It was the blazing tongue of Pharaoh that gave the order to kill all the Israelite infant sons. A twisted, evil fear overcame the king and ruler of Egypt and ignited mass murder through his tongue. It was the flaming tongue of the Caiaphas, the High Priest of Israel that ignited a course of death before Jesus. He said that it was better for one person to die for the nation than for the whole people to perish. It was the burning tongue of Judas that betrayed our Lord for 30 pieces of silver. It was the smoldering tongue of Peter that denied Him three times. It was the red hot tongue of Pontius Pilate that gave orders for Jesus to be scourged and crucified—sparking a fiery course to the capital punishment of an innocent man. It’s the same fire that kindled in tongues in our lifetimes which has called whole nations to war and terrorism—killing of hundreds of thousands of innocent people—tongues ignited with lies, deception, and misinformation.

James says, “every kind of beast and bird, or reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil.” No one is free from the evil that is trying to ignite our tongues. According to James, all of us are pyromaniacs—it is in our broken, human nature to play with fire. We are all, each of us, guilty of arson—starting little fires around us. We may not intend for the fire to be fed and grow—but that is the nature of fire—to consume everything in its path—beginning with ourselves.

About 12 years ago, when Johanna and I were living in Dallas, we had a little fireplace in our apartment. You couldn’t burn real wood in it because it was too small and not well insulated. So, we would buy artificial logs which only needed a lighted match. It looked nice. Our cat would bath herself in the heat. One cold day I put one of our artificial logs into the fireplace and lit it. After it was done and nothing was left but dust, I put the ashes into a paper bag, and took it out in the dumpster. A few hours later, we heard sirens like we often did in inner city Dallas. But this time the sirens grew more loudly than ever…pulling right up to the dumpster behind our building. I think my response to Johanna was, “You don’t think that was me who did that, do you?” It could have burned down the whole apartment building. Mrs. O’Leary’s cow that kicked over the lantern may have started the Chicago fire. But any spark could have started that fire that consumed the whole city in flames.

As James says, “How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire…setting on fire the entire course of life!” What may seem like a little, harmless gossip flicked out of our mouths like a cigarette out the car window—it’s all that’s necessary to ruin a person’s reputation—to bring their social life down in flames. We live in a time when the mere accusation of misconduct is all the spark that is needed for a person to lose their job—their livelihood and vocation up in flames. Sometimes we are not aware of the fires we set with our words—that the fire of hell itself wants to spread its death by using our tongues as an accelerant.

Think about how we gossip in the name of prayer. “We need to pray for so and so.” We suggest prayer for someone—but in our telling of why they need prayer, we may betray the person’s trust or reveal too much information. Or we cloak hurtful, burning words with humor—thinking that if we chuckle or laugh that we remove the harm that has been done. As the proverb says, “Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, ‘I am only joking!’” (Proverbs 26:18-19). “No human being can tame the tongue,” James says. And so, what we need is not to tame or reform the tongue—but to give it a new Fire Marshal. We cannot put out the fires of hell that ignite our tongues. But we can pray that our tongues become instruments of the true and living God.

And so the Psalmist prays, “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!” (Psalm 141:3). “Deliver me, O Lord, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue” (Psalm 120:2).

 

On Pentecost, God sends the Holy Spirit—tongues of fire come and rest on each of his people. Peter’s tongue, the same tongue that denied Jesus, now proclaims forgiveness, life, and salvation for every tribe, nation, language, and people. What Jesus had promised early in His ministry has now come to pass—John the Baptist baptized with water but Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire! In Holy Baptism, God’s Spirit drowns the old fire that ignites our tongues. He smothers out the flames of hell itself by his death on the Cross. And by his resurrection, he ignites a new and holy fire. Instead of a destructive fire, our tongues are now burning with the Good News of Jesus Christ. God has ignited a good word on our tongues—news of forgiveness, reconciliation, and peace. Our tongues are used now not to curse, but to bless—not to gossip, but to pray—not to deceive but to praise and give thanks to our Heavenly Father.

He breaks the pow’r of canceled sin;

He sets the pris’ner free.

His blood can make the foulest clean;

His blood avails for me.

Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing

My great Redeemer’s praise,

The glories of my God and King,

The triumphs of His grace!

“Put not your trust in princes”

Psalm 146

Tom Johnson, September 9, 2012

Psalm 146 is a song and it is a call to sing. By singing it and praying it this morning we have already answered its call. But, in the midst of this call to praise—this positive affirmation of what we ought to do, there is a call from misguided reverence for human authority: “Put not your trust in princes—in rulers, nor in any child of earth—any human being, for there is no help in them.”

It seems like you can’t pick up the paper, turn on the radio or television, or glance at someone’s bumper and not hear this call to trust in rulers. We are constantly bombarded with pictures, videos, speeches, stickers, yard signs, and talking points. “Trust in him.” “Vote for her.” “Choose a trustworthy leader.” The message is if you have one candidate, that person will lead to certain disaster; but if you have the other, that person will lead to prosperity.

Perhaps it is very different for us living in a democracy where we vote for our rulers. We choose our leaders. When our Psalm was written, rulers were born and appointed. Perhaps it is easier to not put your trust in someone who is a ruler by birthright. Maybe it is similar if the person in office is not the person you voted for and you find it easy to not put your trust in them. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think that our Scripture is calling us to despise those in authority or look at them with constant suspicion. Nor do I think that God wants us to withhold honor to our leaders. In fact, St. Paul tells us in Romans chapter 13 to submit ourselves to the governing authority, to honor those to whom honor is due, and that those who are in authority are put there by God himself and are his servants. That is quite a statement for Paul to make—especially in his day when so many of those in authority abused their power. Nevertheless, we are to view our leaders as an extension of God’s reign. You’ll remember that Jesus reminds Pontius Pilate that he would have no authority unless God granted him that authority. Jesus calls him to a higher purpose and perspective on his power. In Paul’s first letter to Timothy, he urges us to pray for all people especially for kings “and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way” (1 Tim 2:2).

And so God calls us to live in this tension. On the one hand, we are to view those in authority as God’s choice and honor them even if we did not vote for them. On the other hand, we are not to put our trust in them as we would God to fulfill our hopes, dreams, and aspirations. They are only human. Our Psalm says, “When they breathe their last, they return to earth, and in that day their thoughts perish.” My wrestling coach said it this way about my fierce opponents, “Tom, they put their pants on one leg at a time just like you.”

We are just weeks away from Election Day. And I believe that Christians have a unique perspective and call as dual citizens—citizens of heaven and citizens of at least one earthly nation. We can disagree about who is more qualified for our local, state, and federal offices. But we can agree that whomever is elected or appointed is human. They need our prayers. It’s God’s will they have their position—even when it is difficult to understand.

Of course, there may be times when we must “obey God rather than humans” (Acts 5:29) as Peter and the disciples said to the ruling authority in Jerusalem. There may be times when those in power seem to be the answer to our longings. But two tensions still remain: they are human and they are called by God to serve.

In the movie, King’s Speech the king is sitting with his family watching a news reel when Adolph Hitler comes on the screen speaking in German. One of the king’s daughters asks, “What is he saying?” The king replies, “I don’t know, but he seems to be saying it rather well.” On this side of human history, it’s sad and heartbreaking to think that so many put their trust in leaders who caused so much death and devestation. What I believe God is calling us to in this Psalm is to view civil authority with a godly perspective.

“Put not your trust in rulers or any human—praise the Lord and him only!” One of the great slogans that came out of the Reformation is Soli Deo Gloria—to God alone be the glory. Put your trust in God. Pray to God to put someone in office who will serve for the greater good—and then vote. Honor those in authority but remember that they are human and need our prayers. “Happy and blessed are they who have the God of Jacob for their help, whose hope is in the Lord their God.” We are blessed beyond measure to know that behind all the politics, popularity polls, economic turmoil, and bloody conflict around the world that we can trust the Creator of heaven and earth.

He sent his Son Jesus to extend his reign to his people and his whole creation. We still have struggles and unanswered questions but we can be confident that we are in the strong grip of the King of kings and Lord of lords. He lay his life down under one of the most ruthless and corrupt ruling authorities in human history. And he rose again from the dead so that we are now royal children and citizens of a perfect country—where his reign will know no end. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord, O my soul! We will praise the Lord as long as we live on earth and eternally live in his Kingdom that comes. “The Lord will reign forever, our God throughout all generations.” And we are his beloved objects of his gracious reign.

"Is There Really Anyone Else?"

Dr. Douglas Groll

August 26, 2012 

Joshua 24:1-2,14-18

In Jesus’ Name, Dear Friends,

Today we find restaurant going a generally positive experience.   Over the last twenty five years of living in Chicago’s Galewood Area, just north of Oak Park, we have learned about what direction to aim our car to get a good meal.   If you want fast food….Subway is just almost around the corner…..A good Steak and Ribs…..How about the Gale Street Inn?   Cheap but good Italian….try Q’s down in Hillside.   Depending on the palate on a given day…..the eating experience can be quite positive.

It wasn’t always that way in our family.   Especially some 35 or forty years ago when our Son, Jon was just a small child.   He loved eating in restaurants …but he couldn’t make up his mind what to order once we got there.  We would go over what we knew he liked…but he couldn’t decide…and the act of having to choose…..to decide between two positives was so stressful that sometimes he even cried.  .Too many choices.   But you have to choose.

You have got to choose….make some tough decisions.   Got to make some tough choices we tell each other…..what to eat…..when to go for the checkup…..where to send the children to school….what college or university to attend…..should we get married or not?  Choose….choose now.   In fact, if you listen carefully….there is a new phrase finding its way through our culture…..time and time and again we hear…..Seymour is really a good person….he just makes bad choices.  It’s all about choices.

And that is certainly being shouted at us these days…..Each election cycle we are hammered with the message….this is the election of the century….this is when the real future of the land will be decided….this is the most important election of the last twenty five years…you have to choose….and then it gets more complicated…and if you listen carefully this year especially……even an election in this secular nation…..this pluralistic republic….a nation where we supposedly are ruled by law …we are having even electoral questions thrown at us in theological contexts…...Each candidate comes with baggage……You have to choose…we are told  …..Republican…Democrat … ..Christian ….Mormon……  Catholic for whom the Council of Bishops  approve on some things but oppose on the other.   It’s all about choice…we say…..Got to make the tough decision…..

And there are some who simply throw up their hands in despair of it all and say…a plague on all your houses.   Wednesday’s Chicago Tribune had its front page article on spiritual seekers..who have simply walked away from denominational organized religion….they are simply saying….”the answer is not there in the church or synagogue…I have to sort this out…..don’t force me to make a choice!”  Interestingly enough…on that evening as I was surfing my car radio I stumbled on a loud, repulsive left wing counterpart  to all of the right wing houghing and puffing…He was seeking people to join a Freedom from Religion Caucus.   Got to make tough decisions….Got to make a choice….

And then throw in today’s Old Testament lesson….Why it is right there in Joshua’s words….  14 “Now therefore fear the LORD and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. 15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

  

Gee! We say….if you put it in those terms….I guess it comes down to this…..I have got to choose…I have got to sort through all the garbage  and contradictory language….it is all on me…..or is it?   As we listen to Joshua’s pledge….But As For Me And My House, We will Serve The Lord  or…if we flip ahead into today’s Gospel lesson…and hear Our Lord Himself ask,  “Do you wish to go away?.....Is the message here all about our choice?  All about what we do?

Old Testament Context

The first thing we have to remember, even in assessing Joshua’s challenge to choice is that Israel is not the first actor…nor even was Joshua.   Joshua and the Children of Israel had entered the Promised Land many years before.   Joshua is now at the end of his life and at the point of making this final salutatory speech.    In this  chapter …he recounts the history…and this is the history always of not a heroic…right choice bearing people…but he recounts the history of  Abraham the wandering Aramean…and how the hand of God takes a man and his family and says…..follow me…and I will bless you….and I will make your inheritance as the stars of the sky and  sand of the sea shore.. 

And throughout this chapter……we hear the recounting…not of good choices of God’s people, but rather of the unlikely choice of God choosing a people…..He recalls for them their falling away…their griping in the wilderness….let us go back to Egypt…there we had cucumbers and figs and meat….we were slaves..but we had our three square meals as day….Talk about bad choices….there is that phrase…How Odd Of God To Choose The Jews…

So we have Joshua calling the people of Israel…the tribes of Israel…now finding their home in the land divided up according to the 12 tribes and families…and they are summoned to Shechem…It is about half the distance between Jerusalem and Nazareth..about half the distance between the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee and they are there at the Schecem….near mount Gerazim and Mount Ebal..and the picture of even these two mountains are nothing to write home about….There is and was nothing in Israel that would commend it to God’s choosing….

But he did!  God chose people….God called Israel…God formed a people….and made it His….and this is the context of Joshua’s message…..Joshua calls a people already called….Joshua invites a people to be blessed…to eat of the fields they did not plant…to drink of the wine of the vinyards they did not plant….to live in the cities they did not build…because God first chose to choose them…..   This is the context of Joshua’s exhortation to his people….  He makes a pledge…not on the basis of what he has or could do….not on the basis of what he knows Israel to be..as an heroic people …because he knew first hand with whom he was dealing…but rather he could affirm “But as for me and my house…we will serve the Lord….!  He could affirm this because he knew in whom he had been chosen….in whom he had been blessed.

New Testament Fast Forward

Now if we fast forward to today’s Gospel lesson, we see something of the same dynamic…but a little clearer…..     John shows us the new Israel complete in Jesus of Nazareth…. In the chapter ahead of our text we see the miracles…..   the calming of the storms…the feeding of the thousands…the new mana…the real bread of life!   This is not your grandfather’s mana in the wilderness….  This is not the same old repetition of Israel confined to a race…a geography….a place.   This is Jesus…the new Joshua…the complete Joshua….the  son Mary….descendent of Ruth…..the Moabites…0f the descendent of Rahab…the prostitute… this is the Son of everyman…of all races…this is the cosmic Jesus…savior of the World…   not just Israel…   And this is the one who called….walked along the lake and called fishermen….  Walked along the lake and called corrupt Chicago politicians and tax gatherers…this is the one who could invite and call and feed….and heal re establish families…….  This is the one…then who in a sense…in the same way that Joshua would invite Israel to choose to drink of the blessings of the Exodus…could now say to the disciples…those who would follow and those who would leave….”“Do you wish to go away?.....  And Peter….Good Old Peter gave the right answer….  Not the eloquent one….   Not the heroic one….. that he would blurt out later in a moment of bravado……some drivel about how others could abandon Jesus but he would always be there…but here…the simple fisherman answers with the only real answer about choice…..”Lord To Whom Shall We Go!...You Have The Words of Eternal Life!”

This then, my friends…. Reframes the question in another way.   Everything we do….everything we say….every choice we make…. Is not really about us…  It is rather about rejoicing in the one who has chosen us……washes us in the waters of baptism….feeds us with his Body and Blood so that as a part of His Body…we are and continue to become people for the world….  People who serve…   people who sometimes will even disagree as to what is the right choice in a moment…but people who at the heart of the matter know full well……    We have been loved with the love of the Cosmic Christ who has given himself so that we might give to others.   Amen.

"Paying God Lip Service"

Mark 7:1-8,14-15,21-23

Tom Johnson, September 2, 2012

 Part of me is with the Pharisees. Wash your hands before you eat. Please wash cups and pots and copper vessels. And do vacuum the dining couches. By doing so, we minimize rodents, bugs, and disease. But here are Jesus and his disciples—wrapping their grubby fingers around their cups and grabbing their polished copper vessels with their grimy hands—their dusty feet all over their spotless, dining couches. The religious leaders are offended that Jesus has not taught them the tradition of the elders. “If God wants the Levites to ritually clean their hands in the Temple,” the elders thought, “wouldn’t it be good for us to clean our hands in our homes?”  But the problem is that rather than it being a voluntary act of piety, they made it into a rule and a tradition. And even worse—they began to measure peoples’ devotion to God according to this human commandment. And so they ask Jesus, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” “What sort of Rabbi are you anyway, Jesus? Were you born in a barn?” Well, yes—a manger even.

Jesus responds with tough words: “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.’” “God had you in mind, religious leaders, when Isaiah wrote those words generations ago. Your washing and polishing may brighten your cups and vessels, but it will not remove a stain on your soul. It will not wash away filth from your spirit.” What bothers Jesus so much is not the washing, polishing, and sweeping before they eat—it is their judgmental attitude toward others—it is measuring people’s religiosity and placing people into categories.

We should hear the same warning for ourselves—those of us who confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord, both God and human, the One who rescues us from the condemnation, power, and stain of sin. We may honor God with our verbage but dishonor him by our unloving and critical thoughts, attitudes, and actions. God does not want our mere lip service; he wants us to trust and love him with our whole being—mind, body, and spirit.

On Friday, I had lunch with my friend Hicham Chehab. You’ll remember him because he was here during Lent earier this year. Pastor Hicham is an Arabic speaking pastor. And Friday, he wanted me to meet his Palestinian friend, Mohammed. Mohammed was born in Jerusalem in a Muslim family. His father and grandfather used to beat him up to force him to go to the mosque. His father enrolled him in an Islamic school to learn more about Islam and the Quran. And there, he was taught hate and violence in the name of Allah. When he went to college he worked part time and met some Christians friends who took him to church with them in secret. He wanted to learn more about the Christian faith. Some of his Muslim coworkers discovered his secret. They teased him, cursed at him, and one of his classmates beat him up and threatened to kill him. When more people found out his secret, Mohammed was disowned by his family. Extremists promised to put him to death if he continued to be a Christian. He applied for a visa to the United States four times but was rejected. Later, he saw Jesus in a dream; heaven was opened and a Man in white robes came out and he told him, “Mohammed, I am Jesus Christ, don't be afraid,  I will help you and open doors for you.” Mohammed applied for a visa again and was granted it in two weeks which is very rare. Mohammed calls it  a miracle. He arrived in Chicago last year and knocked on the nearest church door—it happened to be a Lutheran Church. That pastor introduced introduced him to Pastor Hicham and was soon baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church in Burr Ridge. Mohammed is now beginning the process of becoming a Lutheran pastor. Mohammed asked for my prayers, that he’d be able to stay in this country and not fear being killed. Two weeks ago, Mohammed’s close Christian friend was killed in the West Bank as he was leaving the Greek Orthodox Church. Mohammed said, “After knowing Christ, I feel peace in my life and I am not afraid, because Jesus is there for me.”

That, my friends, is a person who isn’t just paying lip service. Jesus has not only won over Mohammed’s lips but his whole life. God does not just want our lips but our hearts, minds, bodies, and complete trust. True worship, Jesus says, is not where we try to win God over with our words and ceremonies and rituals—but where God wins us over with his Word, Holy Spirit, and power of his Son.

True worship is not following empty, religious tradition but completely trusting in Jesus who lived, died, and rose again for our salvation. True worship is not washing our hands before supper but receiving God’s enormous gifts in our grubby little hands. True worship is not polishing copper vessels—but filling these clay vessels with His true Body and Blood. True worship is not vacuuming off the couches so that we can sit rightly before God but God washing us with the water, Word and Spirit of Holy Baptism. God has won over our lips, he has won over our hearts, and he makes us into his vessels of honor.