Sermon Title: - “If God is your Co-pilot, you ought to change seats" - pastor john
A couple of weeks ago. Debbie and I went up to the Hershey Hotel for their
wonderful brunch and we met up with some seminary classmates. It was old
home week, and we of course inquired about what was going on with them and
other Pastor friends. I was shocked to learn that one of the best < BR>theologians in my class, a man who had a brilliant mind and had won national
awards and competitions was now a riverboat captain on the Mississippi. He
had had a faith crisis and simply walked away from his calling. He’d gotten
a divorce and a brand new Mazzeratti, (it turns out Riverboat captain,
especially former Coast Guard officers like he was are very well paid). I
was floored though. He was the last person I would have thought to have
left ministry to follow the world’s charms.
Today’s lesson from St. Mark’s gospel is absolutely stocked with very
provocative sermon topics. The disciples are with Jesus and he asks them “who do you say that I am?” Peter rightly answers you are the Messiah.
Peter expected, as did every other believing Israelite of his time, that the
Messiah would reveal God’s power in a unique way. Wars would end. All
nations would come to Jerusalem to learn the wisdom of God and also it would
be the end of other religions. All people would worship the God of Israel,
the true and loving God. The Messiah would inaugurate a new age of peace as
well.
We can understand how shocked Peter was, and not only he, but everyone
hearing Jesus, when they learned of how Jesus would be rejected, and be
killed. He is of course alluding to his crucifixion which would be the
means by which God absorbs human sin and forgives it, definitively, once and
for all time. Peter rebukes Jesus, and then Jesus, in turn rebukes him.
Rebuke is a funny word isn’t it? It refers to a short, terse, reprimand.
One only rebukes someone with less power than they have, or else they are in
a position of authority over the “rebukee.” To be rebuked is usually an
insulting and humiliating experience. Peter humiliates Jesus, and Jesus in
turn, rebukes and publicly chastises Peter. His words – “Get behind me,
Satan,” would make anyone’s ears and cheeks sting.
Why does Jesus call Peter “Satan”. Satan is the tempter. Satan urges us to
do things that are selfish, bad, harmful for us or others. Satan doesn’t
talk us into doing things we don’t want to do, he simply persuades us that
it’s OK to do what comes naturally. If we didn’t want to go along with him
he wouldn’t be so successful.
That’s why Jesus calls Peter, “Satan”. He isn’t saying that Peter has
somehow become the Devil or is evil. Jesus doesn’t really want to die
either. He sees the cross coming. He knows it’s for him. He know it’s his
job – his unique calling, but being completely human as we are – he doesn’t
want to die, much less be crucified. Listening to Peter would weaken Jesus
resolve to pick up his cross and die for us.
Then Jesus talks plainly to his disciples and the crowd and tells them to
live a life of self-denial if they intend to follow Jesus. He calls them
and us, to pick up their cross and follow him.
What does it mean to “take up your cross.” We bandy the word cross around
casually and it has many meanings. A child who is unruly and strong willed,
always getting into trouble is called “his mother’s cross”. We say having a
disease like diabetes or a physical infirmity like blindness is a cross.
We also refer to theses things as burdens. I once read that taking up a
cross is when you pick up the weight of someone else’s burden. Driving your
blind friend to a doctor’s visit or contributing to the American Blind
Association’s appeal would be carrying their cross. Writing a letter to
your Senator to have him vote to increase funding for supervised group homes
for children of drug addicted parents in Baltimore City would be carrying
the cross. Becoming a ‘big sister” to a ten year old whose Mom is in jail
for passing bad checks would be carrying the cross.
Crosses come to us at work. Sometimes we are asked to bend rules by people
in authority over us – like altering the date on a letter so that it appears
we have made a deadline. Behaving honestly and ethically is always a
challenge. I used to work for a State Highway road inspector who told me
that some contractors would hint around to see if he would be willing to let
them use 41/2 inches of asphalt instead of the 6 they ‘d contracted to put
in. Had he said yes, he could have pocketed a great deal of money, but sold
his soul to Satan. Builders are tempted to violate codes and put studding
in at 24” rather than 20”. Teachers who are tempted to simply underline
awkward phrases in compositions rather than take the time to write our and
explain their critique. In all these we hear the voice of Satan “go ahead,
they won’t read your comments anyway” or ” the house will still hold
together and you’ll save time and money”. Doing things right, holding to
standards, going the extra mile, always offering yo ur best, all this is part
of carrying the cross.
Of course, none of us carries our cross consistently. Sometimes we shoulder
its burden willingly; sometimes we simply get tired of its weight and put
the cross down. If we were consistent in our cross bearing we wouldn’t need
a savior.
Sometimes too it is difficult to know the way of the cross. Sometimes issues
are extremely complex. Take stem cell research, for example, or cloning. A
good case can be made, on both sides for continuing research or for opposing
legislature’s permission to move forward. Sometimes it is very hard to know
Jesus’ will. Sometimes the answer to What Would Jesus Do is ”I don’t know,
or I’m not sure”, and it can be an honest answer.
When we come to problems like this we have to rely on the Spirit. Jesus
said “Follow him”. Sometimes we simply have to turn decisions over to God
and then wait. Wait for a sign form God that will lead us.
I was reading on the internet this week preparing for the sermon and one of
the writers said you know that bumper sticker, God is my co-pilot. It’s
wrong. God is the pilot, I’m the co-pilot. If God is my co-pilot, I need
to change seats. I thought this funny at first, but upon reflection I saw
it as very wise. So often I make decisions without submitting them enough
to God in prayer. While God made me in his image, and gave me his Spirit, I
am still a creature, finite, limited and mortal. If I’m smart I’ll turn
things over to God a lot more.
In Jesus’ name
Amen.
Who We Are