Proper 9
July 8, 2012

In My Own Hometown
by Linda Kraft

Mark 6:1-13

Okay, so I have a question for you. How many of you grew up
around here and have lived in this general area all your lives? And how
many are like me and are transplants as adults? If I need to know where to
go to get the best birthday cake, I'll ask someone who has lived here their
whole lives. If I need to know where to go to get the best deal on a new
set of tires, I could ask either. And if I needed to know about a website
where I can find the best moving companies, I'd probably ask the
transplants.

In our gospel reading for today we find Jesus trying to make a
difference in Nazareth, his home town. He's pretty well known in this small
town. Everyone knows his mother, Mary, and his brothers and sisters by
name. They probably remember the time he stayed behind at the Temple when
he was twelve years old, just about giving Mary and Joseph heart attacks.
Their sons likely attended Hebrew school and scripture studies with Jesus
and, like kids everywhere, probably came home and commented on Jesus'
behavior there. (Now I'm not saying he was class clown or a brilliant
student, just that his classmates knew a lot about him.)

What's it like to grow up in one place all your life? I've been
wondering this my whole life. I've lived in so many places growing up and
as an adult I wonder how "hometown" folks make it through life without
moving around. What would it be like to preach in your own hometown? Here's
how one pastor put it; he says,

"[Like Jesus,] I've preached in the congregation I grew up in,
too, with former teachers, soccer teammates, and girlfriends in attendance.
You know what I mean? Collectively, they know way too much about you for
anything you say to sound - at least to yourself - credible." (1) Dr.
David Lose of Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN, understands a bit about what
was going on when Mark makes the statement, "[Jesus] could do no deeds of
power there... and he was amazed at their unbelief." (Mk 6:5-6)

The question then comes up, why was Jesus only able to cure a
small number of folks? Isn't this the same Jesus who, only last week,
brought new life to a 12-year old girl and restored a discarded woman to
righteousness? The little girl didn't ask to be raised from the dead. The
woman only touched the hem of his robe, not asking out loud for anything at
all, but hoping in her heart just that brief touch might be enough.

What if those people in Nazareth had the POTENTIAL to come to
faith but put up barriers against it? Perhaps they had a tough time
reconciling the idea of Jesus being capable of all that was said about him.
After all, wasn't he the "son of Mary?" Now you and I may not think much
about that opinion, but back in the day when righteousness and shame were
two sides of the same coin, being called the son of a woman, with no mention
of a father present, meant you lived your life in shame. They just couldn't
wrap their heads around the possibility that God was human, labeled by
society as not good enough, not to be considered credible.

And so they let their disbelief get in the way of any good thing
Jesus could have done for them in that place at that time. 

Jesus moves on. Maybe, in the outlying areas where people only
know rumors about him and are filled with questions about what to believe,
Jesus might be more successful in demonstrating God's love. Among people
who had been taught that they needed to measure up to some pretty nearly
unattainable standards, Jesus' new message of all-inclusive love might stand
a chance.

So Jesus gathered his band around him and set off. He
commissioned his disciples to go into the countryside, villages and towns,
two by two, and prepare the way for his message. He sent them out empty
handed, as it were, with just the sandals on their feet, a staff for a
walking stick and only the shirt on their backs. They were like beggars
among the people they were sent to serve.

As they came among new people and new places they were to call
for repentance and begin telling Jesus' story. He had given them the power
to expel unclean spirits to demonstrate a bit of his own might. When people
welcomed the disciples who came in his name, they were to stay there a bit
and arrange for more people to hear what they had to say. "Come one, come
all and hear the greatest truth on earth," might have been their invitation.

But the messengers Jesus sent were not always well received, as
he warned they might not be. If they entered a place where they weren't
invited to stay, they were not to try to force the inhabitants to hear their
words of new life but were simply to move on, shake the dust off their
sandals, and leave that field for a future harvest.

What does this mean for us? I thought we Lutherans were pretty
sure that we are saved by grace through faith alone. Now Pastor's saying we
have to do something to receive this salvation??

We think this account is not about salvation. It isn't a
prescription as to how salvation occurs. What we have here in the gospel
according to Mark is more of a plan of action. Future generations would
need to know how to make God's good news heard near and far. So Jesus
establishes a plan to make sure the word is spread.

His people go out into the world to demonstrate God's
compassion. They go to offer hope. Their words will bring healing to
troubled souls. Their urging will bring encouragement to people who are
battling demons. In other words, they will be "little Christs" to the
people they touch, day in and day out.

This God-inspired story is meant to give us the push we need in
our day and time and place. What can we do to make sure that our lives are
seen as Christ-like wherever we go? Are we demonstrating our faith at home,
at work, on the road, in the store, at the park, where we go to play? Or,
are we limiting our Christ-likeness to here at church? Or we're okay being
Christ-like at home, but around the buddies our behavior and words get in
the way of our witness. Or we try our best to be Christ-like when we're
around other "righteous" people but wear a different face when they're not
around.

The people in Nazareth let their opinions and doubts and
suppositions get in the way of Jesus' power to reach out and touch them. If
we behave differently around different people, or we limit our Christ-like
behavior to one place or one group, we stand in the way of experiencing all
that God can make happen in our lives.

Alternatively, if we live our lives in a consistently
Christ-like manner, what changes and challenges might we face? We could
find ourselves volunteering near and far to bring justice to those in need.
We could muster up the courage to share our faith with each one we meet,
especially those who are longing to hear. We might be called to pull up
stakes and move all the way across the nation to bring the good news of
God's love for all in Christ Jesus our Lord to anyone who will hear.

Our God is an awesome God who wants all people to live in love,
with enough of what is needed so we can have the energy and the impetus to
go out into the world to share the Good News. There is a place for everyone
at the Lord's table. If you are willing to give Jesus' message a chance to
strengthen you, come today and receive forgiveness, courage and hope. Amen

L: Let us pray together.
C: Your church is composed of people like me. 
I help make it what it is. 
It will be friendly, if I am. 
Its pews will be filled, if I help fill them. 
It will do great work, if I work. 
It will make generous gifts to many causes, if I am a generous giver. 
It will bring other people into its worship and fellowship, if I invite and bring them. 
It will be a church where people grow in faith and serve you, if I am open
to such growth and service.
Therefore, with your help Lord, we shall dedicate ourselves to the task of
being all the things you want your church to be. Amen. (2)

References:

 http://www.workingpreacher.org/dear_wp.aspx?article_id=602 
 Rev. Meredith Musaus, Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Menomonee Falls, WI.


(Comments to Linda at kraftylynx@gmail.com.)
Linda Kraft, Pastor at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church

Trumbull, CT