If every church took this scripture from Mark literally, our churches. would be full of people with eye patches, missing hands and feet.

Transcription

1 If every church took this scripture from Mark literally, our churches would be full of people with eye patches, missing hands and feet. Who is perfect? Surely none of us would pass this test. (Mark 9:38-50.) So what is Jesus really saying? Is he speaking in such harsh terms because his disciples just aren t getting his message? They are portrayed as being not very bright. They have just stopped someone from healing in Jesus because he s not one of them. Jesus answer implies that there is no them and us, anyone can heal in his name. This answer probably stung more than a little bit because the last time they attempted to heal they failed. They think that faith is a kind of competition. So they were probably jealous of this guy who was healing people. Jesus puts it in perspective for them. Even a glass of water would mean as much as a healing. This is really important for us to hear, because sometimes we think we can t do enough, we can t really make a difference. But even a cup of water matters. Jesus also says not to put barriers in front of those who would come to him. How many of our churches put these huge stumbling blocks in our churches? A lot of people stay away because they re not sure if they re smart enough, or have the right clothes. Other people think that they can t come to church because they don t believe everything the church says. That s okay, because none of us believes exactly what someone else does. 1

2 Nobody s perfect. If they think they are perfect then they are like someone who has cut off their own foot, or hand, or eye. As David Henson wrote, seeking perfection will cost you everything. (David R. Henson, 9/23/15, patheos.com). Change is not easy. Change actually hurts. It is like being seasoned with fire, to become seasoning. Only then can you use your seasoning to preserve others. Your job is to preserve the peace. But what happens if you are in a position where there is no peace? What if you re a refugee, or a person living under occupation? This is the situation that Esther found herself in. Her people are living in exile under the Persian Empire. Their territory stretches from India to Ethiopia, consisting of 127 provinces. Esther is an orphan, and a refugee. She typifies the Jewish people who are orphaned from their home, and in exile. But the Book of Esther is peculiar to the Old Testament, because it does not mention Jerusalem, the law, the prophets, the Promised Land, the exodus, or God. Some theologians, including Martin Luther, did not believe that Book of Esther belonged in the Bible. It was written sometime in the late 4 th BCE, and wasn t added until the 3 rd CE. It took somewhere from 500 to 600 years before it was accepted. Some people read the Book of Esther like a comedy. The characters of the king and Hamas, the enemy of the Jewish people are almost overdone, 2

3 like cartoon characters. Esther is portrayed as the heroine, who saves her people by risking her own life. There is some similarity to an Arabian tale, called the Tales of a Thousand Nights. Like Scheherazade, Esther must win the king s heart in order to survive. Exactly how she does that is left to our imaginations. Was it a coincidence that Esther was in the king s harem? Was it just chance that her uncle, Mordechai, held one of the most prestigious posts in the land? Or is it that a coincidence is a miracle in which God chooses to remain anonymous? The story of Esther is so important to Jewish belief that a special festival is held to remember her story. In fact, she is the only female in the Old Testament to command a festival, called Purim. What isn t included in our reading for today is the fact that the Jews were allowed to take revenge on their enemies. They killed 75,000 men, women and children over two days. It s hard to take Esther as a moral example. When Haman begged for his life, she refused him. But for Jews today, the story of Esther is about survival of their people. It s part of the ongoing story of oppression and victory over their oppressors. It was written during a time of exile, and anticipates the hopes for the future. 3

4 Mordecai tells Esther that perhaps she has come to be in this place, for such a time as this. We can take from her the lesson that we may all be called to act, in such a time as this. This week we have seen another political circus taking place in the United States. In the Senate Judiciary Committee, there has been testimony from a woman, who is a professor, about a sexual assault that took place during high school. She claims that the Supreme Court nominee, Judge Kavanagh is responsible for that act. He claims that he is not guilty. Since this is not a court of law, there is no presumption of innocence. It s not even a case of who is right and who is wrong. It s about credibility. Who is more believable and who is not. Credibility is more a matter of integrity, and character. It goes to the core of who someone is and what they believe. The word credibility has the same root word as creed, which is a statement of belief. As Christians, we are called to take a stand, and it is always on the side of the less powerful. The letter of James was written during a time of persecution of Christians. He urges them to act communally. For such a time as this, they must pray, sing, and anoint one another. Can you imagine such a community? One that practices a ministry of presence, and touch, and laying on of hands? It s hard to believe that we actually have the power of liberation, healing and anointing. But that is what we have been called to, in such a time as this. We must cry out when 4

5 we see the need for liberation of the oppressed. We must heal where lives have been broken, trusting in our faith as we enter the suffering with them. We proclaim what is holy when we see it in our midst. And most of all, we need to remember that we re all in this together. We have been called as a community of faith. We are called to follow Jesus in the way of peace, justice and humility. We give thanks for the anointing Spirit that empowers us to proclaim this ministry in the name of our Lord and God. Amen. 5