Don't Miss the Magic: A Sermon for Graduates

Mark 2:23-3:6

In the Gospel lesson today Jesus is with his disciples on the Sabbath walking through the fields.  As they’re walking, the disciples begin to pluck off the heads of the grain.  Presumably they did so because they were hungry and maybe needed a little snack.  Who knows how long they’ve been walking.  A quick look at a map in the back of your bibles show that Jesus walked so much and so far he would be the Fit Bit Champion of all time if he were tracking steps.   So they might have just needed a quick bite.  But they might not have been hungry at all.   They may have just been mindlessly snapping them off as they walked; out of sheer boredom.  Who knows.

But all of sudden, the Pharisees seem to jump out and sound the alarm saying, “Look! Why are they doing what’s unlawful on the Sabbath?”

First of all, where were the Pharisees to notice this?  Were they furtively walking a few paces behind like private investigators, watching the group’s every move? Or were they hiding in the fields like paparazzi only to spring up to catch them in some sort of misstep? Second of all, why did it matter?  Indeed work was technically forbidden from the Sabbath.  So would this be considered work?

Jesus seems to take this all in stride.  Maybe at this point he’s used to the Torah Paparazzi, so he casually responds by giving the example of how David did the same sort of thing when he was fleeing Saul.   When he and his companions were hungry and they had no food, David entered into the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, sharing some with his friends, which would, in the strict sense, have been unlawful for anyone but the priests.

But the point is clear- the Sabbath is made for humankind, not the opposite.  The Sabbath rules intended to restore God’s people offering them rest.  The point of the Sabbath is to help humanity have a fuller life, not to constrict them.   The Sabbath was intended to serve as an intentional time to reflect on God’s blessings and provisions.  Like so many of God’s commandments, they aren’t intended to be some mystical power trip but to help God’s people.  The Pharisees seem to be missing this.  They’re so caught up in the rules and the legal specifics, that they’re missing the larger point.

The passage continues with Jesus entering into the synagogue and encountering a man with a withered hand.  Again, the Pharisees seem to be lurking in the background, waiting for a misstep so they can pounce and catch him in an unlawful act.  Jesus, knowing this, uses it as an opportunity for them to recall the lesson he just taught them in the fields—he brings the man before them and asks, “ok is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath?”  Basically saying, “ok folks, do I heal this guy or not?”

And the Pharisees are silent.

They’ve chosen adherence to their religious structure over the helping of another human being.

And this breaks Jesus’ heart.  I can imagine Jesus with angry tears, glaring at the Pharisees, grabbing the man’s hand and healing it on the spot.

And this seals his fate.   With evidence in hand—finally—the Pharisees race off to conspire how to kill him.

As I was reading this passage so many different thoughts came to mind, but one in particular seemed to stick out- did the Pharisees not realize that they had just witnessed a miracle?  In front of them, Jesus heals a man!  Heals him!  Did they not notice that? 

This wondrous act, this extraordinary act; that defies the natural order has just taken place right in front of their eyes and they seem to have just dismissed it altogether.  In their spiteful tunnel vision they’ve focused so intently on finding fault with this man, on sticking to their rulebook, that they’ve missed the miracle.  Right in front of them.

They’ve gotten so brainwashed by the rules that they’ve allowed it to overshadow the reason for the rules altogether.

Jesus has tried to show them that the rules are there to serve a larger purpose- to care for one another.  The rules and regulations are intended to point to that which is worshiped, not become the object of worship themselves.

The Sabbath is for humankind, not humankind for the Sabbath.

Maybe this is an area where religion has gone off the rails.  Some religious people have become so focused on following the rules and APPEARING religious that they’re missing God’s extraordinary work taking place right in front of them.  Seeking certainty, they’re missing the wonder of embracing the mystery of the divine.

They’ve missed the magic of a life of faith.

This is nothing new really.  Humankind has been trying to put God in a box for centuries.

And I get the instinct to lean on that which is black and white.  I get that there is comfort in what is dependable.  And I get that sometimes considering anything outside of that carefully constructed box can be a threat.  I get it.  It feels unsafe.  It’s sometimes even scary.

But oftentimes embracing a new interpretation of something- letting your guard down and stepping into the unknown- allows God to do some incredible work and leaves you with an expanded view of the Creator.

Sometimes when we challenge our comfortable understanding of the world, we end up with a deeper, more authentic worldview and brings us more intimately into relationship with the other.

But when we stay locked in those safe spaces, we miss these opportunities.

We miss the magic.

We miss the miracle of God in front of us.

So don’t miss the magic.

Don’t allow your faith to be so legalistic and constricted that you lose sight of the purpose- to bring you into closer communion with God.  Because trust me, our faith can take anything you throw its way.  

My favorite author and pastor Rob Bell wrote in his book “Velvet Elvis” about how too many well-intended Christians miss the magic of faith by sticking too stringently to dogma.

He describes faith like a trampoline.

When jumping on a trampoline you recognize the need for springs.  The springs support the surface for which you jump.

Those springs are the things in our lives that help us understand God and how to live faithful lives that honor God.  They might be rules, regulations, doctrines, what have you.  But the springs aren’t God.  The springs aren’t Jesus.  The springs can be removed, stretched, examined, and explored.  That’s what makes them so helpful.  They’re able to be flexible to examine its purpose.

But some prefer bricks over springs.  Bricks are also those things that help us understand God. The bricks seem sturdy and dependable.  They don’t bend or stretch.  And together, with an assortment of different bricks, they can build a strong, sturdy faith that might be helpful to some.

But if you remove one brick.  Just one brick to examine or question, the whole wall comes tumbling down.

Wouldn’t you rather jump?  Wouldn’t you rather bounce?  So don’t let your faith become so rigid that you lose the ability to experience the magic of a buoyant life of faith.  Because this is the life Jesus offers.

Jumping can be scary.  Jumping involves risk.  Jumping requires trust.  

But that’s where you find the true joy.

That’s where you find the magic.

Being a Christian today is absolutely awesome.  But in some ways we’re getting a bad rap.

Now more than ever, Christians are being challenged for hypocrisy. And to be fair there are many examples of Christians who do awful things- make outlandish statements, advocate for horrific policies, and quite frankly do an enormous amount of harm all under the auspices of their faith.  And when challenged, they run for cover under their strict adherence to a doctrine that is oftentimes misunderstood. But it’s carefully constructed with little room for examination.

Like or not, the media has in many ways helped establish this misunderstanding of Christians by giving air time to these folks. And as a result have unwittingly maligned a diverse, inclusive, loving faith.

As a result, there will be people who, when you proclaim yourself as a Christian, will be just like the Pharisees—who seem to track your every movement, waiting for an opportunity to pounce to expose you and your faith as hypocritical.

Because they’re used to bricks.  And we’re used to springs.

So rather than keep your faith hidden, use it as an opportunity to teach.

Invite them into a deeper understanding of the Christian faith by sharing with them a God who works miracles in the world not by controlling an army of faithful rule followers but by inviting a host of unique created beings into a magical dance, guided by love and shaped by service to the neighbor.

Help them learn to jump.

Don’t miss the magic.  And don’t let them either. 

Amen.