Giving Your Life and Finding It: Mark 8:27-38

My home church and my hometown had a great impact.  This past week I drove to Madison, Kansas, to take my parents to the funeral of Stephen Gilman.  Stephen was the editor of the Madison News for many years and he has his wife Francis were great friends to my parents.  Stephen finessed with old printing presses for years and years when everyone else had given up.  When I got to my parents house I went up in the attic and went right to an old dresser.  There I found something I had placed there when I was 9 years old.  It is piece of lead with my name on it, made by Steve as it might go onto the press.  Every child in the fourth grade got one of these on a friend trip taken to the newspaper office. 

It was great to get out of school and to walk to that noisy place.  For years Steve was a sentinel for truth, attending all of the school board and city commission meetings and reporting in the newspaper what was done.  He always had a common sense approach.  I imagine his presence kept city and school boards on track, with everyone knowing that it would be in the paper.  Stephen died at 100 walking around days before and happy to go to heaven.  With Mr. Gilman in town had a feeling that things were going well. 

If you go a hundred miles northwest of Springfield, Illinois you will find a little town named Rushville.  The medical clinic has Russell Dohner, age 87, in active practice.  His nurse is 85 and his reception is 84.  After 60 years he is still making house calls.  He is stopping a bit.  He still charges his patients $5 for each visit.  He knows which ones cannot pay and he charges them nothing.  One woman recalls how he spent the night at their house at her sister’s crib as she suffered seizures.  What a commitment his made and what good he has done!

ONE LITTLE HYPHEN

Penny and I have not decided on where we will be buried, nor have we figured out what will be on our grave markers.  Ted Hopkins has shared with me, and Arlene did so before she died, that on their grave marker there are the words: STILL TRAVELING.  Somewhere on our marker will be the date I was born and the date of death and a little line in between.  At least that is the usual way. That little hyphen will represent the all the years and all the adventures.  What will that hyphen mean?  What will it mean as a disciple of Jesus Christ? 

HATRED AND FEAR TODAY

On the way to the funeral, I listened to radio reports of violence and the death of a diplomat.  The anniversary of 9/11 and the world financial crises would be enough.  And the world has fewer papers and more Youtube videos.  24 hours of video is loaded on their every minute.  But that crazy video, a message of hate, created a reaction all over the Middle East and added to our age of fear.  Many of us have loved ones in that part of the world and we keep them in prayer every day.  Milo Kelley and Scott Benge are ones that I keep in prayer.

In a scary world, the disciples felt empowered and thrilled being around Jesus.  This new life with him brought great joy and purpose.  These disciples were ordinary people doing extraordinary things with Jesus, because of the extraordinary love of God.  But as we see today a moment where when Jesus had to coach Peter.   In one way you cannot blame him.  He did not want Jesus to suffer.

Over and over Jesus must explain his mission, to serve and not be served.  Over and over he told of this kingdom what brought heaven to earth.  He had to explain things to the disciples who were hoping Jesus would go for power, status, and being served.  Jesus was interested in being first, but he wanted to be first in being with the least, the last, the lost.  He had to convince them not to limit God’s power.

The early church began in a period of great fears…if you were a Christian.  Jesus was under suspicion of Rome and religious leaders that as a Messiah he would lead a revolt similar to the ones we have seen on our Tv screens this week.  Rome was on edge in fear that Jesus, so popular, would encourage people to explode into violence and re-establish the Davidic kingdom.  They wanted Jesus to be that royal warrior king.  Many were ready to die following Jesus into battle. People wanted Jesus to start a war.  Jesus chose a very different way.

Some around Jesus enjoyed his entertainment valve: great stories like the one about the camel going through the eye of a needle. Some had no interest in following him….they were curious about what was going to happen next. 

The disciples saw in Jesus a new life with God.  They had given up much to follow Jesus.  Following Jesus they had already given up much. In the presence of Jesus amazing things happened to people.  They were freed from their fears, illnesses, and worries.  People were set free to live.

Peter, of any of the disciples, had the highs and lows.  To declare that JESUS IS THE MESSIAH was one of his finest moments.  But the kind of Messiah, Peter was so wrong.  You can feel the heart breaking in and through the words.  Jesus gave him a hard time for trying to limit the work of God. 

Jesus knew that human beings were not perfect.

“Humans are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experiences of other, and are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so.”  Douglas Noel Adams

Peter let his fear block his opportunities to serve God’s purposes.  Peter was asking Jesus to take the easy road and avoid danger.  So much of life slips by because of fear.  Thinking of my grave marker, I think…at that point I will not have any earthly chances to do things over or differently.  Heaven will be wonderful…but our time is here and now!  The whole story of Exodus is that it took our faith ancestors 40 year to get over their fears and figure out that they could trust God enough to move ahead. 

Jesus’ first words on Easter were “DON’T BE AFRAID.”

Faith, is when God lets us feel the fear, but leave it behind.  Faith is not ignoring the fear.  Faith is the declaration that our fear is not as great as the power of God.  Faith is acting on the purpose of God ANYWAY. 

So what I take away from this great text is this:

(  )  LET THE PROMISES OF GOD OVERPOWER YOUR FEAR.

(  )  REMEMBER THAT GOD CAN DO GREAT THINGS ANYWHERE: IN TOMBS AND CEMETERIES.  Death could not keep Jesus down and away.  God’s love brought him back. 

(  )  THE KINGDOM OF GOD BROUGHT BY JESUS MEANS SERVING OTHERS. 

(  )  IN TIMES OF STRESS MAKE IT MORE IMPORTANT TO BE LOVING THAN RIGHT.

So many on the political scene are drawn into a defensive position rather than working together on solutions.  People are being hijacked into political theater, instead of working together. 

The texts asks us questions:

What do we say about Jesus?  Our words?  Our life?  Are we like Jesus?  In what ways?  Could anyone look at us and think of Jesus?  What do others say of us?

Following Jesus is an adventure of living and loving that brings us great rewards.  But even more, others are blessed through us.  There might be thorns and compost but OH the roses.

As a parent you might sacrifice everything for a child…and the more you do…the more the child will know what love is like.  It is investing in your child’s future.  Following Jesus is investing in God’s future.

Jesus’s life included rejection and suffering.  He saw it coming and he did not hide or back down.  He faced what evil could do and God won…that means we won.  Jesus knew God would take of it all. 

So we are invited to take up our cross.  Mark added this because…it would have meant next to nothing.  The crucifixion had not take place yet.  Only after the resurrection would it have grabbed people.  

Jesus told Peter he was in a trap.  He was so worried it was clear to Jesus that human thing were taking over the heavenly things.  He was so worried about his safety and the safety of Jesus that he failed to live boldly for God’s purposes. 

I think that it now time for College Avenue UMC to act boldly to consider updating our facilities.  For years and years we have been one of the most vital and generous churches in the Conference.  For years and years College Ave. has preferred to live out the value of compassion…this is who we are.  Space for a growing congregation is put on the back burner. The prospect of a building project seems to take us in a different direction.

I believe that a larger and more convenient Fellowship Hall, a larger narthex, an elevator, restrooms which are closer, and an improved kitchen will greatly enhance the activities we value the most.  A building improvement will strengthen our community and improve our hospitality. An improvement will honor God by respecting the dignity of those who will come and be a part of us in the years to come.  It will generate deeper discipleship because the places of spiritual growth will be more accessible.  A decent elevator will reduce the danger of our current model.  At a recent funeral two persons got caught between floors. Merely pushing on the metal gate can stop the elevator.  One of those persons was visually impaired.  These improvements will make our building more child and family friendly and will expand our ability to serve others.

Jesus told the people not to be afraid, and they would find their lives in serving God’s purpose. 

The purpose of the church is to show to the world the reality of Christ.  What we do here is offer the world: good news, a message, a truth…the Kingdom of God was started by Jesus Christ.  The kingdom of God frees us to live and to take the kingdom into every part of life: to each other, to the oppressed, to the prisoner, to the marginal.

On Monday of this week, several of us from College Avenue helped with the Harvester food distribution on KSU campus.  We distributed 18,000 pounds of food.  Eric Kynard, Olympic High Jump medalist came by to support the cause.  I hope you saw the publicity we got in the photos and stories in the Collegian. And on Tuesday of this week we will do another distribution at CICO park. 

Like Peter we are more comfortable with Jesus being our Savior than we are with Jesus being our Lord.  Jesus is our Savior in freeing us.  Jesus is Lord in leading us to service.  Peter is learning to set aside his fears and claiming the now for God’s purposes.  It is a lesson he did not learn until after the resurrection.  It is still a lesson for all of us.