Cut it Out

click here for a transcript of this week's sermon.

Last Sunday's sermon, "Cut It Out"  came from a difficult scripture passage -- Mark 9:38-50, in which Jesus offers some blunt teaching with gruesome imagery.   Pastor Jen Hibben captured and so effectively delivered the message Jesus wants all of us to hear.  It starts out with the disciples tattling on someone who is apparently and successfully throwing out demons in Jesus' name even though that person was not one of them.  We don't know the story of this person, or even his name.  Had he met Jesus?  Or was he just using the "magic" of Jesus' name?  What we do know is that he just wasn't part of the "in" crowd -- the disciples.  Were the disciples protecting Jesus?  Nevertheless, Jesus said, "Cut it out."  Acts of mercy and justice were being done!  The kingdom of God is here!  And this man was an example.  From there Jesus made it a teaching moment.  What was holding the disciples back?  Whatever it is, "Cut it out."  And as part of that teaching, He speaks about Hell, and then something different than what we think of as being the opposite.  We often think of Heaven.  But in this situation, Jesus was contrasting Hell with Life.  He said that if your hand, or your foot, or you eye offends , to cut it off or cut it out.  Not literally, though, because these body part do no operate independently of the heart.  The heart is what He was ultimately getting to.  And the surgical imagery of amputation implies how hard it is to change the heart.  It's not easy!  Sometimes there are bad habits or addictions that hold us back -- attachments that seem like they're actually part of us.  And they hold us back from Life.  Jesus came to give us abundant life.  And He comes with blunt instructions -- cut it out, whatever is holding us back.  And what we get is Jesus and real life!  

Gene Kelsey, Director of Christian Education