The Rev. Donna Giver Johnston
First Presbyterian Church
Sunday, February 05, 2006
Let Us Go On
Mark 1:29-39
What is an iPod?
Some of you will laugh at such a ridiculous question. Some of you will smile knowingly. Some will lean in closer wanting to know the answer. And some don’t care to know anything at all about such modern gadgets.
Well, this Christmas, I swallowed my pride and walked into Best Buy and asked a young clerk this very question. I knew a little, but she told me more than I ever wanted to know. She explained to me that an iPod was a listening device—like a walkman, but on which you can program your own music. In other words, you can listen to only what you want to hear. When I bought one for my husband, she shook my hand as if to say, "Congratulations! Welcome to the real world!"
Given my newfound knowledge, this newspaper headline caught my eye: What would Jesus have on his iPod? I read on. . ."The Website, Beliefnet.com, which bills itself as the leading multifaith spirituality media company, conducted an online survey and found that Jesus, a longhair, would prefer classic rock (11 percent) to classical music (which didn’t even register). Christian rock led the way at 13 percent over other categories like gospel (7 percent) and hip-hop/rap (4 percent). But, the majority of voters (55 percent) came to the conclusion that Jesus would not even own an iPod."
Just another example, I thought, of us trying to fit Jesus into our world today. But, then we realize that there are many places he just doesn’t seem to fit very well. His words sound strange to us today and often fall on deaf ears:
"Turn the other cheek" sounds foreign in our "me-first" world
"Forgive not 7, but 70 times 7" sounds naive in our litigation-minded world
"Give away all you have and follow me" sounds impractical and short-sighted in our invest-in-the-future world
"Blessed are the meek and pure in Spirit" sounds good as a poetic verse, but not as a guide to living and succeeding in our world today.
These words couldn’t be more different from the words we hear in our world today. What are we listening to?
Today, millions of Americans will be watching the Super Bowl, where we will hear the words of our world today:
Hit harder, play tougher, no pain—no gain, it’s doesn’t matter how you play the game, but who wins in the end—and that’s only in the game.
And then there’s the popular commercials that tell us:
You’ve gotta have it—cold beer, fast cars, beautiful women, money, money, money.
And then there are the words that run continually in our own heads:
You’re not good enough, you can’t do it, give up, get more, don’t forgive, don’t forget, he hurt you, get even, look out for number 1.
Two different worlds—and they are not only centuries, but miles apart. Ne’er the two shall meet—except on Sundays for 1 hour, when we come into this place seeking to hear a word—a different kind of word we can take with us back into the world. Today we open the Bible and find Jesus praying for and healing people—of all kinds—men and women, rich and poor, strong and weak, deserving and undeserving, known and unknown, winners and losers.
And in the midst of many healing stories, Jesus speaks a word. Did you hear what he said?
He speaks only a few words, the first four are key.
Jesus says, "Let us go on. . ."
But, his disciples object, after all, there are more to heal, there is more to do, not all pain is gone, not all is done.
Jesus says, "Let us go on."
But, the disciples didn’t even know where they were going or what it would be like in an unfamiliar place.
Jesus says, "Let us go on."
But, but. . .just who is Jesus talking to anyway? Might there be a word here for us today?
To the woman whose divorce is now final, to the man who just buried his wife,
Jesus says, "Let us go on."
To the man who lost his job and to the woman who has lost her way,
Jesus says, "Let us go on."
To the father who keeps looking back asking, "What if?" To the mother who is stuck in bitterness, regret, anger and despair,
Jesus says, "Let us go on."
To the one who is afraid of what’s next, to the one who wonders whether Jesus is talking to you, Jesus says, "Let us go on."
But, we object, after all, not all the words have been said, not everything is resolved, not all the hurt is healed, not all the pain is gone, not all questions have been answered, not all the problems are solved, the end is unknown, the way is not clear. . .
Still Jesus says, "Let us go on."
Notice Jesus doesn’t say "Go on" you’re on your own, go for it!, good luck, hope it turns out ok. (that’s what the world says).
But, Jesus says, "Let us go on." Together, let’s go on. I will be with you. I know the way—and I know the road of life is marked with blessings and challenges, joy and sorrow, laughter and betrayal, sin and forgiveness, endings and new beginnings, death, and new life. Come what may, you are not alone, I will be with you—you can find me in God’s word, in the church, in the water of baptism, in the bread and cup at the Lord’s Table, at the cross, in the real world, on the road of life, in other people you meet along the way, in my words: I will be with you.
And so, let us go on.
On my husband’s new iPod, we programmed a new artist we’ve discovered named David Bailey. When David was diagnosed with cancer, he quit his big corporate job to write songs on his guitar. His lyrics are poignant. In one song, he writes:
I’ll listen to the prisoner tell me about freedom, and to the refugee tell me about home.
I’ll listen to the maestro tell me about silence and to the widow about being alone.
I’ll listen to the shepherd tell me about protection and to the poor man about what a dollar’s worth.
I’ll listen to the foreigner tell me about rejection and to the mother about the pain and joy of birth.
I’ll listen to the soldier tell me about fear and to the farmer tell me about rain.
I’ll listen to the old man tell me about time and to the carpenter about pain.
Pay attention to who’s doing the talking. After that, the rest is up to you.
I wonder, will you listen to the one who came with healing in his touch tell you about healing and to the man who willingly died for you tell you about living?
Amid the many words of our world today, Jesus is still speaking—real words we need to hear—words of truth and power, challenge and comfort, forgiveness and grace, love and peace.
The question is: Do you know his words are for you?