October 6, 2024
Mark 10: 13-16
I. Colleague who specifically didn’t use familial language to talk about church congregation
-no, sisters, brothers. Family of faith. Church family.
-reason - if/when things go badly, disagreements, conflict happen he didn’t want people to feel like their families were falling apart, failing them, changing, etc.
-Understand that way of thinking. Often true. Church hurts people. We are a church of last-chancers.
Problem: It’s more than a little fatalistic
-More importantly - not biblical and certainly doesn’t follow Christ’s example
-I didn’t choose this morning’s passage.
-Just happen to be lectionary texts
-Couldn’t have asked for more appropriate readings
II. Psalm uses maternal love to describe God. By doing justice for those who have been wronged and offering the possibility of forgiveness of those who have done wrong.
-Mark reading, of course, beloved story of the children coming to Jesus who welcomes and blesses them.
-Couple of things to notice:
rebuking, wet blanket disciples who don’t see the value of children taking up Jesus’ time.
-could have to do with role of mothers being the one to bring children
-could be because of place children had in culture
-Jesus doesn’t just welcome children
-embraces
-gives full attention
-offers blessing
-Jesus as uncle
-family friend or neighbor who is a family member
-a big brother or uncle providing tenderness and affection
Who wouldn’t want jesus as a big brother or uncle?
III. Somewhere Beyond the Sea is the second book in the House in the Cerulean Sea series by TJ Klune. The series tells the story of an orphanage for magical children, including a garden gnome named Talia, a Tree Sprite named Fee, Chauncey who’s some sort of jellyfish creature who can ink, talk to fish, and dreams of being a bellhop. And the anti-Christ everyone calls Lucy.
-in second book a new child joins the family
-Yeti named David who’s suspicious of this new home
-has important interaction with oldest of children, Sal
-Sal says to David, “You don’t know us, and we don’t know you. But things are good here.” “I’ve heard that before,” David said. “Yeah,” Sal said. “I bet you have. Difference is, it’s true here. You don’t have to trust anything I’m saying.” He laughed. “... I wouldn’t if I were you. But you’ll believe soon enough.”
-David doesn’t know he’s safe in this new home
-For him other orphanages haven’t been safe or welcoming
-he’s been hurt
-Being told he’s in a good place doesn’t matter much. He has to see that this new home is different.
-Same is true when it comes to communities of faith.
-In too many settings that colleague of mine is right, familial language isn’t a great choice.
-can cause harm and hurt
-But that’s because Jesus’ model, Jesus example, Jesus inclusion, embrace, and welcome of those most unlikely of getting his attention isn’t followed
-Like David the yeti many of us don’t believe we can find a safe place, a good place, a place where we can be our full selves
-But what Jesus shows us, what Jesus models in this passage and throughout his life is that family comes in all forms
-And chosen family is just as valuable as biological
-Friends, good news this morning is that Jesus’ arms are open to each of us and he embodies the blessing of being family
-is it a risk? Sure it is
-no church is perfect because no human is perfect
-but just as surely as family comes in all forms, the risk we take of opening ourselves up to each other is surely worth it
-There’s no where I’d rather raise my kids, couldn’t ask for better aunties and uncles, things are good here.
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