As some in the southern states of the USA would say “That boy done
lost his mind!” Theories varied as to exactly why George Midian (not his real
name, by the way) was crazy— or if he even was really mentally unbalanced— but
none of us as children were ever brave enough to actually talk to him and find
out. He was sort of our local Boo Radley, I suppose. (For a nice synopsis of
the characters in To Kill a Mockingbird and the figure of Boo Radley, catch the
article on Wikipedia The setting for today’s Gospel reading is a very Boo
Radley-like experience that Jesus has with his own family— those who should
have been best-positioned to know him.
Jesus is, of course, talking about his “kingdom,” his favourite
subject. He really believes that God has sent him to establish a kingdom that
is sort of, kind of, on this earth— but isn’t really exactly like the other
kingdoms of the earth. Yes, that was some crazy-sounding, mind blowing stuff all
right! No wonder his mother and family came to try to talk him into coming home
with them. We may have to be willing to ask ourselves just how crazy are the
demands of the kingdom of God for those who would claim to follow Christ today?
Are we “brothers and sisters” of our Lord Jesus? Would we show up to help Bert
or Ernie— so to speak— even if people thought us strange and absurd?
Creating a legacy, building something that will last— I hear these
yearnings from church members and church leaders. As the church struggles to
adapt and change, facing decline and demise in the twenty-first century, people
call out “Give us a king!” (1 Samuel 8: 6). Well not literally but this is what
the cries of despair of members sound like. The Israelites want to build a
kingdom, complete with a monarch, but God yearns to be their only ruler and
king. Churches want the perfect pastor, minister, priest or bishop to solve all
their problems. They want God to create a perfect solution to build a church
that will last and a legacy that will endure.
But God’s Spirit is the perfect solution, when we allow the Spirit to
move in our being as we build ministries on the foundation of Christ and
Christ’s teachings. Notice I missed out the “our” when using the word ministry
because they are not ours but God’s as one Bishop rightly told me. We are the
custodians or caretakers of any ministry. When churches and their leaders reach
out to new and different people, welcoming the least and the last, our churches
get messy and messed up. Our leaders don’t hold office hours or attend church
meetings, because they’re spending time with drinkers at the local bar or
immigrants at refugee centre or at places like Centrelink (Government Social
Services in Australia).
The people cry out, as Jesus’ family did, “He’s out of his mind!” Jesus’
mother and siblings want to protect Jesus within the family, but Jesus yearns
to minister to the world, inviting all who would follow Christ into the family.
Churches do want to minister to the world, but we want to protect the church
family and are nervous with crazy change and unfamiliar paths. Jesus yearns for
us to follow into the crazy, unfamiliar mess of service and love, which is the
path of discipleship. Paul knew these struggles well, for the early church
struggled in similar ways. But we are reminded that God has a bigger plan for
us, an eternal legacy that will endure and outlast kings, rulers, pastors,
bishops, and even churches.
“We know that if the tent we live in is torn down, we have a building
from God. The church is not our magnificent or rundown buildings. It’s a house that isn’t handmade, which is
eternal and located in heaven.” God’s realm will prevail. God’s plan will come
to fruition. Building churches focused on such things as plant i.e. buildings,
creating a legacy of faith to hand on, and growing the body of Christ are all
worthy goals. Still, today’s scriptures remind us that the call of Christ often
leads to different goals: inclusion and diversity, humility and partnership,
spirituality and faith. God calls us to build things that truly last, to build
structures that welcome one and all, and to provide foundations and shelter for
all of creation. In doing so, we may discover that the legacy takes care of
itself.
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