NOW - we take risks
Mark 8:27–9:8
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In the journey with Jesus, very little is guaranteed.
To be a Jesus follower, is to decide, by free choice,
to take on risk.
Yes, life itself is a risk.
But to choose to follow Jesus in life is to take on additional risk.
And why would people do this?
Because they are drawn, like a magnet,
to the life Jesus offers.
This is especially the case when we’re talking about
people for whom their current life is less than satisfying.
Which make perfect sense,
because people who are already on the margins,
are more likely to be willing to take on more risk,
than those who feel like they have more to lose.
But why is the Jesus way so fraught with risk?
Because it lives by a different set of values than the Empire,
whose systems of power rule this world.
The reign of God operates with different motivations.
To borrow a few lines from my sermon last Sunday,
Rather than deferring to those who have accumulated
wealth, power, and prestige,
God seems to move toward the margins.
God shows preferential care for the poor,
for those who are being told they are of little worth.
Jesus socializes with thieving tax collectors and scandalous women;
he touches lepers;
he challenges both religious and imperial powers.
We know where that way of living led Jesus—
into confrontation with the civil and religious powers,
and with those who benefitted from those powers.
So if we believe, as we say we do—
that the church is the body of Christ in the world today,
is the continuing presence of Jesus in society,
that it embodies the reign of God in our life together—
and . . . if we live like we believe that,
then we can expect some pretty stiff resistance,
some push back.
This resistance comes from outside the church—
from the powers of Empire that start feeling threatened
when a community of people embrace the marginalized,
and refuse to bow to existing power structures.
And it comes from within the church,
from those of us who have long cozied up to the powers,
and aren’t so interested in living on the edge.
And the resistance comes even from within ourselves,
because we, individually, benefit in many ways
from the exercise of coercive power,
because it tends to be a stabilizing force,
it holds in check the more threatening aspects of life.
None of us are really looking for chaos—
for instability and vulnerability and risk.
But the life of a follower of Jesus,
inherently carries more risk in the near term,
because we purposely embrace a way of life,
that by definition is vulnerable and open
and hospitable to the world around us.
And it goes against the posture of Empire,
which by definition is coercive,
and protective, and defensive,
and seeks stability above all else.
_____________________
This tug and pull between Empire and the way of Jesus
is what we see playing out in the Gospel reading today.
And the active resistance was both
outside the circle of Jesus followers,
and inside the circle.
Externally, both the temple and palace
were leaning hard on the Jesus movement.
The Roman Empire, and the religious hierarchy
were both threatened by Jesus’ openness and hospitality.
And when Jesus tried to make clear to his disciples
what they were walking into,
that their future included suffering,
the internal resistance ramped up.
Peter rebuked Jesus, it says.
He probably said, “By no means, Lord!
You must not purposely walk toward suffering.
Fight them. You can win this battle.”
Jesus replied, famously,
“Get behind me, Satan!
You are setting your mind not on divine things
but on human things.
If any wish to come after me,
let them deny themselves
and take up their cross and follow me.”
And the story of the Transfiguration of Jesus comes right after that.
Jesus and his three closest disciples go up a mountain,
where Jesus is overtaken with the light of glory,
and the images of Elijah and Moses are with him,
and despite Peter’s impulse to make the moment last,
to institutionalize it,
the glory immediately vanishes,
and they are back in the real world of resistance.
_____________________
You know, we simply cannot read this Gospel of Mark honestly,
and imagine for one minute that Jesus intended
to birth a church that embraced Empire,
the way Christianity has done—
over the centuries, and to this day—
embracing institutional power and control
and stability and defensiveness.
The authentic church of Jesus Christ is a movement.
It goes boldly forward down a road,
where it can’t even see around the bend.
It moves toward the edges and margins.
It takes risks to join God’s work
of healing and repair and reconciliation.
And I dare say,
when the church does move forward with that kind of boldness,
it is magnetic.
It attracts others who are looking for a kind of life
that the Empire fails to deliver.
I hope and pray the community of faith at Park View Mennonite
is that kind of movement,
that attracts the attention of those who are called to join us,
so that we can stay on the move . . . together.
The world needs alternative communities like us.
So . . . world . . .
Ready or not, here we come . . . together.
We at Park View may be just one small expression of God’s family.
But we are joining with God
in the vulnerable and risk-filled mission
of the healing of the world.
_____________________
And today, we are taking on even more risk, as we often do,
whenever we welcome new persons into this community,
and into this movement.
Because new members, always, will change who we are.
Maybe not radically change us.
But without a doubt,
our church household with these persons among us,
is different than the church without them.
—Phil Kniss, February 11, 2024
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