Sunday's Message - There Are Families and Then There Are Families

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

We kicked of this service on Sunday, June 6, 2021 by looking at Mark 3:20-35. The passage, the message and the podcast is below:

Mark 3:20-35 [Contemporary English Version]

Jesus went back home, and once again such a large crowd gathered that there was no chance even to eat. When Jesus’ family heard what he was doing, they thought he was crazy and went to get him under control.

Some teachers of the Law of Moses came from Jerusalem and said, “This man is under the power of Beelzebul, the ruler of demons! He is even forcing out demons with the help of Beelzebul.”

Jesus told the people to gather around him. Then he spoke to them in riddles and said:

How can Satan force himself out? A nation whose people fight each other won’t last very long. And a family that fights won’t last long either. So if Satan fights against himself, that will be the end of him.

How can anyone break into the house of a strong man and steal his things, unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can take everything.

I promise you that any of the sinful things you say or do can be forgiven, no matter how terrible those things are. But if you speak against the Holy Spirit, you can never be forgiven. That sin will be held against you forever.

Jesus said this because the people were saying that he had an evil spirit in him.

Jesus' mother and brothers came and stood outside. Then they sent someone with a message for him to come out to them. The crowd that was sitting around Jesus told him, “Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside and want to see you.”

Jesus asked, “Who is my mother and who are my brothers?” Then he looked at the people sitting around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. Anyone who obeys God is my brother or sister or mother.”

There Are Families and Then There Are Families

Before I say anything else, I want to thank everybody who’s helped me and Coco Channel sort of settle into Sligo. Personally, I really appreciate it, and I can tell you, it’s been a Godsend for Debbie, who’s been back in Weirton, getting the house ready to sell and helping our daughter Maggie shift into work mode, which means getting up at around 6:30 rather than whenever she happens to wake up. Now those are two pretty challenging jobs. And so, I think it’s probably a good thing that, when Debbie and I talk in the evening, I can share with her happy stories, rather than a lot of sad whining. And that’s thanks to y’all. You see, whether you realized it or not, y’all have made both our lives a whole lot better, because the move this last week has been seamless, with one exception. 

Although it’s painful for me to admit, I did something on Wednesday, my second day here, that I’d never done in my 64 years of mortal toil. I locked my stupid keys in the house we’re leasing from Bill and Betsy, of course now that I think about it, the stupidity had nothing to do with the keys. Now that’s what happened. But I’ll tell you, one of things I learned from this little fiasco was that, in some very definite ways, this congregation is really like a family, and a good one to boot. Let me explain.

On Wednesday afternoon, around 4:00, Coco and I were walking home from the church. Ron and Amy had invited us over for supper, and we wanted to freshen up a little bit before we left. Well, we got to the back porch, and right there I realized I was in trouble. You see, when I reached into one of my pockets, you know, the one that was sort of heavy and rattled as I walked, there were no keys; only a pocket full of change. And so I went to the other side; again no keys. I returned to the first, took out all the change; still no keys. I checked my shirt pocket; no keys. I started to worry. Now, y’all don’t know this about me, but I generally wear a sport coat to work, but not because of fashion. No, it doubles my number of pockets. And so I checked coat pockets one through five; no keys, no keys, no keys, no keys, no keys. And of course, I tried the door, locked. And when, and this was really exciting, I saw them, I saw my keys, (It was like a vision.) right there on the counter, on the other side of the locked door. O this is just great. There was only one thing I could do and I knew it. I had to call Bill and tell him that the guy y’all just hired to offer spiritual guidance and wisdom, a person whose insight and understanding I hope y’all come to trust, that this person, on day number two, locked his keys in his house. But what could I do; I made the call. And I’ve got to tell you, Bill was kind and gracious. In other words, he didn’t make me feel like a total idiot. And even though this still wasn’t what I would have chosen on my second day in town, man, it could have been a lot worst. And you know, at that moment, I appreciated once again how the church really is like a family, because, at it’s best, it can be supportive and nurturing and kind, even to an absent-minded brother who just couldn’t remember his keys.

Of course, having said that, I recognize that “there are families and then there are families.” In other words, although there are plenty of families, and I include congregations and organizations and communities, that are wonderful, there are others that, well, aren’t so much. And you know, although living is pretty easy in those that are spot-on, sometimes it’s more challenging when we’re in the middle of a group that comes up a little bit short. And since, in the passage we just read, Jesus was actually dealing with two less than perfect families, one that was physical and the other spiritual, we’re going to look at how he handled the situations he faced and then we’re going to apply them to ourselves.

And I’ll tell you, I think I’m safe in saying that the two groups Jesus faced in these verses fell short of what we might call supportive and nurturing and kind. For example, first, that was certainly true of Jesus’s immediate family. Remember, this was what the Evangelist Mark wrote:

Jesus went back home, and once again such a large crowd gathered that there was no chance even to eat. When Jesus’ family heard what he was doing, they thought he was crazy and went to get him under control. [Mark 3:20-21, CEV]

Now personally, I think that’s kind of interesting. You see, although they were certainly concerned about Jesus, I mean, they did want to get him under control, these folks who should have been closest to him, you know, who’d changed his diapers and who’d watched him grow up and who’d heard about the kind of stuff he’d been doing, man, they were confused, weren’t they? Good night nurse, they thought he was crazy. Of course, maybe being really familiar with a person leads to this kind of assumption. I mean, if someone here, let’s say, under the age of twenty-five becomes President of the United States or maybe better, coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, I think he or she will probably get less adoration at home than in Washington or at Heinz Field. And let’s get real, it’s hard to be supportive and nurturing and kind when, deep down, you think the person is crazy and needs to be controlled. You see, Jesus’s immediate family was concerned but really confused. And I’ll tell you, I think that’s something with which we can all identify every now-and-then.

But you know, even though that may have resulted in them coming up a little short on the family compassion scale, they were a heck of lot better than the second group Jesus dealt with in this passage, and now I’m talking about his spiritual family, namely some of the Jewish teachers. Again, listen to what Mark wrote:

Some teachers of the Law of Moses came from Jerusalem and said, “This man is under the power of Beelzebul, the ruler of demons! He is even forcing out demons with the help of Beelzebul.” [Mark 3:22, CEV]

Now that’s what they said, and I’ll tell you, if his immediate family was concerned but confused, this group, man, they were openly hostile, weren’t they? My gosh, in their eyes, Jesus wasn’t just crazy; he was possessed by demons for crying out loud. I’ll tell you, it would be like us being in a group in which the members don’t hesitate calling those who won’t or can’t tow the line harsh and demeaning names, you know, as a reminder that in this family, it’s going to be either our way or the highway. And if you don’t like it, don’t let the door hit you when you leave. You see, according to what Mark wrote, while the first group Jesus faced was concerned but confused, the other was openly hostile. And you know, as we kind of navigate through a world that’s becoming more and more polarized and where name-calling has become an acceptable part of discussion, we might have to deal with more of this hostility as we move into the future, even within our families. 

And you know, for that very reason, I think it’s really important to consider how Jesus dealt with the same kind of families we also face. I mean, for one, just consider how he handled those teachers who were openly hostile to him. Remember, this was what Mark wrote:

Jesus told the people to gather around him. Then he spoke to them in riddles and said:

How can Satan force himself out? A nation whose people fight each other won’t last very long. And a family that fights won’t last long either. So if Satan fights against himself, that will be the end of him.

How can anyone break into the house of a strong man and steal his things, unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can take everything.

I promise you that any of the sinful things you say or do can be forgiven, no matter how terrible those things are. But if you speak against the Holy Spirit, you can never be forgiven. That sin will be held against you forever. [Mark 3:23-29, CEV]

Now, that’s what Jesus did. And frankly, I think we can all take a page out of his book. I mean, instead of flying off the handle and letting loose with a lot of insults or saying something really stupid and juvenile, you know, like, “It takes one to know one,” Jesus remained calm and collected in the face of hostility. You see, without launching his own attack, he simply questioned the logic of their accusations and assumptions. And then he honestly shared with them the consequences of making the kind of spiritual charges these religious folks seemed willing to make. But he did all this without rancor or malice or enmity, something we might want to keep in mind when we’re dealing with folks that are nasty toward us. And who knows, maybe the writer of the Proverbs knew what he was talking about when he said, “A kind answer soothes angry feelings, but harsh words stir them up.” [Proverbs 15:1, CEV] You see, when our families become openly hostile, like Jesus we can stay cool and collected. And that’s one thing we might want to do.

And two, when folks within our families are concerned but confused, we can be clear and focused. And I’ll tell you, that’s really how Jesus handled those relatives who thought he was crazy and came over to control him. Remember, this was what Mark wrote: 

Jesus’ mother and brothers came and stood outside. Then they sent someone with a message for him to come out to them. The crowd that was sitting around Jesus told him, “Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside and want to see you.”

Jesus asked, “Who is my mother and who are my brothers?” Then he looked at the people sitting around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. Anyone who obeys God is my brother or sister or mother.” [Mark 3:31-35, CEV]

Now that’s what happened. And even though I doubt that hearing this made Mary feel all warm and fuzzy inside, Jesus didn’t sound angry or annoyed or arrogant. Instead, he was clear about what he believed and focused on what we thought was most important, and that was simply doing what God had called him to do. As a matter of fact, those who had that same focus actually had more in common with him than his blood relations. And I’ll tell you, whether we choose to express it or not, I believe this kind of clarity and this kind of focus can really help us when those who are closest to us and whom we may love the most are concerned about us but confused about what we’re doing and how they should respond. And for me, that’s number two.

Now, just in case you’re wondering, I got back into the house on Wednesday, and, praise the Lord, I did it without Bill having to bring me the key. You see, in-between him calling me, he called Jake, and Jake told him where he’d hidden a spare key, which I got and opened the door. Of course, I put the spare back where it was hidden, because if it happened once... And even though I trust y’all, I think that probably should be our secret. I guess you could say my new church family came through, and personally Coco and I and, of course, Debbie are grateful. I think we’ve got a good family here.

Of course, as we deal with all the different groups and communities in our lives, that’s not always the case. I mean, just like we saw with Jesus, some may be concerned but confused while others may actually be openly hostile to us and what we consider important. And for that reason, it just makes sense to follow his example and to be calm and collected in the face of hostility and clear and focused with those who may mean well but may also be a little confused. You see, this we can decide to do. And I’ll tell you, the decision we make will be important, because let’s face it, there are families and then there are families.