2024 Sun Sept 15

I. Theme –  Actions speak louder than words. We must match up our words and actions.

"Christ Carrying the Cross” – Lorenzo Lotto (1526)

"Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again."- Mark 8:31

The lectionary readings are here  or individually: 

Old Testament – Isaiah 50:4-9a
Psalm – Psalm 116:1-8 Page 759, BCP
Epistle – James 3:1-12
Gospel – Mark 8:27-38  

Today’s scriptures ask us to demonstrate our Christian beliefs through appropriate actions. In Isaiah, God’s servant remains obedient in the face of suffering and remains confident of God’s guidance and support. Proverbs invites us to begin the search for Wisdom. James reminds us of the destructive power of even a few evil words. In the gospel, after allowing himself to be identified as the Messiah, Jesus points out that sharing in his mission means embracing a life of sacrifice.

“Quick, now! Who do you say that I am?” Most of us, if caught flat-footed by the question, would fumble around and wish we had a handy catechism to consult. Quick-to-respond Peter blurts out, “You are the Messiah!”

In Echoing God’s Word, Jim Dunning calls Peter “one of the first Christians to mouth a doctrine without the foggiest idea of what it means.” Peter thought messiahship implied pomp, status, perks and power. Jesus interpreted it to mean “navigating stormy seas, eating with rejects, following down the road that leads to drinking the cup of suffering with our most broken and wounded sisters and brothers.”

Some of us, like Peter, dream of the perks that our association with Jesus might bring. But Jesus points instead to the suffering, the paradoxical loss of life, the hard road that leads to Calvary…a difficult journey indeed, ultimately continuing to Easter.

Consistency, congruency—this leads to authenticity. To be an authentic follower of Christ, we must match up our words and actions. We must remain faithful even in times of struggle. We must turn inward first to God before our words lead us astray—we must think before we speak. And we must remember that our lives and words are witnesses to Christ’s presence in our lives, and if we truly wish to walk with insight, to walk with Christ, we must remember that we can’t be focused on our own desires and need, but on the way of God, which is beyond ourselves and beyond our time.

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From the “Presbyterian Outlook”

“Today’s gospel reading can be compared to the midpoint of a movie. It’s a major turning point that raises the stakes and moves the story in a new direction. Consider the heartbreak you felt when Andy left behind Woody and Buzz at Pizza Planet in “Toy Story.” How sweaty did your palms get when J. Robert Oppenheimer realized his bomb’s devasting potential in “Oppenheimer”? These moments clarify the film’s central conflict, setting up the climax.

“Many believe Mark 8:27-38 heralds a similarly crucial moment in the Gospel. It signifies a shift in Jesus’ journey, moving the focus from his teachings, healings and preaching to his impending crucifixion in Jerusalem. Like all good midpoint moments, it illuminates the tension building.

“The passage opens with a discussion on Jesus’ identity. In Caesarea Philippi, a seat of Rome’s imperial power, Peter proclaims Jesus as the Messiah or Christ. This declaration mirrors the language of the empire, which claimed gods selected emperors. Yet, it also challenges this notion. While the empire governs with authority over the people, the rule of God embodied in Jesus originates from and is shared with the people.

“In the next scene, Jesus reveals his impending suffering. Until now, Jesus has been known for his empathy and commitment to bringing wholeness to individuals and the entire community. Unsurprisingly, Peter had a strong reaction when he heard Jesus discussing his forthcoming suffering. He had just acknowledged Jesus’ liberating deeds as evidence of God’s power and compassion by proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah. Now, he struggles with the idea of Jesus facing vulnerability and death.

“Yet, the suffering Jesus speaks of is not a means to an end but rather a consequence of paying attention to the pain experienced by those living under oppressive systems and working to eradicate and dismantle them. Peter’s understanding of power and suffering is centered on dominance and command while Jesus demonstrates his power through service and suffering with others.

“This transformational perspective on power and suffering has a similar implication for Jesus’ followers.”

How do we act with hope, in the face of so much despair and calamity? The role of Christians is very important in the environmental movement. Not only do we bring hope when many are despairing, but we also work in the power of the Spirit – the Spirit of wisdom and the spirit of renewal and re-creation.

Proverbs 1:20-33

Out in the open wisdom calls aloud, she raises her voice in the public square; v20

In this passage Wisdom is personified as a woman, one who permeates creation and who holds divine authority. She is shouting out in the streets and the public squares warning us that disaster is coming. She does not spell out the practicalities of what we must do, she presumes that we know the Torah, that we have learned from our ancestors the right way to live.

When calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind v27

We are ignoring the voices that are calling out to us, the climate scientists, the indigenous voices, and we are staring disaster in the face. We are already suffering from the effects of our destruction of forests, our overuse of fossil fuels and yet we still do not listen to those voices. We fail to listen to the voice of God who called us to be keepers of the Earth.

Looming over our planet is a threat of extinction, acknowledged now as a sixth extinction. The Season of Creation is an appeal not only to hope but also to act. The living soil, the seas, rivers, and oceans are being polluted – trampled underfoot by the massive human footprint. Let us not ignore the prophetic voice of Lady Wisdom, let us learn from climate science, listen to the wisdom of our ancestors and indigenous people from around the world.

James 3:1-12

James brings up the evils of unbridled speech. For every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, but no one can tame the tongue– a restless evil full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing.

The tongue gets us into dialogue with others. We need to avoid getting into useless fights with people – how do you respond for instance when someone says that climate change is a myth? The tongue operates much as a bridle does to control a horse or the rudder to steer a ship (v 3 and 4). It is small but influential. Negatively it can be destructive. It can be the spark initiating a raging forest fire. For the person carrying the image of God it should not be like this. We need to find ways to disagree and education but with respect for the other person.

Mark 8:27-38

Jesus teaches that a prophetic ministry carries with it the perils of suffering and death. Peter, like many of us, does not really understand. He is hoping to see the restoration of a Jewish king. Jesus on the other hand is focussing on the suffering and death ahead. “Get behind me, Satan!” he says for Peter has made the error of offering the same temptation that Satan offered Jesus in the wilderness (Mark 1.13)

Jesus calls together the crowd and reminds them what it means to be intentional in our Christian discipleship. The imperatives “let them deny themselves” and “let them take up their cross” (v.34) are what it means to follow Jesus. Jesus is seeking in His followers is something more than pious resignation in the face of the ways of the world, but spiritual activism.

Environmental and climate activism requires sacrifices, we are called to sacrificial living to live more simply.
A part of our sacrifice is giving up old habits, such as with plastics. We use plastic straws, consumer plastic coffee cups buy products that use plastic microfibers – such as nylon and polyester. We had to consider substitutes.

We will sacrifice our time, our resources, our energy to move on the side of reducing fossil fueat.. There may be times when we feel that we are burning out because the challenges are so great, and yet we are called to act with hope. It is action that brings hope, and it is hope that inspires action.