Mark 8:27-38
Maybe we haven't lost enough. Maybe we need to loose more, because I don't think we are gaining yet. Or understand what we gain. It's not ourselves, not what we want, not what we desire it is much more. I think this is why it is so hard to understand or hear what the gospel good news is. Because when we spread it, it is just like today where Peter says "shut up Jesus". Literally this is what he is saying.
We say this every time we say it's our right to wear a mask or not. We don't care about sacrifice, we don't care about others who are not vaccinated. We've been lucky here. Because we mask some cases where we have been exposed haven't resulted in an outbreak and us losing members of the congregation. I just don't get it though how others don't get this passage.
In order to gain our lives we have to lose them. It's a tall order, taller than we can imagine because we so often downplay what Jesus went through to die. We don't like to hear all the grizzly details. What Jesus is telling the disciples was such a dishonorable way to die. In opposition to the state of Rome, tortured, put on display for all to see you were an enemy of the state. Look at how this translates to today.
The state of Texas wants people to report on their neighbors. This is essentially what the law against abortion is getting to. No compassion, no exceptions for crisis, and spy on your neighbor and make sure they get punished. I don't know about you but this is far from gospel good news. Nor does it make a sacrifice for someone else. Nor does it lose anything except maybe in instilling fear in people. We don't care to lose enough. If we really did we would talk about how healthcare might be more affordable for everyone. If we did we would talk about expanding WIC programs to cover women, infants, and children better in getting food. Resources they need in order to survive. We would rather they be ostracized and put on display though. You seeing the picture?
We lost something on September 11. We lost the ability to sacrifice. Instead we have lived in fear, spying on our neighbor who dresses differently than we do, burning the place where they meet. This is not just an isolated incident we have seen in Cape. This is directly from what our government has sown in us, fear of another. So we don't want immigrants, even the ones who helped us, to come to this country. Keep them out. We don't have enough, we can't share resources we don't have, and we shut the doors and build the gates.
We haven't lost enough yet to fully understand this passage. To reach out beyond our fear, to stand in opposition to the state, to say enough is enough. Maybe we need to loose more. A year ago the Rev. William Barber was preaching at Washington National Cathedral virtually, and he quoted some stagger statistics on how familiar we have gotten with death. How many die at the hands of others and we don't even grieve, we don't even stop to see how we might stop it. This pandemic has just given us another set of numbers we don't care about. How many have died here in Cape County, in Missouri? Do you know the numbers, if not look it up.
The thing about what Jesus says is I know when you lose everything you gain everything. There is a strength in losing everything. There is a vulnerability we see in ourselves when we lose everything. And until we let fear rest and let go and let God we won't even gain a shred of insight into what this is for us as a nation. Don't be afraid. Do not be afraid. You will find everything awaits you.
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