Sermon: July 8, 2012

 Do You Believe?

Scripture: Psalm 123 Read Responsively and Mark 6: 1-13

Preached by Linda Jo Peters ~ July 8, 2012

 Reception of New Member Brandi Crabb and baptism of Jeremy, Courtney, Heather, Jaron and Joseph Crabb

Amanda Clark special music and Mission speaker during worship

Unity Presbyterian Church ~ Terre Haute, Indiana 

Introduction to Scripture:

Psalm 123 Read Responsively

Going on a pilgrimage is not something most of us will do.  But psalm 123 is found a series of songs that are believed to have been sung while on the road to Jerusalem for pilgrims from all over the known world.  Here is this short song there is both adoration of God and lament of pilgrim’s rejection by others who reject their religious zeal.
¹To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens!
²As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, until he has mercy upon us.
³Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough of contempt.
⁴Our soul has had more than its fill of the scorn of those who are at ease, of the contempt of the proud.

Mark 6: 1-13
The tension between Jesus and his family or hometown was an on-going sub-plot of the story in Mark’s Gospel.  Here people cannot imagine him as anyone more than the illegitimate child of Mary, a simple carpenter.  To be seen as a great teacher and healer is beyond their comprehension.  So are we any different today?  Do we too, label young people and reject that they can become our leaders in the future?

He left that place and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him.²On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! ³Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.⁴Then Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.”⁵And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them.⁶And he was amazed at their unbelief.

Then he went about among the villages teaching.⁷He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits.⁸He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts;⁹but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics.¹⁰He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place.¹¹If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.”¹²So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent.¹³They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.

Homily

We have baptized the Crabb today and welcomed them into this part of the body of Christ.  Perhaps someday Brady will serve on session and have a new vision for Unity.  Perhaps Courtney will become a pastor or Heather will be a doctor or Jaron will write praise music.  The point of this story is that even when Jesus grew up among them, they did not believe in his full potential to change lives. Think about your own baptism or those you have witnessed.  What were the feelings you had at these times?

When you were young did your family and faith community value you or where they like the people of Nazareth who saw Jesus in one light?  They did not believe in his full potential to change lives.  Who encouraged you to dream big?  Thank God for those who came into your life and nurtured your potential.

Amanda Clark has spoken about her sense of call to ministry in Ethiopia.  Think back to the dreams you had as a youth.  Think about how hard it was to follow those dreams and pray for Amanda in her journey of faith. 

What do you believe generates the power to change lives and change your life.  Believing makes a difference in your life because every day of  your life has value and meaning.  Where there was unbelief, even Jesus had a hard time healing.  Then he sent out his disciples, as Amanda is being sent out, and amazing things happened.  They went out and made a difference in people’s lives by proclaiming a message of repentance.  God has invite us into the work of redemption.  God uses your faith to continue change lives.  To the church in Ephesus, Paul wrote:

“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.  Each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. (Ephesians 4: 4-7)

Keep the faith that has been passed on from generation to generation.  Amen.

Equity and Wisdom

Scripture: Psalm 130 sung as Psalter # 181 “Come Sing to God”

and II Corinthians 8: 1-15

With Celebration of the Lord’s Supper

Preached by Linda Jo Peters ~ July 1, 2012

Unity Presbyterian Church ~ Terre Haute, Indiana

INTRODUCTION TO SCRIPTURE READING

If you ever wondered where the idea of redistribution of wealth came from, you need to study Paul’s writings especially this fund raising letter in II Corinthians. Of course you could also study Jesus’ parables on generosity or the Talmud’s profound claim on care of widows and orphans.  The Bible is rife with claims for equity not only on those who are wealthy but on the nation as a whole.[1] The very last line in our reading is a reference to Exodus 16:8 where Moses reminds the people that when God gave them meat and bread in the wilderness, they were given what they needed not more or less.

We want you to know, brothers and sisters, about the grace of God that has been granted to the churches of Macedonia;²for during a severe ordeal of affliction, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.³For, as I can testify, they voluntarily gave according to their means, and even beyond their means,⁴begging us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in this ministry to the saints—⁵and this, not merely as we expected; they gave themselves first to the Lord and, by the will of God, to us,⁶so that we might urge Titus that, as he had already made a beginning, so he should also complete this generous undertaking among you.

⁷Now as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in utmost eagerness, and in our love for you—so we want you to excel also in this generous undertaking.⁸I do not say this as a command, but I am testing the genuineness of your love against the earnestness of others.⁹For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.¹⁰And in this matter I am giving my advice: it is appropriate for you who began last year not only to do something but even to desire to do something—¹¹now finish doing it, so that your eagerness may be matched by completing it according to your means.¹²For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has—not according to what one does not have.¹³I do not mean that there should be relief for others and pressure on you, but it is a question of a fair balance between¹⁴your present abundance and their need, so that their abundance may be for your need, in order that there may be a fair balance.¹⁵As it is written, “The one who had much did not have too much, and the one who had little did not have too little.”

SERMON

Equity is an obvious theme in Paul’s letter, but wisdom?  This life of generosity requires wise choices.   Daniel G. Deffenbaugh in his commentary on this passage say that Paul has wisdom for us as we continue to feel our way through a broken economy and an at risk environment. He thinks the natural tendency in these times is to turn inward and simply attend to our basic needs and not waste too much energy on what lies beyond our limited frame of reference. Facing the one in six people living with starvation, we prefer to deal with the problems of “Corinth” or Terre Haute and turn a blind eye to the poor saints of “Jerusalem” or the Democratic Republic of the Congo living a world away. But we, who have too much waste, need to hear the cries of those who have too little.  It would be better and wiser for most of us to have a little less so that those in need would have a little more.[2]   This is not new wisdom, but ancient wisdom that gives life to all. For Paul the same grace (divine generosity) which embraces us in our failure and sin also generates action as we become companions of this grace.[3]

How we use our resources -- time, money, talents, and attention -- is a reflection of what we believe about God and God's actions in the world.  We need to ask ourselves, are we using our resources in a way that model’s Christ’s life.  Paul wants the Corinthians' actions to be a reflection of the gospel in which they believe, so that others will be open to the gospel by witnessing their lives of generosity. [4]

Today we come to our Lord’s Table.  Paul reminds us that Jesus became poor that we might be rich.  The Lord’s Supper is a reminder that he died that we might have life and that life in abundance.  It is the sign and seal of eating and drinking in communion with the crucified and risen Lord.[5]  Here at this table through the power of the Holy Spirit we see the singular essence of the Kingdom of God: that "those who have much do not have too much, and those who have little do not have too little."  May it be so.  Amen.

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[1] See: Isaiah 58 & 59,  http://www.friendships.org/Scriptures.html

[2] Adapted from Seeds of Shalom by Daniel G. Deffenbaugh,  Associate Professor of Religion at Hastings College. See: www.seedsofshalom.com/2009/06/too-much-and-too-little.html

[3] William Loader,  Murdoch University, Uniting Church in Australia.  See: http://wwwstaff.murdoch.edu.au/~loader/BEpPentecost5.html

[4] Adapted from Carla Works,  Assistant Professor of New Testament at Wesley Theological Seminary, Washington, DC for WorkingPreacher.org

[5] See: http://gamc.pcusa.org/ministries/worship/sacraments-supper/