They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as
one having authority. In the name of the
one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, AMEN.
Here we are at St. Francis, gathering
together to worship as we do each week. A
man comes in through the doors, smiles and nods at some of us. A couple people recognize him – he’s new to
the area, but he seems comfortable in our parish.
When
we reach the point of the service when the sermon occurs, this man comes up to
the lectern and begins to talk about the Gospel of the day. He’s not a member of the clergy, so we wonder
what experience he has with preaching.
Perhaps he is a teacher, used to talking to groups of people. He certainly seems comfortable enough in this
position, so we all get ready to listen with the expectation that it’s another
sermon: hopefully not too long, full of
a few truly insightful points and a help to translate the readings into our
lives.
Then the man begins to speak, and it is
unlike any sermon we have heard before.
We don’t know exactly what the scripture was in our scenario, but
imagine that this man tells us we should love God and each other, not because
we have been told that this is the way to act, but because we truly feel this
love. Be good to each other. Take care of each other, not because the
church tells you to but because it brings God’s love into the world.
This might seem very different, someone
speaking with authority about the scripture but not someone authorized by the
church. Then someone in the pews stands
up and yells, “What are you doing here?
I know who you are!” The man at
the lectern commands the person to be quiet and come out. We realize, as the person convulses, cries
out and then collapses, that there was something overpowering this person and
was now gone.
Our realization is that the man at the
front had commanded such authority and power that he was able to release this
person from the evil forces that had been controlling his life. Wow.
This is the Jesus that we have come to
know. Who has command over nature,
calming stormy seas with a quiet word, demanding outside forces to leave his
people in peace. Jesus does not just enter the lives
of people living 2000 years ago. He has
come into the life of each and every one of us.
It’s easy for us today to see Jesus as a
figure of authority. After all, we know
him to be the Son of God, one part of the all-powerful Trinity, the savior and
redeemer of us all. He persevered on the
cross and conquered death. It comes as
no surprise that he can cast out demons and heal the sick. Of course he welcomes the needy and dines
with outcasts. He’s Jesus. Each of us knows and loves him so intimately
that we can forget how strong of an impact he has when we first meet him.
The action packed reading from the Gospel
of Mark leaves us breathless, and is an opportunity to recall Jesus as a man of
power and authority.
The event in the synagogue is recounted
right near the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, when few know who he is. As we have heard in the past few weeks, he is
baptized by John and then gathers up his disciples. Not just asks a few men to join him in his
work, but in simple, concrete terms tells them to follow him. They leave everything. Immediately. And follow.
He calls to them with such authority that they have no second thoughts,
no hesitation, no holding back. “I will
teach you to fish for people.” And they
go.
Think back to the time you first became
aware of Jesus’ presence in your life.
For some it was a dramatic moment of conversion, a powerful realization
that God is in charge. A moment standing before a congregation declaring that Jesus is
your Savior. For some us it is a
quiet time, a moment of complete exasperation.
Your life is out of your control, you don’t know how to get it together,
and you feel like every step forward is two steps back. An intimate moment when you decide to let
Jesus in to take over and walk with you.
Standing up in a room full of strangers and saying you are too weak to handle
an addiction without God’s help.
Or in a conversation with a friend
describing how much comfort you derive from knowing Jesus is at your side, in
your heart and with you always.
How and when we see Jesus in a position of
authority is different for every Christian.
Some people have this radical change.
Many of us, however, have not really thought about how powerful Jesus
can be in our lives.
Since I have been thinking about this
gospel reading, I brought up this idea at lunch one day this week with several
of my friends. Most of us had never
really contemplated this before. One
friend, a lifelong Episcopalian, told me that Jesus had always just been a part
of her life, never seeing him in authority or power but as a gentle
friend. Another said he really wasn’t at
the point where he felt ready to think about it. A third told me that if she ever did have a
realization of the dramatic power of Jesus she’s forgotten about it.
We are all at different points on the
trajectory, and we all move through different points depending where we are in
our journey. I hope that today will give
all of us a chance to appreciate the impact that Jesus’ powerful message may
have on us here at St. Francis. It can
cause us to wonder how it would be if Jesus did come here today, telling us of
his exciting message of love, grace and hope, and showing us his power to
protect us by casting out demons.
But here’s the exciting part – Jesus is
here. Today, right now, in St.
Francis. Here with us, moving amongst us,
in our hearts and minds and souls. What
do we make of that? Are we amazed and awed? Like the listeners in Mark’s Gospel, we
would say, “Wow. Isn’t
that astonishing?”
The Rev. Amy Cornell
Jan 29, 2012