Sermon - Living Our Prayers (Proper 21B)

 18th Sunday After Pentecost - Year B                                                         September 26, 2021

Mark 9:38‑50, James 5:13-20             Panzer Liturgical Congregation

Preaching the Lectionary is helpful in so many ways. We can read through most of the major stories of scripture in a three-year cycle and like today, exposes us to passages that we might be tempted to pass over as too hard or controversial.  But it can also give us a false sense that these short passages can be read and contemplated in isolation from one another. Nothing could be farther from the truth. All the parts and pieces stand together like a complicated, beautifully woven tapestry of what it means to be a member of the Kingdom of God.

Today’s lessons weave together a coherent theme that reflects both the challenges and joy of ministry in the world and our own spiritual lives. The gospel reading from Mark gives us a picture of dissatisfaction and misunderstanding of God’s plan – the disciples got way in front of their skis on this day. And the reading from James reminds us of the solution to our problems, prayer for and service to those in need.

For the past several weeks we have watched the disciples follow Jesus around as they try to figure out what it means to be a disciple. And it’s evident they still have a narrow view of what the Kingdom of God is all about. They have missed the major message of Jesus' coming... everything they thought they knew has been redefined, again.

This passage from Mark is a nightmare for preachers. It contains enough material for at least four normal-length sermons, or one rip-rousing revival message, where everyone would expect to be here for a while. I have restrained myself today. But it’s worth summarizing the main points of conflict in Jesus' encounter with disciples, and why they (and we) struggle with what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ.

Last week's controversy in Mark involved the disciples' need to be "number one." This week, they encounter followers who are healing in the name of Jesus, and the disciples want it stopped because these people were not given the authority to be doing such things. But Jesus explains to them why this is backward thinking. "These people are not our enemies, nor are they God's enemies, for whoever is not against us is for us,” and I think implied in that is “And we need all the help we can get."

How many times have we encountered someone who "stepped in on our territory"? It feels like they are not only stealing our service opportunity, but also the glory that goes along with it. In essence, the disciples were saying, "You are not an authorized dealer of Jesus’ message, so go away." Here Jesus reminds them that they do not control the ministry of God. They do not get to define what is a good deed and what is not. Jesus declares that the work done in his name is to be honored, not scrutinized for credentials. Jesus' principle is to include, not exclude."[i] Every simple act of kindness matters.

And then comes that tricky “stumbling block” part of the passage. In short: the penalty is high if we get in the way of someone’s journey in the Kingdom. Jesus says our first concern must be keeping the path clear for anyone and everyone to get to him. Our job is not just serving Christ, but keeping others on the path, as well.  

This is Jesus helping the disciples make a course correction. Jesus calls us to see and welcome and love others, even if they are not like us, even if they are not part of our particular tribe or denomination or flavor of Christianity. He reminds us that our saltiness – the contribution we make to the world that gives it flavor and brings a word of grace – is a gift we can only bring if we are willing to live at peace with one another.[ii]

Mired in their fear of change, the disciples struggled with the constant change that seemed to surround Jesus. Every time they thought they understood what following Jesus would look like, something else came up. Even though others were doing good things in Jesus’ name, giving those people control felt precarious, at best.

As I look at our lives today, I see that same kind of fear. We are often afraid or distrustful of people we don’t know… we allow the difference between us to define our relationships with others, rather than celebrating or collaborating on the things we have in common. I wonder if we are also afraid that being in the presence of people who are different will change us, or make our part of the story less than what we have imagined it to be. Like the disciples, we want stability and control – And like them, we are slow to pick up on the fact that Jesus’ will use whoever he wants to pitch in to bring people into the Kingdom of God.

Jesus reminds us that we share the same story – the same calling – the same responsibilities. We cannot forget that the Christian story, in fact, the whole story of God, is about people on the run – people who find it necessary to adapt to changing conditions and understandings about how the world works. From the Hebrew Bible stories of Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Ruth, and Moses, to the New Testament and the ministry of Jesus, the early church, and Paul, we see solid evidence that God’s people have always been on the move.

The disciples are fully invested in following Jesus, yes, but their focus is on their experience alone. Without taking care, we can be just like them, defining what it means to be Christian as a prescriptive for everyone and casting away anyone who doesn’t agree with us. If we’re not careful, we can make the Church nothing more than an exclusive club with elaborate initiation rituals and codes of behavior. But that is not the gospel.[iii]

This is where the book of James offers us help. Once again, we are confronted with a clear synopsis of how we are called to live in community with one another. Our reading this week skips to the second half of chapter 5, but I encourage you to go back and read chapter 4 and the first half of chapter 5 for yourself. Here James gives us great advice on how to live our faith authentically. in everything, let love be your guide.

Today’s reading picks up at verse 13. Here we find a model for what it means to really live in Christian community. He lists three activities that the church is called to live out if we are to be faithful stewards of God’s love.

First, we are called to prayer and worship. Prayer isn’t just about our private conversations with God. We are also called to pray with and for one another. We are called to sing our praises together as evidence that our joy cannot be contained.

And yet, I’m willing to bet that many of us sitting here don’t think of ourselves as people who understand or do prayer very well. I did a search on Amazon.com for books on prayer. There were lots. Many of them were books of instruction and prayer journals:

Prayer: 40 Days of Practice –

Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God –

The 7 Most Powerful Prayers That Wil Change Your Life Forever – and one of my favorites –

Prayer: Does it Make Any Difference?

Don’t get me wrong - I am 100% positive that each of those books has helped many people grow in faith.

But as I looked at the descriptions, I was struck that these books were mostly about individuals developing their personal skills in prayer. James is talking about something deeper. It’s not about the words themselves. It’s about the activity of praying with people who have needs. The same is true with praise – our songs of praise are not about celebrating individual accomplishments. They are about giving thanks to the God we worship – celebrating together the things that are important to us and to God.

Second, and related to #1 – we are called to care for the sick. James calls for a hands-on approach. The discipline of anointing the sick with oil brings a physical reminder to those who are being prayed for… often, the oil is scented with myrrh or lavender to heighten the senses… remember in the Old Testament the worship of God is often accompanied by the use of aromatic spices to represent the presence of God. Prayer – that’s important – but add to that the physical component – anointing with oil, holding hands, even just sharing the same space – all of these are a reminder to the one being prayed for that they are not alone.

And lastly, our prayers should also contain our prayers of confession and affirmation of the need for forgiveness… not just being forgiven by God, but our need to both give and receive forgiveness with others. And that’s hard stuff. I hate having to confess to other people my mistakes – and I am often reluctant to forgive easily. That’s why having a prayer of confession and affirmation of pardon are such an important part of our worship service. I’ve been in congregations where this is only an occasional part of the service, but for me, it feels like a necessary reset. I think about the different phrases of the confession and think not only of the places where I have made mistakes, but I also try to figure out how to make amends… to own up not just to God, but to those I have sinned against.

I’ll be honest – our reading of James this fall has reminded me what a great primer it is for people of faith. It shows us a great balance between the personal and communal expressions of faith. It reminds us that we as individuals are called to live out our faith … but we are also called to do that within a community of faith. And James emphasizes the nature of lived-out faith… our faith journeys are not an intellectual or emotional exercise. We are called to pray, not just with our minds and our tongues, but also with our hands and feet as we bring the message of Jesus’ love, not just to our little worlds, but to the whole wide world, in every way we can.

Many people with better words than mine have summed up these two scriptures in memorable ways. Henri Nouwen was a Catholic priest and theologian who left behind a great legacy in some of the most beloved books on Christian living of our time. I found two quotes this week that encapsulate the message I wanted to convey this week.

You don’t think your way into a new way of living… you live yourself into a new kind of thinking.”

And in terms of experiential faith, that makes total sense. But how do we do it? Nouwen gives us a clue: What will we learn about our faith and ourselves if we ask ourselves these questions at the end of every day…

Did I offer peace today?

Did I bring a smile to someone’s face?

Did I say words of healing?

Did I let go of my anger and resentment?

Did I forgive?

Did I love?

These are the real questions.

I am more convinced than ever that our belief in the power of prayer is directly tied to our relationship, individual and corporate, with the who is everything – he is the God whose own name is “I AM.” Our prayers are not a list of wants and needs to be checked off as if we were shopping at a nearby store. They are a reflection of how much we are willing to orient ourselves to that God and live out the life that Jesus calls us to live, even when it doesn’t make any sense at the time.

Ultimately, we are called to trust God enough to pray, and love God enough to serve…

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit… Amen.

 Peace, Deb

(c) Deb Luther Teagan, September 2021

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[i] Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary ‑ Year B ‑ After Pentecost 2, 1993, pages 65‑66.

[ii] Dawn Chesser, Discipleship Ministries of the UMC, September 27, 2015, http://www.umcdiscipleship.org/worship/lectionary-calendar/eighteenth-sunday-after-pentecost3#preaching

[iii] Robb McCoy & Eric Fistler, Pupit Fiction Podcast #134. Show Notes for Proper 21B http://www.pulpitfiction.us/show-notes (2015)

[iv] https://www.pulpitfiction.com/notes/proper21b/#James5%3A13-20= (2021)

Sermon - Living a Proverbs 31 Life (Proper 20B)

17^th Sunday after Pentecost (20B)                                           September 19, 2021

Proverbs 31:10-31                                                               Panzer Liturgical Service

Story 1: When I was growing up, my grandfather Theo Luther told me two things that I had total confidence in… that eating chicken wings would make me pretty and that I was Little Debbie. Wings are still my favorite part of the chicken, but I was crushed to find out on the first day of first grade that I, in truth, am NOT Little Debbie – my hopes and dreams crushed on the playground after school. And I was mad. I cried all the way home and made my mom call him so I could yell at him for telling me a “story.” His reply, “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings… but you’ll always be My Little Debbie.” And that’s what I wanted all along. But I did look at myself differently after that day.

Story 2: We got a new Oldsmobile station wagon when I was in junior high school and it came with – wait for it – an 8-track tape player and a nifty demo tape with about 10 songs on it. We all had our favorites and we practically wore the tape out, even after we bought new ones.  And on the cassette was the famous Frankie Valli ballad, “My Eyes Adored You.” But what I heard was, “my eyes of Georgia…” I couldn’t figure out what that meant, but it wasn’t until I was in college that I realized my mistake, and am in fact, confessing my error for the first time today. I listened to it this week, and I do still hear the wrong words, but I know that the truth is something else.

There are some things you just believe – at least until you find out differently.

There are lots of Bible passages that have this problem. People have heard them taught and preached on many occasions and are led to believe that they mean something specific when they actually mean something general. John 3:16 is one of those passages – You know it… “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” In this verse, most people focus on the idea of belief – you are saved if you believe in Jesus. But when you add in verse 17, everything changes. “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” Once you put them together, you see a whole new emphasis… Jesus was sent to save the whole world.

And today’s Hebrew Bible passage from Proverbs 31 certainly falls into the same category. There is a whole flavor of Christianity that uses this passage to instruct women of their “rightful place”. And I suppose, if you interpret these verses on their own, that argument could be made. And what a woman she would be… a superwoman… an uber-talented, multi-dimensional, tired, overworked, overwrought woman. But what if we knew things about this passage, in its literary and historical context, that taught us something different… something less specific and more general – applicable to all of us, no matter our gender or family status? Would it be helpful? I think that answer is YES. But it would also be scary because it would challenge the assumptions we create to live an orderly life.

I’ve read a lot of really good exegesis on the book of Proverbs, but perhaps the most helpful was a blog post by Rachel Held Evans. It became the premise for one book and a chapter in another. She learned a lot from taking a deep dive into Proverbs 31, and I want to share three lessons she took away, because they were very helpful to me, too.

She starts with the quote…

…for women like me who grew up thinking of the domestic super-heroine of Proverbs 31 as just another impossible standard by which to mark my shortcomings as a woman, the passage can come with some…baggage. That’s because, too often, we focus on the Proverbs 31 Woman’s roles as a way of reducing womanhood to marriage, motherhood, and domesticity, when really, this passage is about a character that transcends both gender and circumstance.[i]

We do that a lot – we read scripture, compare ourselves to the portrait of people declared virtuous, and see ourselves lacking. But what if that’s not what the writer of Proverbs is trying to do? What if this passage is about encouraging and engaging people to become strong in and for the Lord, not setting them up for a seemingly impossible way of life?

I love the Olympics – I see those amazing swimmers and gymnasts and track and field athletes and think, “I could never do that.” But there are all these people – kids and even adults who see these people perform at the highest levels and think, “I can do that – or at least I can try.” Many of today’s best and brightest were introduced to their sport by watching someone compete, inspiring them to start their own journey.

This year’s silver medal-winning Women’s Gymnastics team all saw Kerry Strug make that heroic vault in the 1996 Olympics, winning the US their first US team gold medal. “I want to do that,” they said. Do you know Megan Seidel? She was a college cross country runner who qualified for the US Marathon team in February 2020, running her very first marathon, then going on to win the bronze medal in only her 3rd marathon ever![ii] Inspired by runners who came before her, she is now an inspiration for a whole new generation of people who dream of accomplishing goals that once felt out of reach. These stories remind us that the way we live can inspire others to new challenges and ways of life.

So, what are these 3 things that we should know? First, Proverbs 31 is a poem. Its purpose is to personify the theme of Wisdom that runs through the whole book. Wisdom is not just knowledge – it’s how knowledge is put into action. With practice, it should be displayed in all the parts of our lives… as we relate to our families, and as we contribute to the needs of society.

And it’s not just any ordinary, run-of-the-mill poem. It’s an acrostic. Now if that sounds like it’s related to a crossword puzzle, there’s a reason for that. Every line begins with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet, in order. From A-Z, this symbolizes the wholeness of what it’s describing. Get annoyed at someone who posts on Facebook or Instagram the seemingly mundane occurrences of their day? Don’t be so quick to judge. Those posts can highlight what the Proverbs writer is teaching us… everything we do is an offering to and a gift from God.

We want to remember the best days as the definition of who we are. Proverbs 31 reminds us that our best days are often the ones remember the least about – those days tell us something about who we really are. This passage isn’t an exhaustive job description for women – instead, it celebrates how wisdom is to be lived out in everyday life – by everyone.

Second, this audience for this passage is not women, it’s men. In the Jewish culture, it’s not the women that memorize Proverbs 31, it’s the men. And they do it not to remind women of their place in the family, but in praise of everything they do to keep the family moving forward. Many Jewish husbands sing the words of Proverbs 31 to their wives at their Friday evening Sabbath meal as a thanksgiving for all they have done during the week. They sing it because they are grateful.

We think of the entire chapter as a prescription for women to follow to be considered valuable. But in reality, the only verse that tells someone to do something is in verse 31. The husband is instructed to praise her, not just in words, but in giving her a share in what she has accomplished. The writer says, “Praise her for all her hands have done.” And yet, a whole religious media empire has grown up with resources galore instructing women on how they can accomplish this vast and varied list of tasks and accolades. This stresses the mistaken belief that we can work or earn our way into the Kingdom of God.

Third, Proverbs 31 isn’t really about celebrating women at all. It’s about celebrating valor.  The first line is best translated, “a woman of valor who can find?” (The Hebrew is eshet chayil, “woman of valor”; the male equivalent is gibor chayil, “man of valor.”) Rachel’s friend Ahava explained that Jewish women often celebrate the victories of their lives, large and small, with that greeting – ESHET CHAYIL – it reminds them - you excelled, you survived, you were a witness and blessing to everyone. It was the last word spoken at Rachel’s funeral in 2019. She was definitely a woman of valor.

Everyone knew what a man of valor looked like – it’s right there in the Torah, explained in the laws of the Jewish covenant and described in the heroes we remember. Proverbs 31 reminds us that there were just as many women of valor, but they go unnamed. This passage reminds us that VALOR isn’t just about what we do, but how we do it.

These days, we can be tricked into a “black-or-white” “either-or” view of people and their choices. People, mostly women – but also men, who choose to stay at home to focus on the home and family are often questioned or ridiculed for giving up their careers or settling for a second-rate place in society. Women who choose to use their gifts and graces to concentrate on their professions – CEOs, medical professionals, academic leaders, pastors – they are questioned about their dedication to their families. They are condemned for making choices that some see as counter to traditional roles of women.

Proverbs 31 asks us to consider these things as we look for guidance on good living. What really matters? Is it charm or beauty? Is it the size of our bank accounts or our membership in clubs or professional organizations? Is it perfection as judged by others? No – what really matters is our faithfulness to God, lived out every day.

So, what does that faithfulness look like? Maybe these questions will help.

Are we trustworthy?

Do we look out for the needs of the people?

Are we good stewards of resources that we have at our disposal?

Do we share what we have with others?

Are we prepared for the bad times?

Do our lives reflect God’s presence and purposes?

Is our faith evident to others?

Do we keep working for good, even if we have already accomplished more than we expected?

Are we in awe of God?[iii]

Both our other readings reinforce this call to valor. Jesus reminds us that all people have worth. Everyone gets an audience with Jesus. Everyone is called to listen and follow. And when we do so, it’s not just about following Jesus, but about following God. Welcoming children would have been offensive to many gathered there… children were a burden until they could contribute to the needs of the family. Welcoming children was the embodiment of welcoming the “least of these”.[iv]

As for James, he starts this passage with, “Are any of you wise and understanding? Show that your actions are good with a humble lifestyle that comes from wisdom” (James 3:13). Yes, there are two kinds of wisdom – godly wisdom and earthly wisdom. One bridges the gap between us and God. The other seeks to place the importance of the individual over that of God – it’s a trap that is easy to fall into. But clearly, James is reminding us that we are called to resist that temptation and live as women, men, and children of valor in all that we do.[v]

A couple of months ago, my younger sister, the CHRO of the company ranked 14^th on the Fortune 500 list, was interviewed on a national news outlet for Women’s History Month. When asked about the barriers she had experienced along the way, she talked about the need for truth tellers in our lives and shared a story about how she was able to achieve success. Four years earlier, as she facilitated a merger with an international healthcare company, she was required to travel to Europe and Asia for over 30 days, meeting with the workers' councils and other executives in 12 countries. Her bosses had complete confidence in her ability to get the job done.

But more than once, she was asked, “Are you sure you want to be gone for this long? What will happen if one of your kids gets sick or something else goes wrong at home while you’re gone?” Very gently she reminded them, “I am not their only parent. They have a dad who stays at home to help me put my energy into your company. If I’m needed, I’ll come home, just like anyone else on this trip would… we can be where we are needed when we are needed, and right now, I am needed on this team to accomplish this task.”[vi] And whether she knew it or not, she was talking about exactly what Proverbs 31 & James and Jesus ask of us.

Proverbs 31 tells us: Be a person of valor. Put your whole self into everything you do. Do it, not just for the rewards that will come to you, but as your way of living the life you were created to live. This is our calling… to live a Proverbs 31 life and to be persons of valor.

Thanks be to God.

Peace, Deb

(c) Deb Luther Teagan, September 2021

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[i] Rachel Held Evans, 3 Things You Might Not Know about Proverbs 31, May 12, 2014,  www.rachelheldevans.com/blog/3-things-you-might-not-know-about-proverbs-31

[ii] https://www.nbcnews.com/news/olympics/molly-seidel-wins-bronze-olympic-marathon-after-battle-through-heat-n1276240

[iii] Robb McCoy and Erik Fistler, https://www.pulpitfiction.com/notes/proper20b/#Proverbs31=

[iv] Ibid.

[v] Ibid.

[vi] https://cheddar.com/media/women-need-truth-tellers-along-with-mentors-says-cardinal-health-executive

Sermon - Who Do You Say I Am? (Proper 19B)

 16^th Sunday after Pentecost (19B)                                                      September 12, 2021

James 3:1‑12, Mark 8:27‑38                                                     
Panzer Liturgical Service   

There is no shortage in the number of ways we describe or talk about Jesus. Roget's Thesaurus lists 45 different words or phrases to describe how we as Christians, through Scripture, tradition, and experience, would talk about who Jesus is to us.

Savior, Redeemer, Teacher,
Son of God, Son of Mary, God the Son, second person of the Trinity, Word, Logos, the Only Begotten, Word made Flesh, Incarnate Son
Messiah, Son of David, rod of Jesse‑ the Lord's Anointed, Christ
Immanuel, Lamb of God, Son of Man, Man of Sorrows
Jesus, Jesu, Jesus Christ
Holy Infant, Christ Child, Child of Bethlehem
Jesus of Nazareth, the Nazarene, the Galilean
The Good Shepherd, Savior, Redeemer, Friend
Lord, Master
Rock of Ages, Bread of Life, True Vine, The Way, the Truth, the Life
Light of the World, Sun of Righteousness
King of Kings, King of Heaven, King of Glory, Prince of Peace [i]

The people following Jesus around talked about him, too. Some of them thought that maybe Jesus was the One who was promised to come. But it was probably whispered among the believers or said with scorn or disdain by those who knew he could not possibly be the one. I imagine it was something no one wanted to talk about – after all, the Roman Emperor saw himself as the One – and talk of someone else as the fulfillment of prophecy could spell the end of life for anyone speaking such sedition.

Jesus knew that people were talking about him – seeing him as the reincarnation or embodiment of past and previous prophets. But when asked by Jesus, "Who do people say that I am?" Peter didn’t hesitate - His response was unequivocal and unwavering - Peter replied, "You are the Messiah."

The word messiah had great meaning for the Jews. The Messiah was believed to be a man who would be sent by God to restore Israel and reign righteously over all humanity. The idea developed among the Jews especially in times of adversity. Jewish Messianic expectations generally focused on a kingly figure of the house of David who would be born in Bethlehem. The name Christ is Greek for "Messiah," and its definition is also described by the word Savior.[ii]

Jewish writer Elie Weisel wrote, "I think the messianic concept, which is the Jewish offering to mankind, is a great victory. What does it mean? It means that history has a sense, a meaning, a direction; it goes somewhere, and necessarily in a good direction‑the Messiah".[iii]

People were expecting a Messiah ‑ a savior. They expected that God would reveal to them the identity of this person in holy and clear events. They believed that the Hebrew Bible prophecies laid out a particular path. I’m sure the thing that held many learned people back was the obvious revelation, as we read through Mark's gospel, that Jesus did not fit the bill.

We have seen again and again that Peter isn’t always the smartest disciple in the group, but when he gets it right, he does it in a big way. Somehow, in all his bumbling and unbelief, Peter spoke the truth. "You are the Messiah,” encompassing many things. Jesus was the hope of Israel and their chance for the future God promised."

Remember, the Jews were expecting a hero Messiah who would come to save them from slavery and tyranny. Imagine their surprise when before Peter can draw a good breath, Jesus starts telling them of a future that sounds the opposite of what they expect… for the Messiah, their Savior, that Jesus talks about came to be rejected, to suffer, to die, and then be raised to new life.

And when Peter rejects that idea out of hand, Jesus rebukes him, and we begin to realize the problem that Jesus faced at that moment... that it is easier to believe in a Messiah who will come in the near or distant future because this Messiah makes no demands on our lives... but Messiah as present reality means that we have to make a decision. This is the conflict that faith-following often brings to our lives. The choice to follow Jesus is just that – a choice. And more often than not, the journey isn’t the one we expected.

Such a ragtag crew surrounding Jesus those days – yes, he was undoubtedly charismatic, healing and feeding people, and changing their lives. But more than that, he reordered life so that all of their expectations were turned upside-down. And in the shadow of his passion and resurrection, they understood life in ways that they had before. The early church grew, not because they had a great capital funds campaign or building plan. It grew because people were willing to go far and wide to share what they had experienced with Chris. They told people through their stories and writings, which were handed down to us, a picture of a messiah, a savior, who always meets our needs, but seldom meets our expectations.

After all, what kind of savior dies to gain eternal life? What kind of savior goes to that kind of death without a fight? It is the same savior who took back life after three days, redefining what it means to have new life. It is the same savior who is alive today, breathing new life into each of us. This messiah, this savior, allows us to share in his kingdom, to live in him and with him, in this life and in the life to come.

The historic definition alone cannot fully grasp our understanding of who Jesus is. We describe him as Messiah and Christ in part because we have been informed by centuries of thought from the bible itself and through the writings of thousands of people of faith who have shared their thoughts and experiences of Christ. But our personal experience of faith through our life in the church and our life in Christ must also be a part of the equation.

What a difficult concept to grasp, until we allow it to shape who we are. As children, we accept the idea of Jesus we hear from our parents and teachers. We see faith gets lived out, and it becomes something tangible, not just an idea. But eventually, at some time in our lives, we are asked to set aside our expectations of who Jesus is, and just experience him.

This happens when we participate in the work of Christ, in being his hands and feet to those in need. This happens in prayer and worship ‑‑ laughing, sharing, confessing, and listening for God's word to penetrate our hearts and lives. And because Christ asks us to follow, not just with our hearts or our minds, but with our whole lives, whatever work we take on can become the work of Christ.

The writer of James offers some of the most practical advice about how to live our faith in Christ. He reminds us that it’s all about how we treat one another – just another affirmation of the primary goal to love God and neighbor in all that we do.

People aren’t just listening to what we say – they are also watching what we do. And while many are uncomfortable with James’ emphasis on works – he is not telling us that we can work our way into heaven. But he does say that faith without works – without living in out in our daily lives – that kind of faith is not the faith that Jesus is calling us to have.[iv]

And the writer of the Proverbs begins with a plea for us to receive the Wisdom of God’s promises available to all – no barriers or pre-requisites exist. This wisdom is not just about knowledge, it is about making a conscious choice to use the gifts God has given us to care for everyone. And if we choose not to, there are consequences, not just for us, but also for those in our care.[v]

One of the reasons that people give for not following Jesus is that it will just cause too much of a change in their lives… it feels like giving up control, and that’s just too scary to contemplate most days. And they have a point. Jesus asks up to take up our cross and follow him – that seems scary at best with the potential for a fair bit of unpleasantness. But we have to remember that Jesus wasn’t left at the cross – that wasn’t the end of his story, and it’s not the end of ours.

In following Jesus to the cross, we are also following him to the resurrection, and while our lives may not look like what we expected, they will often be filled with many joys, relationships, and experiences that we never imagined. This journey is not just about faith – it is also about obedience. As we follow Christ, we not only learn more about who he is, but also who we are, and who we were created to be. Ironically, we actually become more ourselves when we think less about ourselves and more about Jesus.[vi]

As we worship in the shadow of the 20^th anniversary of the September 11^th tragedies, we remember many people who put others’ lives before their own… police and firefights who ran into the burning buildings, workers who helped their office mates to safety, passengers who fought back while knowing there was no way out for them, military personnel and their families who sacrificed for decades in an attempt to bring sanity to unimaginable situations.

We never know what events will make the question and answer real for us, but it’s a good bet that somewhere, every day, Jesus is asking us, “Who do you say that I am?” What will our answer be? And how will anyone know if we’re not willing to put it all out there in response?

Amen!

Peace, Deb

(c) Deb Luther Teagan, September 2021

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[i] The Original Roget's Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases (Americanized Version) is licensed from Longman Group UK Limited. Copyright @ 1994 by Longman Group UK Limited. All rights reserved.

[ii] The Concise Columbia Encyclopedia is licensed from Columbia University Press. Copyright @ 1995 by Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

[iii] iii‑ from Interview in Writers at Work (Eighth Series, ed. by George Plimpton, 1988) The Columbia Dictionary of Quotations is licensed from Columbia University Press. Copyright 0 1993, 1995 by Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

[iv] Pulpit Fiction Podcast – Proper 19B 9/12/21 www.pulpitfiction.com/notes/proper19b

[v] Ibid

[vi] Alicia McClintic, A Plain Account, Mark 8:27-39, aplainaccount.org/mark-827-38/