Fear and Uncertainty in a World of Rejection
This sermon can be listened to here
Gate Pa – Year B 14th Sunday of Ordinary Time, 2021
Readings:
Psalm
Psalm 48
First Reading:
2 Samuel 5:1-5,
9-10
Second Reading: 2 Corinthians
12:2-10
Gospel:
Mark
6:1-13
What I want to say: I want to explore the story from Mark 6 and what that says to our fears, uncertainty and sense of rejection today
What I want to
happen:What causes
us to feel rejected, uncertainty and fear and how we respond to that?
The Sermon
1. Introduction:
I wonder what you heard
as we listened to the 2 stories from Mark 6 this am
Two stories
That we might read
on their own
Probably have often
I’m sure I have
But when we do that
we miss a few things.
2. Context of Mark’s gospel
The people Mark
wrote the gospel for originally
-
Witnessed destruction of Jerusalem and temple
o End of all that anchored
them
-
Rejection of their trust in Jesus of Nazareth as Messiah
o Increasingly being
evicted from worship in synagogues
o Persecuted as atheists
by Roman authorities
-
Life was tough
-
Full of rejection and uncertainty, and fear
3. Encouragement
For these people
Mark wrote this
gospel
The story of the
beginning of the good news of Jesus the Christ
Story they continued
to be part of
As I keep saying
Story began with Jesus preaching
“Now is the time! Here comes God’s kingdom! Let
this blow your mind, and change your hearts and lives. Trust this good news!”
Reign of God, Kingdom of God is restoration of
God’s intentions within all creation
- Defeat of all that prevents people and
creation from thriving
- All that brings death is defeated in Jesus
è the reign of God revealed in Jesus offering of
hope and life
this gospel written
to encourage Mark’s community
other communities
that would read this out loud
encourage them to continue
to live kingdom of God
continue to live
ongoing story of the good news of Jesus Christ.
4. One Hit Wonder
Finally not all
chopped up
No paragraphs
No chapters
No verses
No headings above
stories
-
All of which are very helpful
-
Also really unhelpful
-
Stopped reading this in one go
o As if they do not
belong to much bigger story
-
Miss the flow of the story
Miss that Jesus has
been healing and teaching around Galilee
-
On the more Jewish side
Teaching about
Kingdom of God using stories about seeds
-
Including seeds that grow who knows how
-
And pesky mustard seeds
Then Jesus heads off
with his followers to the other side in their boats
Encounter one huge
storm
- whipped up by spirits
and powers that seek to prevent people
and creation from thriving
-
which seek to
stop Jesus
-
spirits of death
followers are
terrified
-
Jesus calms the storm and asks “Why are you frightened? Don’t you have
faith yet?”
-
And they are filled with fearful awe,
-
And ask the question of the gospel
-
“Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!”
Jesus then arrives
on other more Greek side of Lake
heals man possessed by legion of spirits
-
Local villagers on seeing all their pigs run into sea
o Man restored
-
Filled with fear and uncertainty
-
Reject Jesus and all he is about
-
Demand Jesus leave at once
Returns to more
Jewish side
Then woman who has
been unwell for 12 years has Jesus heal her by stealth
-
Suffered rejection
-
Filled with fear and uncertainty
And Jesus affirms
her and her actions
And then brings back
to life a 12 year old girl
5.
Home coming gone bad
Then he goes home
And that does not go well
Already had inkling
not go well
His family come take
him home because they thought gone crazy
When stands in
synagogue to teach
The villagers are
surprised and sceptical
And then just
hostile
Not as hostile as
Luke has them
Hostile enough
Their rejection
means he does little in the way of healing.
This is a low point
I wonder what disciples
would have thought about all this?
What was it like for
them all through these events
-
Talk neighbours
-
Responses
6. Sent out two by two
Surprisingly (I
think)
It is at this point
that Jesus sends them out
One lowest points
story
Not moment high
success and acclaim
-
After rejection in Gennesaret and at home.
Wonder why in Mark’s
telling of the story
This is the point
they are sent out.
Moment of fear and
uncertainty
Moment of rejection.
7. Franciscan response
For Franciscans this
story (in Matthew’s gospel) is really important
-
on feast of St. Matthias – 24 Feb 1208
-
Francis he heard slighter harder version Matthew
o Heard Christ speak
to him personally
o gave him basis
calling
o Provided the basis
for his rule of life for his brothers
He joined those
early disciples sent out two by two
Utterly dependant on
God
-
Trusting God to provide through hospitality those he met on the way
Many ways hearing
this gospel was final piece of journey
-
roots after returned sick in soul and body from year imprisoned in Perugia.
-
Really began as faced own harrowing fears of lepers
-
Heard crucified Christ invite him to repair Christ’s church
-
Continued as stripped himself naked in front bishop and townspeople
o Return all he had to
his father
Hearing Matthew’s
version of this gospel story
-
Invited him to create a rule allowed him face fear and uncertainty
-
Know Christ in his fear and experience of rejection and abuse
Knowing that now is still the time!
God’s kingdom was all around
Go on living in
story
Having his mind
blown
Allowing story to
change heart and mind
trusting this good news.
8. What do these stories offer?
Wonder in light of all that
- What do you think these stories offered that
original community that Mark wrote his gospel for?
- In light of that, what does it offer us?
discuss
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