The Fine Print
Sermon
Surviving In A Cordless World
Gospel Sermons For Sundays After Pentecost (Middle Third)
Congratulations! You've Won! Your mailbox; my mailbox; hundred of thousands of mailboxes across America are bursting with personalized proclamations declaring we are all winners. Computers, entertainment centers, mountain vacation homes, sports utility vehicles, cruises, and trips to exotic islands are just waiting for us to claim them. All we need to do is call the toll-free number or sign and return the post card.
Sounds perfect. Seems easy. But, what have we actually won? What, in reality, is there for us to gain? Does sacrificing virtually nothing win us a free trip to life's multitude of magic kingdoms? I know a couple whose middle school aged daughter got off the school bus one afternoon. She grabbed up the mail as she always did, and was overtaken by a wonderful announcement that the family was the winner of a trip to the Bahamas. Believing the message and reading that a response was needed immediately, the young girl made the call and excitedly claimed the prize before her parents arrived home from work.
As it turned out what was won was not a prize, but a good lesson in philosophy. The philosophy that if something seems to good to be true, it most certainly contains obligations and commitments of which we were not aware.
Most of us know that in the space between the enticing bold-lettered announcement proclaiming we've won and the bottom of the page, where you put your name on the dotted line, there appears an often gray area called the fine print, the specific details. The sentences and paragraphs of disclaimers that make it quite clear that in this lifetime there are no free lunches.
Such details bring us to the realization that beyond the hype of the personalized letters, the wonderful phone calls, and the well-marked brochures and pages of promotional pleasantries, there are sacrifices to be made. There are expectations to be met and, yes, often a cost to be incurred. There is fine print for everything and it appears on virtually everything. The fine print always speaks up front and close about the commitment that's required.
Mark's Gospel according to biblical literary scholars is the earliest of the recorded written Gospels.
The author of this life and times account of Jesus and his ministry introduces us to Jesus at the moment he is called into ministry. We are told Jesus is baptized by John, that he receives the Holy Spirit, and has his calling and ministry endorsed by God. The author of Mark then methodically moves us along, showing us a Jesus who works through his own personal experiences of temptation and chooses who will be his first disciples.
Then begins the actual work of God. Engaged in an itinerant ministry Jesus walks the lands of Galilee healing the ill, preaching to those who are eager to listen, and teaching many persons about God.
Certainly, for the earliest of his disciples and for those who had the privilege of hearing, seeing, and experiencing the work of Jesus, life was good, refreshing, and exciting, to say the least.
Many must have been deeply moved when hearing and experiencing firsthand Jesus' storytelling through parables. Many must have been impressed and awed as they witnessed the powerful change in people, the results of Jesus performing his many miracles. Imagine then, Jesus' disciples. These early followers had a front row, reserved, box seat. The were the inner circle.
There had to have been a wonderful feeling in these followers as they embarked upon new adventures with Jesus. The disciples must have been experiencing some great moments -- the refreshing "aha" moments we all have known the first few days and weeks of those new adventures to which we have been called and have favorably responded. The feeling is something like opening that fancy letter in the mailbox. Reading in our innocent naivete the big bold letter proclaiming the message Congratulations! You've Won! The best part is you didn't even register. Oh, how easily we are led into believing how good life can be. How easy and simple it appears to be at times.
This lesson from Mark finds Jesus and the disciples traveling through the villages of Caesarea Phillippi. Jesus realizes that now is the time for him to help the disciples move to their next level in their spiritual growth and development. Jesus knows that he must help his followers visualize the reality of participatory ministry versus a spectator ministry.
Friends, we are called by God to a ministry where we get our hands dirty versus one where it's all handed to us on a silver platter. The disciples have responded to God's call. The bonding process has been occurring. Now, the time has arrived when Jesus believes he must assess where the disciples are in their faith thinking process.
He generalizes his approach with the disciples by beginning with the question, "Who do people say I am?" (Mark 8:27). Then he personalizes the question, asking the disciples, "But who do you say that I am?" (8:29). Jesus met the disciples on and at their level. Once he establishes where the disciples' understanding of ministry is, Jesus then introduces them to a more mature understanding of ministry. He proceeds to tell them what it means for him to be the Messiah. Jesus tells his disciples and the crowd that true discipleship is more than listening to parables and witnessing miracles.
It is important for each of us to know that Jesus also has a way of meeting us where we are. Jesus informs all who would be his followers that true discipleship involves sacrifice. Fulfilling mission and ministry involve a cost. The joy of discipleship is an important outgrowth of the cost of discipleship.
Somewhere between hearing and learning of the kingdom of God and being an active advocate for the kingdom of God lies the fine print. The fine print of self-sacrifice. The fine print of denying ourselves. The fine print of taking up a cross. The fine print of losing life as we know it, expect it, and often want it in order to gain the life God hopes for us to live.
Perhaps the greatest word in Mark's Gospel that we all need to hear, the words that refer to the fine print of Jesus' way with us, are the words, "He said all this quite openly" (8:32). Are we not a society and a world which is desperately in need of openness? As we leave a millennium behind and head into a future looking for promises and for hope and for God, the act of passing across can't be achieved with closed doors. There is no hidden agenda with Jesus. There must never be attempts by ourselves to hide the fact that the gospel of Christ calls us to be up front, honest, and open. To do otherwise is only to experience a part of what God offers. The fine print of Christian service is never hidden by Jesus to be sprung upon us by surprise. We on the other hand must always be open to the fine print offered, given, and shared by Jesus. Being counted among the faithful of Christ's followers, being true to answering God's call, and responding to Christ with complete commitment, we too must accept the fine print that accompanies the call.
The fine print for the true followers of Christ goes beyond worship attendance. The fine print in faith living calls us to overcome our complacency. The fine print means we do more than simply come to the church. The fine print challenges us to engage in ministry beyond the church doors in the wider areas of our daily living.
Jesus called the crowd along with his disciples in this lesson. He informed them of the important specifics of the fine print. Jesus told them up front and personally what it means and what it costs to follow him. Jesus made it clear the fine print is for all, not just the twelve, not just the clergy and the church staff or those installed at the annual meeting. The message of the fine print is that human thinking and human actions must give way to divine thinking and divine deeds in each of us.
Are we not the crowd being called by Jesus today? Do we not all hear, see, and experience what others say about Christ? The important questions must always be: Who is Christ to you? Who is Christ to me? Who is this Christ to each of us in the here and now as we struggle with making practical, moral, and spiritual choices? These choices we make will affect not simply our own lives, but the lives of all God's children who are an important part of the human family.
Jesus' message for our generation, as we move into the new millennium, is a message that calls us to serve others through self-sacrifice. Jesus equally challenges us to live fully. Jesus calls us to follow him in our daily walk so that our life example fosters excellence in serving God.
Jesus, by his own life, has proven that the joys of discipleship are experienced only as a result of our accepting the cost of discipleship first. Jesus by his own example shows how being faithful to God can move us and others beyond being human, to experiencing the blessed wonders and goals of God's divine will.
The fine print is found in our gospel living just as it is found in all of life. Make no mistake. The fine print, spoken quite openly by Jesus, does involve a cost. We need to be forever aware that failing to accept the cost of discipleship means that we also forfeit and miss out on the many joys of discipleship.
The question we all must ask and ultimately answer is: How willing are we to pay the price? The medal-winning Olympian knows the ultimate feeling of joy as the national anthem is played and the flag of his country is raised. It's a great moment of achievement. It's a blessed reward to have reached what seemed at various times an unattainable goal. Yet the athlete also knows the cost involved, having endured the long hours, many months, and often years of training. As the athlete sacrifices much in the training process just for the privilege of competing, we too as followers of Christ must always remember God's call requires us to sacrifice much. Again, the joy of discipleship only comes after we have endured the cost of discipleship. The way to Easter joy and to Easter living is not reached by taking the easy street. Easter joy and Easter living is fully experienced only after we have traveled the difficult road of self-sacrifice through the hill country of Good Friday. Jesus not only said this quite openly but he also lived it quite openly. Will you as Christ's followers be inclined to do the same?
Sounds perfect. Seems easy. But, what have we actually won? What, in reality, is there for us to gain? Does sacrificing virtually nothing win us a free trip to life's multitude of magic kingdoms? I know a couple whose middle school aged daughter got off the school bus one afternoon. She grabbed up the mail as she always did, and was overtaken by a wonderful announcement that the family was the winner of a trip to the Bahamas. Believing the message and reading that a response was needed immediately, the young girl made the call and excitedly claimed the prize before her parents arrived home from work.
As it turned out what was won was not a prize, but a good lesson in philosophy. The philosophy that if something seems to good to be true, it most certainly contains obligations and commitments of which we were not aware.
Most of us know that in the space between the enticing bold-lettered announcement proclaiming we've won and the bottom of the page, where you put your name on the dotted line, there appears an often gray area called the fine print, the specific details. The sentences and paragraphs of disclaimers that make it quite clear that in this lifetime there are no free lunches.
Such details bring us to the realization that beyond the hype of the personalized letters, the wonderful phone calls, and the well-marked brochures and pages of promotional pleasantries, there are sacrifices to be made. There are expectations to be met and, yes, often a cost to be incurred. There is fine print for everything and it appears on virtually everything. The fine print always speaks up front and close about the commitment that's required.
Mark's Gospel according to biblical literary scholars is the earliest of the recorded written Gospels.
The author of this life and times account of Jesus and his ministry introduces us to Jesus at the moment he is called into ministry. We are told Jesus is baptized by John, that he receives the Holy Spirit, and has his calling and ministry endorsed by God. The author of Mark then methodically moves us along, showing us a Jesus who works through his own personal experiences of temptation and chooses who will be his first disciples.
Then begins the actual work of God. Engaged in an itinerant ministry Jesus walks the lands of Galilee healing the ill, preaching to those who are eager to listen, and teaching many persons about God.
Certainly, for the earliest of his disciples and for those who had the privilege of hearing, seeing, and experiencing the work of Jesus, life was good, refreshing, and exciting, to say the least.
Many must have been deeply moved when hearing and experiencing firsthand Jesus' storytelling through parables. Many must have been impressed and awed as they witnessed the powerful change in people, the results of Jesus performing his many miracles. Imagine then, Jesus' disciples. These early followers had a front row, reserved, box seat. The were the inner circle.
There had to have been a wonderful feeling in these followers as they embarked upon new adventures with Jesus. The disciples must have been experiencing some great moments -- the refreshing "aha" moments we all have known the first few days and weeks of those new adventures to which we have been called and have favorably responded. The feeling is something like opening that fancy letter in the mailbox. Reading in our innocent naivete the big bold letter proclaiming the message Congratulations! You've Won! The best part is you didn't even register. Oh, how easily we are led into believing how good life can be. How easy and simple it appears to be at times.
This lesson from Mark finds Jesus and the disciples traveling through the villages of Caesarea Phillippi. Jesus realizes that now is the time for him to help the disciples move to their next level in their spiritual growth and development. Jesus knows that he must help his followers visualize the reality of participatory ministry versus a spectator ministry.
Friends, we are called by God to a ministry where we get our hands dirty versus one where it's all handed to us on a silver platter. The disciples have responded to God's call. The bonding process has been occurring. Now, the time has arrived when Jesus believes he must assess where the disciples are in their faith thinking process.
He generalizes his approach with the disciples by beginning with the question, "Who do people say I am?" (Mark 8:27). Then he personalizes the question, asking the disciples, "But who do you say that I am?" (8:29). Jesus met the disciples on and at their level. Once he establishes where the disciples' understanding of ministry is, Jesus then introduces them to a more mature understanding of ministry. He proceeds to tell them what it means for him to be the Messiah. Jesus tells his disciples and the crowd that true discipleship is more than listening to parables and witnessing miracles.
It is important for each of us to know that Jesus also has a way of meeting us where we are. Jesus informs all who would be his followers that true discipleship involves sacrifice. Fulfilling mission and ministry involve a cost. The joy of discipleship is an important outgrowth of the cost of discipleship.
Somewhere between hearing and learning of the kingdom of God and being an active advocate for the kingdom of God lies the fine print. The fine print of self-sacrifice. The fine print of denying ourselves. The fine print of taking up a cross. The fine print of losing life as we know it, expect it, and often want it in order to gain the life God hopes for us to live.
Perhaps the greatest word in Mark's Gospel that we all need to hear, the words that refer to the fine print of Jesus' way with us, are the words, "He said all this quite openly" (8:32). Are we not a society and a world which is desperately in need of openness? As we leave a millennium behind and head into a future looking for promises and for hope and for God, the act of passing across can't be achieved with closed doors. There is no hidden agenda with Jesus. There must never be attempts by ourselves to hide the fact that the gospel of Christ calls us to be up front, honest, and open. To do otherwise is only to experience a part of what God offers. The fine print of Christian service is never hidden by Jesus to be sprung upon us by surprise. We on the other hand must always be open to the fine print offered, given, and shared by Jesus. Being counted among the faithful of Christ's followers, being true to answering God's call, and responding to Christ with complete commitment, we too must accept the fine print that accompanies the call.
The fine print for the true followers of Christ goes beyond worship attendance. The fine print in faith living calls us to overcome our complacency. The fine print means we do more than simply come to the church. The fine print challenges us to engage in ministry beyond the church doors in the wider areas of our daily living.
Jesus called the crowd along with his disciples in this lesson. He informed them of the important specifics of the fine print. Jesus told them up front and personally what it means and what it costs to follow him. Jesus made it clear the fine print is for all, not just the twelve, not just the clergy and the church staff or those installed at the annual meeting. The message of the fine print is that human thinking and human actions must give way to divine thinking and divine deeds in each of us.
Are we not the crowd being called by Jesus today? Do we not all hear, see, and experience what others say about Christ? The important questions must always be: Who is Christ to you? Who is Christ to me? Who is this Christ to each of us in the here and now as we struggle with making practical, moral, and spiritual choices? These choices we make will affect not simply our own lives, but the lives of all God's children who are an important part of the human family.
Jesus' message for our generation, as we move into the new millennium, is a message that calls us to serve others through self-sacrifice. Jesus equally challenges us to live fully. Jesus calls us to follow him in our daily walk so that our life example fosters excellence in serving God.
Jesus, by his own life, has proven that the joys of discipleship are experienced only as a result of our accepting the cost of discipleship first. Jesus by his own example shows how being faithful to God can move us and others beyond being human, to experiencing the blessed wonders and goals of God's divine will.
The fine print is found in our gospel living just as it is found in all of life. Make no mistake. The fine print, spoken quite openly by Jesus, does involve a cost. We need to be forever aware that failing to accept the cost of discipleship means that we also forfeit and miss out on the many joys of discipleship.
The question we all must ask and ultimately answer is: How willing are we to pay the price? The medal-winning Olympian knows the ultimate feeling of joy as the national anthem is played and the flag of his country is raised. It's a great moment of achievement. It's a blessed reward to have reached what seemed at various times an unattainable goal. Yet the athlete also knows the cost involved, having endured the long hours, many months, and often years of training. As the athlete sacrifices much in the training process just for the privilege of competing, we too as followers of Christ must always remember God's call requires us to sacrifice much. Again, the joy of discipleship only comes after we have endured the cost of discipleship. The way to Easter joy and to Easter living is not reached by taking the easy street. Easter joy and Easter living is fully experienced only after we have traveled the difficult road of self-sacrifice through the hill country of Good Friday. Jesus not only said this quite openly but he also lived it quite openly. Will you as Christ's followers be inclined to do the same?
