It is good to be with you again
at St. Martin’s.
at St. Martin’s.
I am grateful for the good example
this congregation
this congregation
sets for others in the
diocese.
I assume you’ve seen the filmthe national church
produced about you.
produced about you.
We showed it at Convention,
not just to give you a pat on the back,
not just to give you a pat on the back,
but
to inspire others.
That film did not mention the half of good things
afoot here in Pahrump
thanks to St. Martin’s.
For one thing,
Julie has been teaching --
and several of you
have been taking --
have been taking --
a Basic
Discipleship class.
It’s a foundational, Christianity 101
encounter with the faith.
encounter with the faith.
Basic Discipleship is the prerequisite
for most licensed lay ministries
in the Church.
in the Church.
More importantly, it’s basic preparation
for serving God in our daily life and work.
for serving God in our daily life and work.
That brings us to our Gospel lesson.
Mark uses just a few words
to make a point.
to make a point.
His message doesn’t get lost
in a lot of clutter.
in a lot of clutter.
But you have to pay close attention.
Miss just a few words
and you miss the point.
and you miss the point.
The point today
is about discipleship.
is about discipleship.
Bartimaeus, the blind beggar,
cried for mercy.
cried for mercy.
He wanted his vision back.
So Jesus said,
“Go. Your faith has made
you whole.”
What happened next is the zinger.
Two things happened
– and to put a point on it –
Mark says they both happened immediately.
– and to put a point on it –
Mark says they both happened immediately.
First, Bartimaeus regained his sight.
His faith had made him whole alright.
His faith had made him whole alright.
But he didn’t “go.” He stayed.
The second thing
that immediately happened was:
that immediately happened was:
Bartimaeus
followed Jesus.
He joined the disciples.
That’s what a disciple is – a follower.
The sequence here is crucial.
Bartimaeus did not become a disciple
then Jesus healed him as a reward.
then Jesus healed him as a reward.
No Jesus healed him
just because he asked for it.
just because he asked for it.
Jesus did not expect Bartimaeus
to become a disciple.
to become a disciple.
He didn’t even bother to invite him.
But the minute the blind beggar
saw the light,
saw the light,
he hit the road behind his
master.
We can see here two kinds of grace,
or maybe two stages of
grace.
The first is the free gift of healing.
It’s pure mercy.
The most we ever have to do
is ask for it;
is ask for it;
oft-times it comes
unbidden.
That’s the grace that forgives us,
heals us,
heals us,
slips blanks in our
executioner’s rife.
Christ just does that out of love -- neither
requiring nor expecting
anything
from us in return.
from us in return.
We don’t even have to say thank you.
We just take it and
-- as Jesus said -- “Go.”
-- as Jesus said -- “Go.”
We can go our own way
sustained by God’s mercy
sustained by God’s mercy
without so much as a nod
or an acknowledgment.
or an acknowledgment.
But Bartimaeus wanted more.
He wanted Stage 2 grace – the disciple’s grace,
the grace that transforms
us right to the heart.
Bartimaeus wanted more because Stage 1 grace
healed his eyes,
but it didn’t
change his soul.
It gave him mercy; but it did not make him merciful.
It showed him God; but it did not make him godly.
His character still wasn’t strong and noble.
He still wasn’t the kind of person
who can fill a room with
hope and serenity
the way Jesus
did.
Spiritually, Jesus had given him a fish
Bartimaeus wanted to learn how to fish.
He wanted more;
so Bartimaeus followed Jesus.
so Bartimaeus followed Jesus.
Now this brings me to the harsh point
in today’s sermon.
in today’s sermon.
I assure you
I am not criticizing this congregation;
I am not criticizing this congregation;
though there are no
congregations
where this shoe might not fit someone.
where this shoe might not fit someone.
I sometimes deal with
the darker side of church life.
the darker side of church life.
I know there’s a lot of authentic Christianity
going on in our churches.
But day in/ day out,
I see Episcopalians behaving
I see Episcopalians behaving
toward each other in ways
that are not only unchristian;
that are not only unchristian;
they
aren’t even polite.
I often see congregations indifferent
to the hurting world
to the hurting world
while secular humanists
are showing
the kind of mercy
that used to be called “Christian.”
the kind of mercy
that used to be called “Christian.”
Sometimes veteran Episcopalians
are mean-spiritedtoward each other,
toward our guests,
are mean-spiritedtoward each other,
toward our guests,
and toward the folks Jesus
called
“the least of these” and said
“the way you treat them is how you treat me.”
“the least of these” and said
“the way you treat them is how you treat me.”
Sometimes that discourages me.
I think, if I had an illness
and had been taking a medicine
and had been taking a medicine
for it 20 or 30 years and
wasn’t getting better,
maybe I was getting worse,
I’d give up on
that medicine.
I see a lot of Christians
who aren’t getting better.
who aren’t getting better.
Some of us are getting worse.
That makes me wonder.
It makes a lot of young people
wonder too.
wonder too.
There are several reasons
today’s young adults
are not joining churches
– but a big reason is that
they don’t see authentic spirituality here.
today’s young adults
are not joining churches
– but a big reason is that
they don’t see authentic spirituality here.
They don’t see kindness, integrity,
serenity, wisdom,
serenity, wisdom,
generosity of spirit.
They look at us and they don’t see Jesus.
They don’t see Jesus because
so many of us amble about
in a no man’s land between
the Stage 1 Grace of forgiveness and healing
so many of us amble about
in a no man’s land between
the Stage 1 Grace of forgiveness and healing
and the Stage 2 Grace
of growth and transformation.
of growth and transformation.
We have been blessed so we go to Church
and say the words – all of
which is more
than we have to do for Stage 1 Grace.
Church isn’t necessary.
We can take the goodies and go
if that’s all we want.
if that’s all we want.
If we want a blessing,
all we have to do is ask for it.
all we have to do is ask for it.
If we want to be a blessing,
we have to follow Jesus
– which takes a lot more than going to church.
– which takes a lot more than going to church.
Many of us don’t take the next step
to become disciples.
to become disciples.
Discipleship takes learning
the core teachings of the faith,
the core teachings of the faith,
discerning our gifts,
training to develop our gifts,
and learning how to work
with others
in a spiritually
healthy way.
It’s work. It isn’t for spiritual slackers.
That’s why I commend those of you
who are taking Julie’s Basic Discipleship class.
Taking a class won’t make you a disciple,
but it’s a start.
When Wes Frensdorff introduced
Total Ministry to Nevada,
Total Ministry to Nevada,
he wanted discipleship to go viral.
That was the point – not a point
– it was the point.
But a lot of our people
who talk most passionately
about Total Ministry have missed the point.
who talk most passionately
about Total Ministry have missed the point.
It isn’t a way to do church on the cheap.
It’s a way to form and nurture disciples of Jesus.
It’s a way to move from Stage 1 Grace
of receiving a blessing
to Stage 2 Grace of being
a blessing.
That friends is
where the real action is.
where the real action is.
That’s where the grace
doesn’t just touch
doesn’t just touch
our outer circumstances.
It penetrates to our inmost being.
It opens our spiritual eyes
to see God’s glory.
to see God’s glory.
It breaks our hearts open to the world.
Sitting on the road
and having Jesus toss us some grace
and having Jesus toss us some grace
as he goes by is a good day.
Following Jesus along that road
is a holy joyful life.
is a holy joyful life.
