BEING THERE
Ezekiel 2:2-5; 2 Corinthians 2:7-10; Mark 6:1-6
Looking for a great movie to rent from Netflix this summer? One I would recommend is the 1979 comedy, "Being There." In it Peter Sellers plays a simple-minded gardener named Chance who has spent all his life in the Washington D.C. house of a wealthy old man. When the man dies, Chance is put out on the street with no knowledge of the world except what he has learned from television. Circumstances, however, lead him to become an unlikely political insider as his simplistic utterances about gardens, the weather and quotations from the television shows he has watched are repeatedly misunderstood as being profound and are interpreted as allegorical statements about business and the state of the economy. One phrase that Chance repeatedly says throughout the film is, "I like to watch," referring to television as his window to the world.
"I like to watch." Seems like something that characterizes many in our society today. Maybe even a lot of us. We like to watch . . . television, movies, and YouTube videos; emails, text messages, snapchats and webcam conversations; sporting events and video or computer games, not to mention the stockpile of photos on Instagram and our cell phones. The problem with this is, rather than being participants in life, we often times become mere spectators. And sadly, the same thing can often be said about our faith lives. I think that’s what the people of Nazareth were guilty of in today’s Gospel.
They were there – on that Saturday, in that hometown, in that synagogue. They had heard the stories of “local boy makes good”: the snippets of things he supposedly said, the rumors of mighty deeds he reportedly accomplished. They were there – that Saturday, in that hometown, in that synagogue, in stilled silence as the carpenter’s son entered and walked to the bimah, the elevated place, where the scripture is read. All eyes focused on him as he unrolled the scroll of the oracles of the prophet Isaiah. They anxiously waited, wondering which passage he would choose to read and comment on. And the one he chose was a familiar one. One they had heard many times. One they had pinned their hopes on, for it spoke of the long-awaited messiah:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
“because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.”
He rolled the scroll back up and handed it to the synagogue attendant. He paused as he made eye contact with each and every person gathered on that Saturday, in that hometown, in that synagogue . . . neighbors, friends, family. And then he spoke: “Today, in your hearing, this passage has been fulfilled.”
“What? What did he say? Wait a minute! Did I hear him right? Does he mean what I think he means? Can he possibly be saying that HE is the one spoken about, the long-awaited messiah? But we know him! He’s the carpenter . . . the son of Mary! We know his family!” And they took offence of him - so much so that in Luke’s version of the story, they take hold of him and lead him to the outskirts of town, and attempt to throw him head-first off a cliff.
They were there – that Saturday, in that hometown, in that synagogue. They had come as spectators to hear a good homily and maybe witness a miracle or two. But one thing they forgot to bring along with them was their faith. Mark tells us, “He was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them, (for) he was amazed at their lack of faith.” The congregation in that synagogue in Nazareth was content being there, just watching. But when they were challenged to something greater – FAITH - and when his message wasn’t to their liking, wasn’t what they wanted to hear, they rejected him. They were content with their lives as spectators and felt threatened by Jesus’ invitation to active, living faith in him, and all it implies.
What about us? "I like to watch" should never be the catch phrase of a Christian. For faith is more than just passively being there – or here. Faith is more than a mere mental exercise. It goes beyond intellectual acknowledgement and blind adherence to doctrine. Faith transforms us. It shapes and molds us. It motivates us. It energizes us. Faith, if it is true faith, is active, growing, deepening, LIVING. Never stagnant, idle, self-satisfied, but always discontent: always wanting more - wanting to be more . . . wanting to do more. It's a participation in the world, for faith goes beyond belief and into action. It throws open the doors of the church and ventures out into the world, to be in the world but not of the world. As you’ve heard me say before, "Christian" is more than a proper noun; it's an action verb. A Christian must be a crusader against injustice, a righter of wrongs, a beacon of hope, a minister of charity, a shouter of good news, a reconciler, and a servant to the unstated, stated understated, obvious and not so obvious needs of all people.
That’s why former Governor of Florida and current Republican presidential hopeful, Jeb Bush, was so misinformed two weeks ago when he said, "I think religion ought to be about making us better as people and less about things that end up getting in the political realm." Aren't the things that make us better people part of the political realm? Did not many of the Hebrew prophets speak out on social justice issues? In addition to ministering to the spiritual needs of people, didn't Jesus heal the sick, feed the hungry and speak out against the excessive burdens that groups like the Pharisees placed on the common folk? Wasn't his ministry one of inclusiveness, embracing those who were forced to exist on the fringes of society and welcoming them into the Kingdom of God? And so, shouldn't climate change, human rights, the right to life, the economy, the plight of the hungry and homeless, and health care be things that are rightly in the religious realm and not just the political? In Jesus vision, YES!
Jesus was the messiah, the “anointed one.” He said that he had been anointed by the Father to proclaim liberty to captives, recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord. And that is the same sacred ministry that you and I accepted as our own the day of our baptism when we became “anointed ones” as the chrism oil was poured on our heads.
Summer is a time to kickback, to escape, to chill. But don’t just watch it fly by. Don’t find yourself on Labor Day Weekend bemoaning the end of summer and regretting missed opportunities to live life and enjoy life to the fullest. Don’t watch life go by in front of a television, computer or cell phone screen. Take the precious gift of time that you have been given to be with nature, to be with your friends, to be with God. Be an active participant in life rather than a passive observer. Don’t watch. DO! And live your life as a Christian the same way. Yes, be THERE for your family and your friends, and be HERE in church. But in all the places and situations that you find yourself, don’t just “be there” but leave your mark there. Be like Jesus: Speak the truth. Seek the lost. Touch lives. Heal the hurting. Give of yourself. Yes being there might put you in the right place. But what good is being in the right place if your presence there makes no difference?
So if you get the opportunity this summer, watch the movie “Being There” . . . On second thought, DON’T. Don’t become like Chance or like those who gathered on that Saturday, in that hometown, in that synagogue who merely liked to watch. Don’t just BE THERE, but GET OUT THERE.
