The Word is ACTION

 Mark 1:29-39 is the lectionary text for February 7.

After healing and casting out demons, restoring people to community and to well-being, Jesus prayed and when His disciples came to get Him, Jesus said, "Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do."

Jesus did not just tell Good News.  Jesus acted on it.

Just as Agape Love is not a feeling, but committed action on behalf of the other, even stranger or enemy and especially the most vulnerable among us, so Jesus acted to restore Shalom to the lives of many.

First of all, it occurs to me that we can say anything as people who claim to be followers of Jesus.  We can claim deep faith in Jesus, claim devotion, praise, prayer and even claim to have spiritual gifts.  We might even speak in tongues or prophesy.  But what are we doing?  Are we living the Agape Love that Jesus commanded in active commitment on behalf of others?  Are we working to restore the Shalom (completeness, wholeness, well-being) of those whose lives are broken, oppressed, exploited, trampled?

Jesus referred to His healing and casting out demons as "proclaiming the message," and said that it was what he came TO DO.

If the church that bears the name of Jesus would be the church, we would not stop at the proclamation of Good News, but would practice what we proclaim, acting on the Good News to BE expressions of Good News, to BE Good News to those in the world around us!

What are the physical, emotional, mental, social and spiritual needs of those around us in the world?  We can claim anything, but as followers of Jesus, to proclaim Good News apparently means to spread Good News and create a Good News world around us!  It means to ACT on behalf of others in establishing or restoring Shalom in their lives.  It means to BE Jesus' hands and feet (and not just mouths) in this part of God's Kingdom, here and now.

Jesus' healing, restorative ACTION was His proclamation.  In order to be followers of Jesus, must that not also be ours?

Let's go out and proclaim THAT message - THAT Good News!

Pastor Jamie

Repent, and believe in the Good News

Please read Mark 1:14-20, the lectionary text for today.

The first public words of Jesus, recorded in the first chapter of the first Gospel ever written: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the Good News."

Do you want hope in your life and the world around you?  Do you want to see justice, equity, equality, Shalom for all and the resulting peace of it?  Jesus brought the answer in the Good News.

Peter, Andrew, James and John had had enough.  They had had enough of Roman occupation and oppression, enough of all their fish being taken to feed the machine of empire that oppressed them and enough of the King and religious leaders capitulating to the empire that hurt them.  They had had enough of the violent arrests, torture and killing of innocent lives.  They had had enough of the corruption.  They had no future under Rome.  They could not feed their families or build their lives under Rome.  The wealthy and powerful took it all as they ruthlessly abused their power, gained more wealth from it and declared superiority over others, a natural status above them.  They had nowhere left to go.  Jesus came speaking of God's Kingdom being present and good news.  It sounded hopeful after a long time of suffering in despair because of a lack of hope.

People have been laboring harder for less for over 40 years because empire has been embraced by those with power and wealth in this nation.  Claiming superiority over others and the status that comes with wealth and power, they have rigged this empire's economic, political and social systems to benefit those with wealth and power at the expense of all others "under" them.  And the politicians, even Neo-Liberal ones have gone along for the ride in order to get all that they can out of it.  And the religious leaders, even those who came from backgrounds of striving to understand what God's Word is telling us, have developed ideologies, theologies and practices that promote empire, instead of challenging it.  They have become a part of the injustice done to God's children, instead of calling it what it is and resisting it.  So, many people who are working (poor) class have been struggling just to get by, and the very poor have lost it all, even while being blamed for not thriving under a system designed to keep them down and indeed create more of them.  We have nowhere left to go.  Jesus' Good New stills speaks to us of God's Kingdom being present and good news of liberation from the system of oppression under THIS empire.  It is still our hope, if we will see it.

Still, the greatest resistance to empire is in following Jesus.  Living what Jesus taught, commanded and modeled for us, as we have witness in the Gospels, is faithfulness to God, because it is centered, not on getting all we can under a system that oppresses ourselves and our sisters and brothers, but on actively committing to the well-being of others, which is the Agape Love that Jesus commanded us to live.  In order to live the Good News of the Kingdom, we must believe in the Good News of the Kingdom as a better way, Jesus' Way of faithfulness to God and neighbor.  That takes repentance for a people who have believed for so long that we can serve both God and Mammon, that American Civil Religion is Christianity and that we can disassociate what Jesus taught, commanded and modeled for us as faithfulness from how we live our daily lives with God and neighbor.  Empire values are Greed, Hatred, Power over others and Status above others.  The Kingdom of God values are Agape Love (committed action on behalf of the other, even stranger and enemy and especially the most vulnerable among us), Grace, Mercy, Equity, Equality, Mercy, Humility, Generosity and the Shalom (completeness, wholeness and well-being) of ALL people, equally.  Oh yes, it will take a great deal of repentance (changing our thinking so that our direction will change) in order for us to live in alignment with Kingdom values after these 40 years of the building of empire in our nation and its churches. 

Tired of the conflicts, divisions and inequities within our nation and the world?  Repent, and believe in the Good News.

Tired of struggling to make it financially, and seeing others around you struggle to survive?  Repent, and believe in the Good News.

Tired of the lack of kindness, civility and graciousness in the culture around you?  Repent, and believe in the Good News.

Believing means living it.  Believing in Jesus means believing in Jesus' Way - what Jesus taught, commanded and modeled for us- as a better Way, the faithful way of being God's people in THIS PART of God's Kingdom, here and now.  That is faithfulness to God.  Faithfulness to empire has gotten us where we are in our nation.  Faithfulness to God is the how we will ALL have Shalom, because we have lived Kingdom values.  Like the fishermen, we are commanded to follow Jesus.  Following Jesus means putting Agape Love and Grace out in the world around us AS resistance to empire.  As followers of Jesus, we are called to be the Light of the World and Salt of the Earth.  We are called to be the leaven that enhances the whole of lives around us.  If we will believe in Jesus' Good News as a way of life in this part of God's Kingdom, here and now, we will be faithful to God and neighbor and will change the world in which we must live.  It is that simple.  It is that hard.  

Jesus came to tell us that empire had had its day.  It still took a couple hundred years of resistance to see it implode.  But the lives of those who followed Jesus during that time had already changed, as did the lives of those who were touched by those who followed Jesus, and Christianity grew.  It is time to take the Gospel and the church back from empire by living what Jesus taught, commanded and modeled for us as faithfulness to God once again.  

"The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the Good News."

Or, continue to live under the oppression, division, conflict and despair of empire.

It really is that simple.  It really is that hard.

Pastor Jamie 

Let there be peace on earth...

For years in our nation, the efforts to divide and foment conflict and even violence have increased, as those who are desperate to hold onto their power and wealth have pitted citizen against citizen, have actively discriminated against those who are not just like them and have attempted to create a climate of intolerance for any who are not white, misogynist, racist, homophobic, islamophobic and nationalistic.  

This does not make for peace.

Peace (Shalom in Hebrew; Eireinei in Greek) is centered on well-being, completeness and wholeness with justice, which leads to a climate of harmony, civility and even unity.

Where there are not the things that make for peace, there cannot be peace.  Where equality and equitable opportunities, justice and respect are not present, there cannot be peace.

This is why the prophet Jeremiah lamented that people claimed "Peace, peace" when there was no peace, because those with power and wealth treated God's children shamefully without any conscience.  (Jeremiah 6:13-15; 8:11-13)

This is why Jesus said that the peace He came to bring was different from the world's peace (in his time and place the Pax Romana, which was brutal oppression to control people into submission and not real peace (John 14:27), and lamented that the people refused to recognize the things that make for peace, which would be their doom (Luke 19:41-44).

And why Paul picked up on that theme to admonish the people to choose to pursue the things that make for peace (Romans 14:19).

If we want there to be an absence of conflict and war, and want there to be harmony and unity, we must value the things that make for peace and unity for ALL people.  We cannot promote division and conflict and expect an absence of strong, even violent reaction.  We cannot pretend that we value peace while remaining silent as inequities are promoted around us to benefit the few at the expense of many among us.  We cannot expect order when the values of the culture in which we live are out of order and benefit us over others around us.  There cannot be peace or unity until we pursue the things of peace and unity.

We must value everyone having enough, so that they do not have within them a struggle just to survive as they witness others living with opulent wealth and unlimited power in their lives.  We must make all having enough our pursuit.

We must value everyone having equal respect, so that some do not perceive a lack of value for themselves as others tout their status above them.  We must make all having equal respect our pursuit.

We must value everyone having equal opportunities, so that some do not experience lack while seeing others thrive.  We must make all having equal opportunities our pursuit.

We must value everyone having equal justice, so that some do not experience unjust discrimination while others injure others with impunity.  We must make all having equal justice our pursuit.

We must value everyone, having not just the tolerance of others, but the celebration of the other for who they are and what they have to contribute to the whole body.  We must make all having equal value our pursuit.

Our values for Shalom/Eireinei must be our standard and our pursuit, and our policies must bear them out.  

If we want peace, we must live Agape Love, which is not a feeling but committed action on behalf of the other, even stranger or enemy and especially the most vulnerable among us.

If we have that selfless, unconditional love for others, it will mean a better world for us, ultimately.

If we do not pursue these things that make for peace, we will have some cry "Peace" when there is none for many because of how some have lived out of greed, hatred, lust for power, desire for status, and "Unity" after some have created division and then want to avoid the consequences for doing so.  If we do not pursue the things that make for Shalom for all people, we will ultimately meet our doom as a nation, a society, a world.

If we want Peace and Unity, all must value Peace and Unity and put out in the world around them the things that make for Peace and Unity.  Until then, the cynicism, the duplicity and the hypocrisy will continue as some strive to have all the wealth, power and status for themselves and do hateful things to deprive others of any of it, all while expecting there to be a lack of consequences for themselves through it all.

Are we ready for something different?

Pastor Jamie

The spectacle, and what it signifies

To see the Holy Spirit descend like a dove and hear the voice of God claim Jesus as the beloved Son must have been quite a spectacle (Mark 1:4-11). What we learn from the spectacle of Jesus' Baptism is that God is with us in Jesus, who would turn the known world upside down.  It came at a time when empire had run rampant, resulting in the devastating occupation and oppression of God's people.  This Jesus event was light in the darkness, complete with an exposure of the darkness for what it was by Jesus and a vision of God's Will in what Jesus taught, commanded and modeled for those who would be faithful to God.

What have we learned from the spectacle of Wednesday last?

Do you see how the forces of empire, with its values of greed, hatred, lust for power and desire for status above others have brought us to this dark time?

Those who support a sitting President rioted and tried to prevent the democratic process from happening after a legitimate election took place.  Incited by that President, they stormed the halls of elected government, shut the democratic process down, vandalized and did violence.  The result was the death of five American citizens, one more than the endlessly Republican investigated riot in Benghazi.

After that, the Congress re-convened and certified a legitimately executed election, but not without 8 different Republican Senators and 147 (65% of the) Congressional Representatives still objecting to the results of that legitimately executed election because their candidate did not win, full with illegitimate and debunked claims of election fraud.  They voted against certifying a legitimate election!  Elected officials in the Republican Party attempted their own end to the democratic process, after a failed violent one by the mob's violence they fomented through their false claims of election irregularities and fraud for weeks before.

At least 8 Republican Senators and 147 Congressional Representatives love Power so much that they hate Democracy by comparison.  Their sycophantic, coattail grabbing attempts and hateful, divisive, provocative words and actions have helped to deepen the political and ideological divides of the nation they have sworn to represent, lead and serve.  They are ALL Republicans. 

Now, many of them are objecting to the pursuit of consequences for their words and actions.  They will resist any punitive actions for their un-American words and actions, now claiming that it is a time for "healing," even knowing that there are those who are still planning more violent insurrection and sedition in our near future.  They are complicit, at the very least.

There can be no healing until there is a recognition of wrong-doing in this, and repentance from it.  If there are no consequences for this, it will not help heal the nation, but will push the envelope of new, even more extreme norms in the expressions of ignorant hatefulness which have become much more normative in the last four years within our nation.  Just as placation of the South after the Civil War only led to more injustice through Deconstruction and Jim Crow, expressions of overt and systemic racism that still thrive today, so we will not heal the divides within our nation by sticking our heads in the sand and ignoring the extreme injustices promoted by Republicans at this time in our history.

Until this nation (and those who represent the citizens of it in their government) resoundingly opposes the racism, ethnocentrism, misogyny, xenophobia, classism, homophobia, Islamophobia and nationalism which has been born of a false sense of white superiority and has been nurtured by oligarchs who have used it to gain and keep power in our government, we will have to constantly fight the evils of fascism within our nation.  Those who falsely believe they are entitled above others due to their race, misogynistic beliefs, sexual orientation and participation in the cult of American Civil Religion are angry that their false entitlement has not been recognized and accepted as legitimate and, currently reflected in the election results of 2020.  The last four years have given voice and power to the ignorant and hateful fascists in the nation.  They had a platform because of the election of their delusional narcissist in the highest office in the land.  His sycophantic, coattail grabbing colleagues propped him up, shielded him from prosecution and thus emboldened him to spread the ideological hatred from which they benefitted.  They fomented the lies about the election results in order to continue to stay in power.  Now, some of them are distancing themselves because their insurrection and attempted coup have failed, but McConnell, Graham, McCarthy and the 147 Congressional Representatives and 8 Senators are still in love with the power over our Democracy, and are still in office.  They are ALL Republicans.

Until the people of the nation take responsibility for the hatred, greed, lust for power and desire for status, nurtured by re-written history and the myths of ideology around them, we will not heal from division and we will face threats to our Democracy from these enemies of it, both foreign and domestic.  

Until the people of the nation strive to live the ideals of the Gospel of Jesus, centered on Agape Love and Grace, reject laissez-faire Capitalism that keeps us under the thumb of Oligarchs and the Fascism that keeps us under the boot of autocrats, we will continue to devolve and will eventually implode, as do all empires.    

Until we take delight in the Jesus of the Gospels and His Good News of Agape Love and Grace for a world torn apart by empire, we will continue to be subject to the occupation and oppression of empire here, in this nation.  

That healing must start with an acknowledgement of the darkness.  It must then continue with a commitment to the light of truth, selfless love, humility and Shalom for ALL people, equally. 

Any cries of "Shalom, Shalom," when there IS NO Shalom will further promote this divide and threaten us all.  It will lead to worse spectacles and destruction in our (near) future.  It is time to expose the darkness for what it is and commit to living in the light of God.

Pastor Jamie

At the fork in the road

 Even as our Democracy is being threatened, and our people are dying in a pandemic, and the well-being of people across the world is diminished because of injustice, violence, poverty, disease, autocratic leaders and the corruption that brings us to these realities, we find ourselves at the fork in the road.  Which way will we go?

Will we, in the end, do what is just, wise, responsible, upright, moral and sustainable, or will we continue to sink into oblivion because of our prideful and ignorant greed, lust for power and desire for status?

Will we be the sheep who follow the Good Shepherd, or will we be the goats in the end (see Matthew 25:31-46)?

Will we be faithful to God or empire?

Will we be here in 100 years, or extinct?

This fork in our road is real.  We are there.  Here we are.  So, what will it be?

For believers, will we be among the Sheep or Goats?

Generous with all or Greedy for only ourselves?

Equal or Unequal?

Humility or Hubris?

Equally Just or Unjust?

Gracious and Merciful or Punitive and Viciously unforgiving?

Accepting or Judging?

Including or Excluding?

Peace-makers or War mongers?

Meek or Arrogant?

Kind or Mean-spirited?

Compassionate or Apathetic?

Empathic or Complacent?

People of Integrity or Unscrupulous?

Moral or Unconscionable and Immoral?

Promoters of Equitable Opportunities or of Inequities?

Builders of Shalom for All or Destroyers of Shalom for All?

Social Democracy or Fascist Oligarchy?

Good Stewards of the Creation or Destroyers of the Planet?

Blissed and a Blessing or a Curse?

Light or Darkness?

Truth or Lies?

Neighbors, Sisters, Brothers or Hate mongers?

Wise or Foolish?

Wheat or Weeds?

Good Fish or Refuse?

Faithful to God and Neighbor or Unfaithful?

Sheep or Goats?

The thing about the fork in the road is that it takes a clear, strong decision.  We have A CHOICE.  "We put down our money, take our choice and then we live with it." (Pastor Bruce Schein)

The thing about the fork in the road is that after we choose, we will go where it takes us to the end.  Particularly with regard to our environment, there is no turning back at this point.

The thing about the fork in the road is that the choice of each affects the life of ALL. 

We get ONE CHOICE at the fork in the road, and we are there.

So, what will it be?

We have been given the Good News of Jesus as our guide on how to live in this part of God's Kingdom, here and now.  We have been given teachings, commands and examples of how to be faithful to God and Neighbor.  We have been given an abundance of instruction on the living of Agape Love and Grace in the world as faithfulness to God.  We have been guided to work toward the Shalom of all in the world.  We have been told that Jesus is with us to the end of the age and that Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead, based on how we live Agape Love and Grace in the world.  Jesus' fulfillment of the Law and Prophets has been made known to us.

So, for all who claim Jesus and the Good News of Jesus, what will it be?  The Narrow Gate or the Path to Destruction?

Choose wisely.  It ALL hangs on your/our direction right now, in the end.

Which path will you/we take?

Pastor Jamie