Meditation on Mark 8:27–38
Sept. 13, 2015: Rally Day
Jesus
went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way
he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that I am?’ And they answered
him, ‘John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the
prophets.’ He asked them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Peter answered
him, ‘You are the Messiah.’ And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone
about him. Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great
suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite
openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and
looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, ‘Get behind me, Satan! For
you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.’ He called
the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, ‘If any want to become my
followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow
me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose
their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For
what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their
life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who
are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful
generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the
glory of his Father with the holy angels.’
***
I can’t think of another question more important for the Church
than our Lord’s, “But who do you say that I am?”
What we believe about Jesus gives us our
purpose and identity as the Church. Our faith shapes our ministry, leading us
to do and be for others what we wouldn’t consider doing if we didn’t believe
with all our hearts that Jesus is the
Messiah, the one coming again in the
glory of His Father and with the holy angels.
If we didn’t believe that Jesus is the one
who came to suffer and die and be raised again to rescue us from our sins--then
every good thing we do for others, including our trip to Spirit Lake Indian
Reservation this summer, is just a “good thing.”
In the months leading up to our mission trip
in August with Marylynn Aalderks and her team from First Pres, Rochester, we
had to consider WHY we would go. We went because of Jesus, to serve Him by
being kind and generous, because He was willing to take up His cross and give
Himself for the world that did not know him. In Mark, Christ urges us to join
Him in giving up self-interest and seeking a life of comfort and ease. But we
can’t say that we have picked up our crosses and followed Him, as the Lord
invites us, if the motivation for our mission work and giving is just trying to
do good things to boost our own self esteem.
I can say with all confidence that those
who went on this trip wanted to bring the love and compassion of Christ to
people who lacked hope. We went with a little fear and trepidation, not having
gone before or done anything like this. But we knew it was the right thing to
do. It was like Marylynn Aalderks told me 4 years ago when I asked her why she
went to Nicaragua every year on a mission trip, though she put her own health
and safety at risk and often came back sick. She said that it was the one thing
she did that wasn’t about her or for her. So much of her life was comfortable and
safe--and she used the word “selfish,” which I would never use to describe
Marylynn!
Our conversation made me think hard about
Christ’s call to discipleship. Friends, we can talk ourselves out of taking
risks, such as doing hands on mission that involves traveling to minister to strangers
living outside our community. We can say that we should just take care of our
near neighbors or that we don’t have to do hands-on work and actually have a
relationship with the people we help. We can just give some money, right? But
that’s not what Christ did. He traveled outside his community and outside his
people, culture and religion! He reached out to strangers in desperate need,
without worrying about his own comfort or safety. Taking up a cross for Jesus is being willing
to suffer and possibly die for Christ’s sake. But most of us are more like
Peter than Jesus. When Peter rebukes Jesus for speaking prophetically of His
death that would be a self-giving example to us all, Christ says, “For those who want to save
their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the
sake of the gospel, will save it.”
The 20 or so volunteers who traveled to
Spirit Lake had faith that God wanted us to go and give of ourselves. We went
in obedience to Christ’s Great Commission of Matthew 28-to make disciples of
all the nations-- and to show Christ’s love by meeting basic needs, which
included feeding the children breakfast and lunch each day. They were hungry! We
went in the name of Christ to share God’s Word, teaching them Joseph’s story in
the Old Testament and Christ’s story in the New. The children learned of
Christ’s promise in Matt. 28:20. “And I am… with you always…even to the end of
the age.” We can say that our work at Spirit Lake was truly a mission because
we went, not for our own sakes, but for the sake of the gospel. And we were
blessed!
***
Today, you will hear from some of
Ebenezer’s mission team. Not all of them
were able to be with us today. But those who are here will share memories that
touched their hearts and inspired them to persevere beyond what was
uncomfortable, including the heat and relentless flies, the grime and noise of
the rec center, and the strangeness of a different culture and place.
I will always remember the energy and joy
of the children, but also their uncertainty about us when we arrived. That
first day, some of the kids looked at us and around the room decorated with
Sharon LeGare’s scenery and props with wide eyes and blank expressions. Others
raced around the room, wild and undisciplined, not accustomed to having adults
organize activities for them at the rec center and being expected to sit and
listen or learn new songs. Every day was challenging, and we would go back to
our rooms in the evenings tired, sweaty, and dirty. The first day was the
hardest, but we knew God was still in control amidst our frustration and
disappointments, such as when the technology would not work when we tried to
show a video clip. Then we discovered that once the lights were turned off,
they would not immediately turn back on again. We were in a big, dark gymnasium
with a mob of children screaming and running around. Thankfully, we had
popsicles to lure them outside to play on the playground for the last 15
minutes--til it was time for them to go home.
I will treasure the time of prayer with our
teams at the end of each day, when we shared what we were thankful for and what
had inspired us. I will remember the children’s hugs, laughter and moving
stories of home life that brought tears to our eyes. Parents who had left them
to be raised by grandmothers or other relatives. One boy whose father had just
died in a car fire rumored to be suicide.
Each of us seemed to have a “little
buddy”--a child who claimed us as their own throughout the program. One such
child was my Daizey, maybe 7 or 8 years old. She came the first day in a Hello
Kitty dress. Of course, I had to show her my Hello Kitty cell phone cover and
Hello Kitty water bottle holder. We were instant friends. We ate lunch side by
side, and she told me that some day her mother was going to have a house. And
Daizey would live with her and have a room of her own. And then we spent the
next 15 minutes talking about what the room of her dreams might look like. One
of Daizey’s favorite activities that week was jumping rope. She was able to
jump forwards and backwards and turn herself all the way around in a circle,
jumping rope. She drew many admiring glances from people walking by.
Daizey, like many of the other children,
enjoyed the face painting on the last day of VBS--just before the family
program. Volunteers and some of the older children painted cheeks, foreheads,
arms and hands--hearts, cupcakes, flowers, stars, crosses and more. One boy
wanted his entire face painted green and then asked me to take his picture. I
did!
I was so proud of the children! They had
come such a long way in just a few days! When they had just stared at us, ignored
us, or even taunted us while we led the singing the first day, they now
volunteered to say their memory verses, sang the motion songs with enthusiasm,
and played tambourine, drums, sticks, triangle, and bells. Our songs included “The
Doxology,” “Do Lord,” “Watching Over You,” and “You Never Let Go.”
And I
was proud of all our volunteers! They worked so hard and got along well
together. Will we return to Spirit Lake to minister in the future? It’s up to
the Lord, of course, and if there are people who feel led to go. The Rochester
church is already planning another mission trip next June--and there are so
many volunteers, there’s a “waiting list.”
As we drove away on the last day at Spirit
Lake, after Sunday worship with the Native American congregation, one of our
volunteers texted me. She wanted to go back to see her “little buddy,” she
said. One of the children who had claimed her as his own. She had taken a risk
and gone not for her own sake--because it was uncomfortable for her, as it was
for the others. In fact, when I first talked about the trip, she wasn’t sure
that she wanted to go. But she went-- for the sake of the gospel. And she was
blessed!
Let us pray.
Holy God, we
thank you for the gospel -- the Good News of Jesus Christ, who suffered and
died, and rose again so that we might be forgiven for our sins and experience
new and abundant life with Him. Thank you, Lord, that He was willing to pick up
His cross to rescue this broken and hurting world. Forgive us for wanting to be
comfortable and choosing things to do for own pleasure, rather than taking a
risk and choosing to serve you in ways we have never done before, in places we
have never been. Help us to truly live out the gospel, to be kind and generous
to people in need and to speak the Good News with love and boldness, never
being ashamed to tell the world who Jesus really is--the Messiah. Give us
courage and humility to take up our crosses and more faithfully follow Him. In
Christ we pray. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment