Monday, January 29, 2024

Kinda? Sorta?

4OTB
Mark 1:21-28
Palm 95

KINDA?  SORTA?



I am so happy to be here

I was with my Dad for 3 weeks

And then I was helping with a retreat 

45 priests and Deacons, an Abbott and a Bishop

Sounds like the beginning of bad joke

It was nice to miss all that super frigid weather

But there is nothing like laying down 
on your own bed 

and resting your head on your own favorite pillow

 

At the retreat, my colleague Deb and I led a session having to do with 

“Theological Reflection”

And while there are shelves of books written about theological reflection

And methods of Theological Reflection

Essentially it is simply how we practice being Christian in the world

It’s what we just did as we called to mind what we did and what we failed to do 

It’s what we do at night when our heads hit the pillow 

and we wonder

“Where was God, today?”

 

That’s the question of Theological Reflection
“Where is/was God in this…in this tragedy…in this joy”
and how might attending to this question
help me grow in Christian living

 

So… over these past few years, two stories have perculated to the top

of my beautiful Dad’s repertoire of stories 

The first is about meeting my mother 

(describe-Officer’s Dance, her holding that cigarette)

The second is about the time he lost his job 

(describe-after only 2 weeks, after leaving the security of the AirForce and moving to another planet called OHIO, far away from family and deep relationships, 3 kids under 5)

My guess is that these two stories have always been the weightiest

The ones he returns to…the ones that remind him of God’s presence in the unfolding of his life.

One when he was overwhelmed by joy

The other when he was overwhelmed by fear 

 

If we ponder Psalm 95 alongside today’s Gospel about the Exorcism at Capernaum

I think we will hear a good word…for TODAY.

 

 

We are only in chapter 1 of Mark’s Gospel

In quick succession and surprisingly few words

We have had the Baptism, the temptations in the desert, 

and the calling of a first handful of disciples

And today…we have Jesus’ first public act

 

What sticks out to me is this question of authority

What is real authority?

It is clear that Jesus’ teaching 

What Jesus said

Though we aren’t given any details

Somehow caught the attention of the hearers

It was different…not like the scribes

 

the scribes were not original thinkers

Their ministry was to gather from the tradition of prophets and maybe wise teachers to come up with a re-warmed way to say…pretty much the same thing.

 

On THIS day the menu changes
The hearers notice something

Jesus’ teaching possesses this quality called “authority” 
The hearers recognize it.

[But we don’t get anymore than that] 

 

We’ve all heard of show and tell

Well the movement in this reading is tell and show

First the words…then the thing itself

This language of Exorcisms and unclean spirits

This isn’t language we are particularly comfortable with

But it was in 1st Century Judaism

Much of Scribal teaching had to do with purity codes

How do we deal with “unclean”

Unclean actions, unclean foods, unclean people

The ‘cleanest’ way
the easiest way

Is to STEER CLEAR!

Unclean was a way of expressing a kind of disorder

Menstration=unclean because it was a disordered time of the month 

Pigs/Pork…they don’t chew their cud = disordered
Bottom dwelling fish…they don’t swim = disordered

The Leper, The dead, THIS man suffering from possession = disordered

 

And the teaching says, clear and direct – STEER CLEAR

 

One of the major themes of Mark’s gospel is boundary-crossing

And today’s boundary-crossing is between Clean & Unclean

 

Remember how Jesus says “you’ve heard it said…but I say”???

That’s how I see what’s going on here.

Instead of STEER CLEER

Jesus has another theology…another answer

He doesn’t appear to respect purity boundaries

…he even trespasses them

 

If we think about it

Just steering clear isn’t particularly helpful---

In the immediate, it might help the person remain undefiled
But everything else remains the same

Steering Clear gives …Whatever it is (in this case demon possession) 

…Whatever is dominating by fear…

Its power

Its like pleading NO CONTEST

YOU WIN

I just want to STEER CLEAR

 

The literal answer Jesus gives

What the Greek means

Is SHUT UPGET OUT

 

And the unclean spirit leaves the man

The man is set free

But the “unclean spirit” 

Whatever it was that was controlling this man is not destroyed 
…that’s another sermon;)

 

The good news is that now there is a different course of action

A different teaching…a teaching with Authority
Whereby Healing and freedom are possible

 

 

Here’s where your internal voice might be saying:
Well…all well and good…but I’m not Jesus!

I might be having a good day---I came to church and all…But

I’m NOT Jesus

 

You are right

We aren’t’ Jesus

I’m not Jesus

 

(Wink) But we Kinda-Sorta are

 

In the Synagogue at Capernum

Jesus crosses the boundary

Between clean and unclean

Not all boundaries need dismantling

Some boundaries are essential to healthy living

“good fences make good neighbors”

Isn’t that the saying?

 

But boundaries, that feed fear, 

boundaries that result in division and exclusion

These are the boundaries that call out to be crossed 

to make room for the path of love

 

We aren’t Jesus

But we Kinda-Sorta  are

 

Our baptism is a continuance of that first Pentecost

The Spirit of the Lord came upon that gathered community

That same Spirit is still active

upon us---in us---between us

 

Kinda-Sorta 

We say that when we mean

Sometimes, yes --- sometimes, not-so-much

 

So my friends

Here is where Psalm 95 comes in for the rescue!

Psalm 95 is a kind of antidote for 

Kinda-Sorta  

 

IN her wisdom

The Spirit-guided Church

Or the Spirit-guided committees who put together our prayer patterns

Chose Psalm 95 to guide us as we begin each new day

 

Today…we only recited the first 7 verses

But we need to reflect on the whole Psalm to grasp its gift and wisdom

 

The first line says sing…so that sounds like an imperative to me

It always strikes me funny when it says SING and we only SPEAK


The tradition of chanting the psalms goes way back

And chant is a means to help the words and poetry sink deep into our bones

 

Rob is going to help me
You can follow along the first 7 verses from page --- of the bulletin

And then listen carefully to the movement of verses 8-11

which are left out of our Morning Prayer 

but which are offered in full in the Liturgy of the Hours

 

[chant]

 

The first part is a call to worship
a joyful and lively one 
Then we remember the greatness of God 

by calling to mind the mighty works of creation

Then another call to worship

This time bowing down

AND THEN THE WARNING

Stop praising and Listen!

Then God helps us remember back when…

For the Israelites…the memory is back in the desert

All that grumbling
I gave you water when you were thirsty
and Manna when you were hungry
and still you rebelled

Remember the golden calf?

Same goes for us

Can we remember when our hearts were hardened?

When fear took hold of us and drowned out God’spresence?

 

For my Dad is was that fear…terror even…
of relentless questions like

“Why did I ever leave the safety of the Air Force and move to this land of OHIO where I have no family, no history?”
“How will I feed the growing family of 5?”

There is a “rest of the story”

Remembering is the only way to see what we couldn’t see at the time

It’s the way to see in a way that will carry us forward.

 

So…in the Psalm

There is remembering, 

and then…let’s move forward…let’s get on with it.

 

The inspired compilers of the LOH
chose this Psalm as a way to start every day
TODAY

…If TODAY

Every new day is TODAY
Today is what is before us
we can act on Today

 

Let me make this day an act of worship

Let me meet this day aware of how easily I can go astray
This day…Let me set my feet on the floor by my bed pointed in the right direction

 

And little by little

Day by day

…as we repeat the words:

If today I hear God’s Voice
Harden not my heart

 

I will/We will…walk and talk and act and breathe

More than Kinda-Sorta 

like boundary-crossing Jesus

 

And just

more simply

straight-up

More like Jesus

 

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