A Word From Joel - October 2, 2024
“Whoever is not against us is for us...If any of you cause one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea.”
Mark 9:40, 42
In this week’s reading, John told Jesus he tried to stop someone who had been
ministering in Jesus’ name, “because he was not following us.” John is concerned with
whose team gets the credit. For Jesus, the label isn’t what matters. All that matters is
that people find freedom and wholeness. This is God’s politics, the healing of the world.
It’s the only business God is in. We are often in business for ourselves, making sure our
religion, our tribe, our political party gets the credit, but Jesus makes it clear, whoever is
not against us is for us. There’s enough strife in the world. Let’s not lose sight of what
matters, which is peace for everyone, but especially for the vulnerable. Jesus illustrates
this point by saying it’s better to be thrown into the sea with a millstone around your
neck than to harm a child. His language only gets scarier from there. This is not the
Jesus we are used to imagining. We like the meek and mild Jesus, not the threatening
one, but the truth is that we need both. We need both meekness and strength,
compassion and boundaries. Jesus gives us both.
Jesus regularly points to children as model disciples, but not for the reasons we think.
We think of children as innocent and wonder-filled, which is true, but that’s not Jesus’
point. Jesus points to the example of children because they are the most vulnerable. At
the time, only 50% of children reached their first birthday, and of those who survived,
another half would die before age 10. It was a dangerous world for children, and Jesus
who takes the vulnerable path to the cross invites us to welcome weakness if we are to
be his followers. In addition to embracing our own vulnerability, Jesus also teaches us to
protect the vulnerable. This is where we discover there are limits to inclusion. While all
are welcome at God’s table, to be part of the celebration, you cannot actively harm
other guests. For peace to be present at the table, the vulnerable must be protected,
and that is Jesus’ top priority, and it should be ours as well.
Over the past week, so many Americans were vulnerable to a storm whose reach was
far wider than anyone imagined. There are many ways to help through our financial
gifts, our actions, and our prayers. There are many good organizations who need your
support, but one that I will lift up is Presbyterian Disaster Relief, though there are many
others that Blue Ridge Public Radio lists as well. Whoever is not against us is for us and weak, and God loves that part of us. God became a small child in Christ so that the child in us might be held forever in divine embrace. God welcomes our weakness, and so can we. So, we pray, welcome weakness. I’m so glad you are here.
Mark 9:40, 42
In this week’s reading, John told Jesus he tried to stop someone who had been
ministering in Jesus’ name, “because he was not following us.” John is concerned with
whose team gets the credit. For Jesus, the label isn’t what matters. All that matters is
that people find freedom and wholeness. This is God’s politics, the healing of the world.
It’s the only business God is in. We are often in business for ourselves, making sure our
religion, our tribe, our political party gets the credit, but Jesus makes it clear, whoever is
not against us is for us. There’s enough strife in the world. Let’s not lose sight of what
matters, which is peace for everyone, but especially for the vulnerable. Jesus illustrates
this point by saying it’s better to be thrown into the sea with a millstone around your
neck than to harm a child. His language only gets scarier from there. This is not the
Jesus we are used to imagining. We like the meek and mild Jesus, not the threatening
one, but the truth is that we need both. We need both meekness and strength,
compassion and boundaries. Jesus gives us both.
Jesus regularly points to children as model disciples, but not for the reasons we think.
We think of children as innocent and wonder-filled, which is true, but that’s not Jesus’
point. Jesus points to the example of children because they are the most vulnerable. At
the time, only 50% of children reached their first birthday, and of those who survived,
another half would die before age 10. It was a dangerous world for children, and Jesus
who takes the vulnerable path to the cross invites us to welcome weakness if we are to
be his followers. In addition to embracing our own vulnerability, Jesus also teaches us to
protect the vulnerable. This is where we discover there are limits to inclusion. While all
are welcome at God’s table, to be part of the celebration, you cannot actively harm
other guests. For peace to be present at the table, the vulnerable must be protected,
and that is Jesus’ top priority, and it should be ours as well.
Over the past week, so many Americans were vulnerable to a storm whose reach was
far wider than anyone imagined. There are many ways to help through our financial
gifts, our actions, and our prayers. There are many good organizations who need your
support, but one that I will lift up is Presbyterian Disaster Relief, though there are many
others that Blue Ridge Public Radio lists as well. Whoever is not against us is for us and weak, and God loves that part of us. God became a small child in Christ so that the child in us might be held forever in divine embrace. God welcomes our weakness, and so can we. So, we pray, welcome weakness. I’m so glad you are here.
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