Today’s Scripture

Psalm 142       Genesis 41:14-32        Mark 10:32-45

 

            In our daily readings, “Together in the Word,” we have seen certain patterns God has established with his people beginning in Genesis.  Chapter 4 ends with these words, “At that time men began to call on the name of the LORD.”  Abraham “called on the name of the Lord” in chapters 12, 13, and 21.  In that last reference God is clarified, “The Almighty God,” [21:33].  Isaac also called on the name of the Lord [26:25].  As we did oday, we begin so many of our services and so many of you begin a prayer or daily devotion calling on the name of the Lord, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  There is but one true God as he has revealed himself to us in Scriptures.  Calling on him is the way to salvation as Peter proclaimed on Pentecost [Acts 2:21] and Paul wrote to the Romans [10:13], “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”  That is what the Christian creeds, Apostles’, Nicene, and Athanasian all proclaim, salvation as we call on the one true God, the Triune God.  That is why we gather regularly in worship, to call on God.  That is one of the phrases in our prayers, “Lord have mercy.”  That is what joins Christians everywhere together in Christ’s body, the church.  We are one in faith as we “call on the name of the Lord.”  There is no other way of salvation.

 

            Another pattern God established early is his peoples’ response to him.  In Genesis 4 is the example of Cain and Abel’s sacrifices.  The sacrifice pleasing to the Lord was Abel’s which was “…fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering,” Cain just brought something.  Abel brought his best. There was no church building to maintain.  There was no Sunday School or pastor or teacher in the day school to support.  Abel gave his best first to the glory of God, thanking and trusting God in all things.

 

            Reading of Noah and the flood we noticed that in addition to a pair of every kind of land animal and bird, there were seven of all “clean” animals.  These were offered as a sacrifice as Noah and his family departed from the ark.  They didn’t give up a lowly snake because it didn’t matter.  They offered from the best animals God had entrusted them. 

 

            Abraham gave to the priest Melchizedek a tenth of the plunder from his victory over the kings of Sodom.  He did this even before he returned to his home after that battle.  Melchizedek is the Old Testament priest that there is a comparison with Jesus in Hebrews.  After his vision of the angels on the stairway to heaven and God’s promise to him, Jacob pledged to God “a tenth” of all that God would give him [Genesis 28:22].  Again, there were no floors to clean or buildings to maintain, but giving first of all to God and to the glory of God in thanksgiving for his faithfulness.

 

            Two things; calling on the name of the Lord and first fruits pledging and giving a tithe are all established as God’s people respond to him in response and recognition for his love to his people.  We are God’s people   Do we call on the name of the Lord?  Do we respond to him lovingly and graciously giving to him from our best as he has given all of his best, all of creation, his one and only son, and all of his heavenly kingdom forever?

 

            Following up on those two points from our Old Testament readings, in today’s Gospel we see the disciples showing their human tendencies that are just like ours today.  With James and John requesting their positions in the coming kingdom they are asking for things on their terms and their understanding of earthly kingdoms and missing the point of what Jesus had just told them, his upcoming suffering, death and resurrection.  Here God is telling them how he is going to sacrifice not just a tenth, but all of his son for James, John, and all people. 

 

            We can easily see how these two disciples can think this way.  James and John are two of the three that Jesus takes with him apart from the rest of the disciples on different occasions to miraculous healings, the transfiguration and later into the deepest section of Gethsemane.  John is known as the disciple Jesus “loved.” 

 

            These two brothers are also no strangers to being bold.  Jesus affectionately called them, “Boanerges”  which means, “Sons of Wrath/Thunder.”  The name denotes a fiery and destructive zeal that may be likened to a thunder storm.  We see this boldness in them after the ascension.  James joins Peter boldly proclaiming the resurrected Jesus in the temple courts and in front of the temple leaders.  James is targeted by Herod, probably because of his visible leadership in the early church, and is the first of the disciples to be martyred.  It is noted that his death pleased the (unbelieving) Jews.  In his later years John is exiled to Patmos for boldly preaching the resurrected Christ.  God gave these two brothers this boldness they exhibit today.  One purpose was to bring them to know what his plan for salvation is, calling on his name and his salvation through Jesus.  The second purpose is their ongoing witness of this plan of salvation so that others would believe and be saved with them.

 

            James and John are bold to ask Jesus to sit at his right and left hand in the coming kingdom.  Jesus in turn is bold to ask if they are ready to give of themselves as he is about to do.  The other disciples are bold to ask each other about how bold James and John are as there is a little jealousy there too.  Jesus is again bold to tell all of them, and all of us today, that we are not here to be served and that includes serving ourselves only, but to serve.

 

            Serving as Jesus commands is something we struggle with as a congregation.  Are we serving just for ourselves as James and John were asking to serve?  Or are we serving as sacrifice in living and proclaiming the Gospel as Jesus is speaking to do?  Do we concern Immanuel’s mission and ministry as long as it does not involve individual serving beyond an immediate comfort zone?  Do we concern Immanuel’s mission and ministry as long as it does not involve the congregation serving beyond an immediate comfort zone? 

 

            When Jesus “took up the cross,” he gave up everything.  When any one of us takes up the cross, is it really a sacrifice from a convenient life or a convenient gift of the moment.  Is it a giving the first fruits, the first tenth whether it be the checkbook or the calendar and ability?  When an infant cries out at baptism I sometimes comment to all of us, “It hurts to give up all of that sin.”  As we are like James and John in today’s reading, it hurts to change our thinking to Jesus’ words to us, to sacrifice as Abel did, to give a tenth as Abraham and Jacob did.  But it is all because God loves you and invites you to boldly and confidently call on his name as he bids us to pray, “Our father in heaven.”  He invites to you boldly call upon him in the day of trouble as he will deliver you [Psalms 50 and 86].  He calls on each to boldly confess, “Against you and you alone have I sinned,” as David gives us that example.

 

            In Psalm 142, David is hiding from Saul and is fearful for his life and the lives of his companions.  He is bold to cry out to God to preserve him and to overcome his enemies.  David is bold to ask knowing that Saul was originally placed as king by God.  David was bold to ask knowing that he now was anointed by Samuel yet does not want any harm to come upon Saul.

 

            Pharaoh was bold to ask a lowly foreign slave and prisoner, Jopseph, to interpret his dreams.  Even though his own advisors could not help him, who would give credit to this foreign guy in the dungeons?  Pharaoh was again bold to ask and appoint this Hebrew (which means wanderer) to be the Prime Minister of his kingdom in all things.  Joseph was bold to state that it is God’s interpretation, not his.  God was not one of Pharaoh’s or the Egyptian gods.  Joseph, even with all of the things he had gone through, was still bold to ask God to deliver not just to him, but these foreign and heathen people he was assigned to.  God wants all good things for all of his people, including the Gospel, his saving grace in Jesus Christ who died not just for some, but for all.

 

            Bold to ask.  Yes, we are bold to ask as we pray, “Lord, have mercy.”  Yes, we are bold to ask as we pray, calling on the name of the Lord, Father, Son and Holy Spirit who live and reign together.  Yes, we are bold to ask we give thanks for the blessings God gives and ask for yet another anniversary, another birthday, another child to be born.  Yes, we are bold to ask for relief from the misfortunes of health, jobs, relationships, financial security, natural and manmade disasters, wars, for loved ones and those we do not know. 

 

            God wants to hear you call on his name.  God wants you to be bold to ask.  God wants you to know your sins, the magnitude they are, and to know his love, the magnitude it is, to boldly confess those sins and boldly ask his forgiveness, and to joyfully respond to him for his promises and gift of love as Joseph, David, the disciples, and so many others who have taken up the cross, trusting in his love in Jesus Christ not just for today, but for all eternity.

            In Jesus’ undying love.           Amen.