| Matthew 3:20-35 "A New Family Order" |
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| Written by Rev. Denise Peckham | |
| Saturday, 29 July 2006 | |
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This past week my family was on vacation at the Belfiore family reunion. We were quite a crowd; making dinner reservations or tour reservations was often difficult, but we managed to be accommodated in many places and had a wonderful time where ever we went. Our crowd, like all crowds, had a life of its own. It was often filled with joy and love, but at other times it had a different face! Jesus was familiar with crowds. Wherever he went, there was a crowd that followed him or sought him out. Even as he enters this home, we are told there was a crowd there, both inside and outside, waiting and watching. Some might say it is because of what Jesus could do for them, and I suppose that is true. But we are also told that this is the one who spoke with authority, who was respected. He was a teacher as well as a healer, a prophet who had the power to forgive sins. Earlier in this gospel we are told that demons fled the presence of Jesus without his uttering a single word! The problem with crowds however, is that many kinds of people can make up a crowd. Crowds can consist of friends and enemies, the interested and the curious. The crowds that followed Jesus were no different. There were disciples, friends, scribes and Pharisees. There were tax collectors and sinners, Jews and Gentiles, the clean and the unclean. In this story, there are even family members – Jesus’ mother, brothers and perhaps even sisters, though there is disagreement between the many translations on whether other female family members were present. Each person had their own reason for being there, just like each of you have your own reason for being here this morning. You see, we are the crowd who gathers around Jesus, listening, waiting, and desiring to be near him. Some of us are in the house, some at the door, and some are in the back murmuring. The Gospel of Mark addresses crowds in a particular way. You see, the problem isn’t really the crowd as much as it is who comprises the crowd; this time it is Jesus’ family’s presence in the crowd, not the scribes, who pose the problem. The story goes that Jesus’ mother and brothers were on their way to seize him because they believed he was out of his mind. They had listened to the voices of others and believed them. Understand this, their intention may have been for his “own good” as many parents are prone to do if they think their child is making a mistake, but seizing anyone implies trouble is on the way. Think of what police do to felons they believe are out of their mind and you get the picture of what was underlying this action. Jesus was an ordinary man born of ordinary people with ordinary lives, but he was doing extra ordinary things. He healed the sick, broke temple rules and exorcised demons. Jesus had proclaimed kairos - God’s time - had come. Although the crowds gathered, although they recognized something different in this Jesus of Nazareth, neither they, nor the recently named apostles, could quite understand what it meant to gather around the one who proclaimed the rule of God had arrived. According to the temple authorities and some of the people who gathered around him, Jesus was a rule breaker. To those who did not understand what it would mean to live in God’s rule, not the temple rule, what Jesus was doing was a threat to the acceptable way of life and could be perceived as crazy. Kairos upsets the balance of power, not only in the political and economic structures of our world, but in our homes, neighborhoods and even in our church. A few months ago I was part of a discussion with people in my neighborhood about poverty. In the course of the conversation, and at a point I cannot identify, the issue turned to race. I cannot repeat the conversation (it makes me sick), but I was stunned at the deep-rooted racism that pervaded the hearts and minds of those who live in my neighborhood. Before I left that conversation everyone knew what I thought of their bigoted beliefs. Kairos proclaims we are all children of God. In God’s reign, racism has been bound and gagged, but its demons still live within our world. Was I out of my mind? I was enraged and deeply disappointed. Was I in the mind of Christ? Christ would have handled it differently, certainly used different words, but I know we wept together that evening. What will it take for each of us to explore the depths of our hearts and name the demons that live there? It is easy to say, “I am not a racist, I have friends who are of different races.” It is another thing for a Caucasian to admit white privilege exists and admit you have benefited from it. The family created in kairos recognizes the gift of each member and welcomes them into a relationship that is wholesome, life giving and grace filled. It is not a relationship based on birth, but on something greater. In the church family this is created when we, as baptized members of the body of Christ come together to seek and do the will of God. The trustees do not compete with welcoming ministries for reporting time, but works to improve the facilities so that new members might see the care we give to our church home. The mission projects do not compete with Bible study, but are enhanced by those who have read and studied the command to love God and neighbor and live out those commands in their daily activities. The youth ministry does not compete with children’s ministry, but works together to teach our children that they are precious, beloved children of God; they teach them the importance of building a relationship with God in Christ because that is the only relationship that is guaranteed never to fail any of us. And they teach them how to be faithful disciples in prayer, presence, gifts and service so that when they are confirmed or choose to join they come to this congregation prepared to live the life of a disciple of Jesus Christ. All of this and so much more is done in unity, as the family of God and for the glory of God. It is not about us, or what the culture defines as status quo, or even what makes us comfortable. Kairos is counter-cultural. It does not conform to this world, but transforms all who are willing to enter into a new understanding of what it means to be created in the image of God. No longer does the person living in God’s time judge another based on color, sexual orientation, and economic status. The person living in God’s time looks upon himself or herself as a sinner in need of grace and recognizes that all things are made beautiful in God’s reign. Kairos proclaims that in baptism the promise of God made to all creation is realized – we are redeemed for a life full of grace and hope, to be defined by our relationship with Jesus Christ and not by any standard set by the powers of this world that would seize us and use us and throw us aside once it is finished with us. As part of God’s family we cannot look upon another with disdain or judgment because we are in no better place than anyone else. We must not think of ourselves too highly, but recognize that as we sit together and look around this crowd, we have the promise that if we seek and do the will of God we are part of who Christ called family. So where are you in this crowd? Are you outside with Jesus’ mother and brother, standing with the temple authorities and curious, murmuring about the trouble Jesus is causing? Are you at the door, not sure if you really want to hear the Word? Are you in the house, but aren’t sure you want to sit down because the people on the floor are not worthy to be there? Or are you sitting on the floor at Jesus’ feet embracing your new family? The good news is there is a spot on the floor for all of us. Come on in, sit down. |
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