September 28, 2003
By Jack Price

Series: Life's Detours

            We are traveling through Life's Detours and the Gospel of Mark is our guide.  Jesus uses the example of a child as the worthless and invisible image of a cultural value system turned upside down.  Children in Jesus' culture were beneath notice and beneath contempt.  Such a role reversal reflects God's values: "Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and the one who sent me."  Then, the teaching continues in today's Gospel lesson (Mark 9: 38-50).

            John speaks for the disciples in response to Jesus' message and his words seem to change the tone of the conversation completely.  He says, in effect:  "We saw someone trying to help people in your name, Jesus.  But we stopped him because he's not following us.  He was wrong, wasn't he, Jesus? "It's still about us, isn't Jesus?  "We're the 'group,' right?  But they weren't right.  Jesus answered, "No, you don't understand at all.  If anyone helps, they're working on my behalf.  It's much more important how you live than what group you're in or what you believe.

            How you live shows what you really believe!  Biblical scholar Marcus Borg, in Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time, points out that the understanding of faith, as the means of salvation, has changed.  Faith now seems to mean "believe" and belief has become the way to earn God's salvation.  You're "in" if you believe the right doctrine, if you are in the "right" group.  Mark's Jesus is telling us:  "That is not right."  He criticizes the disciples for having an attitude of exclusivity and status orientation.  He urges them to welcome all who do acts of mercy and justice.  Finally, he reminds the disciples that they may well be recipients of these acts.

            Jesus is teaching his "church," the disciples, how to keep his message alive.  Mark conveys this same message to his own community, some forty years after Jesus.  He places on the lips of Jesus some very stern warnings that are not for faint of heart.  Remember, the child is still in Jesus' arms, this "insignificant" child who is the model of what God values.  The Greek word for child also can mean "insignificant believer" or "immature believer."

            This series of warning are directed to the disciples.  Mark directs them to his own community's spiritual leaders.  "Don't you (disciples/church) cause a little one to sin.  Mark knew that stumbling blocks causing immature believers to "fall away" often come from within the community of faith.  Such behaviors are so bad that "it would be better for you if a huge millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the ocean."

            The warnings then move to the subject of body mutilation. Such mutilation was actually appropriate punishment under the Jewish law for certain offenses, a step up from death.  It was probably a reality during times of persecution faced by Mark's community as well.  Mark says that it is better to endure this than to miss God.  It is better to lose a hand than to let fear of its loss make you fall away.  It is better to lose a foot than to let persecution cause you to be rigid and exclusive in your religious practice.  It is better to be blind than to lose sight of God.  Nothing is worth losing your spiritual hunger and desire.  Nothing is as bad as causing others to lose theirs.  The consequence is being thrown into "Hell."  The term "Hell" does not mean the same thing as "Hades," the realm of the dead.  It is rather a technical term referring to the Valley of Gehenna west of Jerusalem.  Originally used for child sacrifices, under King Josiah it became used as a place for burning rubbish and refuse.  Going to "hell" meant casting someone "on the rubbish heap."  Yet, it was more than just trash.  Hell was a rubbish heap where the "devouring worm never dies and fire never put out."  The phrase "their worm does not die" is an image of never-ending decay, of constant decomposition, and of never-ceasing futility.  For those who cause "immature believers" to fall away, these monstrous fates would be a step up!

Finally, the phrase "salted with fire" refers to ritual purification.  Salt is a sign of the covenant.  The Mosaic covenant acts as an internal guide and monitor for believers.   Salt in this passage might well mean the same thing as spiritual curiosity.  When young believers are discouraged, they lose their saltiness.  When genuine questioners are not able to express honest doubt, they lose their spice.  Salt can mean seeking openness to the Spirit, with spiritual curiosity as a sign of the new covenant.  To the mature believers, the leaders of Mark's community, Jesus says, "Have salt in yourselves."  Too often maturity becomes synonymous with having stopped growing.  The challenge to mature believers is to keep growing in the Spirit yourselves.  This will give you the courage and flexibility to keep encouraging others to seek, to question, and to grow.  Keep the saltiness within yourself and  "be at peace with one another."  Be whole, open, and honest in relationship with each other.  Do not be judging because God is the partner in all your relationships and in all your searching.

            Dr. Wayne Oates delineates five principles in his book Life's Detours.  In the last two weeks we have learned about the laws of compensation and of realism.  Today's third law of Life's Detours is the Law of Perspective.  So much of how we see things is just that:  how we see them.  Perspective in terms of Life's Detours is learning to see with the face of God.   Father Richard Rohr is well known to those who follow the Enneagram, a circle of nine basic life energies or perspectives.  The theory is that each person approaches life primarily from one of these nine energies with some other closely related energies also being involved.  The Enneagram circle has been called a representation of the face of God.  According to its ancient Sufi originators, Rohrs says that if anyone can be at the place of standing in all nine energies simultaneously, they would see the world through the eyes of God.  Finding a heavenly perspective is likewise learning to see the world, each other, and ourselves through the eyes of God.

            The Law of Perspective of Life's Detours means to see life below the surface.  Just as 90% of an iceberg is under the water's, so it is with people.  What shapes us are the deep questions and ultimate concerns like live largely out of sight.  The visible concerns that seem to dominate our thinking, that are visible, are just symptoms.  For example, the symptom might be stated, "How can I get ahead or take advantage of this situation?"  The deeper issue is, "Who am I and what resources do I have?"  A symptom is expressed, "What will people think about me?"  The deeper issue is, "What will I do with my life?"  As church, as a congregation, a symptom is, "What is the right style of worship?"  The issue is, "Are we seeking to meet God as individuals and as a body?"  A symptom is stated, "What can we do to be successful?"  The issue is, "How will we serve God?"  A common symptom is voiced, "How can we attract and keep people?"  The deeper issue is, "How will we be church here and now?"

            Mark's Gospel and the Law of Perspective do not provide answers to all our questions about God, about us, and about being Church.  What it does is affirm our seeking meaning and understanding of that meaning.  Such seeking is a sacred journey.  This movement toward God is infinitely important.  It is more precious than embracing any belief system - even the right one!  It is so precious and so important that Mark places the most dire warnings on the lips of Jesus to an orthodox community not to inhibit the honest growth of questioning believers.

I am aware that Crossroads is not your "normal" Christian Church.  We take seriously what are called historic Baptist distinctives, distinctive identifying beliefs that are unfortunately not practiced by most Baptists today.  We affirm that the local congregation is autonomous to seek its direction and to serve God according to its own sense of calling and its own giftedness.  We affirm that individuals are responsible to interpret scripture for themselves with the guidance of the Holy Spirit and with help and support from their local congregation.  We affirm that each individual is capable of this.

We interpret God to each other.  In his book Life's Detours, Wayne Oates tells the story of observation a young boy clearly representing his family in talking to a hotel manager.  He was trying to clarify rooming arrangement.  Oates wondered to himself why the father or mother was not performing this task?  Upon leaving the front desk, the boy went straight over to a man standing to the side, clearly the father.  The two communicated with sign language.  The father was deaf and his son was communicating on his behalf. 

Oates realized an important truth as a result of watching this interaction.  We represent God to other people.  He writes,

God's voice is not heard, either, the psalmist tells us.  We perceive God's message through observation, sign, fellowship, intuition, and emotional sensitivity.  We convey that message to others as faithful sons and daughters of God. 

            What about this church called Crossroads?  Can we faithfully interpret God to other when we have so many questions about being church and about theological understanding ourselves?   We represent such a diversity of belief, from fairly traditional Christianity to virtually non-Christian.  What direction do we have to offer to a world looking for meaning?  There is a work group that is part of Crossroads called My Picture of God Is Too Small.   We call it the Picture of God group and it is one of several small groups that wrestle with theological interpretation and Christ-like living in this postmodern age.  Many of those attending are a little anxious, perhaps afraid that they are doing something wrong.  The looks in their eyes reflect fear and excitement.  As they share their struggles and questions, tears are not uncommon.  They are seekers, looking authenticity on the journey.  Old understandings are not working anymore and they hope to find a new perspective for faith and theology.

            Can we be church if we have so many people asking so many questions?  Inspired by Mark's Jesus, I say that when we embrace the sacred journey of people's movement to God, we are church.  When we support, encourage, and help guide that journey, we are church.  When through us, faithful travelers come together to worship, serve, and embrace each other, we are church, the church of Jesus.

            C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia is a powerful series of stories with pretty deep theological implications.  The series' last book is The Final Battle and the great lion Aslan presides at kind of a last judgment.  Before him stands a young soldier from the enemies of Narnia, one who had served their god Tash faithfully and honestly.  Expecting to be condemned, instead the young soldier heard, "All your service to Tash I count as service to me."  Jesus would have liked C. S. Lewis.

            This congregation has a calling, a mission.  It is to be a community for sojourners and seekers.  It is to provide resources, resources, support in faith development for all seekers.  It is to invite "children", the "least" and the most immature believers into the circle to stand in Jesus' embrace.  God bless us as we do this.  God help us if we don't.

 Gracious God,

            We all live as "immature believers" many times with questions and doubts to go along with our faith and trust.  We seek understanding and wisdom, but mostly we seek your presence.  We believe, O Spirit.  Help our unbelief.

            You call us to be church here at Crossroads:  to represent You to each other and to interpret You to those outside this congregation, especially those seeking desperately to believe that You are real and that You really are for them.  Give us the grace not to turn these little ones away from following You, but to encourage, welcome, and support their journey.  You give us rich gifts for ministry.  Help us to see what you see, to see as you see, with the perspective of heaven, to view this world with the face of God; to keep growing and seeking on our individual journeys, and to live in peace with each other, in Your Spirit.  Amen.