You Gotta Try This! - A Sermon for Sunday September 15th 2024

GOSPEL: Mark 8:27-38

The holy gospel according to Mark.

Glory to you, O Lord.

This story provides the turning point in Mark’s gospel. Peter is the first human being in the narrative to acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah, but he cannot accept that as the Messiah Jesus will have to suffer. Moreover, Jesus issues a strong challenge to all by connecting discipleship and the cross.

27Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 28And they answered him, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” 29He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.” 30And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.

 31Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”

 34He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. 36For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? 37Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? 38Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

The gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, O Christ.

The other day, I went to the driving range with a friend of mine.

We wanted to golf,

but not do the walking.

But it wasn’t just any driving range.

This one had sensors and an interactive screen

so you’d know exactly what your ball is doing,

and just how badly the ball slices.

There were fun golf games to play

and of course pub food and pitchers.

Since this little golf adventure

I’ve been saying to a few different people

you’ve gotta try this place.

Don't take my word for it, 

go try it.

It reminds me of of my son,

he has this virtual reality headset,

and he bought a flight simulator game for it.

He pulled mom and me aside the other day,

“Mom, Dad, you’ve gotta try this!”

Some things in life

bring us such a joyful or positive experience

that we want others to have that joy,

I’m sure you can think of your own things

of which you’ve said

“You gotta try this!”

From the newest ice cream flavour

to goat yoga,

From the latest high def television

to the guilty-pleasure drama on that screen,

Often when it comes to trying new things,

it doesn’t happen until someone else says to us;

“You gotta try this!”

Jesus has his own way of sharing this invitation.

Follow me, Jesus says. You gotta try this!

to former fishermen disciples,

to the crowds,

to us.

Even the desire to bring Nora today to receive Holy Baptism

comes by God’s Word - by God’s Spirit,

It is God’s invitation,

Jesus is saying to Nora - you’ve gotta try this!

Back to this flight simulator game,

it turns out it is really cool,

and really, really hard.

Who knew flying an airplane or helicopter

would be so complicated?

Without help,

all we did was crash.

We were ready to quit.

My wife and I needed some guidance.

Sometimes we quit the new thing

when it becomes too difficult

or when we do not properly understand.

Sometimes with the new thing,

we just need someone beside us.

Like the golf simulator thing,

which was really cool, really fun,

but having someone beside me who was comfortable

made it more enjoyable.

My friends, Jesus is our guide.

Jesus is our Rabbi,

our teacher,

and our friend.

Jesus does not just say “You gotta try this!”

Jesus says follow me,

as in, where Jesus is,

there we may be also.

The life of faith is lived together with God’s faithful,

so we may be with Jesus

and with the body of Christ,

so we are never alone.

Peter heard Jesus say “You gotta try this!”

and followed Jesus.

But there is a shift in Jesus’ tone,

that comes with today’s reading.

Things are about to get a whole lot more difficult.

The Son of Man is to be rejected by the elders,

the chief priests and the scribes,

and be killed,

and rise again on the third day.

This is not a hope-filled Ephphatha,

be opened.

This is not spitting in dirt and causing the blind to see.

Yes, Jesus said be raised,

But first Jesus says he is going to suffer and die,

a shameful death on a Roman cross.

And the invitation is to follow me,

you gotta try this?

No wonder Peter pulled Jesus aside.

What do you mean you’re going to suffer?

what do you mean death on a cross?

This is not what I signed up for.

How could you want this, Jesus?

Jesus uses the word ashamed.

It is fair to say Jesus is responding to Peter’s words publicly.

Peter must have been ashamed.

I don’t believe Peter was ashamed of Jesus, per se.

Perhaps Peter was ashamed of death on a Roman cross.

Anything less than a royal victory

would be shameful I’d guess.

  Peter was like many faithful Jews,

expecting the Messiah to be a military, political leader,

restoring Israel to military prominence.

Let’s cut Peter some slack here,

no one would think that their leader

came to die.

Jesus uses the opportunity to teach, not just Peter,

but the disciples and the crowd.

The truth of Jesus is that we cannot separate

Christ from the cross.

There is no resurrection of the dead

without Christ’s shameful death, first.

Various times in Mark’s Gospel

Jesus says “Tell no one”

Keep Jesus’ identity a secret.

Six days after today’s story,

Jesus climbs the mount of Transfiguration

Glowing with the Glory of God.

Coming down the mountain,

Jesus says to Peter, James and John

tell no one what you have seen

until after the Son of Man has risen from the dead.

There is no correct nor complete understanding

of Jesus the Christ,

of the Gospel,

without Jesus’ passion,

suffering,

shameful death,

and glorious resurrection.

Jesus’ harsh response - Get behind me Satan,

and Jesus’ invitation to take up your cross and follow

leaves no room for debate:

you cannot separate Christ from the cross.

It’s like, Peter isn’t opposed to the who

but the how.

Peter confessed - Jesus, you are the Messiah,

I’d say Peter didn’t like how Jesus was being Son of God.

We all have our own ideas

for how God should operate.

Maybe people like us aren’t so much ashamed of our God,

ashamed of being Christians,

but maybe in our own way,

it’s not the who, we are ashamed of,

but the how.

Isn't that where most congregational conflicts arise? The how?

We all agree with Peter’s declaration:

Jesus is Lord,

Jesus is Messiah,

Jesus is God.

We agree that we are called to follow,

we are invited to try this out!

to live faith,

to love God,

love neighbour,

love self,

serve God,

serve neighbour,

care for creation,

care for the least of these.

Often it’s on the how to love and serve

that we can’t agree on.

It’s like we join Peter and  want to argue with God about God’s will,

like we want to negotiate the non-negotiables.

For example,

forgiveness. 

We have people in our lives

that we just don’t want to forgive.

Jesus is clear,

forgive us our sins

as we forgive those who sin against us.

Forgiveness is a non-negotiable.

Forgiveness can be more than uncomfortable.

Sometimes we need some help and guidance

in order to forgive.

I would say we struggle with Jesus’ invitation

when it might come at the expense of our own comfort

be it emotional, economic, or otherwise.

Just ask the rich young ruler

or Nicodemus

or even Judas.

Jesus came to proclaim the Gospel,

the Gospel that the Kingdom of God has come near,

the Gospel of the resurrection of the dead,

the Gospel of the forgiveness of sins,

the Gospel that comforts the afflicted,

and the Gospel that afflicts the comfortable. 

The Gospel of new life in Jesus’ name,

that those who lose their life for Jesus’ sake

and for the sake of this Gospel,

will find life.

This Gospel is for all

- all humanity, all creatures, all creation.

Last week we heard the encounter of Jesus

and the Syrophoenician woman.

This challenging interaction signalled a widening of Jesus’ ministry

No longer focused just on the Hebrew community,

but now including the Gentiles, non-Jews.

The Gospel cannot be just for one group

one ethnicity,

one gender,

For God so loves the whole world.

A military victory is never a victory for the whole world.

In battle, everyone loses.

Christ the King does not call us into battle.

Christ calls us into love.

Even Peter, the confessor,

the rock upon which the church is build

needed to learn and grow in understanding.

He needed to put away his sword.

Peter was probably expecting to go to battle at some point,

you might recall that someone had a sword with them

on the night of Jesus’ betrayal.

John’s Gospel says it was Peter.

They ask “Jesus, should we strike with the sword?”

Jesus healed Malchus,

the slave who lost his ear.

The kingdom of God does not come with force,

but with an invitation.

The invitation has been the same for 2000 years:

Follow me.

You gotta try this!

The invitation is to die and to rise.

The -how-  will take some guidance from the Spirit.

Like going to the driving range,

all it takes to start is a ball and a club.

Like virtual reality,

all it takes to start is to put on the head set.

But to keep going,

like Peter,

will might experience some growing pains.

And like many of the new things we try,

we might want to quit

when we do not understand

when we struggle with the ‘how’

when we feel alone.

Jesus is out ahead of us in the world,

all it takes is one step to get started,

towards the life that really is life.

I mean, you’ve really got to try this.

Like Peter,

don't settle for an incomplete experience.

Be opened to Christ - to God - to Spirit - in God’s fullness.

Don’t settle for earthly victory,

follow Jesus into God’s victory,

And I pray that we will find peace

trusting in God’s wisdom for our lives,

for our next steps,

above and beyond human wisdom.

My blessing for you this day:

May we hear Jesus’ invitation,

follow me! You’ve gotta try this!

and take that next step.

May we be opened by God’s Word and God’s Spirit

to the fullness of the Gospel

for us and for whole world.

Trusting in our Saviour,

who is the way, the truth and the life,

May we take up our cross

and follow Jesus.

Thanks be to God. Amen.