Give It Up - Life

March 1 “Give It Up  – Life” Mark 8.31-38 Pastor Jacqueline Hines

Our faith is all about life, not only life, but as Jesus says : “abundant life. Jesus said, “ I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” If we ‘seek first God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness, all we need will be ours.’    "Give, and it will be given to you, scriptures tell us, and it will be poured into our lap a good measure --pressed down, [#1 cup of flour]--shaken together, and running over [#2 overflowing cup].

Our faith is all about life, full life, wonderful life, beautiful life, vibrant life. That is what we aim for. That is what pleases God: life. It is God’s will that we have life.

We do know that life does include some trying and even bitter moments that are not a part of the life in which God ultimately calls us to enjoy and participate. Even though death and destruction come our way, God’s plan and God’s purpose for all of us is still abundant life. [#3 water flowing in hands]

When evil and destruction came as it did for Jesus, his goal was life. All his efforts were toward bringing life. He even died to bring life. He sacrificed for the sake of life. He faced the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and would not turn back until it was time. He gave his all for life. [#4 Cross]

Without our dedication to a Godly life, we risk death when God plans life. Just think about what happens to the lives of those who do not fight Isis. Isis takes over. [# 5 Isis soldiers] You have heard the news of three British high school teenagers who ran away from home to join Isis. They may be trying to join their girlfriend who left weeks earlier. Experts suggest that the need for jobs and a sense of purpose drives youth to run to gangs such as Isis. Whatever happens, we know God is stronger than Isis!

Life is serious business! The price of being indifferent, nonchalant, or fearful is very, very high. A youth named *Hallad ran away from home and joined the Isis child army when he was fifteen years old because he did not feel protected by his own government. His neighborhood was violently attacked. Hallad felt loyal to Isis when they provided much needed food and medicine. Hallad saw propaganda videos of children learning to shoot guns. Isis taught him to love Isis and hate their enemies, instead of love your enemies like Jesus taught. Then they put him in combat.

When young Hallad was shot, he was traumatized and escaped the Isis army. He now lives in hiding in a cheap hotel in Turkey. He began to tell a news reporter of the day his mother finally found him. “What did your mother say to you?” the reporter asked. “She told me to take care of myself.” Hallad began to cry and did not finish his story. We can only imagine the sad ending.

Sad endings are not part of the life we want for our children, nor is it what God intends. As Christians, we know that God intends the Kingdom life – joy, peace, and right living in whatever circumstances we find ourselves. Whoever we are, when we keep our eyes on God, we find that kin-dom life and that life finds us.

At times, Christians come to me and share that they are no longer Christians because someone in the church has upset them,[# 6 upset child] made them cry, made them angry, wounded their heart, or broke their spirit. They came to the point where they just could not take anymore. It became “too much” and they chose to let go. It was more than they could manage emotionally and spiritually so they disengaged

We need to know that the Lord has an army to help us fight what terrorizes us, so we do not have to live in fear and disappointment. [# 7 soldier at the cross]The Lord gives the body of Christ weapons [# 8 weapon bible] that can defeat the enemy wherever the enemy seeks to take the life God has given us. If we give the enemy a foothold, the fight may take more than one generation.

Today, we need a church where the army of the Lord is just like the United States Army. They may not always be visible, but they are always present. The army of the Lord is training and being deployed constantly. If you are a soldier in the army of the Lord, you have taken an oath and taken up the cross and you are willing to sacrifice all for the sake of protecting life. If you are a worshipper, you may very well be part of the army of the Lord, around the world, protecting precious children through your prayers and defending spiritual communities with good deeds. You have spiritual authority to arrest demons and carry out peace-keeping missions. You have what it takes to respond to a crisis. You have looked with kindness in the faces of those who suffer.

In our text from the gospel of Mark today, Jesus says that as the son of man – emphasizing his humanity though he was clearly divine –  he “must undergo great suffering.” Like Jesus, sometimes we know we are headed for a season of suffering. Like Jesus, we are aware when trouble is on the horizon. It may be for a day or a lifetime. We know, and we are ready. Like Jesus, our death may not at all be a surprise to us. Whether our death is a death by a cross, a creep, or a crisis, we know and we are ready.

Jesus’ right hand man, Peter, was trying to keep Jesus alive, eliminating all suffering and struggle. Peter, like most of us, was trying to hold on to life as he knew it. He wanted an abundant life on his terms, like most of us do. Jesus knew, however, that there are days that a good life may have to be sacrificed for a better life. There are those days when what we desperately need is not found in our physical circumstances, but is found only in the divine depths of prayer, while practicing spiritual disciplines and communing with the people of God.

The Lenten season brings seasons of suffering in full focus [# 9 camera]. The Lenten season prepares us. It toughens us up through repentance and confession [#10 confession ]. Lent shields us by giving us much to celebrate and sing about [# 11 child rejoicing]. Lent shelters us by baptizing us, [# 12 baptism ] inundating us, dunking us again and again in the Holiest of spirits as we are fasting and praying and giving and reading God’s word every day.  [# 13 child reading bible]

Like Jesus, we have to speak to all those voices that say, “Whatever you do, avoid suffering. Whatever you do, take the easy way out. Whatever you do, don’t die.” We hear Jesus speaking to those voices in verse 33, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” [# 14  ….not on divine things…]

Indeed God has much for us that is utterly divine, even better than material life. We hear that in the song lyrics inspired by Psalm 63, “Your lovingkindness is better than life. My lips will praise you. Thus, will I bless you. Your lovingkindness is better than life.”

Some days we see only a glimpse of the life God promises us. Nevertheless, as Monday’s Our Daily Bread devotional guide reminded us, Spiritual reality is like the invisible microbes on our hands. They outnumber all the people on the earth. Millions of these microbes can fit in the tiny eye of a needle. We do not see them, but they live in our air, in the soil, in our water, and on our bodies. We cannot see all there is in the spiritual world.

We trust God and believe in great wonders even though we cannot see them. We get a glimpse of God’s glory when we see of a newborn baby, or a rainbow, or feel the hope and joy that suddenly floods our soul when the choir sings, the word is preached, or we hear the inspiring testimonies of those who have tasted and seen for themselves that the Lord is good.

In this season of Lent we can hear Jesus speaking to us from verse 34 in today’s gospel of Mark ‘if any want to become my followers, deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me.’[ # 15 take up your cross]  In every cross we are called to carry, we have hope, for in the cross there is a life worth living, and there is a resurrection up ahead. So we can sing confidently with the songwriter:

Must Jesus bear the cross alone,

And all the world go free?

No, there’s a cross for everyone,

And there’s a cross for me.

How happy are the saints above,

Who once went sorr’wing here!

But now they taste unmingled love,

And joy without a tear.

The consecrated cross I’ll bear

Till death shall set me free;

And then go home my crown to wear,

For there’s a crown for me.

Today, and every day, let us choose life. [# 16 running with joy ]Like Jesus, let us live as if we know that love is something to die for, and let us die as if we have glimpsed the abundant life our loving God has for all God’s children. Amen.

*Morning Joe 2/23/15