Sunday, November 28, 2021
Sunday, November 14, 2021
Sunday, November 7, 2021
A Penny in a Pile - Pastor Johnnie Simpson Jr
Mark 12:38-44
38 As he taught, Jesus said, “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, 39 and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. 40 They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.”
41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.
43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”
Growing up that my grandparents would tell me nifty little catchphrases that explained their philosophy about something. My grandfather used to say, "you have to catch up to keep up," meaning that if you were behind on a bill, you need to figure out not just how you are going to pay the account that is behind, but also what decisions you need to make so that you are not in the same situation next week or next month.
Another favorite of mine was "a penny in a pile, makes a dollar after a while," meaning that while a penny doesn't seem like that much money, enough of them together can accomplish great work. Video game creators understand the concept; the games have microtransactions in them now. Play a game for free, but if you want some extra lives without waiting, just give them a little bit of money, and you get items to help you win.
Retail businesses also understand the concept; that is why they will ask if you want to round up your payment amount when you buy something. The cost might be $9.98, but you can round up two cents to donate to a charity. Those two pennies could be small to you, but enough pennies together will make a difference in someone else's life.
We see two pennies in a pile today in Mark chapter 12. The twelfth chapter of Mark begins with Jesus' temple teaching on the Vineyard parable and then moves to paying taxes to Caesar, the resurrection, the great commandment, and the question about David's son. Jesus then goes in on the scribes. Holding a religious office does not make you immune from hypocrisy.
Jesus moves from pointing out hypocrisy to taking advantage of impoverished people. The laws of Moses were designed to protect the least, the last, and the lost. The laws were designed to take care of widows and orphans. Jesus saw that the scribes, those put in authority to protect the others, had instead taken advantage of them. There were protections in place for the people, and the establishment sought to roll those protections back. Jesus said the scribes were exploiting the poor and insulting God with phony prayers. They wore their robes in the synagogue and the marketplace because they wanted people to see them.
When Jesus watched the widow fumbling about in her change purse for the last coins she had, he was curious. He called his students over to observe from a distance. Her two coins amounted to a penny. He and the disciples watched her drop them in the collection box. And knowing her situation, they were all amazed. Her bank balance just went from one penny to zero.
Jesus was highly impressed, especially since he had watched the Pharisees et al. put money into the treasury and lots of it. But these were the people who had oppressed the poor widows in the first place. It was ill-gotten gain.
This woman worshiped God with the coins that she had — all the coins she had. Jesus was inspired, and he said, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on" (vv. 43-44). That widow's penny had the power to inspire.
The widow gave out what she had, and it was not much, but a penny in a pile makes a dollar after a while.
Those coins represent more than money. They represent faith and belief and how these must be lived out in our lives in concrete acts and not solely by rituals that no longer hold religious power.
We marvel at such figures as Mother Teresa, the families of slain or injured soldiers, and teachers in tough inner-city schools. We lift them high on the pedestal with the poor widow, keeping them distinct and distant from our daily lives. The focus is on their giving and the inadequacy of ours—but nothing changes. We don't have to be Mother Teresa; there are penny-sized projects we can do independently. We don't have to save the world today, but I'm sure we can find something to do with a couple of pennies.
Sunday, October 24, 2021
Sunday, October 10, 2021
Separation Anxiety - Pastor Johnnie Simpson Jr.
1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? 2 My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest.
3 Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the one Israel praises. 4 In you our ancestors put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. 5 To you they cried out and were saved; in you they trusted and were not put to shame.
6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by everyone, despised by the people. 7 All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads. 8 “He trusts in the Lord,” they say, “let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.”
9 Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast. 10 From birth I was cast on you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God.
11 Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help.
12 Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me. 13 Roaring lions that tear their prey open their mouths wide against me. 14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted within me. 15 My mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death.
It can be a terrible thing to be separated from someone or something you are used to for a long time. Feelings of abandonment and blame can come next. I wish we didn't have to feel these kinds of emotions. The trouble I see with separation anxiety is that you cannot avoid being alone no matter what you do. Eventually, you will have to face it. We see the Psalmist David give us some ways to handle it in scripture.
People quote Psalm 22 often. Scholars try to classify the psalm as either one of lament, petition, or thanksgiving. The answer is yes. Scholars say the psalm is about someone facing sickness possibly close to dying. The writer is facing a big problem, not something you can sweep under the rug, ignore, put on a solid face, and pretend everything is fine.
The Psalmist feels abandoned by God, and sometimes it is shameful to feel abandoned. The problem with the writer is not so much the sickness but the silence. Imagine getting into a disagreement with a loved one, and they don't yell and scream, they don't argue, they are completely silent. I know those who watch kids feel the same way; as long as you hear laughing, playing, screaming even, everything is alright, but once it gets quiet, it's time to go in the other room and see what they are up to, make sure the room is still intact. There is danger in the silence sometimes.
The Psalmist is:
Abandoned in verses 1-5
Abused in verses 6-8
Attacked in verses 12-13
Poured out in verse 14
The Psalmist says the bulls of Bashan surround them. Bashan was a region of ancient Israel northeast of the Sea of Galilee, now known as Syria. Bashan was known for the cattle raised there. During certain times of the year, the cattle were allowed to forage in free-range fashion. In the more populated areas, a herder might be around to make sure the animals did not hurt anyone, but out in the countryside, the herds were left unsupervised. While grazing, unsupervised, the animals start acting like wild animals. So, someone minding their own business in Bashan might suddenly find himself surrounded by bulls, and the chance to get hurt was real.
The bulls of Bashan were an actual situation for those folks. They are a metaphor for us, but one that we easily understand. The bulls represent demands we cannot ignore, obligations we cannot get out of, duties we cannot shirk, responsibilities we cannot evade. Not only are the bulls attacking David, but the largest and wildest bulls they have.
Sometimes we can overcome the pain with a little bit of an attitude adjustment. We may not be able to change the moment, but we can always change our minds.
The Psalmist calls to God in prayer. The Psalmist also remembers their upbringing, so they know that God loves them. Hold on to what you had until you get what else you need. Know that God loves you and call on him for deliverance.
It's ok to question, and it's ok to cry out to the lord. Not all prayers are going to be pretty.
It's ok to cry out, even Jesus did, quoting Psalm 22:1 in Matthew 27:46. Mark 15:34. But the crying out will give way to thanksgiving later in the psalm, just like Jesus crying out will give us all a reason to be thankful going on.
Sunday, September 26, 2021
Sunday, September 12, 2021
Four Scandals From a Survey - Pastor Johnnie Simpson Jr.
Mark 8:27-38
27 Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”
28 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”
29 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”
30 Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.
31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many thing and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
33 But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 37 Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
One thing I did not appreciate before that I do now is a survey. I used to hate taking surveys. I thought it was a waste of time. I did not want to take a bunch of time to fill out a form or do an interview telling someone how I felt about an issue or a product. Now that I do so much work with large groups, I see that surveys have value. Those surveys allow me to see what is going on with many people all at once. I get the results, learn something from those results, and work smarter the next time around. Surveys will let me know what I am doing well, where I can improve, and what someone feels at a particular time. I am not the only that appreciates looking at the data from surveys.
Marketers know this, which is why the technology boom of the last few decades has been helpful for them. In a high-tech world, companies and pollsters will still get information from us about whether we want them to or not. Have you ever been to the grocery store and purchased some candy with your rewards card? Or have you maybe entered your phone number? Then the next week, you get a coupon emailed to you for that candy and several other kinds of candy like it. The grocery store knows what you like without you ever having to tell anyone.
Say you are searching online for a new pair of shoes. You surf through images of shoes. You then decide to see what's happening on Facebook. Suddenly, ads for those same shoes you looked at are plastered all over your page. And you will continue to see them until you search for something else, which will then take over your page and so on.
Add to that the fact that just about every time you make a purchase, a little survey pops up asking you about your shopping experience, and every time you stay at a hotel, you get an email from the booking site asking you to rate it. Not only is the rating helpful to fellow travelers, but it also tells the booking site what kind of hotels you might want to check out in the future. It's little wonder that we have begun to believe that marketers know more about us than we know about ourselves, and they know what we want even before we do and have been doing it for years!
I read an article about eight years ago where a father got mad at a store because the store started sending coupons for diapers, formula, baby wipes, etc., to the house; the father said no one at his home was pregnant. Why are you sending these coupons? The store predicted that his daughter was pregnant early based on other items she purchased that had nothing to do with baby wipes and diapers. Paying attention to people pays off.
We see Jesus conducting a survey here in scripture. When Jesus took his disciples to Caesarea Philippi, he gave them a couple of poll questions. Still, in this case, it's a survey not so much to gather information but rather a chance to define the brand of discipleship he was looking for from them and the type of discipleship Jesus is looking for from us.
Jesus asks the disciples. Who do people say I am? Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and still, others say one of the prophets. Then Jesus asks the disciples, who do you say I am? What is your opinion on the matter? You cannot hide behind someone else's words this time.
1st Scandal - Peter's confession
Peter called Jesus the Messiah. Messiah is something familiar to us as readers but not to the people who heard it. Jesus is only called Messiah twice in the Gospel of Mark. Jesus is called Messiah once here in scripture and then a second time later when the high priest interrogates him. The Roman authorities did not like to hear about the Jewish people having a Messiah because the prophecies indicated Messiah was king and priest. To say I am the Messiah during the biblical times was to tell the Roman government I am the new king; this was a scandalous statement. It's easy to look at something from the Biblical times now and think that it's easier to call Jesus the Messiah; we already know he's the Messiah that's what we believe; that's why we are in this room right now watching this service. But during those times, it would not have been as easy to just simply say I am the Messiah; this was the first scandal.
2nd Scandal - Jesus' prophecy
This prophecy summarized the whole gospel in a few words. Jesus did in one verse what Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John tried to do in their entire books. The Son of Man, the Messiah, would have to suffer, be killed, and rise again on the third day. The disciples and the others were not used to hearing this kind of talk. The first eight chapters of Mark were like a rock star going on tour, Jesus going around performing miracles, healing the sick. Jesus couldn't even take a vacation because people would find him and beg for Jesus to heal them, or their family member, or their friend. Now Jesus is talking about humiliation, rejection, death, and resurrection. Resurrection is cool, but that death part before the resurrection, not as cool. The people expected the Messiah to overthrow the Roman oppressors, free the people of God, and save them from all their troubles, not get rejected by the priests and elders. That is hard for the people to hear, but they have to understand there will be some bad times and some good times.
3rd Scandal - Peter's rebuke
Peter pulled Jesus to the side and rebuked him. I thought it would be strange that Peter would have the audacity to try to tell Jesus what to do. But then I thought about it; there are probably some people right now that think they could tell Jesus what to do. When you think about what kind of arguments happen in the church over what type of music to play, what the pastor wears, who or who should not be in the pulpit, we are all capable of doing some silly stuff. Peter attempted to rebuke Jesus because he said something that Peter and probably the other disciples did not want to hear.
4th Scandal - Jesus' rebuke
Jesus tells Peter to get behind me, Satan, then calls the crowd over to make sure they all get this clear. Peter came to Jesus in private, and Jesus wanted to make sure that he did not have to have any more private conversations about this again. So Jesus faced the whole crowd. Jesus addresses the entire group telling them that if anyone wants to become my follower, they have to take up their cross and follow me. Jesus told them what does it profit to gain the whole world if you lose your soul as believers; Jesus is saying your priorities have to be correct.
Following Jesus means you must be concerned about others over yourself. Discipleship is not about comfort; this is about the work of the cross. We must put down our preferences and pick up those of Christ.
Marketers capitalize on the fact that we want things for ourselves and prefer things that match our own best interests. Jesus calls us to check a different box. We save our lives by losing them, and actual profit only comes through giving our lives over to Jesus, living for his sake and the sake of his kingdom. Discipleship is not popular, trendy, or easy.
The good news with all the scandals, hard work, and self-sacrifice is that in the end, Jesus will win. Jesus said that he will come with the glory of the Father and with God's holy angels in the end. Jesus has the victory, and he knows it.
Jesus is answering the survey himself:
Born of a Virgin
Suffered under Pontus Pilate
Crucified died and buried
Rose again on the third day
All power in his hand
Seated at the right hand of the Father
Coming back again
Survey questions for us:
Do you know him?
Do you believe it?
Will you be ready?
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