Sunday's Message - R-E-L-A-X

As disciples of Jesus, we've been called to follow him by claiming his example and learning from his teachings. From June to October, we're going to focus on the Gospel of Mark so that we might better understand how we might follow our Savior and live as his community. 

During the following twenty Sundays, the message will apply following passages:

June 6, 2021 - Mark 3:20-35

June 13, 2021 - Mark 4:26-34

June 20, 2021 - Mark 4:35-41

June 27, 2021 - Mark 5:21-43

July 4, 2021 - Mark 6:1-13

July 11, 2021 - Mark 6:14-29

July 18, 2021 - Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

July 25, 2021 - Mark 7:14-23

August 1, 2021 - Mark 7:24-37

August 8, 2021 - Mark 8:27-38

August 15, 2021 - Mark 9:30-37

August 22, 2021 - Mark 9:38-50

August 29, 2021 - Mark 10:2-16

September 5, 2021 - Mark 10:17-31

September 12, 2021 - Mark 10:35-45

September 19, 2021 - Mark 10:46-52

September 26, 2021 - Mark 12:28-34

October 3, 2021 - Mark 12:38-44

October 10, 2021 - Mark 13:1-8

October 17, 2021 - Mark 13:24-26, 32-36

On Sunday, June 13, 2021, we looked at Mark 4:26-34. The passage, the message and the podcast is below:

Mark 4:26-34 [Contemporary English Version]

Again Jesus said:

God’s kingdom is like what happens when a farmer scatters seed in a field. The farmer sleeps at night and is up and around during the day. Yet the seeds keep sprouting and growing, and he doesn’t understand how. It is the ground that makes the seeds sprout and grow into plants that produce grain. Then when harvest season comes and the grain is ripe, the farmer cuts it with a sickle.

Finally, Jesus said:

What is God’s kingdom like? What story can I use to explain it? It is like what happens when a mustard seed is planted in the ground. It is the smallest seed in all the world. But once it is planted, it grows larger than any garden plant. It even puts out branches that are big enough for birds to nest in its shade.

Jesus used many other stories when he spoke to the people, and he taught them as much as they could understand. He did not tell them anything without using stories. But when he was alone with his disciples, he explained everything to them.

R-E-L-A-X

Now, before I get started, let me ask you a question: How many of y’all like professional football? Just raise your hands. Now, of those who raised your hands, when I count to three, I want you to say the name of your favorite team, not the city, just the name. OK, one, two, three. Well, that’s pretty much what I expected. I mean, this is Steeler Country, right? But, you know, even though this may be painful to admit, there are other teams in the NFL with rich histories, including one that dates back to 1919, and right now I’m talking about the Green Bay Packers, the winner of thirteen league championships. 

Of course, if you follow football, you know that the Packers have been in news a lot lately, and in particular their quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, who even as we speak is frolicking in Hawaii with his fiancee and asking to be traded. Of course, this isn’t the first time folks have been talking about Aaron Rodgers. My gosh, he led the Pack to a championship in 2010 over the Steelers and he’s been the MVP three times. And I haven’t even mentioned Jeopardy. But you know, it’s interesting, considering all he’s done, one of the things for which he’s best remembered was when, back in 2014 after Green Bay had started the season 1 and 2, he said this to panicky Packer fans: 

Now that’s that’s what he said.

And I’ll tell you, that’s what we’re going to focus on this morning, those same five letters: R-E-L-A-X. In other words, we’re going to talk about how we might worry a little bit less and relax a little bit more. And I really believe that’s certainly possible, in fact, it’ll happen when we take seriously the two little kingdom parables that we just read from Mark.

And you know, being able to relax a little bit, man, I think that’s something that would help us all, wouldn’t it? I mean, let’s get real, I believe we’ve all been a little stressed out over these last sixteen months. Good night nurse, just think about what has happened all around us over this last year or so. We’re still struggling through a pandemic, something that not only made a lot of us sick and shut all of us down, it’s divided us into little groups as we tried to figure out how we should respond. And since we’re talking divisions, in my 64 years of life, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a harsher, more divisive presidential campaign, one that has literally divided families and that, based on what’s happening in Arizona and the campaign signs and flags I pass every day as I walk to work, hasn’t really ended yet. Man, sometimes it seems as though our country is coming apart at the seams, and that worries me about our future as a nation. And in the church, and I’m talking about the body of Christ in our divided country, I’ll tell you, things aren’t exactly rosy. For example, I was reading that, according to a Pew survey conducted this past March, the number of Americans who identify with any religion has dropped below 50% for the first time in our history. Now just to put that in perspective, when I was born, the number was 73% and when I started as a minister in my first church, it was 71%. But now, the number is 47%. And to make matters worst, it dropped 10 percentage points in the last five years. I’ll tell you, in my book, that doesn’t bode well for the future. And those are just a few of the big things. When you add to them all those stressors we all face just living our lives, let’s just say I think we all have plenty of reasons to worry about what’s coming up next. 

And of course, that’s exactly what we do, don’t we? We worry about the future of our country and our community and our church. And we worry about the future of our neighborhoods and our friends and our families. And we worry about our own futures, don’t we? And even if we’re lucky enough not to face financial and health issues, that future can sure look like a scary place. And so we worry, something that forces us to burn a lot of energy in exchange for almost nothing in return. As a matter of fact, the worrying itself can be so exhausting and distracting that whatever we face becomes worse. But you know, even though all that stuff probably isn’t going anywhere soon, I think Jesus Christ has given us two pretty solid reasons to R-E-L-A-X, and they’re found in these two kingdom parables he taught. 

For example, in the first parable, I think we can be confident that the kingdom of God is coming. And I’ll tell you, it’s coming whether we do anything about it or not. And I think that was what Jesus was getting at when he said, “God’s kingdom is like what happens when a farmer scatters seed in a field. The farmer sleeps at night and is up and around during the day. Yet the seeds keep sprouting and growing, and he doesn’t understand how. It is the ground that makes the seeds sprout and grow into plants that produce grain. Then when harvest season comes and the grain is ripe, the farmer cuts it with a sickle.” [Mark 4:26b-29, CEV]

Now that’s what Jesus said, but to understand what’s going on here, I think we’ve got to unpack it a little bit. I mean, just think about what’s happening. We’ve got this farmer. And even though I was raised in the suburbs, in my opinion, this guy is both lazy and frankly incompetent. Let me show you what I’m talking about. How many of y’all farm? And of those who don’t, how many of y’all have gardens or flowerbeds around your homes? OK, now how many of y’all would sow your fields or plant your gardens and then ignore them totally until the silk is brown or the tomatoes are red or the marigolds are gold? And what would your fields or gardens or flowerbeds look like if you did nothing, and I mean nothing between planting and harvesting? Pretty bad, right? Man, even a city boy knows that. And yet, according to the parable, that’s exactly what this lazy, incompetent, pitiful excuse for a farmer did. And yet, what happened to the seeds he planted? They sprouted and they grew, didn’t they? And even though he was clueless about why, they grew into plants that produced grain. And when it was time, the farmer brought in a crop that, after planting, he did nothing to produce. And you know, according to Jesus, that’s the way it is with God’s kingdom. Without our permission or help, the rule of God is growing. It’s growing wide and it’s growing deep. And even if we do nothing at all, we can be confident that the harvest is sure. Now that’s what Jesus taught.

And I’ll tell you, that’s something we need to remember especially when we’re worried. You see, even if we’re not great in getting things right and even if we’d prefer to stay on the sidelines and not get involved and even if, when we do decide to act we nearly always screw things up, we can be confident that a harvest is coming, because ultimately we’re not the one’s in control. Of course, that doesn’t mean that we may not make a royal mess of our country or community or church, not to mention our neighborhood and friendships and families. Still, it’s not about us; it’s about him. You see, just like Jesus taught in this parable, we can be confident that in spite of us, the complete rule of God is coming. And that’s the first thing we can remember when we need to relax.

And second, we can also remember that, when God’s rule really is complete, man, it’s going to be glorious. In fact, it’s going to be better than we can even imagine. And I think that was his point when Jesus offered his second parable: What is God’s kingdom like? What story can I use to explain it? It is like what happens when a mustard seed is planted in the ground. It is the smallest seed in all the world. But once it is planted, it grows larger than any garden plant. It even puts out branches that are big enough for birds to nest in its shade. [Mark 4:30b-36, CEV]

Now that’s what he said, and just think about the point he was trying to make. I mean, he started with a mustard seed and that seed wasn’t just small, man, it was the smallest seed in the all the world. Talk about insignificant and low expectations. And yet, when that tiny, tiny seed is planted in the soil, it grows into something that’s larger than other plant in the garden. In fact, it’s so large and it’s branches are so big and spread so wide that these little bird that nest on the ground can find protection and comfort in it’s shade. It’s like that old saying about another plant: from tiny acorns grow mighty oaks. Well, that’s how Jesus saw the Kingdom, the rule of God: that even though it may be hard to perceive right now, even though it may be the definition of insignificant, man, even though we may only be able to see it by really looking, that kingdom is not only present but it’s growing. And eventually, it’s going to be huge and glorious. As a matter of fact, the prayer we pray every Sunday is going to be answered, you know, when we say, “thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” You see, that’s what Jesus taught in this second parable.

And I’ll tell you, that’s something else we really need to remember, especially when we’re worried. I mean, even though the presence and the working and rule of God may seem insignificant now, in fact, it may be downright hard to see, we can be as sure as we’re sitting here this morning that the time is coming when that’ll be different, because right now, it’s growing. It’s growing in our world and in our country. It’s growing in our schools and in our businesses. It’s growing in our communities and our churches. And trust me, it’s growing in our lives. You see, it’s growing into something magnificent, into something glorious, in fact, into something that will, not may, but will offer protection and comfort and joy not only to us but also to folks who don’t believe it’s happening at all. And you know, if that doesn’t make you feel excited about the future, frankly, I don’t know what will. And brothers and sisters, that’s the second thing we can remember when we need to relax.

And as it relates to relaxing, remember how we started by talking about how, when the Green Bay Packers were 1 and 2, Aaron Rogers said, “Five letters here just for everybody out there in Packer-land: R-E-L-A-X. Relax. We’re going to be OK.”? Well, he was right, because, in 2014, the Packers went 12-4 and won their division. And you know, in the face of all the problems that we face and all the reasons we have to worry about the future, we can do the exact same thing, because we can trust that the rule of God is coming and when it comes, it will be glorious. And for that reason, we can actually R-E-L-A-X.