Sunday, August 31, 2008
Preacher: Pastor Kendra Mohn
Jeremiah 15:15-21
At summer camp, Pastor Mohn confessed to coming to campfire each night resolutely committed to NOT singing Kumbaya. It was old, cheesy, all too accepting-with-open-arms and not confrontational. Or as Wikipedia puts it:
Kumbaya was originally associated with unity and closeness, but more recently is also alluded to sarcastically to connote a blandly pious and naively optimistic view of the world and human nature.
Pastor Mohn admitted “they don’t say ‘come by’ in NW Iowa. Would we ask Jesus to “stop by”, only to stay a very short stint and move on? Wouldn’t we want Jesus to “pull up a chair” and join us by the fire for awhile? Well sometimes we want God to stop by so we can vent, dump it all out and have Him say “What a bummer!”, to listen to our cares and concerns and feel compassion and kinship with us. Also, we’d like to share what we’ve done that’s good and get our checkmark.
But to REALLY ask Jesus to “come by” is something more … it’s riskier than that because He doesn’t just listen, He speaks. And He will say things we won’t expect, we can’t control, and we won’t like. He’ll weigh in on what we’re doing and He’ll task us and challenge us.
Pastor Mohn shared with us that today’s text from Romans was her and Erik’s wedding text:
9Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
14Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.[a] Do not be conceited.
17Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay,"[b]says the Lord. 20On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."[c] 21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
The heap of burning coals was quite dramatic, she admits, but she shared that she felt that it might be weighing in on a point Jesus wants to make:
When you’re kind when you don’t have to be, you change the rules.
You leave the person who’s been cruel unsure of what’s supposed to happen next. A devotional I read one day suggested that Jesus didn’t really want disciples who impressed people more than he wanted disciples who surprised people! Left them second-guessing. And Romans offers a litany of “How to’s” on this front. But it’s not a checklist you might aspire to attempt to complete. That would probably drive you crazy, Pastor Mohn admits.
Rather, it’s prescription of how one might try to live ... it's the result of a transformed soul and the presence of the Holy Spirit. Seeing the world this way, as Jesus does, is Who Jesus is. It’s about putting something else - other than self – first. When this Jesus is present, you see the world an entirely different way. And it’s not always comfortable for us. We’re not going to like it all the time.
When Christ is present, there’s room to treat the world in a way that doesn’t make sense – one that allows for God to work. And it will get dicey, sticky; it’ll offend some people, you can be sure.
When we invite God to “come by”, we have to be prepared for Him not just to listen, but to speak. With this invitation comes a burden – the burden that comes with seeking peace and justice – and that exacts a price. This is a costly invitation, one that the campfire song no longer seems to connote.
This was a heavy sermon, Pastor Mohn admits – but the texts are heavy – about God’s great gift and how we each can embody it … by singing Kumbaya … and taking the risk that comes with the offer for Jesus to truly “Come by” ...
Preacher: Pastor Kendra Mohn
Jeremiah 15:15-21
Romans 12:9-21
Matthew 16:21-28
Audio sermon link: http://fileresource.sitepro.com/filemanager/74/filecollections/422/8093FB0B-D6F7-C829-028D-F66A5C8CAD69.mp3
Pastor Mohn glibly passes on to us that Pastor Johnson has left the task to her to expound upon “Who Jesus is” this week. She launched into how in Bible Study often someone, after reading a particularly intriguing text from Scripture, will add, “I wish Jesus were here to explain this to us. I wish Jesus could be here to “pull up a chair” and lend us His take on this. She admitted feeling similarly, but not, she said, with this today’s Gospel! When this text comes up, she confesses, she doesn’t want Jesus anywhere near her … for fear of what He might say.
Jesus has high expectations, as He does of Peter today, and he does not shy away from letting us know.
While “the wishing for Jesus” is a natural thing, actually getting Him would be a mixed bag. As with Peter, He may be quite complimentary one minute. The next, we’re no better than Satan. Would we really want Jesus to be with us in all His honesty & up-front-ness, really? After all, He does call a spade a spade. He calls it as it is … pretty much always. And we’re not always comfortable with that.
Pastor Mohn admitted that having been tasked with addressing who Jesus is, she asked several people. And what you find out is there are as many Jesuses as there are people you can ask. No matter who you ask, a person’s perception of Jesus is shaped by who they are, where they’ve been, what they’ve seen – their Jesus is their perception of Jesus, as unique as their experiences, based on their individual stories, their hopes, their fears.
No matter what, it’s safe to say that the question of “Who Jesus is?” is a pretty complicated one. And the answer will not be what you expect. It will not be our mind’s Jesus.
Pastor Mohn glibly passes on to us that Pastor Johnson has left the task to her to expound upon “Who Jesus is” this week. She launched into how in Bible Study often someone, after reading a particularly intriguing text from Scripture, will add, “I wish Jesus were here to explain this to us. I wish Jesus could be here to “pull up a chair” and lend us His take on this. She admitted feeling similarly, but not, she said, with this today’s Gospel! When this text comes up, she confesses, she doesn’t want Jesus anywhere near her … for fear of what He might say.
Jesus has high expectations, as He does of Peter today, and he does not shy away from letting us know.
While “the wishing for Jesus” is a natural thing, actually getting Him would be a mixed bag. As with Peter, He may be quite complimentary one minute. The next, we’re no better than Satan. Would we really want Jesus to be with us in all His honesty & up-front-ness, really? After all, He does call a spade a spade. He calls it as it is … pretty much always. And we’re not always comfortable with that.
Pastor Mohn admitted that having been tasked with addressing who Jesus is, she asked several people. And what you find out is there are as many Jesuses as there are people you can ask. No matter who you ask, a person’s perception of Jesus is shaped by who they are, where they’ve been, what they’ve seen – their Jesus is their perception of Jesus, as unique as their experiences, based on their individual stories, their hopes, their fears.
No matter what, it’s safe to say that the question of “Who Jesus is?” is a pretty complicated one. And the answer will not be what you expect. It will not be our mind’s Jesus.
At summer camp, Pastor Mohn confessed to coming to campfire each night resolutely committed to NOT singing Kumbaya. It was old, cheesy, all too accepting-with-open-arms and not confrontational. Or as Wikipedia puts it:
Kumbaya was originally associated with unity and closeness, but more recently is also alluded to sarcastically to connote a blandly pious and naively optimistic view of the world and human nature.Pastor Mohn admitted “they don’t say ‘come by’ in NW Iowa. Would we ask Jesus to “stop by”, only to stay a very short stint and move on? Wouldn’t we want Jesus to “pull up a chair” and join us by the fire for awhile? Well sometimes we want God to stop by so we can vent, dump it all out and have Him say “What a bummer!”, to listen to our cares and concerns and feel compassion and kinship with us. Also, we’d like to share what we’ve done that’s good and get our checkmark.
But to REALLY ask Jesus to “come by” is something more … it’s riskier than that because He doesn’t just listen, He speaks. And He will say things we won’t expect, we can’t control, and we won’t like. He’ll weigh in on what we’re doing and He’ll task us and challenge us.
Pastor Mohn shared with us that today’s text from Romans was her and Erik’s wedding text:
9Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
14Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.[a] Do not be conceited.
17Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay,"[b]says the Lord. 20On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."[c] 21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
The heap of burning coals was quite dramatic, she admits, but she shared that she felt that it might be weighing in on a point Jesus wants to make:
When you’re kind when you don’t have to be, you change the rules.
You leave the person who’s been cruel unsure of what’s supposed to happen next. A devotional I read one day suggested that Jesus didn’t really want disciples who impressed people more than he wanted disciples who surprised people! Left them second-guessing. And Romans offers a litany of “How to’s” on this front. But it’s not a checklist you might aspire to attempt to complete. That would probably drive you crazy, Pastor Mohn admits.
Rather, it’s prescription of how one might try to live ... it's the result of a transformed soul and the presence of the Holy Spirit. Seeing the world this way, as Jesus does, is Who Jesus is. It’s about putting something else - other than self – first. When this Jesus is present, you see the world an entirely different way. And it’s not always comfortable for us. We’re not going to like it all the time.
When Christ is present, there’s room to treat the world in a way that doesn’t make sense – one that allows for God to work. And it will get dicey, sticky; it’ll offend some people, you can be sure.
When we invite God to “come by”, we have to be prepared for Him not just to listen, but to speak. With this invitation comes a burden – the burden that comes with seeking peace and justice – and that exacts a price. This is a costly invitation, one that the campfire song no longer seems to connote.
This was a heavy sermon, Pastor Mohn admits – but the texts are heavy – about God’s great gift and how we each can embody it … by singing Kumbaya … and taking the risk that comes with the offer for Jesus to truly “Come by” ...
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