Pastor’s Corner – October 20, 2024
To Be Christ-like
Mark 10:35-45, Isaiah 53
A colleague of mine posted on Facebook from Celtic Christian Tradition: The central question of Christianity is not, “Is this progressive or conservative?” The central question of Christianity is, “Is this Christlike or not?” I concur and emphatically agree with this post. Some misconstrued however, with a troll stating, “don’t push your religion on others!” I can see how one can react in this manner given the political divide and tension in our election cycle as well as decades in the making of “cultural war.” As ministers of the gospel, we try our best to separate church and state and not get involved in the messiness of politics. However we also understand that politics done right can also transform our society for the common good. This does not diminish the role of faith and spirituality that can inform and fuel political drive for change and give hope in times of despair. The church we belong to is the body of Christ in the world. Our ultimate commitment is to Christ and his kingdom. As disciples, we follow him and see the world through his grace and love. We are not a political entity nor desire to pursue political power, which brings us to our gospel reading in Mark for coming Sunday.
The disciples, James and John, once again were curious who will be Jesus’ right and left hand and asked Jesus to appoint them in his glory. Jesus rebuked them saying they don’t understand what they are asking. The mission is to serve, to be servants of all, not to rule over people as those who have power and are tyrants. Jesus reminds them and the rest of the disciples that greatness is not defined by power, but by servanthood and ultimately offering oneself as sacrifice for the liberation of all people. Jesus also reminds them that they will share his cup and his baptism, that is to say his suffering for the cause of the gospel and living out their faith commitment. What does this look like? Reading from prophet Isaiah for this coming Sunday is noteworthy. It’s a well known passage, a lament of a suffering servant as a metaphor for suffering people under great distress, displacement, death and crushing oppression. “Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed.” vs.4-5
Monday, on Indigenous People’s Day, five hundred members of Jewish Voice for Peace protested in front of the Wall Street Stock Exchange, exposing profits from the violence and war around the world in particular Gaza and Lebanon. “Not in our name” on their shirts, half of them were arrested. As war is escalating in the Middle East, and our election is coming in two weeks with so many issues at hand, the question is how are we Christlike as we navigate our world, and taking a stance and advocating for human rights, justice and for the common good? May God’s peace be with you and know that the love you share is the same love that is in every human being in our world. Amen.
Pastor Dae