“Whatever It Takes” (Mark 1:29-39)

 

February 5 , 2012

 

 

“Whatever It Takes”

I once heard someone say that there are two kinds of people in this world: those who say “whatever” and those who say, “whatever it takes.” “Whatever” is the response of the shrug. “Who cares?” Do you sense a little indifference and apathy? “Whatever it takes” is the response of the committed; a “can do” attitude that refuses to give up or give in. So let’s try it out. First we’ll say “whatever.” Let’s practice. … Jesus said to love your neighbor. “Whatever.” Jesus said to go and make disciples of all people. “Whatever.” Jesus said “blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. “Whatever.”

Now, let’s change that response to “Whatever it takes.” Ready, everyone together! Jesus said to love your neighbor. Whatever it takes. Jesus said to go and make disciples of all people. Whatever it takes. Jesus said blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Whatever it takes. The question for us today is- Are we willing to do whatever it takes to show the world God’s love?

Let’s look at three places- our homes, our church, and our neighborhood and see where that “whatever it takes” attitude might lead us.

Let’s say “whatever it takes” at home. What’s going on in your home? If you live by yourself, you might be thinking, not much! So if that’s the case, think about your home as your extended family- your children, grandchildren, sisters, brothers. Is there anyone who could use a phone call? Are there any relationships that need attention? Let’s say “whatever it takes” when it comes to showing our family members God’s love. How about your mother-in-law? Anybody have a mother-in-law? I know several of you are mothers-in-law and today Jesus visits Simon’s mother-in-law, so I guess that must mean I have to tell a bad mother in law joke. It’s a twist on the story of King Solomon, the two mothers and the baby.

Two women came before wise King Solomon, dragging between them a young man. "This young man agreed to marry my daughter," said one. "No! He agreed to marry MY daughter," said the other. And so they haggled before the King, until he called for silence. "Bring me my biggest sword," said Solomon, "and I shall split the young man in half. Each of you shall receive a half." "Sounds good to me," said the first lady. But the other woman said, "Oh Sire, do not spill innocent blood. Let the other woman's daughter marry him." The wise king did not hesitate a moment. "This man must marry the first lady's daughter," he proclaimed. "But she was willing to split him in two!" exclaimed the king's court. "Indeed," said wise King Solomon. "That shows she is the TRUE mother-in-law!"

So on to Simon’s mother-in-law. She was in bed with a fever. Jesus took her by the hand and lifted her up and she was healed. What a powerful moment that must have been. This is Jesus’ first healing. And it was done with gentle, tender touch. Can we reach out to others with that same kind of touch and speak caring words without anything being said at all? And let the people say- “Whatever it takes.”

Of course some of you can probably identify with the next thing that happens in the story. The fever left her “and she began to serve them.” No rest for the weary in that house; at least not if you’re the female head of household. Of course another name for her service is ministry and that is why Simon’s mother-in-law has been called the first "deacon" of the church. The deacons are the first “can do” people of the church. According to the Book of Order, Deacons have THE MINISTRY OF COMPASSION AND SERVICE. G-2.0201 Deacon Defined The ministry of deacon as set forth in Scripture is one of compassion, witness, and service, sharing in the redeeming love of Jesus Christ for the poor, the hungry, the sick, the lost, the friendless, the oppressed, those burdened by unjust policies or structures, or anyone in distress. That should keep us busy for a while! OK, let’s say it together- whatever it takes- to reach out to others with compassion and service- we do it for our church. And our Board of Deacons can’t do it all by themselves. They’ll be looking for some helping hands this year.

In honor of Superbowl Sunday (even though the Steelers aren’t playing) and our church life here together, I’ll share with you some football terms that may have something to say to us about the church too:

So here’s the other thing I want to share with you about our church life together. It has to do with the Presbytery and the wider church. Some churches and Presbyteries aren’t happy about the passing of the amendment to the Book of Order called 10a which allows for presbyteries and churches to make their own decisions about ordination standards. As I think you know, the requirement for all ministers, elders and deacons to live either “in fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman or chastity in singleness” has been taken out of the Book of Order and replaced with these words: “Standards for ordained service reflect the church’s desire to submit joyfully to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in all aspects of life.” So I wanted to update you on some new things that are happening around this issue so that we can all be well informed.

There was a meeting in Orlando a few weeks ago hosted by a group called The Fellowship of Presbyterians. A handful of people from Shenango Presbytery attended. The total attendance was close to 2200 Presbyterians (765 congregations) from all over the country. So this group is starting what they call “a new expression of ministry and mission.” And the name of this new body is ECO: the Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians. From their website it says:
ECO invites followers of Jesus who share a Reformed, Presbyterian heritage to reclaim a sense of covenanted biblical community. ECO exists to serve the local church and nurture the leaders so that the Kingdom of God expands. As an expression of The Fellowship of Presbyterians, ECO seeks to serve the ministry and mission of Christ's Church. Our name represents a three-fold commitment to make disciples of Jesus Christ (Evangelical), connect leaders through accountable biblical relationships founded in God's grace (Covenant), and commit to a shared way of life together (Order).

ECO's name draws from the Greek term oikos, (not the yogurt!) meaning “household." Back in Jesus’ time, oikos simply meant everyone who lives in your household, including your extended family and your servants. So the vision is of all these people living together and nurturing one another. As far as I understand it, if churches want to affiliate with ECO, they can do that and still stay in the PC(USA) or they can choose to leave the PC(USA) and only belong to ECO. I’m telling you all this so that you are aware that there’s a lot happening in the Presbytery and the national church. Lots of people are saying whatever it takes as they define what they think the church should look like in the future. There’s a lot to think about.

So I said we’d look at saying “whatever it takes” in our homes, our church and now our neighborhood. Good thing it’s Souper Bowl Sunday and we know that soon “Dan the Can” and his friends will be on their way to the Ministerium Food Bank. That’s neighborhood outreach right there! So we’re pretty good at reaching people as far as their physical needs go. We’ve got several good things going on there. But still a lot of those people are not being reached as far as their spiritual lives go. That’s a really tough one and of course there are no easy answers. Jesus healed a lot of people that day at Simon’s house. It says “the whole city was gathered around the door.” But he didn’t heal everyone. We can’t be all things to all people. But we can do whatever it takes to be who God is calling us to be as a church. Jesus says to Simon: “Let us go to the neighboring towns, that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.” What is God calling you to do today? What is God calling us to do as a church? As we continue our search for those answers, let us say together --“whatever it takes” and let us pray…