October 7 2018 Marriage Is A Mystery, Divorce is a Duh

October 7 2018 *Mark 10.2-16, Psalm 26 “Marriage is a Mystery, Divorce is a Duh” World Communion Sunday Pastor Jacqueline Hines

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How we all love wedding ceremonies. The bride is always beautiful, there is bound to be something in the service that touches our hearts, and the food is great, especially since we do not have to cook. [slide #  1 wedding feast tables] While the ceremony can bring lots of fun and laughter, the bible says marriage is a mystery. That is to say, since God created humans and God created marriage and since God Godself cannot be fully comprehended, God’s idea of marriage is a mystery in part. [ slide # 2 marriage / mystery]

Throughout the bible, another word for marriage is “covenant.” Covenant is the old fashioned word for what we call today, agreements, contracts, or promises. Most of the time, biblical covenants had more to do with securing the future of holy assets rather than, flower girls and ring bearers, or whatever cultural trappings were in vogue. [slide #  3 covenants…I will be..]

Covenants can be conditional agreements as when we set up an email, we agree not to abuse the privilege by engaging in illegal activity on the internet. Covenants can be temporary contracts as those made with a landscaping or cleaning service. Covenants can have contingencies created just in case something does not go as planned. It offers assurance to a party that wants to make sure they are covered financially or otherwise.

Covenants require responsibilities that when not carried through, may render the covenant null and void, or incur unpleasant penalties. Some covenants are deemed worthy of renewing and refining, updating and upscaling because their worth has not diminished, but rather has proven to be of continual benefit.

God loves to make covenants, for covenants whether they originate with kissy face puppy love or a board room business deal, our covenant is always about our love for God and for the humanity that God has created. For God, the most precious jewel and delight is God’s people - walking in holiness, living a lifestyle that breeds compassion, and justice, and mercy that fosters peace and love. God loves to make covenants. God loves to unite us and remind us with symbols of our journey together, whether it be a rainbow or a ring. [slide # 4 blessing of God’s covenant]

Scholars may have different opinions about the covenants in the bible. They usually agree on a few, such as the Edenic covenant in the garden of Eden where the serpent appeared as a symbol of the mastermind of temptation, and the Adamic covenant made when God promised Adam prosperity if he could resist crossing a certain boundary and eating of the symbolic tree of the knowledge of evil that leads to a curse, as well as good, that nurtures us for right living. There is the Noahic covenant when God promised Noah God would not destroy the earth with a flood again, and God sealed the promise with a brilliant rainbow.

The Abrahamic covenant was God’s unconditional promise to make Abraham a great nation and bless all those in his family tree, including Jesus who made the whole world a part of a blessed family, who were all to be symbolically circumcised in their hearts, at the very least.

Some recognize a Palestinian covenant in the bible that promises to scatter God’s people and take away their prominent places and power and give them to the Palestinians, symbolic name for all those who could care less about the ways of God. Palestinians were chosen since God’s own people were not willing to unite and work together to fulfill God’s plan.

The Mosaic covenant left Moses with the Ten Commandments, a symbol of the choice to submit and obey or resist until ruined.

Then there is the Davidic covenant between the shepherd king and military officer David whose enemies God promised to subdue if he would only be guided by the symbolic staff and rod that God provided to comfort him in every journey and every battle.

Finally, there is the New covenant. The symbols of the bread and wine remind us of Jesus’ sacrifice and our own sacrifices to serve whom our [slide # 5 Rev. Dawn Taylor-Storm]   district superintendent Dawn Taylor Storm called during Tuesday’s Charge Conference, our Living God, [slide # 6 living God] by whom we live and breathe and have our being. The New Covenant is a renewal of God’s promise to forgive our sins and to place a steady stream of the power and truth of God’s love in our hearts as we put our faith in Jesus. [slide # 7  many covenants]

As Christians, we very much appreciate being in Covenant with God’s love that will not let us go. We want, as the songwriter says, to rest our weary souls in that love and to give back our lives that we owe to that love, so that its loving depths, as deep as the ocean would even be richer and fuller as we pour our love back toward God and God’s people. [slide # 8 Oh Love (song)]

Love is truly a mystery. How love survives in a world full of horror and hate is indeed a mystery. Though life seems more uncertain than ever, people are still falling in love, creating families and finding a way to do missions far and wide because, in spite of it all, there is an abundance of compassion in the hearts and minds of so many people. We see that as Jean Domin has gathered a dozen persons, including several teenagers, to do a mission a few miles away. Their heart is in the right place and they are sharing God’s love through missional service.

[slide # 9 war-torn Syria] A report given by a doctor in war-torn Syria noted that in spite of bombs going off and destruction looming everywhere, people were still getting married and celebrating love, rather than being consumed by despair.

Our district superintendent reminded us that the world has changed. People are getting married and having children at a later age than they did years ago. In addition, she says, we tend to focus on families with a mother, father, and 2.5 children but nowadays, there are fewer of those families and many more households with only one single person, so we do well to keep a ministry in mind that is aware of the changes in our world.

Another interesting and obvious statistic according to Pew Research, as of 2016, tells that Millennials, those between the ages of ages 18 and 35 were not the heads of households as previous generations; rather there were more living at home. More Millennials are in poverty than those of the same age in prior generations. The world is changing, the church is changing, God has a purpose and a plan that will be fulfilled. As has been said, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” In spite of the weary years of human’s inhumanity to humans, we are here to capture God’s vision and work it the best of our ability and God will do the rest. Many lives depend upon great work and God will see that it gets done. [slide #   10  arc of moral…]

God’s promises to us are rich, refusing to keep our vows and remain committed to God’s goodness is a no brainer. For God’s laws are designed to fill our lives with love, health, peace and protection. Who would give that all up? Duh!  [slide # 11 Einstein  duh!]

The scriptures say that God hates divorce in Malachi 2 when the men of God married women who worshipped other Gods. God directed them to get divorced. At times, Christians have read these words and discouraged divorce even when one party in the covenant is being mistreated. But God’s hatred of divorce is not legalistic guidance to never divorce. The sin that God hates is the sin of treating God or others with hatred, violence, and violations. There is no sin in divorcing, but there is sin in not caring about God or God’s ways or God’s people. As Jesus says in verse 5 of our text, hardness of heart is the issue that breaks God’s heart and makes it easy for us to break our commitments and neglect keeping our promises. When we do not care, so many terrible things can happen, so many foul and sad situations persist. God hates that, and encourages divorce because of mistreatment! And, if God takes us to some trouble that is in the world, God will certainly take us through it.

God’s covenant, whether between a couple, a single person, a family or between a nation is a wonder and delight, as well as a mystery as to how God will make something good when we are dramatically impacted by so many bad decisions.

In this season of preparing to be the best financial stewards we can be, we will make a pledge to be consecrated, we will make a covenant with God in our hearts and some even on a written pledge card. We review God’s word that instructs us to give generously, to share tithes, as well as every other offering we are able to share. We will be careful that our offerings are inspired by the direction of the Holy Spirit working within us. [slide # 12  stewardship]

We dare not neglect to give thanks like Jesus gave thanks over the loaves and fish before they multiplied. Any blessings that are taken for granted and not received with gratitude are apt to fade away. Gratitude inspires increase. Lack of gratitude inspires decrease.

Likewise, we need to be careful to search our hearts and make sure we are right with God, so that our offerings will not be snatched by the enemy and twisted into something evil for the generation following us to sow. For God’s sake, we want to give our children a good example to follow.

So we, the church are preparing ourselves like a bride preparing for the wedding feast. [slide #  13  wedding table with God’s hands] We prepare by giving our whole hearts, our entire lives, gratitude for gifts, funds freely, and talents totally. We are the church, in covenant with God’s people around the globe. Amen. [slide #  14  happy marriage…forgivers]