"Is Our Church a Good Neighbour?" (Mark 12:28-34)

(1) Would we be missed?

In an article by Eric Swanson entitled “Is Your Church a Good Neighbour”, the author quotes Bishop Vaughn McLaughlin from the Potter’s House Christian Fellowship in Jacksonville, Florida, when he asks the questions:

“Would the community weep if your church were to pull out of the city?”
And, “Would anybody notice if you left?”

We would continually need to ask of ourselves this type of question in regard to our local community:

“Would we be missed if we ceased to be here?”
Or, “Would there be any tears over our demise?”
Or, “Would anyone notice if we left?”

If there is any negative element in our response to this, then this provides the greatest challenge we could possibly face – the relevance test. For, if we are not being noticed, and if our contribution is not being noted, then collectively we are not working hard enough, and we are in serious danger of irrelevance.

Whereas this passage is normally treated in terms of one-on-one neighbourly relationships, there is room to consider it in terms of a collective group making a solid corporate contribution to its neighbourhood.

Because this pastor and this church fellowship in Jacksonville has taken these questions seriously, and responded appropriately and creatively, the mayor of Jacksonville openly credits this church as one community group that is changing Jacksonville for the better.

(2) Loving God through loving our neighbour

There was one scribe at least who was truly interested in what Jesus was saying. Unlike other recent questions that were loaded to test Jesus, this was an honest enquiry towards understanding the heart of the Jesus message. This scribe must have been impressed with the way Jesus was fielding some very tricky matters put forward by some very devious characters. And verse 33 shows that this particular scribe was well ahead of others in his understanding of what Jesus was on about.

Knowing that this was a sincere query, Jesus gave a complete and straightforward answer. The question was: which of the 613 rules existing at the time was “first” in line? Jesus began (in verse 29-30) by quoting from Deuteronomy 6:4-5.

But this, on its own, was not a complete answer, nor could it stand on its own as the ‘first’ or ‘greatest’ commandment. It has to be proved by more than words. It’s just too easy to simply say that we love God. Any expression of love towards God must include taking responsibility for what God has created. So whereas Jesus has already provided one commandment in response to a question concerning what comes “first”, Jesus now connects a second statement with the first in a way which combines them and sees them as inseparable – “There is no other commandment greater than these”.

Jesus (in verse 31) quotes from Leviticus 19:18. This is a real ethical proposition (especially if we consider the parable Luke uses to demonstrate that the identity of our neighbour should be broadened beyond how we may have previously limited the definition – Luke 10:25-37). This “love” of neighbour involves radical active good will.

We are well aware of our own needs and we consider them to be highly important, a real priority. Well says Jesus, the needs of others should be no less a priority! Believe it or not, our neighbour is just as important to God as we ourselves are!! If we love our neighbours as we love ourselves, we shall want for them the treatment we would want for ourselves (were we in their place).

The call to “love our neighbour” should also cause us to think about what may be appropriate government policies concerning health, education, employment, poverty, welfare, disadvantage, foreign aid, and debt forgiveness, irrespective of the impact this makes on the tax-paying public.

That we love God with everything that we have will be proved by how we behave concerning our neighbour. And that is where this collective interpretation comes in. As a church, we will prove how much we love God, by the concern we show for our local community (and also the world beyond). And so when we sing our songs of worship, and bring our offerings, and participate in the announcements, and listen to the bible, and share in communion, and offer up our prayers – will our sincerity be proved outside this building? Are we trying to grab hold of God simply for ourselves, or are we just as focused on the needs of our neighbour as we are on our own needs? Does our worship of God impel us toward our community – in concern for their well-being? It should, it must!

Why did Jesus say to this scribe, “You are not far from the kingdom of God”? Because he was yet to live it out; the ‘scribe’ was yet to put this teaching into practice. Jesus wanted to commend this “scribe” for his insight, yet Jesus could not let him escape the full import of the matter at hand. To fully participate in the Kingdom of God, to fully be a Jesus follower, one has to put Jesus’ teaching into action. This was the stunning challenge that silenced Jesus’ detractors; for this teaching had come straight from their own Hebrew Scriptures, yet they had not been able to consistently apply it.

(3) Loving our neighbour through loving God

Well of course this is a huge challenge! We have our own problems to deal with, the busyness of life, the needs of our family, work pressures, even the necessary tasks in the church to deal with. We also have our faith issues and our doubts, also our shyness and lack of confidence. And then there is the whole issue of finding some of our neighbours to be downright disagreeable or even unlikable. So where do we go to get through this, and grow, so that we can get to making this impact?? Where will the energy and wisdom come from?? We go back to the first part of these inseparable ideals (verse 30).

Our response to God needs to be from the totality of our being and resources:

· the “heart” is the seat of spiritual life and the inner being
· the “soul” or “life” refers to our feelings, emotions and desires
· the “mind” refers to our understanding and intelligence
· and “strength” refers to our abilities and our capacity to act.

We look to immerse ourselves in God and love God in such a way that allows God to give us everything that we need. Everything about us finds harmony with God’s ways and purposes (as they are seen displayed in Jesus). We find our own acceptance and sense of belonging and value in God, such that we can see others in the same way. If we were to only give God a fraction of our total selves, then God becomes a mere fraction of what He might be to us! We thus rob ourselves … if we push God to the periphery of our thoughts and lives!!

If we want to truly love our neighbour individually and our community collectively, then we will have to know God thoroughly. If we dedicate our whole being to loving God, then God is free to turn us outward towards others. In a nutshell, God requires the sort of undistracted and unrivalled love toward Him that will allow for a genuine love and concern for each of our neighbours (the effective combination of loyalty and compassion).

(4) Being neighbourly

a. practical service, not proud judgementalism

Being neighbourly is not about looking down our nose at the faults of others, but about finding ways of serving their needs. Being a neighbourly church is not about bemoaning their lack of church attendance, or their lack of interest in the ways of God, but rather about finding ways of making a contribution to good community functioning.

b. partnership, not isolation

Being neighbourly is not about trying to do everything by ourselves purely in our own way, but rather about finding ways of partnering with other groups and organisations who are likewise concerned about building good community. This frees us from the burden of thinking we have to do everything for everybody. We should ask ourselves the question … how can we help, what can be our unique contribution?

On a personal level, we don’t build relationships down a one-way street … by only offering help but not being prepared to receive it. We have to allow others to discover our practical needs and to respond to them as they can.

c. inclusion, not self-containment

Being neighbourly is not about being closed or self-contained within boundaries of belief or practice, but rather about being open to the contribution other people can make.

Part of this involves really loving our neighbourhood and relating warmly to all the components of it (especially the coffee shops)!

Resurrection Sunday - "Dealing with a Sense of Defeat" (Mark 16:8)

We can feel defeated by many things in life: the loss of a job, ill-health, not having enough money, the death of a loved one, not enough time, loneliness, the threat of violence, the loss of purpose. The women who attended the tomb on ‘Resurrection Sunday’ did so with a sense of defeat.

They went to the tomb with little expectation that their weekend was going to improve. We can tell this by how Mark finishes his gospel in 16:8: “So [the women] went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid”. How we are feeling is often exposed by our actions – in this case the women fled and remained silent. [We should remember that the disciples had already fled from the crucifixion scene, and according to Mark had not yet put in any appearance at the tomb.]

I’m sure we could understand why Mary, Mary and Salome approached the tomb with such a sense of defeat. They had seen Jesus cruelly crucified, then taken down from the cross by Joseph of Arimathea, and laid in a tomb. All seemed lost! There had been so much hope with Jesus around … now amongst his followers there was only disappointment. So what these women had expected to do was anoint the dead body of Jesus with spices (according to custom).

What these women encountered was much different to what they expected. The large heavy stone had been rolled back from the entrance to the tomb. They were “alarmed” to see a “young man” dressed in white, who told them that their friend Jesus (who had been crucified and laid in this very tomb) was no longer here because he had been “raised”. Now, even the empty tomb seemed to add to the women’s sense of defeat, for this is not what they had expected. ‘Who had stolen Jesus’ body and why’, they must have asked themselves! They had simply wanted to honour their fallen master, and he wasn’t there.

This confusion, despite what Jesus had said at least three times:
"… the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death; then they will hand him over to the Gentiles; they will mock him, and spit upon him, and flog him, and kill him; and after three days he will rise again" (10:33-4).

Jesus’ disciples had reacted so ardently against the first part of this, that they entirely missed the second part … “and after three days [the Son of Man will] rise again”! Their own negative reaction and sense of dread about Jesus’ impending death closed their ears to the revolutionary news that followed. Even when the words concerning the crucifixion were fulfilled, they did not expect what followed. [This may be like us sometimes praying for something or someone, but because we already feel beaten up about this issue, we don’t really believe things can change for the better.]

Such feelings of hopelessness, as experienced here by Mary, Mary and Salome, can of course get on top of anyone; so much so that even the best of news passes us by. Our ears are just blocked to positive possibilities; we just can’t see anything getting better. For the women, this led to their fear, flight and silence. These women had just witnessed their friend, leader and inspiration in life, crucified on a Roman cross. Perhaps no words of expectation and reassurance could prepare anyone for that. We know that in so many people, their sense of defeat is so strong, that they take all sorts of destructive paths to try to quell the pain. This … when God is reaching out a hand of compassion to them!

Having received the message from God, through the “young man” dressed in white, to tell Peter and the other disciples that Jesus had risen, and that Jesus was going ahead of them to Galilee, and that they should meet him there – what did the women do? They fled in fear and remained silent! Does this ring any bells for us (in terms of where we are with our Christian faith)? How do we respond to the radical news that Jesus is alive?

This is the very unsettling way Mark concludes his gospel. What response is being sought by Mark? Why have first the disciples, and then these women been exposed in such a way as this … so that all will know of their fear? Weren’t they heroes of the faith! Couldn’t the story have been told with more triumph? But doesn’t this have the ring of truth all around it! We know how hard it is to maintain and share our faith, in the hustle and bustle of life, especially when things don’t go the way we expected or planned them to? How are we supposed to respond to this?

The challenge here is for us to act differently; not in silence, flight or fear, but in other ways. What might be appropriate responses to Jesus’ resurrection for us?

(1) CELEBRATION

We shouldn’t just treat today as any other day. The fact that Jesus defeated death to offer us new life in him should really be consuming us and busting out of us. This freedom from any sense of defeat and any sense of shame should really excite us. We should celebrate! When we sing “Free to Dance” later, this should be such a remarkable celebration that causes such a stir, that it makes the local paper next week. Jesus’ resurrection is the greatest event in world history!!

(2) WORSHIP

Then we remember that this is not all about us, but more about what God has done. When God was faced by the arrogant rebellion of his created beings, he took drastic and wondrous action. God sent Jesus to exhibit grace, and give human beings the opportunity to reconnect with God. When we were weighed down, God gave us Jesus, to bring us forgiveness and offer a new start to the world. So we need to be grateful, and offer up our thanksgiving in prayer and song.

(3) COMMITMENT

In celebration and worship we acknowledge that God is the number one focus in our lives. But these are not just one-off acts that are separate from everyday life. Jesus’ resurrection should impel us to look for his leading and follow him every day. This would include following him into places that we would not have chosen for ourselves to go. The women in Mark didn’t want to go to Galilee into more unknown territory –they wanted to hide at home. Jesus wants us to be risk-takers and adventurers. Being committed to Jesus also includes living out the ethics we see him promoting in the gospels.

(4) WITNESS

In the context of our time, Mark’s Gospel promotes a concern for all those who have not previously had the opportunity of experiencing God’s grace. Whether that’s been as a result of hardheartedness or material distraction, or whether that’s been the result of abuse and growing mistrust, or whether that’s been because of never seeing the life of Jesus lived out. We need to provide proof of the resurrection of Jesus. You say how can we possibly do that? Just by getting up in the morning and going from there! The reality of Jesus’ resurrection is not proved by simply insisting people should believe it or else. Rather it is proved by being lived out in the lives of his followers. We need to see all of life through a special ‘contact lens’. This special ‘contact lens’ asks the questions: what is God saying here … what is it that God thinks we need to learn here … what is God wanting to say to other people through us?

Good Friday Communion Message

Our Prime Minister Kevin Rudd had to recently apologise when he lost his temper with a steward serving food on his plane. As part of his defence, he said “I’m only human”. That was part of his excuse for his bad behaviour. I’m sure most of us have used that one, when we’ve made a mistake … “I’m only human”. That puts Kevin Rudd in very good company, does it not!!

Being human is a fragile experience. We were created “very good” by our loving God, but we have made choices that have complicated things. We have also been born into a very complicated set of circumstances, where for generations, for thousands of years in this world – humanity has struggled with their responsibilities.

The prophet Isaiah, some 2700 years ago, understood this struggle. In the midst of all the violence and injustice he lived amongst, Isaiah wrote: “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way …” (53:6a). Maybe the modern translation is “We’re only human”!

The question is though, do we just stay with the excuse, do we just stay with the problems involved with being human, or do we really take on board what God has done about this? God did not sit idly by, when human beings decided to go their own way, leaving us lost.

Having sent prophet after prophet to set the nation of Israel straight, and seeing them largely ignored; when the fullness of time had come, God sent his very son Jesus to save his people from their sins. We have read the words from Isaiah chapter 53: whatever it is that separates us from God, Jesus came and died and rose again so that it could be dealt with.

We can now rise above the limitations that sin imposed upon being human, and live in harmony with God and all his creation. Whereas we’ll never be perfect, or probably anywhere near close, we can be on a journey of transformation being re-modelled in the image of Jesus. (Many of us will need some significant ‘panel-beating’, but the Holy Spirit of God is up to the task!) We will have an increasing sense of when we fall short and have God’s promise of forgiveness close at hand.

This was a costly sacrifice for God … Jesus paid the ultimate price to give us free access to such change: “…he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed” (Is 53:5). The bread (or biscuit) before us represents the broken body of Jesus on the cross. The cup represents God’s new covenant of love towards humanity proved through spilled blood. The sending of Jesus was a one-time gift for all people of all nations of all times. And this was a gift of grace for you and for me. And so let us take the bread and lift the cup, acknowledging these things:
· When my humanity was too limited to handle on my own, Jesus saved me
· When I was directionless and struggling, Jesus gave his life so that I might be transformed into a growing, purposeful steward of God’s creation
. When I was left to my own devices, Jesus gave me the gift of a new home with him, in the company of all those who follow Jesus in this life.

"On the Road to the Cross - The Parable of the Wicked Tenants" (Mark 12:1-12)

Having come into Jerusalem on ‘Palm Sunday’, Jesus told a parable. This would be a story drawn from real-life images that would make an important point well beyond the story itself. Jesus had just been in dispute with the religious leaders (the chief priests, the scribes, the elders), and these would be the ones particularly present to hear this parable. These are the ones who had been trying to derail and be rid of Jesus for the last three years. Events were now coming to a climax, and Jesus was able to capture this in a dramatic story.

God was moving in the world; so much so that he had sent Jesus to reconcile people to their Creator. But was Jesus received with enthusiasm or disdain? Perhaps with enthusiasm … when the people thought that he would break the Roman rule, or heal all their physical infirmities! In short, if the people themselves could control the agenda, then they would be enthusiastic about Jesus. Maybe they could define for themselves what Jesus’ mission was about; maybe they could even redesign Jesus in their own image. “Hosanna” to that idea … I could be in this. I’ll try getting excited and throwing around a few palm branches!

But it wasn’t like this! Jesus wasn’t about mass political overthrow, and had more to do than just dealing with people’s personal setbacks; Jesus was about people growing in faith towards a God they could trust their whole life to (from whatever situation they found themselves in). And so when it came to the crunch, Jesus was sent to a cross. This was because the challenge of faith was too great, for faith had to be built on humility, openness, vulnerability, and repentance (a change of direction), together with a radical reorientation towards care for one’s neighbour.

And unfortunately the leaders of this anti-Jesus movement were the religious leaders of the time, who were threatened by the challenge to their positions of power and authority. Ah ha … but hadn’t they heard Jesus say that the first will be last, and the last will be first … whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant … for the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many. Obviously, they didn’t want to listen. How would they then react to a story?

There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, and made all the appropriate preparations to make a nice living out of this little business. He set the vineyard up with everything required for a successful outcome. Then he decided to employ a management team to come in and run the vineyard for him, while he left for another country to have a rest and pursue some other interests.

The time came to collect some profits from this vineyard business. This would have been the amount left after the workers had been paid, and the management fees deducted. The landowner sent one of his assistants over to the vineyard to collect the money, but the request was refused, and the assistant sent away empty handed, also a little bruised and battered. We can see that the hearts and minds of the managers had become hardened and selfish, and they had forgotten who had given them the opportunity in the first place, who had placed trust in them. [And seemingly it didn’t take long for this to happen.]

Maybe they would change their minds though! So the landowner, with great patience and hope, sent over another assistant. Alas, this one was verbally abused and beaten severely around the head. How could they do this … this was such unreasonable action! You could imagine the irrational words that were spoken, as they really didn’t have any leg to stand on! The managers had obviously let their selfish intent get the better of them; and in continuing to deny their responsibility and their crime, they could now only strike out with further aggression. This is the behaviour of people at war with themselves. The third assistant sent by the landowner was actually killed; and others that followed were either killed or beaten up badly.

For the landowner, there was only one option left. There was no way he was going to give up … there was still so much potential for this vineyard, if it could ever be properly managed. There was a beautiful environment around this vineyard, and there were many good labourers who would work there in the right spirit. And so, with some sense of trepidation, and a degree of apprehension, the landowner made the decision to send his own son to collect what was rightfully his. Surely they will listen to my son!

[The audience may have been surprised at this. Why would the landowner take the risk of sending his own son when all of the other assistants had been beaten so badly or even killed? He must have really cared heaps for his vineyard!]

But, as the story proceeds, we see that the managers didn’t even respect the son; in fact they even thought that if they killed the landowner’s son and heir, the landowner would give up, and that they would be left to occupy and rule the vineyard themselves for ever. Such unrestrained arrogance – leading to vicious violence! The managers killed the landowner’s son and callously threw his body away. But they were wrong about the landowner, for this was not going to be the end of his commitment to the vineyard. The managers would have to be replaced no matter what, and other managers brought in, so that the vineyard would survive for the benefit of future generations.

This is the story that the religious leaders heard; and correctly understood as strongly criticising the way they had managed spiritual affairs and the way they had out-rightly rejected Jesus. They could have listened to this story in a way that would allow them to change. If only they could have seen in the drama of this story, the extraordinary exhibition of the grace of God, and recognised the pathos (the emotional compassion) when they heard the owner’s phrase – “they will respect my son”. But instead they even more so set their minds on destroying Jesus; and would now begin to manipulate events to achieve this end within a few days.

But they, through their thickheadedness, did miss another major point in the story: that the one that they had ultimately rejected and killed, the son and heir, would return and become the “cornerstone” of the new management of the vineyard – and that this will be amazing to witness! It will certainly be marvellous to see for those Gentiles in Mark’s worshipping community that now have free access to God through Jesus.

God had created a magnificent planet on which life could be sustained. All of God’s creation was deemed to be “very good”. Human beings were given the opportunity to relate to God and live in harmony – yet turned their back on this and went their own way. This led to continual rebellion within God’s people in Israel. Prophets were raised up by God to challenge and correct the people regarding their wrongdoing. These prophets seem to be characterised in our parable as the initial slaves who were sent to collect the landowner’s just returns. God’s true prophets were regularly rejected (especially in their own time). One such prophet was Isaiah, and he also wrote about a vineyard that was mishandled by its inhabitants. Isaiah (5:7) said:

“For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel,
and the people of Judah are his pleasant planting;
he expected justice, but saw bloodshed;
[the Lord expected] righteousness, but heard a cry!”

There needed to be a new beginning, and Jesus would be the “cornerstone” of this new beginning. This would be a multi-national, inter-cultural movement referred to in the gospels as “the Kingdom of God”. Those who have been saved by and follow Jesus will participate in and contribute to this “Kingdom”. Those in this “Kingdom” would be gifted and empowered by the Holy Spirit; and it would seek through the quality of the human life within it, to transform the world towards God’s purposes. Such participants in the “Kingdom” will form local worshipping communities, and through the leading of the Holy Spirit will make some little but significant impact there. Lives will be changed!

But you might join me in saying … oh … there is just so far to go! Isaiah again says: “… [the Lord] expected justice, but saw bloodshed; [God expected] righteousness, but heard a cry!” So many mistakes have been made! So many people have sought their own ends, and thus brought so much disaster; violence and poverty being the worst ills we face! The church struggles to make a positive difference. We just can’t seem to know God well enough, or understand his Word clearly enough. As Paul writes in Romans (8:19): “… the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God”.

So we must look to our “cornerstone”. This is the ‘stone’ that ensures that the whole building holds together; the whole building (of the Kingdom of God) will depend upon its “cornerstone”. The “cornerstone” (or foundation stone) concept is derived from the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure (Wikipedia). Jesus is the foundation, the focal point, the unifying force of each church community (or should be; or needs to be if a church is truly going to be the church).

1 Peter 2:4-6 carries on this tradition: “Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight; and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in scripture: See, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”