Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 21)
Rev. Amy Welin:Would you be willing to cut off the part of you that leads you to sin? While it may be interesting to ponder what each of us might need to amputate, most of us find the teaching of this gospel lesson a bit harsh. Three years ago, my husband initiated a children’s sermon in his parish. This was the gospel text. He pondered preaching a “kids, don’t do this at home” sort of sermon. And then he decided to preach on the Epistle, which is about the blessing of second chances.
The Gospel of Mark is short (with only 16 chapters) and intense. Jesus wastes no time and gets right to his point. The abruptness of this gospel reflects the time in which it was originally composed. It was a difficult time, because following the way of Jesus was not just countercultural: it was against the law, and to be a Christian meant one had to make a firm commitment. There was no turning back from the cross. A Christian had to cut off those stumbling blocks – anything that impeded their relationship with the Christ. In the context of today’s gospel story, this means that the followers of Jesus have to let go of their suspicion of difference, their competition with each other, their assumption about God and religion. Jesus is willing to welcome others to life with God – including those people his disciples are inclined to dislike.
With Jesus, every wandering soul is eligible to receive a second chance. (This is where the priest turns to the epistle).
Did you ever have the opportunity to try again after a mistake? Maybe you struck out in practice and got another pitch. Or you hit the re-set button on the video game. On the playground in ancient times, this was called a do-over. We may have lost that in adult life, and still God actually offers us that through Christ. A friendship with Jesus offers us the opportunity to enjoy a new beginning.
New beginnings have been all around us this week.
Our Jewish friends observed Yom Kippur, the Feast of Atonement, when they fasted to repent for sins and began a new year in faithful observance of the Law. The feast of Eid al Adha marked the end of the season of pilgrimage for our Muslim neighbors, which they traditionally observe by giving alms to the poor as a sign of their spiritual transformation.
Pope Francis did a new thing by addressing the U.S. Congress. The Pope reminded us that the USA is a place of second chances, in which opportunity is offered to newcomers. The American experiment – liberty and justice for all – offers the entire world the radical welcome of the Reign of God. He invites each of us to become the people God created us to be, whose happiness and well-being come from serving others and being part of one human community. He repeated this in his address to the United Nations. It is not about self-interest or rivalry or domination. Just for the record, this Pope is not a liberal. He is a Christian.
On Friday at St John’s, we hosted an ecumenical community dinner. The participants had a conversation about diversity issues in Waterbury. A dozen members of St John’s and thirty people from four other churches broke bread and discussed things that are among the Great Undiscussables: race and religion. It was an amazing evening, with some very deep sharing of truths and building of trust between new friends. It felt as if we had begun something new.
If the rain holds off, we can see the Blood Moon tonight – there will be a lunar eclipse and the full moon turns red as it passes through the shadow of earth. It is the fourth time this has happened in two years, and is called a tetrad. In ancient folklore, a lunar eclipse was considered a harbinger of change. Claiming to interpret Prophet Joel (2.30-31) or Revelation (6.12), some religious groups are saying that the end of the world is near. I rather think that they are mistaken. But if they are correct, well, it is good that we came to church.
What sort of new beginnings do you long for in your heart? Do you seek healing or an end to suffering? A renewal of relationship with God or with someone you love? Would you like to renew your commitment to some sort of action on behalf of others? Or just to have a fresh start? One of the greatest gifts of the Christian faith is that we believe that with God, there can always be a new beginning. We often identify it as an experience of resurrection. This sort of new beginning means that our life can change in small or dramatic ways. This is how we get our saltiness back.
Sometimes we need to work for a new beginning. Sometimes we simply need to accept it as a gift.
Sometimes a new beginning only comes after a serious loss.
God never promised that it would be easy. God is not the Good Fairy, waving a magic wand and making it all sparkle. God has promised to stand alongside us during the transition.
I wonder what it would feel like to let go of our fears and our anxieties and allow this new life to unfold. If our second chance is like the resurrection, how glorious will our new life be?
http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/01/living/blood-moon-biblical-prophecy-feat/index.html