I know who you are, the Holy One of God

Biblical stories such as Mark’s account of the exorcism in the temple on the Sabbath in Capernaum (Mark1:21-28 ), make me a little uncomfortable. Perhaps our need to explain what cannot be explained troubles us. And doesn’t talking about evil add to our discomfort? How in our place and time can we relate to what’s going on in this Gospel?

Yet there is something about this reading that compels us beyond the narrative. We get a sense of immediacy and a bias for action that characterizes Jesus’ behavior. He is in control and taking charge of business. They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Did Jesus purposefully wait for the Sabbath to enter the synagogue to teach? If so, this act alone established his authority. And isn’t it ironic that the one who knows Jesus is the man with the unclean spirit: .

We are still in the time of the Epiphany, a time in our liturgical season that seems to suffer from benign neglect. We had Christmas and the Feast of the Epiphany but we are waiting for the fast approaching season of Lent and then, Easter. The season of the Epiphany is not a passive time at all. It is not an “ordinary” time of just waiting. Jesus wasn’t just waiting and checking off the boxes of his ministry. Jesus is on fire; he is taking on the evil of the world that-- of all places-- resides in the synagogue, a place of worship. He is shaking up a faith based on rules and proclaiming a faith based on love…he preaches on the Sabbath and heals a man possessed… all of which will incur the wrath of those who exploit religion and will someday have him executed. No, Epiphany is a time of transformation an awakening to a new way.

Now back to exorcisms and evil and how this relates to us today in the here and now. Our epiphany calls us to see something in a way we never saw before. It sets the stage for personal transformation, in which our eyes are opened to a new understanding. In Gerald May’s Dark Night of the Soul, he talks about Mystery and Freedom. We become comfortable with things we can’t explain when we are comfortable in the knowledge that we don’t have to explain them and we allow the words to speak to us for what they mean and what they say. Sometimes transformation requires that we enter a dark period, outside our comfort zones before we are able to see things in a new way. We must be rid of those demons that disrupt our journey. We must open our hearts and actively listen. Yes, demons and evil exist and we must wait to hear "Be silent, and come out of him!"

And immediately they left their nets

What could be so strong a force and so compelling that would make us drop everything and leave home? Sure, many of us have left our homes as part of a plan to pursue our dreams. Maybe we went away to college, leaving our family and old friends behind; maybe we moved to advance our careers or change our lives elsewhere, or maybe we were summoned or inspired to serve our country in the military. This really is not uncommon in today’s world of in which greater opportunity and career development are linked to mobility.

These are choices we make in our lives. But what if an unknown itinerant preacher and former carpenter talking about the kingdom of God asks us to drop everything and follow him? That's essentially the scene that Mark 1:14-21 describes; let’s face it, most of us would have a hard time imagining doing what the future disciples do. Unfortunately the details in Mark’s Gospel are few and there’s obviously a lot more we don't know than we do. But what we do know is that there was something compelling enough about Jesus and his message that prompted these four, Simon, Andrew, James and John, and later many others, to follow him, to become his disciples, students of this teacher and servants of his mission.

What could be so powerful a message in what Jesus said that would compel us to change our lives so drastically? Could this happen in our time?  Mark writes “And immediately they left their nets and followed him.” His use of the word immediately suggests that something happened to them, in them. They experienced an epiphany that suddenly prompted them and called them to follow Jesus. Maybe a life of faith can only happen in the sudden profound epiphany of God at work in us?

We are called, perhaps not so much to follow, but to take Mark’s immediately seriously. This is not, “wait a few minutes. Let me pack my bag. I have a few more arrangements to make.” No -- epiphanies just happen. No preparation. No packing list. No recommendations of what to take, what to do. Karoline Lewis writes, “Jesus just happens. We have no time to think. Epiphanies are untamable, unpredictable. There is nothing comfortable about epiphanies. They rock your world. “Epiphanies, especially of the divine nature, demand an immediate response. There’s no invitation for contemplation or reflection but instantaneous commitment and risk. Or, to put it another way, no real choice... If the heavens are ripped apart, well then, get ready for a wild ride. This can be simultaneously freeing and terrifying. Free to respond in the moment. Terrified of what beyond the moment will unfold. (Working Preacher, January 18, 2015).

So, back to the question, could this happen in our time? Naming those moments, describing those times when your response is out of your control, might be getting close to describing what happened with the disciples in Mark. But, what about us in the here and now? Can we name those moments? Are we listening?

Come follow me and pass it on

 

What was it about Jesus that inspired strangers to follow him? Without a doubt there was something about Jesus that drew people to him. We can call it charisma, and an inexplicable magnetism. Of course we can always give credit to Jesus’ all consuming love for God that he saw in all with whom he came in contact. Jesus personified the incarnation of God and that by and in itself could explain his powerful attraction. I suppose we can leave it right there but I think there is more. People meet Jesus and somehow they are transformed and then they in turn  need to relate their experience with others. Isn’t this what’s going in this Gospel (John 1:43-51)

I am reminded of the beautiful essay, One Solitary Life.  We know that Jesus’ ministry lasted only a few short years and while we rely on Paul, the Gospel writers and historians,  to help us follow his teachings, could these few short years and limited writings have been enough to have had the impact on people over the centuries? Just think about it. Perhaps the interaction between Nathaniel and Philip helps us understand how Jesus’ magnetism really works. One to one, person to person the word becomes flesh in each of us and we pass it on as it was passed on to us.

It’s more than just paying it forward or karma or one good deed begets another. No, there’s no quid quo pro in our interaction with one another; nothing is expected in return, In fact looking for payback is a waste of time. Rather, it’s putting on the mind of Christ in all that we do as we recognize God in all human beings. Perhaps the significance of Jesus’ Baptism has much to do with our receiving the Holy Spirit and ability to spread God’s love one person at a time.

.

You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased

 

I wonder how many of us celebrate our baptism as we might our birthday or anniversary.  I’m not sure I can even locate my baptismal certificate much less know the month or day it took place. This Sunday we will anticipate the baptism of Jesus according to Mark1:4-11 and despite the fact that this event in our church calendar was once considered an even more important feast than Christmas, the baptism of Jesus is acknowledged with just a Gospel reading  and a sermon. Yet, along with the Epiphany, it is a celebration of the true nature of the incarnation of God. Perhaps we should wait before we put away our manger scenes.

I suspect that for many Christians there is a puzzle about baptism. If you ask people why they want their children baptized many would be hard pressed to explain. Do we do it for the grandparents?  Is it a cultural act?  Is it a “ticket to admission” for a particular church or pre-qualification for communion? How many of us were raised believing that it was intended to “wash away” our sins? No, the sacrament instills a sense of God with us and in us that is essential to our very nature and being. While baptism reminds us of our being united as part of the Christian community, we were invested in God’s Kingdom long before any sprinkling of water or liturgical incantation took place.

When in this Gospel John protests at the notion of having to baptize Jesus, Jesus responds with “for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness." In so doing Jesus makes it clear that he aligns himself with all people and not just the followers of Moses, “the chosen.” It is our birth rite.

So, while we are marked as a member of God’s Kingdom, Baptism enrolls us in this most “inclusive” of all clubs. “In a very profound way we are in fact brothers and sisters to one another. Each of us has already received the first great gift of our spiritual inheritance: the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God resides in each of us as the source of the divine life and the source of all life…The life of God in us means that we are closely bonded to one another. We are more closely united by the living presence of the Spirit in us than we would be by family blood lines. The shared life of God of which we are all temples, make us family in a profoundly personal way. This is the faith vision of the reality which we call Church.” (John Powell, S.J. The Christian Vision, p131)

Baptism is not about the forgiveness of sins although it is about repentance which in the true sense of the word, inspires us to redirect our lives by “putting on the mind of Christ” in all that we do. As such, our identity by the power of the Holy Spirit, is created through worship and practice, so that we might know and feel the sense of God in one another. This deep experience forms our identity as those who will be known by our love for one another and not defined by any denomination. This is being in “the mind of Christ.”