A Light to the Nations: A Light of Authority

Jesus continues to shine the light of God's kingdom into the world. We know that one way in which people recognized Jesus as the Son of God was through miraculous acts of power and healing. But Mark tells us that people recognized that Jesus was a person of authority even before his first miracle (see Mark 1:21-28).

We know from history that Jesus was not the only traveling teacher of his time. Even his cousin John appears to have been well know. What made Jesus different? What made people take notice of him, even before the miracles started?

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As we have continued our journey through this season following Epiphany, one of the things we recognize is how Jesus brings God’s light into the world for all to see. We see the many colors of this light coming into the world in different ways - a light of forgiveness, a light of repentance, a light that calls to us. The light of God’s love guides us, leads us, commands us.

Today we read about how the people of Capernaum glimpsed this light. In the gospel of Mark, this is the first of Jesus’ miracles or healings. After all, we are still in the first chapter of Mark. So far, this chapter has touched on John the Baptist, Jesus’ baptism and temptation, and the calling of his disciples. We are told that Jesus goes into Galilee to announce that the time that was foretold is at hand, the good news that God’s kingdom is coming into the world. Bringing us now to Capernaum.

As we know was his habit, Jesus entered the synagogue on the Sabbath and began to teach. This is a recurring theme in all of the gospels. Jesus is frequently found in the synagogue on the Sabbath. He is an observant Jew following the religious practices even as he is also teaching that things are changing as God’s kingdom comes near.

This is what the people of Capernaum respond to. It is not so much that Jesus is preaching change; I doubt the people of his time responded to change any more easily than people today do. But they recognized the difference in the way that Jesus taught as opposed to the way that the scribes and religious leaders typically taught. Based on what the text says here and what we know about what is to come, we can guess that the legal experts, the religious scribes, teach only the words printed on the page. “We must do these things. We must not do these things.” There is no question of why we do these things beyond the fact that the scriptures say so.

But Jesus teaches as one who wants the people to understand the why -- what is behind the text, why does the scripture say these things, how does this serve God’s kingdom? Rather than the text having authority over him, he clearly speaks as one with authority himself, one who thoroughly understands what the scriptures say and why. This is one of the reasons these legal experts that are mentioned are constantly questioning Jesus on his understanding of scripture. They are trying to catch him up, to prove he doesn’t actually know the scriptures. We know that they fail. Even the legal experts are at times amazed at Jesus’ knowledge.

Now I’m sure it is only coincidental that the naming of the legal experts is immediately followed by the crying out of one possessed by an unclean spirit. Even so, this scene serves to continue the conversation about Jesus’ authority. The spirit that is possessing the man knows who Jesus is and appears to be afraid.  “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are. You are the holy one from God” (Mark 1:24, CEB). This unclean spirit recognizes Jesus and his authority. He knows that the coming of Jesus indicates the end of his power in the world. 

Then Jesus commands the spirit to be silent and to come out of the man. With much shaking and screaming, the spirit comes out. Where there may have been those that doubted Jesus’ preaching, now they know the truth. Jesus comes with authority and power. God’s light shines through him for all to see. And the news began to spread.

It is fitting to read this text during this season. Jesus not only begins his teaching ministry but also has his first show of power among the people, whether we call it a miracle or a healing or perhaps both. In the gospel of Mark it is the first time that Jesus’ power is displayed in this way. Like the miracle at the wedding feast at Cana in the gospel of John, it is a public acknowledgement of who Jesus truly is. It is a public showing of God’s light shining out for all to see.

I think it is easy for us to get caught up on the miraculous part of this passage. Jesus just cast out an unclean spirit that was possessing a man. We know that many people in his own time followed Jesus simply because he could heal them regardless of what else he might say or do. On the other hand, Jesus does not turn these people away either. He knows they are in need of healing and he heals them, whether they believe anything more about him or not. 

It is one reason I am more drawn to the first part of this passage about Jesus’ teaching. Before the miraculous display of spiritual power, the people recognize the authority of Jesus’ teaching. The passage says, “The people were amazed by his teaching, for he was teaching them with authority, not like the legal experts” (Mark 1:22, CEB). The people notice the difference between the way that Jesus teaches and the teaching of the legal experts. 

We know that the legal experts of their time were ones who studied the scriptures and knew them forward and backward. They could pull out a text for any occasion, and they advocated a simplistic devotion to the letter of the law. The words literally say this. This is why they are legal experts.

Now before you misunderstand what I mean here, we must also note that this is an act of devotion to God for them. They want so much to please God that they study the scriptures in order to understand exactly how God would have them act in every situation. When you put it that way, suddenly they don’t sound quite as wrong as they are perhaps often portrayed. But I would suggest that the difference the people notice is about relationship with God.

For the legal experts, religion is about following the laws that have been written in the past. Religion is about doing our best to follow the rules so that God is pleased with us. For them, religion is found in the scrolls of the Torah. What should I do in this situation? Well, what does the Law say?

Jesus instead comes teaching a relationship with God. How does what is in the Torah lead us into a deeper relationship with God? How do the Laws lead us to more deeply love God and one another? It is not simply a question of avoiding or appeasing God’s wrath. To oversimplify it, Jesus is asking, “where is the love?”

As I was thinking about how to visualize this, I thought of the Matrix movies. Now The Matrix is a deeply philosophical film delving into questions of the very nature of reality. It can leave us wondering, what is reality? It is also a story about finding oneself, about discovering one’s identity. For the creators, the Wachowskis, this was a very personal part of the story.

Over the course of the film, we meet an interesting cast of characters -- a small group of people who recognize the true nature of reality, the masses from whom reality has been hidden or at least unrecognized, and the Agents whose purpose is to maintain the illusion. In some ways, the Agents are analogous to the legal experts in our scripture today. The Agents are, we learn, computer programs designed to ensure that the rules are being followed. They themselves follow a strict set of rules, and they exist to enforce the behaviors of those in the system.

Of course, the analogy begins to fail when we realize that the Agents of The Matrix know that the world people see is a lie and that their true purpose is to make sure the truth remains hidden. The legal experts of Jesus' time did what they did out of a sense of devotion. They were not knowing accomplices to a great lie.

At the other end of the extreme, we have the small group of people who recognize that there is more to the world than the rules that people are forced to live by. We have a John the Baptist type, a Mary Magdalene stand in, various apostles, a Messiah, and even a Judas in their midst. This group teaches a new reality. Through their teaching and their actions, they speak with authority, showing that the narrowly enforced and controlled lives they live is not the fullness of reality. They teach a new way of being in the world with one another.

At the end of the film, the Messiah-figure, Neo, tells the legal experts of his world what to expect:

"I know you're out there. I can feel you now. I know that you're afraid. You're afraid of us. You're afraid of change. I don't know the future. I didn't come here to tell you how this is going to end. I came here to tell you how it's going to begin. I'm going to hang up this phone, and then I'm going to show these people what you don't want them to see. I'm going to show them a world without you, a world without rules and controls, without borders or boundaries, a world where anything is possible. Where we go from there, is a choice I leave to you."

Other than the reference to a telephone, it is not hard to imagine similar words coming from Jesus when he speaks to the legal experts and other religious authorities. Jesus comes into the world teaching us that the kingdom of God is coming into the world. He speaks with authority, calling the people into relationship rather than blind adherence to a set of rules and laws. He speaks and acts with power and authority. He brings change.

For many, there is a certain comfort in knowing the boundaries. We like to have rules to follow. We like to be able to easily tell if what we are doing is right or wrong. Jesus doesn’t come saying that is necessarily wrong. What he does come saying is that there is more to loving and serving God than that. Living in the kingdom of God is about more than simply following a set of rules. This is why people were afraid, why people sought to challenge Jesus. 

Jesus spoke with authority, as one who knew what the kingdom of God looks like and could tell people what it means to live in that kingdom. This is the authority people recognized before he ever performed an act of power.

Today I encourage us to reflect on Jesus' power and authority using the words of a well-known Methodist hymn-writer. Charles Wesley, brother of John Wesley and one of the founders of the Methodist movement, is best remembered for his hymns. A prolific hymn writer, many of his hymns are still sung today, even across denominational lines. As we reflect on the light of power and authority that Jesus brings, we close with a hymn that proclaims this light and reflects on how this light overcomes the spirits and darkness in our lives.

A Light to the Nations: A Light of Repentance

As we continue to think about Jesus as a light to the nations and what it means for us to continue to reflect that light in the world, we circle back around to a topic that we touched on briefly a couple of weeks ago. On the Sunday that we celebrated the Baptism of Jesus, we talked primarily about forgiveness. Today, we add Jonah to that earlier conversation to help us better understand repentance which goes hand in hand with forgiveness.

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Some of you may recall that two weeks ago we talked about forgiveness. We took a look at the Baptism of Jesus and what it means for us to be baptized. I concluded that message by speaking of repentance as a corollary to forgiveness. Today we look more intentionally at repentance, both how it works and how it doesn’t.

Repentance is a somewhat complex word with lots of moving parts. It means to feel regret for past thoughts or actions, but the meaning doesn’t end there. To truly repent means to be so moved by the misdeeds of the past, that we commit to change our present and future. It gives us a sense of turning around to face the other direction. As we commonly think of repentance in the Church, it means to turn from a life of a sin to a life focused on God.

Of course, the Biblical writers didn’t speak modern English. The Greek word we translate as repentance is μετάνοια (metanoia). This word combines the concepts of change and time. The Greeks would have understood this as a change that took place over time or a different attitude or action that took place after some other event. 

I think that this Greek concept is helpful for us in the modern world, even as it may perhaps be difficult for us. In the world of on demand entertainment and the availability of so many things nearly immediately through services like Amazon, we sometimes expect everything in our lives to work with the same immediacy. Repentance in our minds can become a “once and done” thing, leaving us feeling like failures if we don’t see the immediate effects in our lives. But the Biblical writers would not have had this same understanding. For them, repentance would have been something that took place over time after some event or encounter led them to change their minds. Repentance is an ongoing process of transformation, not a one time event. 

But what is the event or encounter that leads to repentance? What leads us to “change after” in the sense that the Greeks would have understood?

A Light to the Nations: Called by the Light

This week, we take a look at what it means to be called by the light that is God's love in the world. What does our calling look like? How do we respond? Perhaps most importantly, we think about what it means to be the Church.

Rather than looking at the stories of Jesus calling his first disciples, we look to the calling of Samuel instead (see 1 Samuel 3:1-10). What can we learn about our own calling from this story? What can we learn about the calling of others? What can their stories tell us about ourselves?

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During the season following Epiphany, we often focus on the revelation of Jesus becoming known to the world, the recognition of Jesus as God in the world with us. While we most explicitly focus on this on Epiphany Sunday, this theme continues throughout this season between Epiphany and Lent. All through this season, we find small reminders of Jesus becoming known to the world and the light of God’s love spreading.

And so it may come as a slight surprise that we turn to a reading from the Hebrew Scriptures today. But even though this particular reading is not about Jesus, it plays into an important part of Jesus’ ministry in the world.

After his baptism, we know that Jesus spent forty days fasting in the wilderness in preparation for beginning his ministry. We’ll come back to that topic in a few weeks when Lent begins. However, upon returning from his fast, Jesus begins his ministry by calling his followers. In the gospel reading appointed for today, Jesus calls Philip and Nathanael to be his followers, and over the next few weeks we will see him call others as well.

Our reading today is also about calling. I chose this reading today of the calling of Samuel because I think we may be able to relate to it a little better than the story of Jesus calling Philip and Nathanael. In the gospel story, Philip and Nathanael had heard about Jesus and sought him out. When they met him, he was able to prove to them who he is.

But our reading about Samuel is a little different. Samuel is learning from Eli how to be a servant of God. While he is sleeping one night, God comes to Samuel and calls out to him. Not recognizing the voice hears, he assumes it is Eli and goes to see what he needs. But Eli is not the one that called him. Three times this happens before Eli recognizes God at work and tells Samuel what is going on. When God comes a fourth time, Samuel says, “Speak. Your servant is listening.”

For us living in an age when Jesus is not physically roaming the countryside performing miracles, this may be a little closer to our experience of Jesus’ calling. Sometimes the voice of Jesus comes and we are not able to recognize who is calling or where the voice is coming from. In our world, there are distractions, doubts, and fears that may keep us from hearing the call in our lives or keep us from recognizing the call when it comes. Sometimes it is only through our relationships with other persons of faith that we can understand the voice that we are hearing.

I am guessing that for most of us, this is a lot closer to the truth than the story in the gospel of Jesus calling his followers. Think about it for a moment. Are you here because Jesus appeared before you and somehow proved to you miraculously who he is? Or are you here because you heard a quiet voice calling your name, a voice that perhaps you didn’t even recognize, and another person of faith helped you recognize it as the voice of God?

I can guess how we each would answer that question. What may be harder to answer is the question of what it means to be called by the light. What are we called for? Who are we called to be?

When we look at the story of Samuel and his mentor, Eli, we see that they were called to different things even as there are some commonalities. It is also the same for us. We are all here because at some point we heard God calling us. 

God has called us to do and to be something in the world. God did not call out to Samuel just so Samuel could claim to have heard God calling. Jesus did not call Philip and Nathanael simply so they could say they have a personal relationship with Jesus. God calls us for a purpose. Jesus calls us to participate in the ministry that he started in the world.

When we read the stories of the prophets foretelling the messiah, as we read the gospel stories about Jesus coming into the world, we hear that Jesus comes into the world to be a light to nations. Jesus in the world is good news for all people. So what does it mean for us to be called by that light? What do we learn about our calling from the life and ministry of Jesus?

Jesus came into the world to serve others. Aside from the teaching that Jesus does, the bulk of his ministry revolves around healing the sick and feeding the hungry. His earliest followers learn from him and go forth doing the same. And so it is with us still today.

Jesus did not call his followers solely for their own benefit. He didn’t call Peter and tell him to sit back and take it easy. He called Peter and James and John to be fishers of people. He called them to help spread the ministry he was doing.

And yet, not everyone who encounters Jesus receives a call. There are many that Jesus fed along the way, there are plenty that Jesus healed who never followed in his footsteps. Jesus heals ten lepers. Only one of the ten returned to offer thanks, and even that one did not become one of Jesus’ followers. Perhaps there are those in our world who are healed and offer thanks without receiving a call to follow Jesus.

But I have to wonder, is that all the church is? Is the church simply a place to show up and offer thanks to God and go on about our business because our faith has made us whole? Or are we the church because we have been called and we show up to follow Jesus? What does it mean to be the Church?

As we consider our calling and purpose this weekend, I am reminded that tomorrow our nation remembers and celebrates a man who heard God calling and went where he was called to go. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., lived a life dedicated to following the path that Jesus set before him. He sought justice for God’s people. He sought release from the bondage of sin and the literal bondage that so many still struggle with to this day. He called on the church to live up to its calling to follow the example that Jesus has left to us.

In his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” Dr. King responds to concerns raised by some clergymen regarding his participation in protests in Birmingham and his subsequent arrest. Over the course of 20 pages, Dr. King talks about his ministry among the people, the purpose of his work, and his hopes for the future. Near the end of the letter, he expresses concern for what may become of the church.

"But the judgment of God is upon the church as never before. If today's church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century. Every day I meet young people whose disappointment with the church has turned into outright disgust."

As convicting as these words were over 55 years ago, they continue to convict those of us in the church today. We continue to have many of the same hopes and same fears. We continue to struggle with many of the same realities in the world around us. We continue to wonder why younger people are not showing up as they once did.

If you have not read it recently, I encourage to take the time to read the entire text of Dr. King's "Letter from the Birmingham Jail." There is much there for us in the Church still today to consider about what it means to be called and what that should look like in the world. While some of us like to think that the purpose of Dr. King's work and ministry are things of the past, I think that as you read this letter you will learn that there are truths there that remain relevant to both the Church and the wider world today. 

Of particular concern for us in the church, especially considering recent events in our own time, is Dr. King's words against a lukewarm church that is more concerned with the absence of tension than with the presence of justice. As we consider our place in the world, are we more interested in maintaining what makes us comfortable, even if it might mean oppression for others? Or are we willing to stand up and call out the injustice of the world? 

In the end, the question comes down to how we understand who we as the Church are called to be. Are we called to be a people who follow Jesus, who follow his example and continue his ministry? 

We are here today because we were called and claimed by God, even though the specifics of that calling may look different for each of us. Some of us were called to preach, some to teach, some to spread God’s love in places of work in the world. No matter the specifics, the goal is the same. 

In the midst of life’s doubts and fears and distractions, God calls out to us with love. God speaks, and in doing so God shows us how to love one another unconditionally. 

As we close today, there is a hymn that I think most of us recognize. It is a hymn about calling, a hymn about answering that call. It is a hymn that brings me to tears every time I hear it. While “Here I Am, Lord” is based on the call of Isaiah, it fits well with the call of Samuel and the call that many of us have heard and responded to. If you have time, take a moment now to listen to it now and consider the calling you have received and how you answer it.

A Light to the Nations: A Light of Forgiveness

 It has been a hard week. We have had to face some difficult events and some difficult truths this week. I suspect many of us were appalled by events that took place this week, regardless of political leaning. Seeing those images forced me to reconsider my intended topic for today, though perhaps not as much as I thought at first

Starting with Mark 1:4-11, we remember Jesus' baptism. We consider what we learn about baptism from this story before moving to the baptismal liturgy of The United Methodist Church to consider how this fits with the calling we each have today.

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In the liturgical calendar, this is the Sunday that we celebrate and remember Jesus’ baptism at the start of his ministry. In some ways it is a natural next step of the events we named last Sunday. Epiphany is about the revelation of all that Jesus is to the wider world. It is for celebrating the Magi coming from far off lands to recognize the new king. It is for remembering the wedding feast at Cana where Jesus performed his first miracle according to the Gospel of John.

As we listen to today’s story, it becomes clear that it is a continuation of this theme. We heard part of this text last month at the start of Advent. As I mentioned then, the Gospel of Mark starts us off with the story of John in the wilderness calling people to repentance, to recommit their lives to God. For Mark, this is the beginning of the good news -- John in the wilderness calling people back into relationship with God and pointing to the one who is to come who will be even stronger.

Our text today continues that story to take the next step. Jesus comes to be baptized by John. As Jesus comes up from the water, the heavens are opened, the Spirit descends like a dove, and a voice from heaven claims Jesus as the beloved Son.

Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve had choirs of angels, prophets, and a star proclaiming Jesus’s birth. Today, a voice from heaven claims Jesus and names him as the Son of God. After the tales of the shepherds, of Simeon and Anna in the Temple, of the Magi from far off lands, this voice from heaven confirms it all to those who were present that day.

The imagery we find in this story and the similar stories in the other gospels provide us with the images that we still recognize in baptisms today. As we read these stories we see that through baptism, the people went down into the waters to be cleansed. Through baptism, the people showed their desire to repent and be changed. Through baptism, the people were forgiven. Through baptism, the people committed themselves to God. Through baptism, Jesus was claimed by God.

Think about all the imagery we still see in baptism today. Through baptism we are cleansed in the waters. Through baptism we repent. Through baptism we are forgiven. Through baptism we commit ourselves to follow God as known to us through Jesus. Through baptism we are claimed by God. Through baptism we are joined to the body of Christ.

All of these elements are found in the liturgy we use when someone is baptized. Our baptismal service starts with this introduction:¹ 

Brothers and sisters in Christ: 

Through the Sacrament of Baptism

we are initiated into Christ's holy Church.

We are incorporated into God's mighty acts of salvation

and given new birth through water and the Spirit.

All this is God's gift, offered to us without price.

Right from the start it is made clear what is happening through baptism. Just as Jesus is washed in the waters, touched by the Holy Spirit, and claimed by God, so too are we washed in the waters, touched by the Spirit, and claimed by God. This is God’s action, God’s gift, even as we are the ones that decide to show up.

But showing up is only part of the story. Many people came to the wilderness to hear John speak. As they heard him speak, calling them to repent and be baptized, they confessed their sins as they were cleansed in the waters. Therefore, we also confess our sins and announce our own repentance when we are baptized today. 

This has been a practice of the church since ancient days. Those to be baptized must repent of their own wrongs, renounce the evil that exists in the world, and proclaim their commitment to follow the path of Jesus.

Looking again to our baptismal liturgy, we hear these echoes:

On behalf of the whole Church, I ask you: Do you renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness, reject the evil powers of this world, and repent of your sin?

Do you accept the freedom and power God gives you to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves?

Do you confess Jesus Christ as your Savior, put your whole trust in his grace, and promise to serve him as your Lord, in union with the Church which Christ has opened to people of all ages, nations, and races?

According to the grace given to you, will you remain faithful members of Christ's holy Church and serve as Christ's representatives in the world?

As people are baptized, those of us who are already Christians welcome them into this new life alongside us with these words:

Through baptism you are incorporated by the Holy Spirit into God's new creation and made to share in Christ's royal priesthood. We are all one in Christ Jesus. With joy and thanksgiving we welcome you as members of the family of Christ.

As you hear these words, are you reminded of John in the wilderness and his call to the people of Judea? Are you reminded of the call that you yourselves have heard? Are you reminded of the commitments you have made?

We have been called to repent. We have been called to renounce the evil that we find. We have been called to trust in Jesus. And we have been called to be a part of Jesus’ body in the world. Through baptism, God claims us and unites us to the body of Christ even as we claim all of these things to be true.

As members of the body of Christ and representatives of Christ in the world, other people should be able to recognize Jesus through us. Through how we live and move and act in the world, others will know who Jesus was and how Jesus lived and moved and acted in the world.

When we look to the life and ministry of Jesus, what do we see? Do we see a hateful person who turns away others and seeks only his own glory? Do we see someone who regularly wields his authority to harm others? Do we see someone who seeks vengeance and violently proclaims his own power?

In the world in which we live now, we can no longer assume that everyone we meet will know much about Jesus and his life and ministry. There are people in the world who have no basis of comparison. Rather than looking at us and judging us by whether or not we are Christ-like, they look at us to judge what sort of person Jesus was.

What does the Jesus that people see when they see us in the world look like? 

When I first looked ahead to lay out the present series of sermons, the word forgive jumped out at me from today’s text. As we think about Jesus coming into the world, we think also about God’s forgiveness. When we look to the baptismal stories surrounding John, we see also the desire to know God’s forgiveness. The fact that Jesus comes into the world as Emmanuel, God with us, is proof that God wants to offer us forgiveness.

But the other side of that coin is repentance. The same sentence that speaks of forgiveness speaks of turning our lives around. Our baptismal covenant speaks of our repentance and renunciation, our commitment to live new lives following the example of Christ. Forgiveness and repentance go hand in hand. We accept God’s grace and go forth to live new lives as examples of that grace in the world. The light of God’s forgiveness lights a new path for us to follow.

As a way of thinking about some of what baptism means, I encourage you to listen to the song below. This song speaks to many of the themes we have touched on today. If you feel so inclined, I invite you to pour some water into a bowl. As the song plays, I want you to touch the water, remember your baptism, and be thankful. Feel the water and remember who has claimed you and who you have been called to be.

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¹ All quotes from the baptismal liturgy from Baptismal Covenant I from the Book of Worship of The United Methodist Church

What Gift Can We Bring: The Gift of Light

At this time of year, we who are Christian look to the gift of God coming into the world to be with us. In a season when the northern climes experience physical darkness and so much of our world experiences other forms of darkness, we look to the light of God to bring light to those places in our lives.

While Christmas Day is the Feast of the Nativity, the day we celebrate the birth of Christ, Epiphany is the day we celebrate the revelation of that light to all the world. It is the celebration of the Magi, foreigners who come because they recognize the importance of God in the world (see Matthew 2:1-12).

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Through the Advent and Christmas seasons, we have explored the many gifts that God bestows on us through the Incarnation, through God coming into the world through Jesus. We have talked about the expectation and hope of a world sitting in darkness, an anticipation that feels more real for many of us this year than in the past. We have talked about peace and our struggle to find peace in the midst of a chaotic world. We have talked about our joy for the many gifts that God has given us, a joy that shines into the struggle of our everyday lives. And we have talked about the love that God has for us and models for us, a love that does not forget or forsake.

All of these gifts culminate in the gift of God’s grace, a grace made manifest in the flesh. A grace we know through the life and ministry of Jesus. This gift of grace is a fulfillment of God’s faithfulness. Jesus is proof that God never gives up on us, always looking for ways to call us back into relationship, even as we live lives of distraction, mistrust, and selfishness. 

God shines light into the dark and empty places we seek to fill with other things. God shows us a better way.