Is Church Essential? Sermon on Mark 12:28-34, 38-44

Rev. George Miller
March 22, 2020
Mark 12:28-34, 38-44

Today we gather in this holy time, in this holy space.

Through Christ, we are Citizens of Heaven even as we dwell in an unsure world.

The author of Mark wrote his gospel specifically for people who were living through uncertain times like this.

In fact, so much of the Bible was written during scary situations-

-The Exile
-Enemy attacks
-Controversy
-In-fighting
-Shaming
-Arrest.

Mark wrote for a city under siege from an outside intruder, an attack that would topple the Temple, take lives, cripple the economy and change their way of interacting.

So with that knowledge, we look at today’s reading with a set of woefully wisened eyes.

This story may sound familiar- the widow who gives away her last cent, but let’s look deeper.

One question we can ask is this-

Is she giving all that she has to God?

Or, is she giving all that she has to an institution?

Her last 2 copper coins- will they go towards the ministry of the Lord or to help run a business?

Note that in today’s reading, Jesus does not make a judgement statement, nor does he say anything about imitating her.

What Jesus says is that the poor widow put in more than all the others, all that she had to live on.

Let us pause and think for a moment- Jesus does not say “What she did is good,” or “What she did is bad.”

He doesn’t say “She will be rewarded” or “She will be punished” for her giving.

Jesus does not say “Be like the poor widow and give all you got.”

Could it be that this story, so often used in stewardship campaigns and preached about by pastors from high pulpits while in ornate apparel….

….is really a condemnation about a religious system that would willingly take all that a person has left to live?

Did you hear what Jesus said in verses 28-40?

Jesus says to a scribe that the greatest commandments are loving God and loving neighbor.

Then he says “Beware of religious leaders who walk around looking pretty, wearing expensive clothes, who like to be the stars, get the best piece of chicken, and say long prayers, all while consuming what the widows have. They will be judged greatly.”

Do you hear and see what happens? Jesus condemns those who will devour a widow, then… we watch as a widow places her last 2 coins into the offering.

What do you think Jesus is truly trying to say to the disciples when he gathers them around?

What do you think the author of Mark is actually trying to tell us???

…Today we celebrate meeting the budget, and though circumstances don’t allow us to do that through food, we can still celebrate through spirit.

Our church leadership set a goal of giving and everyone here has responded in faithful generosity.

But what were you giving to?

Were you giving to God, or were you giving to an institution?

Were you giving to the Lord’s ministry or to a place of business and entertainment?

What is the church really about and why do we gather to worship?

This moment in time really makes us think, to wonder “Why church?” and “Why do we get together?”

We are aware of all the places that are closed down: bars, nightclubs, theatres- places of socializing and entertainment.

What has not closed?

The places seen as essential.

Grocery stores- where we go to get food and to be nourished.

Gas stations- where we go to get refueled.

Doctor offices and hospitals- where we go to seek healing and be made well.

Which makes us wonder- why do we come to church, why do we come to worship?

Is church essential? Is gathering together a necessity, like going to Publix, Speedway and Doctor Chen?

Perhaps it depends on why we come to church and why church exist.

Is church a place of entertainment?

I read one pastor’s email that referred to worship as a “performance” in which those present were part of it.

This blew my mind, spiritually and pastorally finding it insulting. Worship may be many things, but to call it a “performance” goes against every understanding I feel about church.

Is church a place of business- a well disguised social club that’s no different than AMC or a bowling league?

Is church essential?

Perhaps its how you define church.

Is church a business in which you go to be entertained and socialize?

Is church a time and space in which we are fed, refueled, and healed?

Maybe church is all of the above?

But let’s take a look at who we are and what we have been doing throughout the past decade.

We start worship by bringing in the Light of Christ.

We sing our Mission Theme Song, stating “The challenge is at hand, in faith and strength we stand.”

We hear the words “Now is the time to let go of you worries and the stress from the week before…to allow yourself to sit, be still, and experience the compassionate care of Christ.”

We confess our sins. We receive forgiveness. In prayer we lift up the sick and vulnerable.

All of these are ways in which we offer healing and medicine of a spiritual sort.

We give God praise.

In song and scripture we celebrate and participate in testimonies that remind us of amazing grace, our ancestors who came before, the sparrows of the field, the rugged cross, and no matter how bleak Friday seems, there is resurrection.

All of these are ways in which we are refueled to enter the world, energized Citizens of Heaven.

We are fed as the Holy Spirit is called upon to make the message spiritual nourishment that can feed us throughout the week. We are fed through the acts of communion.

We close with a benediction that reminds us of justice, kindness, and humility.

This feeding, refueling, and healing is what empowers us throughout the week to be the hands of Christ in our giving, feeding, hosting, visiting, teaching, shopping, stocking, etc. etc.

Does that sound like we are a non-essential place of business or entertainment, or does it sound like we are an essential place of nourishment, refueling, and healing?

Our coming together in this sacred space and time does something else- it reminds us that we are not alone.

For loneliness can be one of the most damaging of all things.

Abandonment is often humanity’s greatest fear.

Loneliness can starve the soul, drain the spirit, and make the body unwell and do unhealthy things.

So, you may be asking yourself “What’s the point of today’s message?”

One point is this- why do we give and what is the church?

Another point is- how can we be church at a time in which we’re being advised not to gather, that it is not safe to gather?

Is physically coming together to worship the Lord an essential thing?

What brings about greater health and prevents greater distress- continuing to worship here, being smart and sitting apart?

Or is it healthier and better to say that for now we do it in our own homes via videos, phones, emails etc.?

Like those who experienced the Babylonian Exile and those who lived during Mark’s time, we are discerning what it looks like and what faith means when no longer tied to a physical place.

Like the earliest Christians, we now have better understanding of the resurrection’s importance and the realization that no matter what, no matter where, Jesus Christ is present.

Like the earliest church we’re experiencing a movement of the Holy Spirit, a sudden unexpected moment in history in which we’re being pushed to speak, worship and experience God in a whole new way and mindset.

I don’t doubt we can still worship God together inside this sanctuary, I have no doubt we can still worship God if we meet outside on the lawn with folding chairs.

I have no doubt we can worship God from home via the computer.

Whatever we do over the course of this historic event, let us keep in mind why we are church, why we do what we do, and what it means to say we are Emmanuel UCC.

Emmanuel- God With Us.

We will continue these conversations for as long as we are able, trusting that the resurrected Christ is beside us.

Amen and amen.