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Cages and an Etch-a-Sketch

By Vicar Lisa Rygiel

As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.

That evening, at sunset, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed by demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door. And he cured many who were sick with various diseases and cast out many demons, and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him. - Mark 1

The following is an excerpt from Nadia Boltz-Weber’s July 13’s blog, The Corners and it was one of her prison sermons regarding the passage above.

Years ago, there was an episode of The Simpsons where Homer tries to say something theological, and I’ve always loved it. They are standing around looking at a huge church when he says, Well, I may not know much about God, but I have to say we built a pretty nice cage for Him.

Anyhow, our reading for today starts exactly 26 verses into the book of Mark.

Here’s a little re-cap to catch you up to speed on what’s happened in the previous 25 verses of this Gospel.

It starts with the words, The Beginning of the Good news of Jesus Christ.

Then John the Baptist appears in the wilderness with his questionable wardrobe and dietary choices and baptizes Jesus. Then the heavens torn open and God says, "This is my beloved." For which Jesus is rewarded with 40 days in the wilderness with the wild beasts and angels.

Repent and believe the good news of the kingdom.

On his way to Capernaum, he picks up some smelly fishermen.

Then on the Sabbath he’s teaching in the synagogue – and everyone’s like “wow. That Jesus isn’t totally full of it like the other guys”.

Finally, he casts out an unclean spirit after commanding it to shut up.

And that’s pretty much where we pick up the story today.

As soon as they leave the Synagogue, they entered Simon’s house and Simon’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with a fever. Jesus came and took her by the hand, lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.

For the record: My first reaction to a bunch of young men showing up at the house of one of their mamas who, by the way, is sick, then healing her so that she gets up and “serves them”, was like isn’t that typical - rather than scrounging around for themselves they heal the Woman Of The House so she can make them a snack.

So don’t feel bad if that’s how you heard this story too.

But I started to see the healing of Simon’s mother-in-law story differently after sitting with it awhile.

It’s true that Mark doesn’t tell us her name so let’s just agree to make one up for her, so she has an identity other than mother-in-law. We’re going to call her Betty.

See, I don’t actually think Jesus healed Betty so she could make them lunch. Because the thing is, for a male Jew in 1st century, it was considered taboo to even touch an unrelated woman. And it was considered ritually unclean to touch someone who was sick. And it was considered a religious violation to do any kind of work on the Sabbath.

So, I can’t imagine that Jesus would defile himself on so many levels just so he wouldn’t have to make his own sandwich.

I think this scene with Betty is a demonstration of what Jesus was talking about 11 verses earlier. See, just 11 verses earlier is the point in when Jesus speaks for the very first time in the Gospel of Mark - and his first words were the kingdom of God has come near – repent and believe the good news.

Listen up, friends. “The kingdom of God has come near – repent and believe the good news” is like Jesus is saying “No more cages for God and while I’m at it, no more cages for you either”.

Remember what a Etch-a-Sketch is? Now it seems like a Caveman’s iPad, but as kids it was cool. You know that toy with a screen that you can draw on by turning two knobs—one moves the line up and down, the other side to side. To erase the drawing, you just shake it.

Well, in Mark’s Gospel it’s like Jesus starts his ministry by trying to shake our religious Etch-a-Sketch. All those lines we draw between us and God, all those lines that we draw between us and other people and between others and God…. all the cages we construct through religion well…Jesus shows up and shakes everything up so that those lines disappear.

Of course, I have my hands on the knobs ready to keep drawing more lines, so you know…that keeps Jesus pretty busy.

The point is that Jesus starts his ministry by saying forget what you thought you knew because God is near in a whole new way - and then he goes on what is like the weirdest recruiting trip ever.

It kind of looked like this: Jesus starts by gathering up some rank fishermen and then he enters the synagogue with them where his next recruit is a demoniac – a dude with a demon. After which he makes sure he gets a sick old lady on board. Yeah, that’s Jesus’ dream team.

With most of the characters in scripture who only show up for a verse or two we never find out what really happens after they encounter Jesus, But that’s the cool thing about Betty, see…when Jesus reaches down and touches someone his culture had deemed unclean – when his hand touches a sick old lady - more than just a fever leaves her. The cages of culture and religion fall away and the world according to God bursts through. And the thing I love about Betty is that Betty knew exactly you do with hands which have received the healing touch of God…. Betty used those very same hands to serve. She immediately became an agent of what she had just received.

You may have heard the saying that hurt people hurt people. But what is also true is that healed people heal people. Not as an act of obligation, or law or social expectation but as an act of freedom. Which means the boundaries that Jesus transgresses allows the most unlikely and broken people to give what they have received. We see again and again Jesus literally touching the untouchable and giving them a whole new identity. It’s like he was deputizing them. Because Jesus was about more than just healing certain sick people…the gospel tells us that Jesus greatest desire was to restore all that has been broken. So, every person who Jesus healed was conscripted into the Kingdom of God so that they may go and do likewise.

This is why the next part of the text is so great. It says that evening they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons and then the next verse literally says this: the whole city was gathered around the door. THE WHOLE CITY.

Which means that there is no separate category of people called the sick and possessed. Jesus knew this. Some people just hide their sickness more than others and as human beings we prefer to have certain people be the identified problems so that we can look healthy or sane or good. But Jesus shook that Etch-a-Sketch.

When Betty sees a whole city’s worth of sick and demon possessed outside her door, I like to imagine her pushing up her sleeves and touching and healing and loving and speaking truth to all of them. She transmits what was given to her. She gets up and serves. She’s been deputized.

That’s the thing with the kingdom of God; there is no personal treasure to be had…there are only gifts to be shared. God’s desire for the healing of all creation was inaugurated in a world changing way in the life of Jesus and it continues through you. I’ve seen it in this place. I’ve seen healing happen through your hands on which still rest the waters of your baptism and the hands which, extend here at the Lord’s table, to receive Christ’s own body and blood. Your hands are what God has to work with here. Hands that, no matter what your story is, have as much to receive as they have to give. Just by merit of being here, you’ve been recruited into this beautiful, redemptive story of God’s love for all of humanity along with smelly fishermen, demoniacs and sick old ladies. We, every single one of us here today, we are part of Jesus’ Dream Team.

 

Because no matter what society says or the church says or prison culture says, there is no ranking system in God’s kingdom –no category of inmate worse than another, no gender or sexual identity worse than another. When here at new Beginnings we say all are welcome, that is what we mean. And just so you know, it is not as a result of our niceness, or our inclusive beliefs. It is a result of Jesus Christ. Everyone without exception is welcome here because Christ has a made it so.

In other words, the kingdom of God has indeed come near. So, rethink all the cages and believe the good news. Amen

July 20, the 6th Sunday After Pentecost
10 a.m. Sunday Worship with Communion

Announcements

  • Lutheran Disaster Relief: Give to Lutheran Disaster Relief to help alleviate the disaster from flooding in Texas. [URGENT] Support flood response and recovery in Texas
  • Fellowship: Join us after worship for coffee and conversation.
  • New Hymnals: Zion’s is adding the blue All Creation Sing hymnals to each pew. Thank you to all of the people who already have donated. If you would like to donate one of the new hymnals as well, please use the form available in the back of the Sanctuary or in the Fellowship Hall and place it and your donation in the offering plate, give it to Vicar Lisa, or mail it to Zion’s at 510 Pine Street, Trinidad. We will put a book plate inside the front cover of the new hymnal in recognition of your gift. The recommended donation of $20 per book is appreciated.
  • Five Loaves Assistance Needed: We will delivery lunches for our 5-Loaves food ministry on Saturday, July 26. Volunteers are needed to help with preparation beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, July 25, and to deliver meals starting at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 26. If you can help, please let Terri Watson or Norine Hazen know.
  • Flower Chart: The flower chart is posted on the door to the robing room in the back of the Sanctuary. A gift of $35 is suggested for flower donations.
  • Zion’s Garage Sale: This year’s annual garage sale will be from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 2. If you are able to help or to donate items to the sale, your generosity is appreciated. Donations can be brought for the sale beginning the week of July 20. While Zion’s can accept most items for the sale, we cannot accept electronic items of any kind, and we do not accept clothing.
  • Save the Dates:
    • Vicar Lisa’s installation will be at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 10.
    • God’s Work Our Hands Sunday, Sept. 7.

E-formation – 6th Sunday After Pentecost, July 20

In the gospel for this coming Sunday, Jesus is eating a meal at Martha’s home. You can think of our church as Martha’s home: come to worship, to join Mary in hearing the word and sharing a meal with sisters.

Luke 10:38-42

To sit at the feet of Jesus and receive the word of God is given now to us. Each Sunday we sit at table with Jesus along with Martha and Mary. Preachers are advised to avoid fantasizing about the relationship between the sisters, which disregards the point of the story.

Genesis 18:1-10a

The narrative of Abraham serving a meal to the three visitors, who are addressed as “my lord” and who then speak as one, is set next to Luke 10 because in both stories, God eats with the people and delivers a word of grace. Especially Orthodox Christians have used this story as their primary depiction of the Trinity, and in many Orthodox churches, there is an icon of this story over the great doors to the altar.

Colossians 1:15-28

This passage praises the Christ with whom the assembly now gathers at table. The guest and host of our meal is the embodied God, the creator, the reconciler, and the hope of future glory. Yet this one is the crucified Christ, for the firstborn of all creation is also the firstborn from the dead. This reading holds the divine Christ creating the universe next to Jesus eating at Martha’s table.

Zion's Lutheran Church

A Reconciling in Christ Community
zionsluth@gmail.com
719-846-7785