June 28 2015 Heal the Lambs, Feast on Love

June 28, 2015“Heal the Lambs, Feast on Love” Mark 5.21-43 Pastor Jacqueline Hines

A great crowd gathered around Jesus. [ slide # 1 crowd around Jesus  ]  He was the talk of the town. They gathered around him like those who gather around the 6 o’clock news to see what in the world is going to happen next. [slide #2 news desk   ]

Breaking news from Mark 5 verse 35. Bad news  - a 12 year old has been declared dead at the scene in Northern Palestine. She was the daughter of a prominent leader. Stay tuned for the latest details.

By the time most heard the news, the cameras were rolling, family members could be seen crying and consoling one another. The scriptures say they were wailing loudly. Some cultures have reputations for being louder than others. Every culture is louder at some times more than others.

The Middle East during Jesus’ time hired mourners to make a loud and respectable display to honor the deceased. That way a great impression would be made in the minds of the public. It would in some way reflect the great love they had for their loved one. Hired mourners, of course, were like hired musicians and hired actors. They were very important, even necessary in helping the entire community have an experience that was meaningful and memorable when someone died.

Jesus entered the house of the little girl, but he did not come to express sympathy. Instead he told the crowd that the girl was not dead. She was sleeping. [  slide # 3 sleeping girl ]  A few folks in the corner could be heard sucking their teeth, grunting, and rolling their eyes in derision, mockery, and scorn. “There he is again, talking that spiritual talk. Somebody tell him that we have no interest in that foolishness?”[slide # 4 contempt face ]

Even today, the world sees our spiritual talk as foolishness. The last few weeks have been unbelievably difficult for our nation. It seems like a lot of foolishness. From around the globe, people can be seen consoling one another, crying, and wailing loudly, for the massacre in Charleston and so many other situations. Just when we thought we were making strides toward justice and peace - our hope seem to die again.

But, in every circumstance Jesus shows up to say, ‘Hope is not dead, it is just asleep.’  [ slide # 5 hope is not dead ]

When I first arrived in Bethel I had the greatest welcome in town. The café and the congregation was filled to overflowing with well-wishers and cookies, cakes, and quiche. It felt good. A few years later, the welcome is still wonderful and my family members and guests have commented on many, many occasions that they can tell that Bethel Church sincerely loves their pastor. That is a wonderful thing to say about a church. [slide # 6 I love my pastor ] 

We can appreciate what one young white man said about Charleston, the city where he lives. He said that the murderer who killed 9 people in church because he wanted to start a race riot, picked the wrong city.

The murderer chose Charleston precisely because there were no skinheads or others doing dastardly deeds of hate that needed to be done if blacks were to be kept in their place – under the control of whites. There was just some white supremacist talk on the internet. Nobody was actually beating people up, killing them, making sure they were not sitting in the front of the bus, or holding any positions of authority over whites, or being made to feel invisible, unimportant and unworthy.

If you have ever been to a United Methodist anti-racism workshop, Commission on the Status and Role of Women event, or an SPRC training for cross-racial appointments, you understood the isms to be defined as prejudice plus power.     [ slide # 7 prejudice plus power] If we simply believe we are more valuable than other people, then our belief can be defined as a prejudice. But, if we use our power to mistreat someone based on our prejudice, then that act is an act of racism.  

It takes a huge amount of support day after day and year after year to commit any evil. Evil needs a whole lot of individuals to accomplish anything. Think about ALL the effort it took to help two New York murderers escape from prison, by putting tools in hamburger meat [ slide # 8 burger] or to cover up sexual misconduct [ slide # 9 red headed Sandusky victim ]and domestic abuse in the church or among athletes.  [slide # 10 Ray Rice and fiancé]

It takes a village to grow wickedness, to be the right city or church, or family where evil is accepted and tolerated. It only takes a spark to get the evil going. And soon all those around can warm up to its glowing. Just like it is with God’s love.  Once you’ve accepted hate. You want to spread that hate to everyone. You want to pass it on.

It is not easy to be the church that can resist evil in all its various forms. Some days are harder than others. Every day is a day when we are tested to the limit to put our faith in love versus hate, prejudice without power, and to resist the violence of silence.   [slide # 11 silence – war crime]

When the isms call on Bethel we want to be able to say with confidence and evidence, “You have the wrong church.” We want every decision we make show the children and show the world that hope is not dead, even though it may have been asleep at one time.

Verse 41 of Mark’s gospel says that Jesus took the little girl that seemed to be dead by the hand and said to her, ‘Talitha cum’, which means, ‘Little girl, get up!’ 42And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age). [ slide # 12 little girl getting up ] Jesus instructed someone to give her something to eat.

Surely, we will be able to hear our Lord’s voice each time we are called to get up, stand up, and speak up in ways that let hate know, “Our hope in justice is not dead. You have the wrong church. Love is very much alive. As we feast on love, all God’s lambs experience healing in one way or another to one degree or another.  [slide # 13 black and white lambs]. “  Let the healing begin with us. Amen. [slide # 14 keep love alive]