Amen - So Be It

We are a people divided. Black and white, native and immigrant, old and young, rich and poor, gay and straight, city and rural, ghetto and gated community, fat and thin, educated and ignorant, right and wrong, liberal and conservative, married and single, graduate and drop-out, north and south, in crowd and out crowd, winners and losers, us and them. And we have always been a people divided. Hebrews and Canaanites, tribe against tribe, King Saul and young David, Jacob and Esau, Jesus -the new kid on the block in conflict with the Pharisee’s long-standing authority, Paul and Peter, Greek and Jew, slave and free, male and female, the Good News of Jesus Christ vs. doctrine written by men. We label, we judge, we make assumptions, pigeonhole, and refuse to let go of our stereo-type beliefs. We make sure that everyone falls into their very own - very neat categories – because it is more comfortable that way. And the minute we hear these categories – we have an opinion – Strong opinions - about the other – strong opinions depending on whether you live above or below the Mason Dixon line; strong opinions depending upon the numbers of SAT score; or the numbers accumulated in a retirement portfiolio, or the numbers on the bathroom scale. Strong opinions are held about the other -- when we talk about lifestyle, years of education; skin color, the neighborhoods or the countries in which we live. And then we call one better than the other, and then we include or reject. We remember Scripture - that the people were fighting with one another about meat and eating that meat – some didn’t eat meat, some did – some ate meat that was sacrificed and others refused. The people were fighting about one day being better than the other – Jews celebrating the Sabbath on Saturday, Christians on Sunday. There were arguments over who was the greatest among them…an argument over the Old Testament requirement of circumcision vs. being saved by faith and grace alone. And they fought over whether Gentiles should even be offered the good news of Jesus Christ, a messiah who came only for the Jews – if Gentiles were even worthy to receive it – or if they should be accepted into the faith or rejected. Listen to this list…So far in Mark’s gospel Jesus has…healed two men and one boy possessed by unclean spirits – healed a whole crowd who were ill or possessed by demons – healed a paralytic…healed a leper by touching him. Jesus has called and shared a meal with a tax collector – and then ate with a whole bunch of tax collectors and various other sinners…allowed a bleeding woman to touch him...healed a deaf man, a blind man, and healed another with a withered hand on the Sabbath and picked a few pieces of grain and ate them on the Sabbath..driven out a demon in a foreign woman’s daughter – but not before he spoke with her in public. Every single one of these things that Jesus did were forbidden in the Old Testament – forbidden in the Jewish faith – because all of these people were unclean outcasts who – because they were different - were to be ignored, and rejected. Words in this morning’s passage read something like this: Lord, this guy isn’t with us – Lord this guy is healing and casting out demons – just like you do – and Lord this man is doing this in your name…and Lord…this man is not following you, he is not following us, he is not in our group, he is not one of us…Lord, he is not one of us…and so Lord – silence him, Lord, he’s bothering us…make him stop Lord. Make him go away. All of these controversies in the early churches, threatened that there would be a split in the church. Paul’s advice was not to be side-tracked – but put your efforts into your worship, and your service, and your relationship with the Lord. And this morning, when those disciples insisted on drawing a line between them and us and making sure the division was sanctioned by Jesus and made known – Jesus said: Do not stop him for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able to speak evil of me. All that matters is that they believe in me and are for us and not against us. Furthermore, whoever gives you a cup of water – a helping hand – a moment of their time…whoever serves me and serves others – will by no means lose his reward. Today is world communion Sunday. A day when all churches – regardless of denomination, regardless of doctrine, regardless of beliefs, regardless of personalities, regardless of Black and white, native and immigrant, old and young, rich and poor, gay and straight, city and rural, ghetto and gated community, fat and thin, educated and ignorant, liberal and conservative, married and single, graduate and drop-out, north and south, in crowd and out crowd, winners and losers, us and them…on this day all of us do one thing…together. Proclaim our unity in Jesus Christ and come to table with one another – come to table with the whole communion of saints – those who ate and drank in that upper room on that fated night of Jesus’ arrest- to all of those who have not yet been born, but who will one day share this meal. ON this communion Sunday every church will come to Christ’s table and at Christ’s invitation – They will come from east and west, north and south – and lift up prayers for the wonder of God and the grace of Jesus Christ…and we will eat and drink, and we will proclaim our oneness in Him…and we will be joined with him and with one another – and we will envision the Kingdom of God – where all are welcome at the table…and then finally, silently, and with a heart’s whisper -- in one voice we will say Amen – so be it.