Job 1:1, 2:1-10
Psalm 26
Hebrews 1:1-1, 2:5-12
Mark 10:2-16
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Amen
The Christian Century Magazine recently ran a cover story called “The Gospel in Seven Words.”[1] The magazine recalls a story from Will Campbell’s autobiography “Brother to a Dragonfly.” In this part of Campbell ’s story, his friend P. D. East badgers him for a succinct definition of Christianity. East did not want a long or fancy explanation. “I’m not too bright,” he told Campbell . “Keep it simple. In ten words or less, what’s the Christian message?”
It’s a wild gospel, “We’re all bastards but God loves us anyway.” I guess the first question that comes to a more reserved mind is what did Campbell mean using “The ‘B’ Word”? I ask because he could have meant we are the illegitimate children of creation. He could have meant we are a wicked, spiteful sort compared to the glorious perfection of our creator and our Lord. He could have meant to use it to capture the attention of the listener, then the reader, and now you today. Any or none of these may be right.
Whatever the reason, the magazine suggests Campbell begins with the bad news that we are who we are, because without the bad news there is no longing for the good news. The good news is that God is who God is, the lover of all sinful humanity.
The Christian Century asked several authors and theologians to contribute their version of the seven word gospel. Some examples include:
Christian Century Contributing Editor Martin E. Marty contributed “God, through Jesus Christ, welcomes you anyhow.” He says the “anyhow” hints at the mercy in God’s welcome.
Donald W. Shriver makes a similar move with “Divinely persistent, God really loves us.”
Beverly Roberts Gaventa goes the same direction saying “In Christ, God’s yes defeats our no.”
The human tendency to mess things up and long for another chance is essential, if unspoken, in Mary Karr’s “We are the Church of Infinite Chances
M. Craig Barnes boils it down to four words: “We live by grace.”[2]
The “Letters to the Editor” section of the magazine and the comments section to the internet article brought a fruitful harvest of examples[3] including:
“Love God. Love your neighbor as yourself.” and the similar, “Love one another as I loved you.”
“God loves the whole world... No exceptions!”
One reader took advantage of punctuation to give himself more words writing, “All things (heaven/earth) reconciled in Christ.”
One reader uses his words not only to affirm God’s purpose, but to affirm our missional purpose in God’s vocation, “You are Love. Act like it.”
Something else I like about this one is that it points out the difference between the way it is and the way it’s meant to be. Our Gospel reading leads us into a conflict between the Law of Moses and the Way of God. So we start with a question that seems straightforward and is anything but; the Pharisees ask “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?”
Asking this question, the Pharisees tried to draw Jesus into their argument between rabbinical schools of thought. Evidently, controversy over divorce is as old as marriage itself.
At this time in Ancient Israel, there were three different rabbinical schools of thought about divorce. The position taken by the Shammai School was very strict, while a more lenient stance taken by the Hillel School Aqiba School
If Jesus takes one position over the others, then the uproar begins. Sit on the fence and everybody gets upset. The trap has been laid and it’s the ultimate no-win situation. Gloriously, Jesus knows the game they play and he knows the truth is the only way to answer their question.
They ask “Is it lawful?” Jesus asks them back, “Well, what did Moses command you?”
Willing to answer their own questions, the Pharisees say “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her.” With just a word from Moses, the woman is eligible for a pink slip. I imagine one group of rabbis were happy to hear this. I am just as sure that those who sided against the others were dismayed, ready to make their point before the Lord.
But Jesus will have nothing to do with their arguments over the Law of Moses. Jesus, the Word Incarnate, turns away from interpretation and shares the Living Word with all who will listen. Jesus reminds them all the reason Moses said what he did was not because of marriage, but because of the people who married. Moses said a man can write a certificate of dismissal not because marriage is hard, but because people become hard.
This word, hard, has a specific meaning for the Rabbis and the Pharisees; it doesn’t describe something hard like a rock or difficult like ruling the people or perilous like crossing the desert. In this case, Jesus meant that the people of God were as stubborn and unyielding as they were when Moses used this word in Deuteronomy 10:16 summing up the essence of the Law saying to the people “Circumcise, then, the foreskin of your heart, and do not be stubborn any longer.”[5]
In this passage Jesus stands for what God wants. Jesus stands for the better way. Jesus stands up for people who are married more than he stands up for marriage. He stands for people sharing life together in the love of God rather than institutional wedlock. He stands for grace and love over law and certificates of dismissal. Jesus stands up for loving and caring relationships, not legal documents that either bind or unbind a couple.
Yes, the Law allows divorce; and Jesus doesn’t stand for the wayit is but for the way it’s meant to be, something better, a life worth living.
A life constrained by legal bonds and contracts is hardly a life worth living. Life isn’t meant to be lived in court; it is meant to be lived in the unconditional love of God. A love we are given not despite who we are—not despite the fact that there is divorce and remorse—but because of who we are—because we are the children of God. It is as the children of God that we live life the way it’s meant to be.
Jesus knows that this connection, this untainted love, is best shown by children; children who do not know what we grown-ups horribly call real life. Children, who in the best of circumstances, can’t imagine shattered relationships. Children who inherently trust; trusting and loving so graciously that Jesus says the kingdom of God kingdom of God
We live in a complicated world, and it just keeps getting more complicated everyday. The things that don’t get more complicated get bigger and faster. If I told you that it is easy to live in our world like children you would probably laugh and rightfully so. Yet no matter how hard it is by any definition of hard, God gives us what we need to live the way it’s meant to be.
About twenty-five years ago a nationwide poll asked, “What word or phrase would you most like to hear uttered to you, sincerely?” The most frequent thing the respondents wanted to hear was “I love you.” The second is as glorious as the first, “You are forgiven.” The third seems different from the others. It’s “Supper is ready.”[6]
Today, in worship, we hear all of these things. Today, the Lord our God tells us these things. Today we have heard God’s love, and we respond to God’s love sharing God’s peace and love with one another. We have confessed our sins against God and against one another and have heard “Christ who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one origin. In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.”[7] Soon we will hear the words of invitation to the table, the call that supper is ready as we celebrate the sacrament of Holy Communion, the Lord’s Supper.
By the grace of God we are given what we need to live God blessed lives, lives worthy of the kingdom of heaven, and the hard cold world we see all around us. We are given the blessings of God’s love, God’s forgiveness, and God’s nourishment. We have received love and grace, plate and cup; and we have received them from Jesus.
We are called to come together and revel in God’s grace, and hope. We are called to come together and share. When we ask what we have to give one another, we can only give from what we receive. We must learn the songs of God in our own lives so that we may sing aloud our song of thanksgiving, recounting God’s wonderful deeds.
We are called to share what we are given with the world. We can spend all the time we want lamenting what we don’t have with one another because we live in a world where the Word does not fully live, not right now. But we must be willing to share what is here already, and in Christ we have everything that’s worth sharing.
By this, we share the gospel. By this, we build relationships. On this World Communion Sunday, we join with Christians around the world and celebrate what brings us together instead of what tears us apart. And today, to nourish all creation for this task, we are fed by the sacrament.
You might be wondering what P. D. East thought of Will Campbell’s response to his request for ten words. East replied, “If you want to try again, you have two words left.” I wonder what the gospel in seven words looks like to us. Let this be a great point of discussion about who we are and whose we are and who we are called to become. Share it together at lunch! Or go on-line and share! Go ahead and post it to my facebook page once I get this sermon uploaded.
Finally, let me offer my seven words: “God loves, forgives, and redeems. Supper’s ready.”
If I say “Amen” would say that’s eight words. Oh well, supper’s ready, come and get it! Amen.
[1] http://www.christiancentury.org/article/2012-08/gospel-seven-words
[2] These examples are only vaguely edited from the Christian Century article. It’s really very interesting, you should look it up.
[3] http://www.christiancentury.org/blogs/archive/2011-10/whats-gospel-seven-words
[4] Williams, Lamar, Jr. Mark, Interpretation, A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching. Louisville , KY
[5] Ibid.
[6] http://www.homileticsonline.com/subscriber/illustration_search.asp?item_topic_id=1193, With thanks to James A. Harnish, "Walking With Jesus: Forgiveness," Tampa , Fla.
[7] Kirk, James G. “When We Gather, A Book of Prayers for Worship.” Louisville , KY
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