the end of the argument

 Mark 12:28-34 is the lectionary text for next Sunday, October 31.

They had been arguing over minute issues regarding the Law.  One of the Scribes asked about which is the FIRST commandment. 

Jesus answered with the SHEMA... Jesus quoted both Deuteronomy 6 AND Leviticus 19.  It is all about LOVE... love for God and love for Neighbor.

We are commanded to love God with all we have: heart, soul, mind and strength, according to Jesus.

We are commanded to love Neighbor as self, according to Jesus.

Nothing is greater than that.  The Scribe agreed.  Jesus (kind of) complimented and affirmed him.

THIS IS IT!

We can spend the rest of our lives working on this, applying it to life, relationships and our place in the world.  If we love God with all our heart, soul, MIND and strength, we will strive to please God above all, and not walk away from God.  We will feel that love, walk consistently with God, critically DISCERN the truth of the Kingdom and use all the strength we have to live that love ACTIVELY in our lives.

We can spend the rest of our lives working on this, applying it to life, relationships and our place in the world.  If we love Neighbor as Self, we will no more want harm or lack to come to our Neighbor, who Jesus (Luke 10) defines as stranger, enemy and especially the most vulnerable among us.  The word is agapao in Greek, which means to ACTIVELY COMMIT on their behalf.  It is not about feelings, those we give to God.  This is about obedience to God's Will for us in the world, this part of God's Kingdom, here and now.  

Want to be faithful to God?  Love God with all your have and love (treat) your neighbor as you love (treat) yourself.  

There it is.  Period.  Don't complicate things.

Does it help or hurt neighbor (stranger, enemy, most vulnerable)?

Therefore, is it pleasing or displeasing, faithful or unfaithful to God?

That ends the argument.

Pastor Jamie

who is the greatest?

 Mark 10:35-45 is the Gospel text for next Sunday, October 17.

James and John want to be important, to be recognized as great - to have status above the others, and presumably power over them.

Jesus asked them if they were able to drink the cup He must drink.  Having no idea, they said, "Absolutely."  Jesus informed them that they would drink the cup He drank, but that the seating arrangement was not up to Him, but rather to God.

The ten were indignant.  Why didn't they think of it first?  They were a product of worldly values, having lived under empire for much of their lives.  Status was that upon which Roman society was built.  Power and wealth came with it and, to some degree, helped create it.  Status was critical to them, but not in the Kingdom.

Jesus used gentile leaders as an example of how NOT to be.  Power and status are different in the Kingdom.  To be GREAT is to be the one who serves the most humbly.  To have POWER is not to have it over others, but that in the sharing of power ALL may have Shalom (completeness, wholeness, well-being) and therefore peace.

Jesus used Himself as an example, because He gave up His GREATNESS to be born in lowly, human form and live this life.  He gave up His POWER in dying for others, and thus giving the most powerful gift of all.  

It turns upside down the worldly, empire notion of first and last.

Throughout the Gospels Jesus takes on the corrupt, evil values of empire.

So, who among us is the greatest?

Pastor Jamie

who can be saved?

 Mark 10:17-31 is the lectionary Gospel text for Sunday, October 10.

So this man comes up to Jesus and asks what he must do to inherit eternal life.  Was it a sincere question out of concern, or was it fishing for a statement of divine blessing?

Jesus referred to the Commandments of old, which this man claimed he kept all his life.  He had checked off the list, met the legalistic and literal criteria, had satisfied quid pro quo.

Jesus then looked at him with LOVE and told him the TRUTH.  He had to demonstrate AGAPE LOVE in committed action on behalf of the poor, thus giving away his wealth, in order to gain eternal life.  It is not about quid pro quo, checklists or legalistic criteria.  It is about living LOVING relationships with others out of our Love for God.

He was SHOCKED.  He had been led to believe that his wealth was a sign of God's blessing a favor, a sure sign that he would be accepted into the Kingdom.  His prosperity was not such a sign?  He went away grieving, probably for a great deal in his life!  He had been falsely taught about what God wanted of him.  He grew to love his wealth and the idea that it meant that God was onboard with him having it.  He could not just abandon his wealth and the beliefs that made him feel so good about himself, especially for the sake of nameless, undeserving poor folk.  He was SHOCKED and saddened.  He went away grieving, because as much as he wanted eternal life, he could not give up his addiction to wealth and the power and status that came with it.  He was grieving a loss that he could have prevented.  It was truly tragic.

Then Jesus told his disciples that it is HARD for the wealthy to enter the Kingdom - harder than for a ROPE (kamilos) to go through the eye of a needle!  Near impossible!  And they were perplexed as well by that.  Weren't wealth, status and power signs of God's blessings?  If those who claim to be blessed by God cannot be saved, then who can be saved?

We do not decide that.  We have no clue to that.  More accurately, we ignore the clues to that.  In Matthew's Gospel there is a huge clue regarding the criteria for salvation in 25:31-46.  Here, in this text is a huge clue as to who will inherit the Kingdom of God in eternal life.  Spoiler alert - no mention of praise, tithes, quoting scripture, tongues or having wealth.  It is about Loving Neighbor as Self (Agape - active commitment/committed action on behalf of the other, even stranger and enemy and especially the most vulnerable) out of our Love for God.

God decides who is saved, not the rich, powerful and famous.  Another spoiler alert - it doesn't look to good for them, that is, if you believe JESUS.

Pastor Jamie

Jesus - the original family guy

 Mark 10:2-16 is the Gospel lectionary text for Sunday, October 3.

Jesus addressed divorce.  For the record, Jesus said NOTHING about homosexuality or abortion, or practically ANYTHING that have become hot-button issues today for those who profess to follow Jesus, but who use HIS Gospel to divide, take control over others and gain the appearance of faithfulness for themselves while not living the LOVE that Jesus DID COMMAND.

Jesus was tested by the religious leaders, as always.  It was a trap.  They wanted to catch the "libtard" in some awkward sound byte to discredit Him.  Jesus instead schooled them on the intention of God's Law through Moses, and its context because of THEIR hardness of heart.  Jesus gave the Law context and thus discredited the hypocrites.  It seems to me that "libtards" may need to learn that lesson from Jesus for our interactions today.  We must reclaim the Gospel from those who have been twisting and weaponizing it for over 41 years.

Yes, for their hardness of heart, God did allow for divorce - a certificate to be drawn up by the men against their wives.  They were looking for reasons to ditch wives who did not do everything they wanted - to abandon their wives so they could run off with someone else.  Sound familiar?  There are sub-cultures among corporate executives who do this very thing and have been for years - "trading her in on a younger/newer model," like a car.  The trouble is, it left these women without means because of other rules designed to hold them down, back and out in their society.

So, Jesus clarified - if there is infidelity, then divorce may be justified for the man, but God created us male and female (note there is no hierarchy of importance attached to this statement by Jesus), and put us together as ONE flesh.  Would a man rip off his arms because he saw some bigger guns on someone else?  No.  You work with what you have been given.  Women were vulnerable - among the most vulnerable in that society, and under empire.  Jesus provided protection for the most vulnerable against those who would exploit them and throw them away in the society - men. 

And children - Jesus was blessing them.  They are always the most vulnerable.  They have no means of their own and are subject to whatever great or horrible things their parents or guardians dish out.  They have no status in a society based on merit, because they have not earned any yet.  They are of great value in the Kingdom because of their loving, trusting innocence.  The world victimizes them.  Our nation victimizes them.  Christian folk who claim to be "pro-life" victimize them once they are born.  They are the most vulnerable among us, yet it is to them that the Kingdom belongs.  And if we do not learn from them the receptivity to accept the Kingdom of God in trust and love, we will not enter it, according to Jesus.

Not much has changed in the world since Jesus walked among us.  Empire values still corrupt, especially in our nation.  Women and children are still exploited, abused and thrown away.  And the Gospel of Jesus still addresses the inequities and injustices to the most vulnerable, and counters that with Agape Love and Grace.

Jesus values women and children.  Do you?  Do we?

Pastor Jamie

us and them

Mark 9:38-50 is the lectionary Gospel text for next Sunday, September 26.

They wanted to create a division - us vs. them.  Someone was doing something good in Jesus' name but was not among THEIR group, not "one of us."  Jesus shut that down.  Here, unlike in another context of those who are assumed to be "of among us," Jesus said, "Whoever is not against is for us." If they are living the Agape Love of the Kingdom, they are with the program.

Then, Jesus talked about not being a stumbling block to the young.  Do not pollute their minds and hearts with your biases and prejudices.  Let them remain innocent of such contrived differences that make you feel superior to or entitled above someone else.  Do not put your hatreds in their hearts and minds and do not give them an example of judging others, with your unfaithful rationalizations and justifications.  Believe in Jesus and Jesus' Way.  The Kingdom is beyond "you and yours."  Jesus' Way includes, lifts up and loves all.  Teach them that.

In fact, whatever it is within you that causes you to think that way, get rid of it.  It is causing you to sin.  Separate yourself from it, even though you may be VERY attached to it, and even if you believe that it is something you need to survive in the world.  It is better to go through life without it, even hindered in the eyes of the world, of empire, than to lose the real life God provides in Jesus - life in the Kingdom.  Get rid of those things that would keep you from the Kingdom of God in Jesus and Jesus' Way.

Because you will be purified - NOT in the way that the world teaches, or the fundamentalists - the purity you will find is one in motive and in Agape Love - the purity of assuming trust and living a guileless existence, even a purposefully healing existence with those in the world around you.  Lifting others up, advocating for them, working on their behalf, being their power and voice, standing with them and transforming the world in which they live to be more just, equitable and loving.  THAT is the purity taught, commanded and modeled by Jesus.  THAT is Jesus' Way.

There is no us vs. them.  WE are children of God, ALL of us.  Are we going to see that and teach our children that and LIVE our responsibility to one another as sisters and brothers, or are we going to continue to live the insidiously evil values of empire that divide, delude and destroy others?  Will we follow Jesus or empire?  What will it be?

Pastor Jamie 

humility in The Way

 Mark 9:30-37 is the lectionary text for Sunday, September 19

Jesus again told them what it meant for Him to be Messiah - self sacrifice for the good of all.  They were not interested enough in that to ask what it meant.

Instead, they argued about who was the greatest.  Number One.  Champion over the other disciples.  Jesus had a teaching moment, and used it.

It is in empire that status above others is valued.  The Roman iteration of empire thrived on it, was built on it.  Somebody had to feel like they were better than, above, higher than someone else.  Pride, hubris and arrogance drive this kind of thinking - that is empire.

Jesus told them that the greatest in the Kingdom, in His Way, is the one who makes themselves last with regard to the well-being of others.  The first is the last, the last first in Jesus' Kingdom.  Humbling oneself to serve a child.  Caring for "the least", the most vulnerable who most need our care, is the GREATEST thing one can do as a follower of Jesus.

You can recite scripture until you are blue in the face, use it to hurt others, worship without missing a Sunday, tithe, praise Jesus, "save souls" and live the purest, holiest life of anyone around you.  What will make you GREAT in the eyes of Jesus, is how you care for the most vulnerable among us while humbling yourself so as not to get credit for it.

Empire AIN'T the Kingdom of God.  Its values are not God's values as we have been taught, commanded and modeled by Jesus.  Agape Love means lifting others up in humility, and gaining nothing for self while doing it.  

THAT is faithfulness to Jesus.

Pastor Jamie

ashamed

 Mark 8:27-38 is the lectionary text for Sunday, September 12.

Peter confirmed that Jesus is Messiah, but could not get with the idea of redemption and Grace.  Peter could not think in Kingdom terms.  He could only see the human values of long life.

Similarly, Jesus pointed out that to be His follower means leaving the typical worldly values of a self-serving orientation.  It is not about indulging, edifying, glorifying, promoting, serving or even saving self.  It is about losing self for His sake and the sake of the Good News in the world.  For followers of Jesus, it is not about what we get, even heaven, but about losing a life of worldly values and saving a life in Kingdom values now and in heaven.  If we focus on preserving our own lives rather than giving them in service to our Lord and our Lord's children, we will lose life with Him, now and later.  It is Jesus' rebuke of the tempter.   It is Jesus' rebuke of empire values.  It is Jesus' rebuke of those who would claim to follow Him, but who will not go to the Cross with Him.

Prosperity Theology, Church Growth Theology, Personal Salvation Theology, Self-Righteousness through personal purity and holiness Theology are all contrary to the Gospel of Jesus that does not talk about US saving souls, but rather the Holy Spirit doing so.  They are contrary to the Gospel of Jesus that does not talk about even saving ourselves, but in giving ourselves for the sake of others, even following His example, even to the Cross.

It is about sacrifice and finding a new life in the love of others - a life of living Agape Love that is a life worth saving, rather than holding onto worldly (empire) values and walking away sadly from our desire to inherit the Kingdom.

If we are ashamed of the Good News of Jesus because it runs contrary to the American way of life, American Civil Religion, laissez-faire Capitalism and the false, bad theologies that promote them, then Jesus is ashamed of us when He returns.

A pretty clear message, I think.

Deny self, lose the life you have been pursuing according to empire values, and again a life faithful to God - a life centered in the living of Agape Love and Grace.  Do it without shame, unabashedly proud to counter, resist and challenge empire at every turn because the Way of Jesus is a better, more sustainable way for all humanity.  That will save a lot of lives, a lot of souls, even perhaps the soul of our nation.  If not, then... 

Pastor Jamie