Year B Proper 19, 29 September 2024 St. James the Less Episcopal, Ashland, VA “Come Round Right” Collect: O God, you declare your almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity: Grant
us the fullness of your grace, that we, running to obtain your promises, may become
partakers of your heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Mark 9:38-50 John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we
tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” But Jesus said, “Do not stop him; for
no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of
me. Whoever is not against us is for us. For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of
water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward. “If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it
would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were
thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to
enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And
if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to
have two feet and to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out;
it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to
be thrown into hell, where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched. “For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can
you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”
Grace and peace, dear friends. Grace and peace. I feel like I have been gone a lot longer than 7 weeks. So much longer. But this time I have
had away from you has refreshed, rejuvenated, and I do not think resurrected me is too
strong a sentiment. But we have the coming weeks and months for me to share about that.
This morning let’s look at the Scripture given to us in today’s lectionary. This morning our text speaks to an incident when the disciples were surprised to learn that
they were not the only game in town, but they were told that what they were a part of was
much bigger, more grand, and more beautiful than they had ever imagined and Jesus used it
to broaden their perspective. The last seven weeks have been the same for me, too. The disciples saw someone casting out demons in Jesus' name. But the guy doing this
amazing work of power was not a part of them, not in the Elite 12 disciples following Jesus.Jesus did not care about the status, but rather the outcome.
Jesus saw that good was being done, and that was the point. Good, for goodness sake. Friends, we so often, too often, get so caught up in the details. They say that the devil is in
the details, unless you are talking about liturgy, and I often find God in the minutia there.
But we too often major in the minors, and what we consider minors is the point after all. One of the great friends I made over the last seven weeks repeatedly mentioned how
wonderful it was to have everyone walking in the same direction. Amen to that. That is what
Jesus really wants for us, to be a peace and going together in the same direction. America with its vast spaces and relative isolation has spawned a number of sects of
Christianity peculiar to our nation, and one of those was a peculiar group that was trying to
make it on earth as it was in heaven. They were trying to incarnate “Be ye therefore perfect
as your Heavenly Father is perfect.” They tried to embody a simplicity and purity that most
of us would not even think to attempt. You know of them, probably, even if you do not know the details. A few weeks ago I saw
an article that let me know that there are only 2 of them left. 2, not churches. 2 people,
upholding a tradition that lasted since 1747. Over those 246 years, they grew to the
thousands and had several communities over the country. At their height there were 5,000
of them, but their strict doctrine prevented them from ever growing bigger and is the
reason they dwindled soon to non-existence.
[https://www.deseret.com/faith/2022/3/24/22989812/the-last-shakers-sabbathday-lake-maine-shaker-village/] Shakers is what this group was called, a charismatic movement we would call it today. They
got that derogatory name from the ecstatic shaking and rolling on the floor in their worship
when gripped by the Holy Spirit. Their official title is The United Society of Believers in
Christ's Second Appearing. In their practice, they lived communally. They did not evangelize, but encouraged those
attracted to their lifestyle to join with them. Men in one quarter, women in another. They
were strictly celibate, hence not kids and no following generation. The last convert came in
1978 when he was 21. Arnold is his name, and he holds everything in trust with Sister June.
Personally they own no possessions, but even at their height held everything in common.
[Acts 2] We know of their perfect chairs which will last a lifetime, and their brooms, too.
And you may have sung their Shaker Hymn, with so much good in it that will outlast June
and Arnold, and all of us. 'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free, 'Tis the gift to come down where I ought to be; And when we find ourselves in the place just right, 'Twill be in the valley of love and delight. When true simplicity is gained, To bow and to bend we shan't be ashamed; to turn, turn, will be my delight. Till by turning, turning we come round right. They may seem so strange to us, but they are fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Arnold
and June are the period on the end of a 246 year long sentence that will finally, and soon,
come to an end. The Shakers tried to live in heaven here on earth, which is admirable, and
lives into Jesus’ words “on earth as it is in heaven.” But their eyes were so fixed on heaven
they were no earthly good. They made it about perfecting the self, and not about turning
that grace received outward. They were blessed and they let it stop there. It is sad, but they are not the only Christians who have chosen that path. As a fellow pastor
here in town likes to say, too many Christians listen to WII-FM. An acronym for “What’s In
It For Me?” We are blessed to be a blessing. We are living in a time when those who scream the name of Jesus the loudest have no idea
what Jesus taught or understand the words he used. As the Shakers sang: True Simplicity.
Love your neighbor. Love your enemy. Welcome the stranger. Do good to those who do
you wrong. Forgive. Feed the hungry. Clothe the naked. Love. Just Love. Simple words. ‘Tis a gift to be simple, ‘tis a gift to be free. But somehow, like the Shakers,
some are making it about themselves. The loudest are calling out Jesus’ name, but are
worried about their guns, and the border, and who uses what bathroom more than the
“least of these.” The great irony of all of this is how many people who spout this
oppositional statements to Jesus’ teaching say they take the Bible literally. Except the words
we look at today. Right after the statement to leave the stranger alone and not to stop him using Jesus’ name
to cast out demons, Jesus goes into several verses intentionally exaggerated to make a huge
point. He uses hyperbole, exaggeration, as a rhetorical device. “If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it
would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were
thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off… And if your foot
causes you to stumble, cut it off… And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is
better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be
thrown into hell, where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched. Only a few times in the history of the Church have I ever heard of people taking Jesus
literally here. Poor Origen. But the things Jesus said literally (see the above mentioned loving,
giving, forgiving commands) are taken as suggestions, and the metaphorical (pluck out your
eye) are taken literally. But they are imposed on others, not ourselves. Friends, in walking the 400+ miles that I walked across Spain, I had lots of time for soul
searching and delving into those parts of myself I too readily ignore. And what I found
when I hit rock bottom of my soul searching was not how bad I was, or despicable, but that
I was loved beyond belief, I am loved beyond measure, and I have been invited to make the
world more like heaven in what I say and do and think and believe. I am a beloved Child of
God, and so are you and you and you. The isolated Shakers are as well, and the people
shouting Jesus and spewing hate are, too. God’s Grace is poured out, on the Just and the
Unjust. We are beloved. As Jesus closes today, so will I. He talks about being salty. When we use that term to describe someone else, it is never positive. He is a salty ol’ mug,
we might say. And what do we mean? Cantankerous. Mean. Isolated and taking it out on the
world. Rarely good. But Jesus’ way of being Salty is so different. He said… “For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can
you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.” Friends, when it comes to seasoning with salt, you have to do it just right. Too much is
horrible. Too little and it will not serve its purpose. Just wants us Salty, to his taste. Well preserved, enough to last the time we are needed. No more. No less. Just right. As I walked across Spain I saw something so different from what we are used to. In EVERY
supermarket, in many restaurants and bars, sitting out was a pig's leg. It was on a stand.
Hoof still on it. Hair still on it. Hoof to hip bone on full display. Iberian ham, an
unbelievably good treat. It is so perfectly preserved that there is no need for refrigeration,
maybe some Saran wrap to keep the flies off, but other than that they are perfectly prepared
for being out. And then with razor sharp knives, the ham is sliced so thin that you can see
the light come through. For breakfast I was repeatedly given two or three slices on my bread,
about the same area as a slice of our bacon, but the flavor explosion of these “wafer-thin”
[French accent] slices, that was all that was needed. That is the type of seasoning with fire I
am talking about, what I think Jesus is talking about. Seasoned so that I can go the distance. Iberian ham is so perfectly done that it can handle anything. And that is what Jesus wants
for and from us. The Shakers pulled away from the world to avoid sin. The loud shouters
want to chop off hands and legs and pluck out others' eyes to make the world less sinful.
But Jesus wants us to let him season us to be ready for whatever comes our way. In God’s
abundance, we have and will have what we need. For our needs and the tasks at hand. This way, we can fulfill the command that Jesus gave his surprised disciples and to us. “Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.” That’s it, brothers and sisters. Let Jesus season you, and show it by the peace you show each
other. Look for that these days, especially these divisive days. There are those who are with
us, working for the good of the world, doing amazing things we know nothing about. But
they are still on our team and doing good, great things. And there are those who claim to be
with us who by their actions show they are not. Love them, too. Care for them, too. Show
them an alternate way. And if they turn on you, turn the other cheek and walk the extra
mile. You are being seasoned for whatever may come. And that is why we can sing… When true simplicity is gained, To bow and to bend we shan't be ashamed; to turn, turn, will be my delight. Till by turning, turning we come round right. Amen.
