May God’s words be spoken, may God’s words be heard. Amen.
Gosh it is so good to be back here with all of you! While I really enjoyed my vacation, and needed it so very much, I missed you’all! I missed the choir too! And it is so awesome to be returning on Choir Appreciation Sunday. What an amazing sound they raise up to God every week! And, I am so happy to finally be able to truly welcome our new Director of Music, Ryan Bridge!
Now, one of the things I had hoped to do while I was away was to get to Citi Field to watch my Mets play. I didn’t, but I did get a chance to enjoy watching them on TV. And if, like me, you are a baseball fan, you probably heard about a big event this past week – and no, not the three game stretch of the Mets scoring 10 or more runs, with every single 10th run being the result of a particular rookie in the lineup. While that WAS a big deal, something even more amazing happened, and sadly, it had nothing to do with the Mets.
Shohei Ohtani, a player for the Los Angeles Dodgers, has done something that had never been done before in Major League Baseball. He hit 50 home runs and snagged 50 stolen bases! Prior to this feat, which he did while also going 6 for 6, with 3 homeruns and 10 RBIs (runs batted in), the big challenge for baseball players every season was to cross the 40/40 mark – 40 homers and 40 stolen bases. I mean, there has never been anyone to ever make it to 50/50. Did I mention he also pitches (though not this season)? It’s an insane level of playing that has everyone in baseball calling Mr. Ohtani the GOAT – Greatest Of All Time.
The thing is, while there are arguments for or against the GOAT title for Ohtani, and many argue that the title is still in the hands of greats like Babe Ruth and Willie Mays, we sure do have a fascination with it lately. We see the GOAT label attached to all sorts of things – even an Optimum TV commercial (with another baseball legend – Derek Jeter). And it would seem that this desire to throw this label around is as old as humanity. Just take a look at our gospel today.
Before we get to what we heard a moment ago, let’s look at what preceded it. Just before this passage we heard today, the disciples had tried to cast out a demon from a man’s son but failed. Why? Well, Jesus, after taking care of it himself, tells them that this strong a demon requires prayer to cast out. Now, that might seem like he was saying it wasn’t their fault, but when combined with what happens next, we see that isn’t the case at all.
Just after this, the part we heard today, as they were going through Galilee on the way to Capernaum, Jesus was telling them again about his impending death and resurrection. They didn’t understand what Jesus was saying, but was too afraid to ask him to explain it. I suppose you could understand that, given the “Get behind me Satan!” response Jesus had to Peter the last time this subject came up. Still, they were unwilling to look like they didn’t know something, so remained quiet – at least about that anyway. Instead, they began to argue among themselves.
When Jesus asks them what the argument was about, they wouldn’t answer because they were, if you can believe it, fighting over who was the greatest. Of course, this is a rhetorical question Jesus is asking. He knows the answer in the same way that parents often know what is actually going on when they ask the same thing of their children. I mean, at this point, you wouldn’t blame Jesus for just ditching them, and exchanging them for all the women and other outcasts who actually pay attention and understand who Jesus is. But, he doesn’t.
Instead, Jesus sits them down and tells them bluntly – “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” But more than that, he brings a child among them and tells them that this child is to be welcomed in his name – and those who do – welcome not only Jesus, but God.
Now, it is hard to imagine how this came across to the disciples given that we have a different view of children today, in our society at least. In the ancient Near East however, at the time of Jesus, children were akin to slaves in worth (and it is quite likely that given the hour, this might have been the child of a slave – the lowest of the low). They were not images of innocence and playfulness as we see them now, but of poverty and powerlessness. And, Jesus sits down – at eye level – with the child – modeling for his disciples the way of life he expects of them.
Jesus is breaking down the assumptions of the disciples about who they are, and what it means to be his followers. Assumptions that were blocking them from being able to live fully into their calling. The disciples thought that being a follower of the Messiah meant that they had privileges – the ability to heal, a special pass into heaven, the best seats at the table. They began to believe that following Christ was a path to privilege and power, rather than a journey of service and humility.
Jesus was trying to show them what is required of them. For their master was at eye level in that moment with the lowest of the low in society, telling them that is where they needed to be too. That is where they will meet and welcome him. Why does Jesus do this?
The lure to be powerful is an evil that lingers throughout all of history – in nearly all cultures and eras. It is a snare that can entrap even those who start out with the best of intentions. And once caught, corrupts absolutely. Which is why the seeds of humility must be planted early, so that the roots can grow deep and strong, before fame and money can begin to try to weaken the plant of a human soul.
Perhaps that is why Shohei Ohtani’s first coach at Hanamaki Higashi, the High School he attended in Japan, had a rather unique approach to mentoring his charges. As reported in the Los Angeles Times back in 2017, “Higashi’s players live on campus, returning home for only six days a year. [Hiroshi Sasaki, the coach of the team,] assigns them chores. The pitchers clean toilets.
Sasaki had a reason this particular assignment never changed. “The mound is the most elevated place on the field,” he explained. “It’s a stage. If you’re on that stage, you receive the most attention. You get interviewed and written about the most.” The coach wanted to teach his pitchers humility. “It might be a little different than what you do in the United States,” he added.1
Ha, you think?
For Ohtani, it seems to have prepared him well for what was to come, as he is reported to be quiet, humble, and gracious. For those that are not baseball fans, I promise you, this is my last mention of it, sort of, but it does make the point. The closer we get to power, the more the power corrupts, and the greater our need to be rooted in the humility that will save us.
For followers of Jesus, this is especially important. To understand why, we need to return to the moment before this one – where the disciples failed to help someone in need of healing. Jesus told them that this type of healing could only be done through prayer. What he is telling them was that it is one thing to say you are my follower and do the easy things, but to really make a difference, to really be my disciple, you are going to need to difficult work, which you cannot do on your own.
Jesus is telling them that it is only through prayer that they will be able to truly heal in his name. Or to put it another way – they have to first recognize that they are not the be all end all. They must have the humility to see that only through God’s grace can real healing be done in the world.
And folks, we need to understand this lesson we are hearing today as much as those earlier disciples, because we have some big healing work to do ourselves. For today there are those who claim to follow Jesus, but ignore his teaching in the pursuit of power – even to the point of wanting to create a Christian state in the US. And make no mistake about it – this Christian Nationalism is a demon that has infected part of the body of Christ in this country, and it is one that will require prayer and humility to exorcise.
To be clear about these “Christians” (their description of themselves, not one I would use) – their “gospel” isn’t that of Jesus – the Beloved Community of God in which all are welcome, all are included, all are made in God’s image. Instead, it is good news only to those who are – white, straight, citizens of the US, and English speaking. For they have forged a cross of their own making, corrupting the teachings of Christ for their own well being, for their own power, and crucifying him in the process. The sad thing is, like those disciples arguing on the road, they actually believe they are doing what Jesus would want them to do.
Yet, they have not only failed to welcome the lowly – the child of Jesus’ teaching – they have been the ones to push that child into vulnerability through neglect, abuse, oppression, and hate. They seek to place upon all in this country the tenets of their faith – or more to the point – their warped interpretation of it. They want the Ten Commandments put up schools, but do not abide by them. They want prayer in schools, but hold fast to their right to have assault rifles, even as children are slaughtered in the classrooms. Some of them wave Confederate battle flags – a symbol of racist violence – while wearing the cross of Christ on their necks, or tattooing scripture on their arms. Some even lift up a man convicted of fraud and sexual assault, and call him the chosen one.
Lest we think they are harmless, there are people dying because of it – children in schools, Jews at worship in Synagogues, people of color, and pregnant women. Just this past week we began to hear the first stories of the effects of the repeal of Roe V. Wade by the Supreme Court. Amber Thurman and Candi Miller died after complications from traveling out of state to get medically induced abortions. Both have other children and both deaths were deemed preventable had the laws not been in place preventing proper medical attention. These happened in the early days after the Dobbs Supreme Court decision and subsequent state legislation back in 2022. They are not the last – we will be hearing about more women’s deaths as cases are made public. Those who passed these horrific laws restricting women’s reproductive healthcare, and those who refuse to pass other laws preventing common sense gun legislation, I guarantee you, they also go to churches on Sunday. They claim to be followers of Jesus.
Yet Jesus says, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.” The way in which we treat the most vulnerable among us is the way in which we welcome Jesus, the way in which we welcome God. Children are not being welcomed in our country, they are being killed in school, orphaned by our laws, and ignored if they are poor, homeless, undocumented, LGBTQ+, female, or non-white.
The demons that have infected the hearts of those who see Christianity as being endowed with rights, rather than being a life of humility with serious responsibilities, will not be easy to exorcise. Our only hope is through the humble act of prayer – for them, and for the strength to challenge them. And to remember the lessons of Jesus today:
That the least of these is Christ – how we treat them is the measure of how we treat him.
That the grace to heal comes not from personal power, but from prayerful humility.
That to be first, is to be last and servant of all.
As we walk along the road with Jesus, let us not be arguing with one another, or hoping for recognition, but instead:
Seek the vulnerable children in our midst and welcome them.
See the need for something to be done, and be the first to clean the toilet, or do whatever other task others will not do.
For there are innings yet for us to play out in our lives, and we have much work to do before we retire our jersey and meet the one and true GOAT.
May we be truly ready for that moment, knowing we had left it all on the field, our uniforms covered in dirt, sweat, and grass stains, when that day comes for us.
Amen.
1 https://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-shohei-ohtani-20170930-htmlstory.html
For the audio, click below, or subscribe to our iTunes Sermon Podcast by clicking here (also available on Audible):
The Rev. Diana L. Wilcox
Christ Church in Bloomfield & Glen Ridge
September 22, 2024
Pentecost 18 – Year B – Track 2 (this week only)
1st Reading – Isaiah 35:4-7a
2nd Reading – James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a
Gospel – Mark 9:30-37
