Keep these words

Sermon planned for Lent 1; Sunday, February 26th, 2012

Text: Deuteronomy 6:1-9, 20-21;

I’ve been looking forward to giving this sermon for two weeks now. It was then that the worship committee and myself made the decision to use Lent as an opportunity to get back to the basics of the Christian faith – a kind of Catechism series for Sunday morning worship. But before we go any further, I invite you to join me in prayer:
Loving Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, in our time together this morning, we have offered you our praise, giving thanks for your goodness towards us this past week. We confess not only our faith and trust in you, but also our constant need of your mercy and grace. In your Word, we hear your call to us – that we should make disciples of all nations, teaching them your Will and baptizing them into your name. Hearing this, we confess that we too need continued conversion. And so we ask that you open our hearts and minds, clear our vision, and speak to us this morning; that we would hear Your call once again. Amen.

Last week we heard the story of Elijah and Elisha, and we studied the importance of mentorship for us as disciples. We learned that we need to pass on the torch of faith and discipleship. We gave thanks for the folks that handed on to us the baton of faith, and we considered who God put into our life in order for us to mentor and prod towards Jesus.

As we head into Lent, we’re going to start-off our ‘back to the basics’ series with some background study. This whole series is designed to dovetail with the Catechism class that I’m teaching upstairs at 9:30 on Sunday mornings. And so, if you have any questions about the stuff we’re talking about in the next few weeks, feel free to raise your hand – and I’ll try to address your question as I go, during the service – or you can come to the morning class to discuss it there.

This morning we’re going to do some background work. We’re going to look at two questions, at first on a simple level and then more in depth. The two questions are: What is Catechism? And why do we have Catechism? In the coming weeks we’re going to be examining the content of our faith – but I thought it was worth it, for us this morning, to just go over the background and the reasons for these types of classes – for Catechism.

So, first of all, what is it? What is Catechism? This is an important question. The word Catechism comes from the Greek Κατηχισμός. This is a combination of the word ‘kata’, which means “down”, and the verb ‘echow’, which means “to have or hold with the mind”. So literally, Catechism just means to have or hold something down in the mind. You could say that it means to write it down in your mind. In other words, Catechism simply means to learn. It means education. So, for all you teachers – you are in the business of Catechism – you are doing education. Christian catechism just means education with a specific subject matter.

The second question is: why do we have Catechism? Well, this question becomes easier to answer once we know the real meaning and purpose of catechism. Why should we teach people about the faith? That’s a no-brainer. There’s two parts to this question. It’s easy to know why we should teach people about the Christian faith. The passage from Deuteronomy makes it clear that God commands His people to teach the faith; to communicate the content of God’s revelation, of God’s Word, to anyone who will hear us. In the Great Commission, Jesus himself commands his disciples to go and make disciples by teaching them His commands and baptizing them into His name. The second part of this ‘why’ question is: why should we have a special catechism class, especially a class that prepares students for baptism?

Like I’ve said in the past, Catechism is for anyone – whether or not you’ve been baptized. If you’d like a refresher course on the basics of what we believe – this class is for you. If you want to discuss some of the questions you have about Christianity – this class if for you. If you want to know what’s the Anabaptist-Mennonite perspective on Christian discipleship – this class is for you… but this class is for you, in a special way, if you’re discerning whether or not baptism is the next step for you in your faith journey.

This last reason is perhaps the classical reason associated with Catechism. It is instruction in preparation for baptism. That’s what that word will mean to most of you when you hear it. Some of you will think about that small booklet of questions and answers that you had to go through, or perhaps even memorize, as your preparation for baptism. For others, like myself, Catechism was a time of conversation and discussion with the pastor. My class took place at 8am on Saturday mornings, with Pastor Albert Durksen.

This practice of Catechism dates back to the early church. Throughout church history, the dynamics of this preparatory class changed. Sometimes it was two years long. Other times it was finished with just a handful of questions. These durations and intensities often changed when the church’s context changed.

But the process of Catechism was already well underway by the time the New Testament was being written. Some of the first examples of this kind of process can be found in the book of Acts. But even before Acts was written, the writings of the Apostle Paul hint at some of the summaries of faith that were present in the earliest Christian communities.

Every once in a while, in the middle of one of his letters, Paul will start using some very dense theological language about Jesus, God, the resurrection, etc… Many scholars agree that these pieces are most likely summaries of faith that were commonly known, or even perhaps memorized, by Christians as part of a Catechism-like process. Let’s see some examples of what I mean:

(Rom 1:3-5 NRS) the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name

(Phi 2:5-11 NRS) Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death-- even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

In passages like these we see Paul summarizing key gospel themes – beliefs about Jesus, about God’s justice, and about Christ’s death and resurrection, and its meaning. What’s important for us to note here is that this was a common practice in the church – to summarize the themes of faith in a short concise way. Most folks at that time were illiterate, and that was true throughout much of Christian history. During the Reformation and the Renaissance that slowly changed. But before that, it was important for illiterate folks to have easy ways of learning the basic themes of the Christian faith. Much of the Old Testament was memorized, but the early Church didn’t have a New Testament… because it wasn’t written yet, and so we find, in Paul’s writing, some of these short summaries of faith that were most likely memorized or sung as a hymn – pieces of dense confessional material.

In the book of Acts, we see these summaries of faith as well, mostly in the form of sermons for new converts, to interested folks, and to the Jewish and Roman authorities. For example:

(Act 2:22-24,31-36 NRS) 22 "You that are Israelites, listen to what I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you, as you yourselves know-- this man, handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law. But God raised him up, having freed him from death, because it was impossible for him to be held in its power… David spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, saying, 'He was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh experience corruption.' This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you both see and hear. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, 'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool."' Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified."

So we see several themes summarized in Peter’s sermon: the nature of Jesus’ death, the resurrection, and the reason for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Another example:

(Act 10:34-48 NRS) Then Peter began to speak to them: "I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ-- he is Lord of all. That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name." While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles, for they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter said, "Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?" So he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they invited him to stay for several days.

Again, here we see several key themes summarized by the apostle Peter: the theme of Jesus’ anointing by the Holy Spirit, the invitation to the Gentiles, Jesus’ ministry in Galilee, his death, his resurrection, and his fulfillment of prophecy. I’ve only highlighted two of Paul’s summaries and two of Peter’s in the book of Acts. There are many more examples like this, where you get the gospel of Jesus in a very condensed format. These are summaries of the faith. The purpose, in many of these situations in Acts, was to have people face the evangelical question – will you repent? Will you confess Jesus as Lord? Will you be baptized?

This process of summarizing the Christian gospel has continued on from those early days in Jerusalem even until now. Every generation of Christians has found it important to give a clear and concise description of its faith. Christians are tasked with confronting the questions and concerns of their generation with the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is part of the role of Catechsim – to answer this generations’ questions with the Word of God.

Even before the final form of the New Testament emerged, Christian leaders and teachers were writing their own summaries of Paul’s writings and of the gospels. By far the most popular and widely used summary of the gospel, from the first two hundred years after Jesus’ life, is a summary called the Apostle’s Creed. Let’s read it together (it’s number 712 in the blue hymnal).

You’ll notice the asterix there that refers to the word catholic. The word catholic comes from the Greek ‘kata holos’, which means “according to the whole”. To believe in the holy catholic church just means that you know that the church is more than just the local congregation; that we believe the church is not just the GBMC, but rather the church is the body of Christ that spans across the entire world and throughout time – we believe in a holistic Church – holistic, ‘kata holos’ – according to the whole.

This Apostle’s Creed is the most ancient summary of the Christian gospel written after the time of the New Testament. The word ‘creed’ just means a statement of belief; ‘creed’ comes from the Latin ‘credo’, which just means “I believe”. The Apostles Creed is just one example of several of how the early Church went about teaching the good news about Jesus from one generation to the next. Even though they didn’t copy Peter or Paul’s summary’s word for word, they were doing the same thing that Peter and Paul were doing – they were giving an account of their faith in the face of the questions and problems of their time.

Now some of you might be asking yourself, why use a confessional statement? Why use a creed? Why not just use the whole bible as our creed? In an important sense you are absolutely right. The bible is the true witness to God’s revelation. The problem comes when we look at the practical needs of teaching the gospel to people. Sometimes you may only have a minute, maybe even less, to communicate the gospel. Sometimes you’ll only have a few days, perhaps a few weeks or a few months. It’s in these times that a summary of the gospel can help you to explain the good news in a short time. Another reason is that if someone came up to you and wanted to know about the Christian faith – and then if you started reading in Genesis up to Revelation… you’d probably lose your audience pretty quick… if not by Leviticus… then at least in Isaiah – try to read that in one sitting.

And so, we join countless folks before us in setting aside some time to go over a summary of the Christian faith. This includes biblical study – but we don’t read the entire bible through. It includes discussions on discipleship, but it doesn’t go over every possible ethical scenario you will face in life. We summarize. Each generation of Christians, Mennonites included, summarized the Christian faith so that they could teach newcomers in a clear and helpful way. These summaries are often time sensitive. Most of them don’t have the enduring quality of summaries like the Apostle’s Creed. Instead, they are a summary of the shared beliefs of Christians in that period of time; and the language they use, and the issues they focus on, tend to reflect the pressing concerns of that generation.

The little question and answer book that some of you studied, was a summary of faith written by Anabaptists in the 1700’s in the city of Elbing in Prussia. It was updated several times and given more contemporary translations. When our church drew up its constitution, it referred to the Souderton Confession of 1971 as a summary of faith document. In 1995, the Mennonite churches that we are covenanted with adopted a summary of faith entitled The Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective. Prior to the question and answer booklet from the 1700’s, there were at least fourteen previous confessions of faith that Anabaptists and Mennonites put together. Sometimes it was in response to a request from a government official, asking us to give them an account of our faith – perhaps for tax purposes or something like that. At other times, a summary document was made in order to build unity among churches over a broader area.

When we, here in Gretna, pursue the task of Catechism, we are joining a long line of Christians who have endeavored to share the faith with a new generation, confronting its questions, responding to its challenges. These efforts began, on the day of Pentecost, with the apostle Peter, standing up in front of a crowd, in Jerusalem, explaining what was happening to these people who were speaking in tongues – don’t worry… they’re not drunk… it’s far too early in the morning for that! It’s the Holy Spirit!... and so the journey of Catechism began. This Lent, we enter into this important work of exploring the questions of faith in their most basic forms. Who is God? What does it mean to proclaim Jesus as Lord? Who was Jesus? And what is this power among us - this Holy Spirit? Why do we submit to the scriptures? What is the nature and purpose of the Church? What is hell and heaven? What can I do to be saved? When will God finish his redemption of the fallen Creation? What is redemption?

So join me, whether that’s on Sunday mornings prior to the service, for an interactive discussion in Catechism class, or during worship as we study the content of Christian doctrine. Join me, this Lent, in putting some of those other important matters to the side, just for a while, and going back to the basics. Join me in this Catechism journey… and perhaps the basics will give our generation a fresh joy in believing and following Jesus Christ our Lord. May all glory and honor be to Him who has called us to this joyful task. Amen.

Discipling Elisha

Sermon planned for Sunday, February 19^th, 2012

Text: 2 Kings 2:1-12

I remember the day I found my Elijah; the day when I met one of the main mentors in my life. I was nineteen years old and in my second year of undgrad studies at Canadian Mennonite Bible College – the year was 1999. Andrew, Andy, Kyle and me were regulars at the Perkins restaurant close to Polo Park. The four of us spent a lot of time together that year. We were all taking the same kinds of classes, reading many of the same books, and so we had lots to talk about. And then there were the other important topics that young men needed to wrestle with – careers, women & relationships, family life, etc… We grew close to one another. When one of us experienced a crisis, we all rushed in to listen, to help, and to kick-each-other into gear when it was needed.

And then, one day, after finding no common ground on some issue, we asked one of our professors to join us for coffee. We thought maybe he could help us move forward and figure things out. I didn’t think that he’d show up. He was a busy man. But as we waited at Perkins, we finally saw him come through the doors and join us at our table. That evening, the four of us developed a deep connection with this professor. His name is Harry Huebner – some of you may know him. Harry joined us that night and we had a good chat. I don’t think he fixed our problem – our disagreement – in fact, he probably muddled things up even a bit more, challenging our assumption that we had the last word on this topic.

For me, that was the beginning of a great friendship. In fact, I went to go check up on Harry this past Thursday when I was in Winnipeg. He just published his massive Introduction to Christian Ethics that he had been working on numerous years; so I figured I would go and congratulate him. But as is usually the case, I never say just one word. When I check into his office, he always invites me to sit down and have a conversation with him. “How are things in Gretna?” He’ll ask. “Do you still enjoy preaching?” or “What have you been reading lately?” “What have you been wrestling with?” “How’s Karen doing?” “Are you two still treating each other as Christians should?” With gentle care, Harry inquires into my life and shares with me pieces of his own journey.

I recall many times, during my years as youth pastor in Rosthern, that I would call him up or send him a message asking for advice in some situation. His usual approach was to gently prod me, ask me questions, and help me to find the answers in scripture – to refocus my attention on Jesus’ call of discipleship. He was (and is) my mentor – but he doesn’t pretend to have all the answers. Instead, he invites me to delve deeper in my relationship and obedience to Jesus. Harry Huebner is an Elijah-figure to me.

Two weeks ago I preached a sermon on being engaged in God’s mission. One of the key things we learned from Jesus’ own life was that this engagement requires friendship. Loneliness is a killer to discipleship. Being partners in God’s mission involves us in relationships with others, in deep and profound friendship. That Sunday I said, and I still think it holds true, that you and I are not created for loneliness. Loneliness is mixed-up in the brokenness of our world. And I really believe that God is eager to send us friends, in our journey, to help us keep moving towards Christ.

Mentorship is a form of friendship. And so I want us to continue that conversation, from two weeks ago. Mentors are a unique kind of friend that God gives us. Mentors are friends that help prod us further along the journey. They sharpen our character, as iron sharpens iron.

Who has been an Elijah-figure for you? Can you name one or two? Or, perhaps, you have been a mentor to someone else. Who has been an Elisha to you? Who have you mentored?

When I told my dad, this past Wednesday, that I was preaching on the Elijah – Elisha story, he smiled. “That’s one of my favorite stories, “ he said. It was then that I remembered the many times my dad would tell me this story, back in the day when I was a young boy. I recall the painful part of the story most – when these two great friends had to part company. It made me think about the day when I’ll have to say good bye to Harry, or some of the other mentors in my life. This thought saddens me.

And even though it is a sad story, it is also one of the most beautiful stories of scripture, in my opinion. It paints such a compelling picture of commitment and friendship – it rivals the stories of Ruth and Naomi, David and Jonathan, and Jesus and his disciples. There’s so much humanity there, so much love, and friendship.

This morning, we’re hearing the story about Elijah and Elisha as we head into the season of Lent next week. For us, this year, Lent is going to be a time where we focus on the basics of the Christian faith. We’re essentially going to be examining the themes of the Catechism but in the context of worship. We’re going to explore some of the key questions that scripture poses for us: who is God? What do we mean when we say Jesus is Lord? And what about this power living in us, that we call the Holy Spirit? Why and who do we baptize? What’s with this thing called the “Kingdom of God”? These, and many more, are questions that constantly bubble up from underneath the text of scripture. And in this season of Lent, we’re going to centre-in on this good news that we’ve received.

So how does the story of Elijah and Elisha prepare us for this Lenten journey? Well, if the story of Elijah and Elisha includes this theme of passing on the torch – passing on the mantle of ministry, of passing on the baton of faith and leadership, then this Lent we’re going to examine this faith that we’ve received – a faith that we’re called to pass onto others. Like a relay race, where the runner passes on a baton to the next runner, we have received this story of God’s good news in Christ. The baton has been passed down to us. We have the gospels in our hands. Most, if not all of you, will have at least one bible in your homes, perhaps more. We, as a congregation, have received faith and mentorship from folks before us. Many of you, will remember some of your Sunday School teacher’s names – or the pastor who led you through Catechism, the person who poured the waters over your head in baptism. Some of you can recall the names of the pastors and deacons that have served this congregation since its beginnings.

Not many of us come to faith from scratch. By that I mean, in most of our conversions, whether they are conversions that happen all of a sudden, or through the incremental passage of days, months and years, in most of your experiences you’ll be able to name people that God has put in your life; people whom God has used to prod you into the race of faith. Who are some of the folks that passed the baton of faith into your hands? Whom has God sent your way, someone that you’ve pointed towards Christ?

For Elijah, this was the young Elisha. Elisha was a farm boy, the son of a farmer named Shaphat. One day, Elijah came by and watched Elisha farm, way in the back behind the other people on the field. They were plowing the field with twelve yoke of oxen, and Elisha was on the twelfth set. I guess, after a while of watching this work, Elijah went up to Elisha and put his mantle over him.

In those days, prophets were all over the place. Many Israelite communities would have a school of prophets, including the two cities from our text – the city of Bethel and Jericho. Ezekiel was a well known prophet in these schools. I’m not sure if every prophet had a mantle, but at the very least the important major prophets would walk around with a mantle on. A mantle was most likely some kind of sheep-skin covering worn by the prophet. When the prophet placed his mantle onto Elisha’s body, it was a selection tool. I choose you, Elisha. Come and follow me! Similarly to how Jesus called the disciples to follow him, and how he told them that his yoke was light; here Elijah places his yoke, his mantle, onto Elisha, choosing him as a follower. This was the beginning of their mentor relationship. This was their Perkins restaurant at Polo Park.

Do you remember the place where you met your mentor? When did you first realize that this person was not just a regular friend… but a mentor? How did that feel? Did that relationship require some sacrifices? Did it send you on a journey?

Following Elijah meant a profound change for Elisha’s farming lifestyle. In our passage from 2 Kings, we read about the last stretch of their relationship. In this story, we can see a profound love and commitment between these two prophets, between mentor and disciple. It began with a journey from the city of Gilgal, which was just a few kilometers north of Jericho. As they travelled, the Lord instructed Elijah to travel about 15kms west into the mountains, to the city of Bethel. After Elijah told Elisha to stay back, Elisha refused. Like Ruth’s words to Naomi, Elisha made it clear that he was going to follow Elijah wherever he went.

This exact scene happened again, after they reached this mountain city, but this time they traveled 15kms east to the city of Jericho. Imagine that, you travel west for 15kms and then east the same distance… You’re basically back where you started from. Gilgal’s just a few kms north of Jericho. Elisha could have saved himself plenty of energy and time, maybe met-up with some of his pals at the local watering hole… but instead, he followed his mentor, following every footstep.

They travelled 15kms one way and then back again. That’s like digging a hole only to fill it up again. It reminds me of when I worked construction for my dad. One day I’d have to move a pile of lumber to one spot on the job site, only to have to move that same pile 50 yds further the next day, and on and on. But you know what, these kinds of repetitive tasks were part of what it meant to apprentice as a construction worker. Journeying from city to city, following your teacher’s every footstep, all this was part of what it meant to apprentice as a prophet in Israel. At times, some of the tasks must have felt useless; but these practices were part of what it meant to receive the prophet’s mantle.

The relay race analogy works well because a relay requires repetitive actions. When the team works together, when you receive the baton well, when you run your best, and pass the baton off to the next person, the idea is that you get a prize at the end. Some of the seemingly useless repetitive tasks pay off. It’s the apostle Paul that uses this same metaphor for the Christian journey. In 1 Corinthians 9:24 he writes, “Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it.” And then in Philippians 3:14 he says that his journey is all about pushing himself towards the goal – the prize of the heavenly call of God in Jesus Christ.

Elijah had run the race well. He had proclaimed God’s Word to the people. He had been a faithful servant of God’s will. He ran the race well. In the Corinthians passage it almost sounds like Paul wants us to focus only on our own race. Run the race in such a way that you may win it. Maybe this is where part of the analogy breaks down. You and I are not competing against each other in the race of faith. Like Elisha, we’re receiving the baton from those who are ahead of us; and like Elijah, we become mentors to others and give them our mantel. That’s why I like the Philippian passage. Here Paul says that the prize of the race is the call we have received. That’s right – the prize isn’t gold… it isn’t fame. The prize is the calling we have received.

Think about it: God – the Captain of our Life, the Giver of Life, the Commander and Chief, the Lord of Lords and King of Kings – this God has given each one of you a calling: follow Jesus! Come, and follow Jesus and make disciples. It is a call to follow and also a call to mentorship.

I love how the Methodists describe the journey of discipleship. They way I heard it put is that each disciple has someone in front of them, pulling and pointing them towards Jesus. This person is your mentor. But each disciple also has someone that God has given to them, a person behind them in the journey, someone that they’re called to pull and prod towards Jesus. This person is your ‘disciple’ you could say… or he is a disciple of Christ, whom God has given to you to mentor towards Jesus. In other words, if you’re only focusing on your own calling in life… your own place in the race, your own journey of discipleship, you’ve really only got half the picture. Why? Because being a disciple is always already about being a mentor to others.

Being a disciple is an Elijah-Elisha journey. The disciples of Jesus had a similar experience, and we can read about it in the story of the Ascension in the book of Acts. We can also read about this handing-of-the-baton in Matthew 28:16-20:

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

The journey of discipleship that we’re on involves us in this two-fold path. We are those who have received the faith of our ancestors. Who gave you your first bible? Who taught you to pray? Who challenged you with the harder questions that scripture puts before us? Give thanks to God for these faithful runners who knew not only how to follow Jesus, but also how to prod you towards him. And then there’s the second part of our discipleship: receiving those whom God puts in our lives, people we’ve been called to mentor, to invite, to prod, and encourage in their journey towards Jesus.

Look around you, this morning, in this congregation: who is mentoring you? And whom are you called to mentor? Take up your mantle and join me in this Elijah-Elisha journey where we celebrate not only the faith we’ve received, but also the faith that is ours to freely share with courage, joy and love. Amen.

Mission (im)POSSIBLE!

Sermon planned for Sunday, February 5^th, 2012
Text: Mark 1:29-39

My first real encounter with “mission work” was when I was seven years old. My family and I were on a six-month vacation in Paraguay, visiting numerous family members in the Chaco. We lived in my uncle and aunt’s house at the end of main street, on the east end of town, about a ten minute drive from where my dad grew up. It was summer; so I spent most of my time chasing around after birds with my slingshot, and finding shade to stay cool.

My aunt and uncle, the owners of the house we stayed at, were ‘mission workers’. They spent most of their time at Yalve Sanga. Yalve Sanga is a place where a large indigenous community had settled and thrived. The Mennonites of the Chaco had developed significant relationships with the people there, and many of the indigenous people had accepted Jesus Christ as Lord, and were worshipping him together in community.

In transitioning from a hunter-gatherer society to an agrarian and labor-based lifestyle, these indigenous folks had invited some help from their Mennonite neighbors with farming practices and administration. My uncle, a wealthy cattle farmer from the Mennonite colony, was invited to help, and my aunt was asked to help with education. They both agreed. They moved to Yalve Sanga and that’s why we were able to stay at their place and house-sit for them for 6 months.

One weekend, when they were home for a visit, they invited me to come with them to the mission field for a few days. I was excited. My parents agreed to it and so, the next day, my uncle and aunt took me along with them. I don’t recall too much from that experience, but I do remember playing soccer with the children in the village, going swimming in the waterhole, and worshipping with the community in church. While I was having all this fun, my uncle and aunt were busy doing mission work. He was helping to organize the community’s finances and business practices, while my aunt helped out at the school. This was my first taste of mission work. And whenever I hear the word ‘mission’, it’s this experience that comes to mind most often.

A few weeks ago I read through your responses to the congregational review. I was excited to read that many of you are eager to be more engaged in mission both locally and around the world. The reviews also noted some apprehension about sharing faith with others. We want to be engaging in God’s mission in our neighborhoods, but actually doing it takes us way out of our comfort zones. We’d rather someone else do it. Perhaps, in your school, you’d like to share your faith with someone, but you’re afraid of what your fellow students might think. Our hunger to engage in mission is tempered by our anxiety over talking to a stranger, or the worries associated with opening ourselves to the work that God might have in store for us.

As I studied the passage from Mark, I was reminded of these comments from the review. Is there something we can learn about missions, from this story about Jesus and Peter’s mother-in-law? What does Jesus teach us about partnering in God’s mission here in southern Manitoba and in our world? In fact, I think this story gives us some clear direction on how to become more engaged in God’s mission all around us.

This short story about Jesus’ ministry in this house includes many of the themes that surround the rest of Jesus mission. They’re all highlighted here for us in these ten verses. I’ve narrowed them into four main categories. In our desire to become more engaged in God’s mission, Jesus shows us how to open ourselves up to the Holy Spirit’s leading. Jesus leads us in this by living a life of worship, a life of friendship, a life of devotion, and a life of proclamation. Worship, friendship, devotion, proclamation – these are four essential parts to partnering with God in His mission in this world, including here in Gretna.

The first thing we encounter, with Jesus in this story, is that he lived a life of worship. One of the earliest stories of his life is when we read about Jesus going to the temple with his parents. On the way home, mom can’t find him because Jesus stayed back at the synagogue to study and discuss with the other Rabbis. Jesus was a man who loved to be in his Father’s house – he loved to worship. It’s when we join together in worship that we learn about God’s love. We learn about who God is, God’s character, and God’s plan. To be engaged in God’s mission requires that we spend time in God’s presence, basking in worship, giving our praise and thanks to Him. And it’s there that we catch sight of God’s vision for us.

In verse twenty nine, we read that Jesus had spent his Sabbath day in the synagogue. The service at the synagogue was usually finished around the sixth hour, which would be around twelve o’clock noon. So what happens to you after a long day of worship, and its noon? What do you do? Well, that’s exactly what Jesus and his disciples had in mind. In verse twenty nine we read that, “As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.” It’s lunch time and they come to Peter’s wife’s house and there’s a problem. Peter’s mother-in-law is in critical condition with a fever.

Before we dig into the miracle stuff, I want us to notice something. Jesus had friends. Sure, they were his disciples, but they were also his pals, his buddies. You’re in your early thirties, you’re at church with who? That’s right, you’re at church with some of your friends. For young adults, its probably the top priority you have in mind when you’re looking for a place to worship: do they have people there my age? Well, Jesus and his friends are in the synagogue for worship and then they go out for lunch – in this case to Peter’s place. This is often what friends do. What’s crucial, I think, for us to see here is that Jesus was like us in so many ways. He needed friends.

You and I are not created to be lonely. In fact, if you read your Genesis creation story carefully, you’ll notice that loneliness is the first thing that’s wrong with the Garden. We often think that the first problem is Adam and Eve eating the fruit – and that’s right on one level. But let me read to you Genesis 2:18-20:

Then the LORD God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner." ¹⁹ So out of the ground the LORD God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. ²⁰ The man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the air, and to every animal of the field; but for the man there was not found a helper as his partner.

Did you catch that? “It is not good that the man should be alone.” What’s another way of saying ‘not good’? Bad, right? Does this mean that God created something bad? A lonely man? Now, of course, God wasn’t finished yet, and the point I’m making here is not to get into an argument about the origins of evil. What I am saying is that the creation account makes it crystal clear that humans were not created for loneliness. Loneliness is not part of God’s plan for any of us.

This, of course, doesn’t mean that we’re all destined for marriage, or that male-female companionship is the only solution to loneliness. Jesus was single, and from what we know, so was the apostle Paul. But what this does mean is that we are not created for loneliness – we are created for friendship. Mission work requires friendship – and one of the greatest challenges of overseas mission work has always been loneliness, cultural isolation, and a lack of friendship. Friendship is also one of the best sharpening tools for our Christian journey. It is in mature Christian friendship that we sharpen one another’s faith. It’s Christian friends that challenge one another to grow deeper and become vulnerable enough to share brokenness, weakness, and the courage to seek accountability.

Jesus leads us into mission by modeling a life of worship and friendship. These are corporate activities. In worship and in friendship, we’re frequently surrounded by people. So much of Jesus’ life was surrounded by people. After the exorcism in the synagogue that we learned about last week, the final verse read that Jesus’ fame spread throughout all of Galilee. He was getting famous. Yet Jesus knew when to draw back from the crowds. He wasn’t interested in the big show. After all the popularity in the synagogue, Jesus went to this house and spent time with Peter’s family and his friends. He performed this small, quiet, and ordinary miracle with Peter’s mother-in-law. No fancy ceremony or strange rituals… he just took her by the hand and helped her up. Jesus wasn’t only focused on the crowds; he took the time for the individual concerns of his closest disciples.

But this withdrawal into a quieter space didn’t last long. The Fame that spread throughout Galilee caught up to Jesus. Before lunch, he was in the synagogue, freeing a man from an unclean spirit; and then, just after sundown, all the people in that area brought their sick and demon possessed to the house, so Jesus could heal them. Within the space of a few hours, Jesus was right back into the full-swing of large crowd ministry. And after a long day, Jesus went to bed and I’m guessing he must have been exhausted.

After all these things, after time in worship, after time with friends, Jesus laid down and slept just like you and I do after a hard day’s work. But he didn’t sleep in. In verse thirty-five we read that, “In the morning, while it was still very dark, Jesus got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.”

Jesus went to a place where there were no people, and that’s where he prayed. If you want to fuel your tank for serving God in your neck of the woods, then pay close attention to this part of Jesus’ ministry. You can’t do it without living a life of devotion. Christian devotion is the practice of solitary time with God in prayer, in silent listening, in focused communication with God.

If Jesus, the living Word of God, needed to pray regularly in solitude, how much more do we? If Jesus, in order to keep focused on God’s mission, again and again withdrew to a lonely place to pray and listen; then how much more do we need this life of devotion? If we wish to engage in God’s mission, at the deepest level, then our life of worship and our life of friendship must be matched by a robust life of devotion – of prayer and listening to God.

What we hear next in this story is that Simon and his friends were hunting around for Jesus. Why? Because everybody was looking for him. When you’re as prepared for God’s mission as Jesus was, the world’s needs will come flooding in. I can tell you one thing, if you get engaged in God’s mission, if you spend time with God in worship, if you sharpen your faith through Christian friendship, and focus your life in prayer and devotion to God – guess what will happen? People will hunt you down too! The needs of the community will become plainly visible. People will open up to you. Your classmates will see you as someone that they can turn to and trust.

You see, God’s mission is to bring redemption, salvation, healing, peace to the people all around you. That’s what God has made plain to us in the life and teachings of Jesus. God’s mission is to reconcile all things to Himself. To bind up the brokenhearted. To give sight to those living in darkness. When you live a life that is open to God’s Spirit, leading you and guiding you… you’re going to find that the Spirit will put you to good use… and people will hunt you down for help. The question is: what will you do with it?

Part of the congregational review pointed at some very real anxieties about engaging in God’s mission in our communities. What fears do you have about partnering with God in his work? What anxieties do you have about joining God’s mission at your place of work? What freaks you out about sharing the good news about Jesus at your school? These are very real anxieties.

There’s also the anxieties about the changes that might happen in our church fellowship if we were radically successful at drawing others to Christ. What if these ‘others’ wouldn’t look like us? Or act like us? What if they’d think about some things very differently than us? This is also a very real anxiety – and mission work always faces resistance on this front. We’re truly haunted by the possibility that God might change things up on us, like when he suddenly sent his Spirit flooding over the Gentiles. The Jewish Christians almost lost their marbles over it.

After Jesus spent a few hours, in the early morning, praying, in silence, communicating with his heavenly Father – what did he do? He jumped at the opportunity of doing it all over again. He didn’t hesitate for a second. When they told him about the people looking for him, he pulled up his socks and headed straight back into the work that His Father had laid out for him. “Jesus answered, “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.” And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons. In short, a life of worship, of friendship, and a life of devotion all leads to one goal and purpose: a life of proclamation.

This morning, I want to encourage all of you to celebrate your desire to join God in His mission all around us. This is a wonderful desire that God’s Spirit has put into your hearts. Run with it. Open yourself up to the Spirit’s leading. Cheer each other on. And this morning, we’ve paid close attention to the role-model that Jesus was for us in this endeavor. At the end of our passage we read that this ‘proclamation’ was the main purpose Jesus came for. To tell people about God’s Kingdom and to set them free to live as God’s children. “This is what I came out to do.” You have expressed a desire to engage in God’s mission. So join Jesus, join me, and join each other in living a life of worship, lean on each other and sharpen each other through a life of friendship, find your deserted place and spend time with God in a life of devotion. These three practices will open you up to God’s Spirit and the plan he has for you. A life of proclamation – where everything you do and everything you say is a testimony to Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.