Loading...For my husband’s birthday this year, we got him a camera.
Not just a camera on his phone, or a point and shoot camera,
but a REAL one – a “grown up” camera.
Complete with a 200 page instruction manual in 3 languages!!
Now, one option would be for us to read the manual and study the pictures. Advantage: we would learn how, step by step, to use the camera with all of its functions. Disadvantage: It’s so slow to do that!!!
But, I know my own inclination and have discovered his – just try it out and figure it out as we go! Advantage: we can use it now! Disadvantage: “Hmmm. What does this button do?” We miss out on many of the cool features of the camera.
Boy howdy! Sometimes it is REALLY hard to hear and follow directions,
especially when you are pretty sure that you can just figure it out
-- all on your own. The problem with doing it yourself is that you don’t really understand, you don’t really get it. You might misunderstand and make mistakes or errors.
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Peter, one of the 12 disciples, the best example of the disciple-who-is-us,
in one moment gets it so right! and in the next – splat – falls flat and is so wrong.
The “getting it wrong” part is not just that he says the wrong thing
(when, really!, he’s just standing up for Jesus and defending him!)
but that he, as Jesus says, puts his mind on human things, not divine things.
Jesus had the instructions, the guide, and gave them. But Peter said, “Nah! That can’t be right! We’re going to figure it out with what we think we know.”
Peter quickly went from being the rock -- a solid foundation upon which to build something – to a stumbling block – the thing in the way, distracting and disturbing, and tripping people up.
“You have set your mind on human things, not divine.”
What does Jesus mean? After all, Peter was trying to save Jesus’ life!
It seems as though Peter was using the common Jewish understanding of the Messiah – a strong, powerful, military leader who would overthrow the oppressors (in this case, the Roman Empire and those who colluded with them, such as King Herod).
Peter was stuck on the “human things”, the human understanding of freedom and salvation and liberation that came through military might and strength.
Yet, here was Jesus saying that he, just correctly identified as the Messiah, was on his way to Jerusalem, not to overthrow the oppressors, but to, instead, suffer at the hands of the Jewish Powers That Be, to be killed by the Romans, and then rise in three days.
This is so unexpected.
This is topsy turvy.
This is radically different.
It is completely unexpected and out of the box.
These are the “divine things”:
• weakness is really strength
• service and helping others (not military war) brings peace
• love is the most powerful force
• salvation comes through death, especially from laying down one’s life for others.
Indeed, this way is not only the Divine Way of Jesus’ path and life.
It is the Way of Discipleship,
the path to follow.
To walk this way is to carry the cross.
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I wonder if, when we hear this Gospel story, we get stuck on the part where Jesus says to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan”. I wonder if we get caught up by the image in our heads of the guy in the red suit with the horns and the long, pointy tail.
Because, Jesus then goes on to tell Peter and all the other disciples
that we are to follow in his footsteps – to suffer and to carry the cross.
Meaning...
give up what we think that we know or think that we can figure out on the fly, and to instead do as Jesus does.
Jesus gives us a radical invitation to discipleship,
to just be Christian in name only,
but in what we do,
what we say,
who we hang out with,
who we include,
who we love
who we serve,
how we use what we have,
how we work.
Discipleship is what we call the collective practices of following Jesus,
the activities that reflect the priorities of God that we see through Jesus.
St. Paul gives us a handy list in Chapter 12 of his letter, that makes up our Epistle reading today. I’ve made that list into a handy bookmark for you:
- Let love be genuine
- Hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good
- Love one another with mutual affection
- Outdo one another in showing honor
- Do not lag in zeal
- Be ardent in spirit
- Serve the Lord
- Rejoice in hope
- Be patient in suffering
- Persevere in prayer
- Contribute to the needs of the saints
- Bless those who persecute you
- Rejoice with those who rejoice
- Weep with those who weep
- Live in harmony with one another
- Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly
- Don’t claim to be wiser than you are
- Do not repay anyone evil for evil
- Live peaceable with all (so far as you are able)
- Never avenge yourself
- If your enemies are hungry, feed them
- If your enemies are thirsty, give them something to drink
- Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good
Take this home and check off the things that are your intention to practice and to work on. Don’t turn this slip in today (as you do normally with the communion/ offering slips). Keep this; put it in your Bible, or Prayer Book, or journal. When you have made one of these items a regular habit, puck a new one and work on it until it becomes a habit also. (If you want to learn more about Discipleship and following Jesus, I invite you to join the once a month class that begins this Saturday!)
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In my own experience, there are usually some weeks (or even months) that are easier than others to actually be a disciple. This past week (month!) has been rough. It’s been hard to be a disciple lately:
the wildfires in Montana and Oregon
the flooding in Texas from Hurricane Harvey, and from the monsoons in Sierra Leone and Mumbai, India
the so-called “Nashville Statement” from some religious leaders that makes judgmental barriers to the full inclusion of LGBT people
the continuing racism in the US
the burning of the villages of the Rohinga people in Burma
the escalating violence in South Sudan
It’s just so much. I feel so overwhelmed by it all.
I get stuck in the “human things”.
Stop.
Back up.
Put your mind on divine things, not human.
Practice discipleship.
Don’t just offer “prayers and thoughts”
Don’t stop with charitable giving.
Advocate.
Build relationships
Serve.
Put down your own self and pick up someone else.
Live deeply into your baptismal covenant
to work for justice and reconciliation in the world.
Our prophetic presiding bishop reminds us of the divine, not human, things when he says: “Our commitment to be an inclusive church is not based on a social theory or the ways of the culture, but on our belief that the outstretched arms of Jesus on the cross are a sign of the very love of God reaching out to us all.”
This is not easy.
It is not a walk in the park.
It is not the “wide highway” that the world tries to lay out and entice us to follow.
But, this is the way of life –
not just for you,
but for all of God’s world and all of God’s beloved people.
Amen
