May I Have Your Attention? – Mark 16:9-19
/Lectionary Readings for May 8, 2022 4th Sunday of Easter, Year C
Psalm 23 v4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
Acts 9:36-43 Tabitha dies of illness; Peter prays; Tabitha comes back from the dead
Revelation 7:9-17 v12 “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
John 10:22-30 v30 “The Father and I are one.” ~ Jesus
But this week we’ll look at Mark 16:9-20 as we spend the Easter season exploring Jesus’ life after the resurrection.
Peace through Leadership Quotes
“A smile is the light in your window that tells others that there is a caring, sharing person inside.” ~ Denis Waitley
“God has given us two hands - one to receive with and the other to give with. We are not cisterns made for hoarding; we are channels made for sharing.” ~ Billy Graham
A smile says, “Welcome, I have something to share.” A smile can say, “I have peace, and so much of it that I can offer you some.” A smile can say, “I understand you’re upset; we can find a way forward, together.” Without a word said, a smile can offer someone a moment of hope and encouragement… and that’s a good place for peace to grow.
Any time I preach or lead a group, regardless of age, I start the same way. I’m going to say three short sentences. Please repeat each sentence, with enthusiasm.
God made me. God loves me. God has plans for me.
Preface to Today’s Scripture Reading
Many scholars believe Mark, the shortest and oldest of the four gospels, was the source material for Matthew and Luke. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, the original ending of Mark was… ambivalent; it had some really good news, but lots of loose ends for us to figure out.
Immediately prior to today’s reading, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome discovered an empty tomb inside of which an angelic figure told them to tell the Disciples that Jesus had risen and they should meet Jesus in Galilee. They fled in amazement, confusion, and terror saying nothing to anyone. The end.
People back then had the same questions you and I would have had if we heard that story: What do you mean “risen”?!? Is Jesus really human and back from the dead like Lazarus? Will Jesus die again? How long is He back for? Has His mission changed? What should we believe? What do we do now?
To answer questions like this, other writers later added three additional paragraphs to give us a neater, cleaner, more hopeful ending.
As you read, notice the disciples don’t believe either the women nor their two colleagues who met Jesus on the road from Emmaus to Jerusalem. Jesus does not appreciate their “stubborn unbelief” and berates them for it.
Which brings me to my apology today: For years I have said that when Jesus returned, He never chastised any of His followers for deserting Him on the day of His crucifixion. That’s still true. But He DID give them an earful for not believing the personal testimonies of people who knew, loved, followed, and believed in Him and His message. I think we should pay close attention to Jesus’ concern here. Whose stories should we take more seriously? Whose testimonies are we ignoring to our own detriment?
Let’s open our ears, minds, and hearts as we hear Jesus’ last words in Mark’s Gospel.
Read Mark 16:9-20.
There is a chance that all you will remember from today’s reading is the bit about handling deadly snakes and drinking poison. I will do neither today nor any day to prove my faith to anyone – and I suggest you not do either as well. But let’s talk about snakes for just a minute. First, no other gospel mentions these bizarre proofs of faith. Perhaps Mark’s editors wrote in a moment of euphoric faith AND zeal.
Second, Acts 28:1-6 tells the story of Paul dramatically surviving a shipwreck and washing ashore on the island of Malta. While building a fire, a viper bites him but, much to the local’s surprise, he doesn’t die; so they conclude he must be a god. But here’s the problem: there is no evidence that any poisonous snakes have ever lived on Malta. Several strange and convoluted theories abound to make literal sense of the Biblical story; my favorite is that “the land of Malta was blessed by St Paul and actually absorbed the toxins out of all venomous creatures living there” (see Which viper bit St Paul in Malta?). But the shocking details of Paul’s survival do make for a great, attention-grabbing story that would have been appreciated by a first-century audience that didn’t care about facts getting in the way of a good story.
Side note: 1) I find it interesting that snake-handling churches still exist, despite the number of trips to emergency rooms. 2) I find it equally interesting that when you hear of poison-drinking churches, it’s when the worst has happened and many or all the cult members have died (ex: the 1978 Jonestown, Guyana or the 1997 Heaven’s Gate mass murder-suicides). Either is a terrible “expression” of faith.
So WHY did Mark’s editors include these five incredible claims: cast out demons, speak in new languages, handle snakes, drink poison, and heal the sick? As Nef put it Tuesday night: for shock value. ALL of these miraculous signs had one goal: to get people’s attention so that you could then tell them about God’s even MORE incredible love.
I’ve seen and heard magicians, musicians, horse trainers, comedians, and even professional wrestlers all use their talents to get people’s attention so that they could share their own versions of “Lemme tell you how much God loves you.”
So how do WE today get people’s attention? I can’t sing, but our choir can. They work hard to catch our attention every week. I can’t play a musical instrument, but Dennis works hard to make the piano and organ lift our spirits. I’m not terribly mechanical, but Martin keeps our buildings running smoothly while Jerry keeps our computers happy. And some of you are shockingly good at noticing that something is happening in a person’s life that they are not talking about. All of these are gifts that can be opportunities to start conversations and share our joy and hope with others.
I’m one of MANY people on our HOPE Food Pantry team – and it does take a team each week – people who are shockingly generous with time, smiles, hugs, conversations, prayers, and food. When we share homemade meals with college kids on a Saturday evening, that is shocking to many of them.
When someone notices these attention-grabbing moments and compliments or comments to one of us, to any of us, how can we embrace that moment to share our faith, to share a word of encouragement, to put a spotlight on God’s love?
Could we say something like, “Isn’t it great how God has brought us all together? I wonder who else would have enjoyed hearing today’s music, receiving today’s food, or being in this conversation?” I often tell people, “I’m just passing along God’s many blessings.” That often opens the door for them to say, “Let me tell you how God has blessed me.”
Dennis set the tone for many of our food pantry volunteers. When delivering a guest’s food to their car, the person told Dennis thank you for the shocking amount food. He replied, “No, thank you!” “For what?” they asked. “For coming here today because if you weren’t here, I wouldn’t be able to share a smile with you and say God loves you.”
I’m convinced we need to talk about these moments. We need to role play, to try out our wording with each other. We need to take chances in conversations and learn from what wording we are and are not comfortable with.
I sincerely wish all churches had a culture where folks went up to their pastors and said, “I have this talent, people say I’m good at it. Can you help me find a way to deal with my shyness, my fears, and my insecurities because… if that’s the cross I have to bear, the suffering I have to endure, so that other folks can hear and see God’s love and start to live a happier, healthier, more peaceful life, well then… I’m willing to carry that cross.”
If we create a culture where we look forward to moments when we can spontaneously and joyfully share God’s love with others – and then celebrate those moments together – we will continue to expand the Kingdom of God and shock our community with our faith.
Amen? Amen!