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SERMON for FEBRUARY 28, 2021
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT - FEBRUARY 28, 2021
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DIVINE THINGS
Texts: Genesis 17: 1-7, 15-16; Mark 8: 31-38
“Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” Jesus rebukes Peter when Peter starts to rebuke Jesus for talking about His upcoming suffering, rejection by the religious leaders, death, and resurrection. Jesus speaks quite openly about what is to come, yet this prediction is hardly what the disciples want to hear. No one who follows Jesus wants such a fate for their beloved Lord. The disciples have left behind their work and homes to follow Jesus. They believe that this profoundly wise and deeply compassionate teacher, healer, and miracle worker is the Messiah prophesied from of old. Their hope is that Jesus is the One who will restore God’s covenant people and the nation of Israel spiritually and politically. Victory over the Romans and other enemies of the nation may be on the horizon, very soon, they hope, until they hear what Jesus says about His future. It does not make sense. For what, then, are they make such big sacrifices if it will all end in the way Jesus describes? Peter confronts Jesus with what is likely on the minds of all the disciples. How do they reconcile, and how do we reconcile, divine things and human things? After all, the disciples, like us, live in this world and still have to navigate these days we share together.
Several years ago, not far from the church at the Bon Secours Retreat and Conference Center on Marriottsville Road, a group of clergy from the Baltimore Presbytery, including me, gathered for the annual spring clergy retreat. The retreat leader was the Reverend Dr. William Willimon, a prolific spiritual writer, former Dean of the Chapel at Duke University, and United Methodist Bishop until recent retirement. In his presentation, Willimon shared interesting and amusing stories about trying to fulfill his responsibilities as a newly appointed Methodist bishop. He had come from an academic environment in which his job description as Dean of a university chapel and the expectations thereof were rather clearly defined. In his new role as a bishop, the expectations seemed somewhat ambiguous to him. He wanted to do a good job in his role as a significant spiritual leader in the denomination, yet he was not sure how to measure “success” in this new role. Thus, Willimon reached out and sought counsel from business leaders, career consultants, and professional colleagues. Given this significant spiritual responsibility, He really wanted to do things right in his role as a shepherd leader.
To the bishop’s surprise and frustration, the feedback from the professionals was not very helpful. After interviewing the bishop for hours, using industry-standard assessment tools, and reviewing the position description, the professionals seemed rather puzzled. Willimon provided one consistent answer to quite a few questions: who is your boss? God. Well, we know that – but to whom do you report, they asked? To God. Not to any people? No, not really – a Methodist bishop does not report to any board or committee of people. They kept on trying: who conducts your annual performance review? No one; I answer to God, William replied. After a while, the experts threw up their hands and said that they had nothing of value to say. The bishop’s job was the strangest one that they had ever heard of.
Like Abraham and Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, and God-anointed kings, leaders, and prophets through the ages, the Lord God had established a covenant relationship with the bishop, as the Lord God does with us. As disciples, whether or not we are called to a more visible role in the church as a spiritual leader, like the bishop, we are challenged with trying to understand how best to set our minds on divine things versus human things. While it is true that we have to survive and navigate in this world, Jesus calls us forth from mundane ways of living and being.
Jesus said, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?” vv. 34-36
Unlike Peter and the other disciples, we know what was ahead for Jesus and how it all turned out. It would come to be for Jesus just as He said it would happen: suffering, rejection by the religious leaders and authorities, death by crucifixion, and after three days - resurrection. For the sake of our salvation unto eternal life, Jesus gave up His own life. We, His disciples, gather in the name of the Risen Lord to set our minds on such divine things rather than on human things.
The Apostle Paul expressed it this way: “Do not be conformed to the ways of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds.” (Romans 12: 2)
Like the bishop, as disciples of the Risen Lord, it is important to ask questions like – how do we set our minds on divine things instead of human things? What is the way to do it – and are some ways better than others?
The language of discipleship is not so easy to verbalize. There is a risk in trying to describe ways and means to spiritual growth and transformation. Like the religious leaders in Jerusalem in biblical days, we can become legalistic quite easily. We can start to believe that our clearly defined practices, rituals, or beliefs are the right ones – and soon they become the only ones viewed as the standards – which means that other ways that do not conform to our ways are seen as wrong. To keep us on the path of discipleship – the way of the cross, if only we could hear Jesus saying, “get behind me, Satan!” We would probably cringe to know how many times the Lord might have said such words to us if we could hear them.
On the path of discipleship, we stumble and fall - regularly. We set our minds on human things and fall off the path of discipleship more than we care to confess. Nevertheless, because we are God’s covenant people, God promises to keep his covenant with us. God promises never to forsake or forget us, even when we forsake and forget God. God promises not to hide his face from us even when we try to hide from God. God promises to deliver us from the principalities and powers of evil and darkness of this world even while we are following them. God promises to bless us in Jesus Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens above (Ephesians 1: 3).
How do we know these things? Through reading and studying God’s Word. Through hearing and heeding God’s voice. Through gathering in God’s presence with other faithful believers who are striving, like us, to stay on that path of discipleship: of loving God and loving one another by following the Risen Lord, insofar as we can on this side of heaven’s gates.
Like Simon Peter and other disciples since then, like the Methodist bishop, like scores of followers through the ages, there are times when the “what to do” and “how to do it” are not as clearly laid out for us as we would prefer. Jesus never promised that cross-bearing would be a simple and easy enterprise. He does promise that God will send the Holy Spirit to be with us and to help us bear His cross and any other burdens we encounter.
God has made this covenant – to Abraham and to his descendants – to followers of the Lord Jesus Christ – in the past, the present, and future generations to come: “future generations will be told about the Lord, and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn.” (Ps. 22: 10-11). We are that future generation, still proclaiming his deliverance to a people yet unborn.
Divine things – they are worth treasuring – for the glory of God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
DIVINE THINGS
Texts: Genesis 17: 1-7, 15-16; Mark 8: 31-38
“Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” Jesus rebukes Peter when Peter starts to rebuke Jesus for talking about His upcoming suffering, rejection by the religious leaders, death, and resurrection. Jesus speaks quite openly about what is to come, yet this prediction is hardly what the disciples want to hear. No one who follows Jesus wants such a fate for their beloved Lord. The disciples have left behind their work and homes to follow Jesus. They believe that this profoundly wise and deeply compassionate teacher, healer, and miracle worker is the Messiah prophesied from of old. Their hope is that Jesus is the One who will restore God’s covenant people and the nation of Israel spiritually and politically. Victory over the Romans and other enemies of the nation may be on the horizon, very soon, they hope, until they hear what Jesus says about His future. It does not make sense. For what, then, are they make such big sacrifices if it will all end in the way Jesus describes? Peter confronts Jesus with what is likely on the minds of all the disciples. How do they reconcile, and how do we reconcile, divine things and human things? After all, the disciples, like us, live in this world and still have to navigate these days we share together.
Several years ago, not far from the church at the Bon Secours Retreat and Conference Center on Marriottsville Road, a group of clergy from the Baltimore Presbytery, including me, gathered for the annual spring clergy retreat. The retreat leader was the Reverend Dr. William Willimon, a prolific spiritual writer, former Dean of the Chapel at Duke University, and United Methodist Bishop until recent retirement. In his presentation, Willimon shared interesting and amusing stories about trying to fulfill his responsibilities as a newly appointed Methodist bishop. He had come from an academic environment in which his job description as Dean of a university chapel and the expectations thereof were rather clearly defined. In his new role as a bishop, the expectations seemed somewhat ambiguous to him. He wanted to do a good job in his role as a significant spiritual leader in the denomination, yet he was not sure how to measure “success” in this new role. Thus, Willimon reached out and sought counsel from business leaders, career consultants, and professional colleagues. Given this significant spiritual responsibility, He really wanted to do things right in his role as a shepherd leader.
To the bishop’s surprise and frustration, the feedback from the professionals was not very helpful. After interviewing the bishop for hours, using industry-standard assessment tools, and reviewing the position description, the professionals seemed rather puzzled. Willimon provided one consistent answer to quite a few questions: who is your boss? God. Well, we know that – but to whom do you report, they asked? To God. Not to any people? No, not really – a Methodist bishop does not report to any board or committee of people. They kept on trying: who conducts your annual performance review? No one; I answer to God, William replied. After a while, the experts threw up their hands and said that they had nothing of value to say. The bishop’s job was the strangest one that they had ever heard of.
Like Abraham and Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, and God-anointed kings, leaders, and prophets through the ages, the Lord God had established a covenant relationship with the bishop, as the Lord God does with us. As disciples, whether or not we are called to a more visible role in the church as a spiritual leader, like the bishop, we are challenged with trying to understand how best to set our minds on divine things versus human things. While it is true that we have to survive and navigate in this world, Jesus calls us forth from mundane ways of living and being.
Jesus said, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?” vv. 34-36
Unlike Peter and the other disciples, we know what was ahead for Jesus and how it all turned out. It would come to be for Jesus just as He said it would happen: suffering, rejection by the religious leaders and authorities, death by crucifixion, and after three days - resurrection. For the sake of our salvation unto eternal life, Jesus gave up His own life. We, His disciples, gather in the name of the Risen Lord to set our minds on such divine things rather than on human things.
The Apostle Paul expressed it this way: “Do not be conformed to the ways of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds.” (Romans 12: 2)
Like the bishop, as disciples of the Risen Lord, it is important to ask questions like – how do we set our minds on divine things instead of human things? What is the way to do it – and are some ways better than others?
The language of discipleship is not so easy to verbalize. There is a risk in trying to describe ways and means to spiritual growth and transformation. Like the religious leaders in Jerusalem in biblical days, we can become legalistic quite easily. We can start to believe that our clearly defined practices, rituals, or beliefs are the right ones – and soon they become the only ones viewed as the standards – which means that other ways that do not conform to our ways are seen as wrong. To keep us on the path of discipleship – the way of the cross, if only we could hear Jesus saying, “get behind me, Satan!” We would probably cringe to know how many times the Lord might have said such words to us if we could hear them.
On the path of discipleship, we stumble and fall - regularly. We set our minds on human things and fall off the path of discipleship more than we care to confess. Nevertheless, because we are God’s covenant people, God promises to keep his covenant with us. God promises never to forsake or forget us, even when we forsake and forget God. God promises not to hide his face from us even when we try to hide from God. God promises to deliver us from the principalities and powers of evil and darkness of this world even while we are following them. God promises to bless us in Jesus Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens above (Ephesians 1: 3).
How do we know these things? Through reading and studying God’s Word. Through hearing and heeding God’s voice. Through gathering in God’s presence with other faithful believers who are striving, like us, to stay on that path of discipleship: of loving God and loving one another by following the Risen Lord, insofar as we can on this side of heaven’s gates.
Like Simon Peter and other disciples since then, like the Methodist bishop, like scores of followers through the ages, there are times when the “what to do” and “how to do it” are not as clearly laid out for us as we would prefer. Jesus never promised that cross-bearing would be a simple and easy enterprise. He does promise that God will send the Holy Spirit to be with us and to help us bear His cross and any other burdens we encounter.
God has made this covenant – to Abraham and to his descendants – to followers of the Lord Jesus Christ – in the past, the present, and future generations to come: “future generations will be told about the Lord, and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn.” (Ps. 22: 10-11). We are that future generation, still proclaiming his deliverance to a people yet unborn.
Divine things – they are worth treasuring – for the glory of God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.