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The Incredibles!   Mark 10:46-52   October 25, 2015

10/25/2015

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At this point, I would like to ask a favor of you. The mask you have in your bulletin, I ask you to put it on.  Please leave it on for the duration of the sermon.

How does it feel to wear a mask in church?  Funny? Silly? Outlandish? Cool?  Stupid?  Sacrilegious?   We will get to the purpose of the exercise in a minute, or I would suggest, there are several reasons to put on this mask today. 

The most obvious one is that we wear invisible masks every day and don’t even realize it. We pretend we are people we are really not all the time.  Sometimes this is good.  For example, there’s a time and place we need to exude confidence to our children even when we are frightened.  However, when we are lying to a date, a perspective client or an employer that is wrong.   

We can get into a habit of misrepresenting ourselves even to ourselves, because we can’t bear what we see.  A few extra pounds? Just water weight. We’re scared so we have to act all tough and macho in front of strangers or friends. 

We really angry about something but we pretend we’re not: “oh, it’s nothing, really.”  

We can’t bear how slim our portfolio is in front of our broker.  We can’t bear that we don’t measure up to the norms passed down from mom and dad or siblings? Where do we fit in with our
culture? The dictates of our religion? Who are we, really? 

We have become a blinded people who cannot see who we really are; children of a loving God, called to an abundant life, which includes service in God’s name. How did this get lost in all the mustdos, oughtos, betterdos, betterthans, the shamings of religion?

Now we could spend all afternoon exploring how we’ve become blind as a people-and the church’s complicity in that blindness.  I would prefer us to look at our blindness and how it harms us:  let us look at the blindness of Bartimaeus, the blindness of the crowd surrounding him, and the sinful blindness which led the Israelites into exiles to become the remnant- that Jeremiah proclaims God is bringing back to Zion, and life shall once again be like a watered garden.

Blindness was a common ailment in the Ancient Near East, with the hot sun and the gritty sand, along with the regular eye ailments. At the same time, blindness, along with other illnesses, such as leprosy, being crippled, deaf, having seizures, was seen as caused by sin. Blinding was also an offense for crime.

Blind people could not function as priests, sing in the Temple, or participate in some trades even though capable.      http://www.lifeway.com/lwc/files/lwcF_pdf_ETB_BIPlus_Past_Spring95.pdf’ 


However Jewish people were often reminded to treat the blind with compassion; Opening the eyes of the blind was seen as a special attribute of the messiah.  So the people lived a tension: living the reality of blindness and experiencing spiritual blindness at the same time.

As Jesus is leaving Jericho beginning his final approach for Jerusalem, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, sitting at the roadside, discovers who is passing by and shouts out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 

Bartimaeus is the only person in Mark’s gospel who uses the royal title, “Son of David,” implying that Jesus is King David’s rightful and true heir.   Given that this is a messianic title, and it is the messiah’s role to bring “sight to the blind” according to the projects (Isaiah 42:7; 62:1; 35:5), why as they so reluctant for Jesus to help Bartimaeus? They sternly tell him to be quiet.


The word really means a rebuke, and most of the time has been used in those exchanges when Jesus has rebuked his disciples for bad theology or bad manners, when Jesus rebuked the strong winds sinking the boat, or when Peter rebuked Jesus for proclaiming a suffering Messiah. The crowd here seem to do the same – rebuking, stifling, ordering Bartimaeus to be silent out of fear what such bold messiah proclamations would signify.

They are blinded to Jesus by their fear, that it overrides their ability to be compassionate. Instead of wanting to help they hinder a miracle. This does not stop Bartimaeus, on the contrary, he cries out even more loudly again:
“Son of David, have mercy on me!”  

At this point Jesus does something he hasn’t done at any point in Mark’s gospel. He stands still. Imagine that.  Jesus, our Jesus, is on the move constantly.  Of course at some points in time he was still in prayer, in conversation, in healing. 

However this is the first time our Gospel text notes it.  Bartimaeus has caught Jesus’ attention. Now Jesus has observed how the crowd has attempted to silence Bartimaeus, so instead of addressing Bartimaeus directly, Jesus has the crowd bring him over. 


Bartimaeus doesn’t waste any time. He throws his cloak aside. This is significant. For a blind man, the cloak was his table to gather money. The cloak was his protection against the elements.  It was his sleeping bag. 

​Would he be so sure it would be there when he returned? If he returned?  He was leaving his past behind, without even a guarantee.  He was placing total trust and confidence in Jesus.


Now Jesus has a question for Bartimaeus.  Like last week, when Jesus asked James and John, “What do you want me to do for you?”  Bartimaeus’ responded simple and clear: “
My teacher, let me see again.”  Apparently he had vision once.  Jesus reacts by telling Bartimaeus “Go, your faith has made you well.”  Faith is codified believe in dogmas or doctrines; in the gospels, faith means a trusting relationship with Jesus. So our text say he regained his sight, but really it means, “he looked up,” he looked up” for once he looked up and saw the world as God intended, he saw himself as God created him to be, and look what the text says next…
Bartimaeus “
followed Jesus on the way.”  

He left the beggar behind and became a disciple. He sees himself into a new person. In the next chapter of Mark, as Jesus enters Jerusalem, the crowds will also learn to discard their cloaks as a sign of homage to Jesus and sing out:

“Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!” 

I would like to think the example of the newly sighted Bartimaeus had an influence there.


Our lives of faith about going from periods of darkness and blindness to sight, a spiritual sight.  God calls us to recognize how loved we are in Jesus, how gifted we are in the Holy Spirit, how privileged we are to serve as a people of faith in this world. 

Sometimes, like the exiles returning to Jerusalem, we forget who we are. We have to start over.  In our exile we became blinded to the truth of our being.  The good news, however, is that, like for Bartimaeaus, we get to begin again.


Now I asked you to wear these silly masks for a purpose.  Not just because it’s coming up on Halloween.  Not just to remind us of the danger of all the invisible masks we wear day in and day out.


I wanted us to wear these silly masks to share a story about one of my children’s favorite movies when they were growing up:  the 2004 Pixar computer-animated movie called
the Incredibles. It’s a story about a handful of superheroes who are left in the world and are in hiding. 

There’s a family of superheroes trying to lead an ordinary life. The two oldest children are discouraged from using their abilities. Their former life as crime-fighting superheroes is completely shunned. However, as the nasty super villain Syndrone threatens to take over the world and destroy the remaining superheros, a decision must be faced. 

Does the family move into action? Part of being superheroes is that everyone has a gift. To defeat evil, The superhero gifts must work together. It’s not like Superman, or Batman or the Lone Ranger, who get all the glory. Here, everyone’s gift fits together. They must cooperate with one another. The parents make a decision to support their children into becoming superheros.

Yes, even the children help defeat evil. The right of passage of course is the uniform and the mask – which is way cooler than what you’re wearing now.  During the process of becoming a superhero, the shy teenager, Violet is hunched over, her hair covering her eyes.  By the end of the end, she is saving her family, saving the world, standing tall, her hair out of her face.   


​That’s what it means to be incredible today. For our church to thrive, we need to the Incredibles. We need to open our eyes to our individual gifts and the gifts that are present here, and in each other, and in our community.  We must work together and serve together.  We need to name them, in ourselves. Call them out. Encourage them in each other.

Today I want us to see.  We can be that troop of Incredibles  work together.  Today I want us to see - that Jesus loves us – no matter how long our exile has been – whither it’s been self-imposed or we’ve left for other reasons. 

Today I want us to see we can risk throwing off the cloak – whatever we have used to cover us up – to protect us or hide us. 


Today I want us to see – take off the masks – and look up – and see the face of Jesus and know you are loved.


Today I want us to see – sight restored. We are truly Incredible. No masks. We can work together, serving to heal our world. What perfect vision that would be.

Amen
.  

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"A Ransom for Many" Union Church of Bay Ridge October 18, 2015, (Isaiah 53:4-12; Mark: 10:35-45)

10/18/2015

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Here is a true story, I am told, about how a stuck up, know –it-all got put in his place, with a happy ending to boot.  Picture this scene.  A coffee shop in Amsterdam.  A male customer who blogs observes the following debacle unfold between an obnoxious man, a beautiful blond women with whom the obnoxious guy is flirting, and a harassed server who is new at her job.

Man: “Excuse me! I ordered a non-fat, non-sugar orange mocha chip frappuccino! This isn’t non-fat, and there’s no whip cream on it.”
Barista: “I’m so sorry, sir. I’ll remake it immediately.”
Man, to the blonde woman: “What is up with these guys!? They screw everything up.”
Barista: “Here’s your drink sir. I hope this one is up to standard.”
Man: “What are you, a blanking  thick headed! This is a plain mocha frappuccino! I wanted an orange chip mocha frappuccino! Get it right!”
(The barista remakes his drink again, but is clearly on the verge of tears.)
Man: “Oh my God, you people need to learn to speak English! I said non-fat. Don’t tell me it is non-fat, because I can taste—”
(At this point, the blonde woman decides she’s had enough of the man and interrupts him.)
Blonde woman: *in a strong Irish accent* “WILL YOU STOP BEING A JERK FOR FIVE MINUTES?! The girl has made the coffee perfectly this time—I watched her! And, even if she hasn’t, she’s young and clearly new at her job. It’s a blankedy-blank coffee! Cut her some slack!”
Man: “Excuse me, but I want what I asked for! I don’t see why that’s so hard!”
Blonde woman: “She probably looked at you, assumed you were a man, and was therefore completely confused by your non-fat non-sugar orange mocha chip frappuccino order. Real men drink real coffee, and they don’t bully teenage girls until they cry. Now, can you please stop being an almighty-know- it- all-jerk and just blank off?!”
Everyone in the coffee shop claps, and the man leaves, mortified. The male blogger who witnessed this all paid for the blonde woman’s coffee, and found out that she is from the same part of Ireland as he was. One thing led to another, and one thing leads to another and he asked her to marry him last Christmas. She said yes!
        I apologize for all the blankedy-blanks, but we must keep it PG-13,  and with all the creative minds here at Union, I have no doubt you can fill in the blanked-blanks.
        It seems a curse of the human condition.  We try to one-up each other. Churches want to have the latest and greatest choirs, or preachers. Ministers ever so subtly probe how many members are attending, how many souls got saved, how big is your stewardship campaign.  I hear parents on the playground, depending on the zip code, making inquiries about which preschool one’s child is currently accepted or weight-listed.  How many after school activities have your children crammed into their schedule?  Friends, it’s a battle field out there. 

 currently live in Great Neck, the heart of  Dragon Mother Land meets the most amazing Jewish cultural and academic system on Long Island. It's upper middle class dream come true. Every corner there are scholastic enrichment centers for preschoolers up to high schoolers, interspersed with Yoga centers, Tawoodo, all -Day spas to attend to all the worries of your children’s A-, you & your spouses' 16hr days, and these mega SUV boats are illegally hogging the pastor’s and elderly parking spaces at my other church.  However, we aren't talking about getting possessive today, were we, when parking spots are a premium in New York City?

Most of us have more in common with James and John than we care to admit, although we might not be as direct and blunt as they were.

We want to be on the A list. In the picture shaking hands with the “got-to-know” person.  “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you (red flag there) .. grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.”    James and John were just planning ahead.  They were confident that Jesus’ popularity would continue to increase.  They would arrive in Jerusalem and meet with success beyond measure.  Of course when this happened, when this happened, there would to an organizational chart ready, a structure plan put in place to cement the Jesus movement.  James and John were stepping up for the job.

For good reason Jesus nicknamed them the “the sons of Thunder.”   John was the one who commented back in chapter 9,  ‘Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.”  On another occasion, when the people in a village of Samaria were not responsive to the message of Jesus, it was James and John who wanted to call down fire from heaven on them (see Luke 9:54).   They were protective of Jesus’ ministry as they understood it.  Jesus, furthermore, often included them, along with Peter as an inner leadership team to key experiences for training, such as the transfiguration, or the raising of the little girl from the dead in Mark 5. Jesus also took them apart when he went to the Garden of Gethsemane.  So no wonder they thought they were on the right track. 

They thought themselves the next Les Brown, the next Eric Thomas, the future Joel Osteen, bringing the true gospel to the next generation of believers.   That’s why they saw themselves flanking Jesus, in the most important spots, in heaven.
       
At the time of James and John’s request, Jesus and his disciples and been making their way slowly to Jerusalem.  Jesus had just predicted for the third time, in the most detailed of manners how cruelly he would die at the hands of the Gentile rulers. He specified he would be mocked, spat upon, flogged and killed.  Even before these words were out of Jesus’ mouth, James and John were on a different target.  Jesus’ again was misunderstand. 

As a prophet, Jesus knew what awaited him.  Yet Jesus didn’t act to preserve himself.  He didn’t set down roots in a hospitable town to teach heal, and stay alive.  Jesus had to remain true to his vision, the vision give to him by his Father:   and he wants his disciples to  catch on to:  be great.  However greatness in God’s heaven is measured by service – not by being served.” For the son of man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

 Jesus came, ready to pay the price for others.  The concept of ransom was a common motive in Jewish theology, written in into the liturgical rites of the “ransom of the first-born,”  to the ancient Levitical codes to how one ransomed land, ransomed slaves,  payment to families wronged by murder or rape, or damaged property, crops,  animals.  The prophet Isaiah, also steeped in the concept of ransom, wrote about the Israelite exiles that God had taken pity had:

13 influenced the foreign king Cyrus to release the exiles for free instead of paying a ranson

Jesus, therefore, sees his life’s purpose  not to be a hot shot rabbi,  the Wonder Boy from Galilee,
who can work miracles, the trending Teacher and Preacher, the activist, the Anti-establishment leader who will kick out the Romans.

 Jesus’ mind is not on glory and what cushy seat he may or may not have.  His heart is set on freeing people.   He is prepared to give over his life as a ransom in order that others, in bondage, may be freed.   

Sarah and Angelina Grimke, were among the first prominent organizers of the anti-slavery movement back in the 1830s, yet Congress quickly passed a gag order in 1835 to silence the movement.  Mobs jeered the movement, burned down their meeting place.

The Quaker meeting house forced them to choose between whether they would be “respectable members in good standing” or continue with their abolitionist cause. 

Newspapers called Angelina “Devilina” because she defied local custom by speaking in public, as a woman, against slavery.  These women, were clearly misunderstood and maligned, but they were willing to pay the price, just as Jesus, centuries earlier, laid down the gold standard for us.  He paid the ransom for us all. He freed us bondage.


Few of us are in bondage from actual slavery, thank God.  We have courts that deal with issues that the ransom matters of Leviticus addresses. 

However, we are in bondage. 

How many of us gets impatient, or put down someone else who gets our order wrong at the coffee shop. Or at the bagel shop? Or the Falafel wagon? Or wherever we get our food?  We are in bondage.

How many of us judge a driver, mutter a unkind
statement, because there are too close, only to realize there was someone walking by, or maybe they were just having a bad day? 

We are in bondage

How many of us have put our jobs, our hobbies, favorite TV shows before God? 

We are in bondage.

How many of us pray daily? Consistently?  Do we consider praying for someone who has hurt us? If not,

we are in bondage.

How many of us believe Jesus truly loves us, died for us, has a personal relationship with him as Lord of our lives, and experiences a sense of freedom and joy? 

If not, we are in bondage. 


Anything less, is less than what Jesus wants for our lives. Jesus didn’t pay a ransom so we can be miserable. He came so that we can have an abundant life, overflowing life, a life that flow outward, embracing the world, not just inward, focusing only on me, me, me, just what I can get. 
If that’s your mindset, than you are in bondage, you need a ransom, and I got good news.

There is someone who has paid that ransom. His name is Jesus.  He is here to serve us, and show us, how blankity-blank awesome life can be with him. 

​That, my friends, is a true story.  It doesn’t get any better than that.
Amen.

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    Moirajo is a minister, social worker, wife, mother, writer and animal lover. That's just for starters. Join the story, there's so much we can share together! 

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