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    Jun 07, 2015

    Hmmmm, Is He Nuts?

    Passage: Mark 3:20-35

    Category: Faith

    Keywords: dissonance, faith, risk

    Just as dissonance in music often adds depth and complexity, truly following God’s call as a disciple may involve risking dissonance in relationships.

    I don’t remember ever before noticing the difference in how Mark tells this story from the way Matthew and Luke tell this story.  In Matthew and Luke there is no hint of why Jesus’ family comes to get him.  In Mark, they are clearly concerned about his mental health and weird behavior.  Just imagine yourself in their sandals for a moment. 

    I remember being told once by a well-meaning person, that her pastor had gone off on retreat and came back nuts.  His theology and preaching style changed.  I wonder if that’s how Jesus’ family was feeling?  I wonder if they were concerned because, even then, they sensed that his newfangled preaching was going to rock the boat and put him in danger?

    Honestly, I would have chosen another text from this week’s lectionary if it weren’t for a blog I read as I prepared for preaching this week.  It’s by a theology professor, Bruce Epperly, who said that this passage did not excite his homiletic imagination but then went on to consider harmony and dissonance and what that says about our faith.  That caught my homiletic imagination!

    At my brother-in-law’s memorial service, the church choir sang several beautiful pieces.  Among them was a piece that my sister had brought to them.  It was from a musical called The Apostle which tells the story of Paul’s ministry through song and narration.  I directed that musical before Erin was born and it became a favorite of my choirs and my family. 

    One piece the choir sang at Glen’s service is called Love and it is a musical version of 1 Corinthians 13.  One of the things I love about this piece is its dissonance.  Of course “sweet” harmonies are pleasing to the ear, but without dissonance music can become syrupy or trite.  Dissonance can paint a tonal picture that reaches into our hearts and souls very differently from the way sweet harmonies do.

    I would call those harmonies “lush.”  They give the text meaning and make my ears take notice.  The harmonies, while somewhat discordant, add interest and beauty.  I love The Gift of Love that is essentially the same song – it’s in our hymnal set to a sweetly harmonious folk tune.  But this version digs deeper musically.

    Here is Jesus, following God’s call in his life – risking everything, including the safety of his family’s love and devotion and maybe even respect to do what God is calling him to do.  Not to mention the wrath of the religious authorities!  Is he nuts?  Can’t you just hear the dissonant soundtrack that would go with this story?

    Imagine Jesus doing that today.  Imagine how he would be judged by society at large – judged even by us in the church!?!  Epperly went on his blog, Living a Holy Adventure, to say that many people, including Christians, today are at least suspicious of those who “sacrifice everything for God.”  Epperly said: 

    “What would you risk for following Jesus?  Is there any distance between the fruits of your faith and the socially-accepted values of American society?”  The implication of the Markan passage is that if there is no dissonance brought on by your faith, your faith is too lukewarm![1]

    The dissonance that paints meaning musically in the piece we just heard just might be illustrative of the dissonance created when the People of God seek to witness for wholeness for all of creation, for peace and justice in our world.  Ministry with the poor and the outcast is not always popular.  It is not always in harmony with those who feel threatened by people who are not like them.  Ministries of this kind are often risky.  Maybe even personally risky.

    I want to thank you as a congregation for your recent risky ministry.  When a neighbor needed a place to live in his truck for a couple of weeks, many of you treated that neighbor with kindness and respect, understanding his need to stay on our parking lot for a while.  As far as I know, none of you announced that your pastor was nuts.  Rather, several folks chatted with him and shared food with him.

    Recently, I’ve been praying about what our next steps need to be as a congregation.  We can (and will!) continue to have beautiful worship services with music that makes us feel happy and brings us into God’s presence.  We can continue to share what we have with others who need it – which makes us feel good.  We can continue to enjoy a wonderful facility for all kinds of activities which serves us as well as many in our community.  It would be fairly easy to maintain all of that and keep it going – even going to the next level.

    The question that keeps coming up is:  but what are we willing to risk for God?  It may put us in a place of dissonance – with ourselves or with the world around us.  It may lead to a place of chaos or uncertainty for awhile.  It may be something that makes us uncomfortable or challenges us because we don’t know how to do it.  Risky.  Isn’t that the challenge? 

    In today’s passage, Jesus’ sanity is questioned, and people in the crowd wonder aloud if he is Satan.  In a teachable moment, Jesus addresses all of that by saying he is about his Father’s business – he’s risking it all to do what God has sent him to do – risking even his life.

    [1] Bruce Epperly, Living a Holy Adventure, a blog found on Patheos at http://goo.gl/wgVroR