Priorities!

 

There’s a story told of a couple going on holiday, standing in line waiting to check in their bags at the airport, when the husband said to the wife, "I wish we had brought the piano."

The wife said, "Why? We've got too many bags already!"
The husband said, "Yes, I know-- but the tickets are on the piano!"

Organisation and priorities are important to us all! And I think our readings today challenge us to think about our priorities in life. 

For example, we heard part of Paul’s 2nd letter to the Corinthians (4:13-5:1). Paul had suffered badly for his faith, and sometimes in pain it’s very easy, even natural, to focus on that pain, but Paul didn’t do that – he focused on the promises of Jesus – the promises that said whatever we face, God faces it with us. He doesn’t leave us, but helps us through pain... And so, instead of focusing on pain, or prioritizing the emotion of pain, we can focus on the hope and peace of Jesus. We can focus on news that is good.

In our lives we are called to prioritise hope, because in Jesus we see the hope that loves even when hated or hurting, and the power that can destroy even death. And as we profess our faith, we must focus our minds day by day on the incredible riches and peace we have in Jesus. never losing sight of his constant companionship and care for us. It’s not easy, and there will be days when we need to really actively search for that peace but it is there in Jesus… 

In our gospel reading (Mark 3:20-35) Jesus challenges people about their priorities. He challenges them about what God means to them...

CS Lewis famously wrote, 'A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic–on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg–or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.'  (Mere Christianity)

Today's gospel offers one of the first insights into Jesus being called a madman ! And it comes in quite a remarkable way - the reasons aren't that Jesus has gone wild, he hasn't started attacking people, he hasn't started shouting and screaming - what he has done is not eat his food.

And this was quite a worry to his followers - eating, as well as being an important part of good health, also had lots of symbolic meaning and had a number of rituals associated with it.

Jesus wasn't eating!  But rather than this being because of any great problem, it was far more likely to be due to the fact that he was so immersed in his work that he didn't have time to eat - he was so committed to his task that food was secondary to the primary role of teaching and healing and proclaiming that the kingdom of God was at hand. It’s an incredible lesson for us in priorities – not perhaps ignoring our food, but seeking out ways of sharing the knowledge that Jesus is good news, and prioritising that in our lives and in our churches...

Whilst Jesus’ followers and others may have been concerned about his lack of eating, the scribes saw this as an opportunity to attack Jesus further. They suggested he was possessed by Beelzebul - in other words possessed by evil. Far from doing God's work, they thought he was doing the work of the devil.

Jesus responded with words that the Message Bible says like this, ‘if you persist in your slanders against God’s Holy Spirit, you are repudiating the very one who forgives, sawing off the branch on which you’re sitting…’

Cutting ourselves off from God is what Jesus is warning against… 

Then Jesus’ family arrive but when he is told his mother and brothers are outside he responds 'who are my mother and my brothers?' He continues by showing that all who are sat around him are his brothers and sisters and mother.

It seems harsh - it doesn't look good. At first sight Jesus seems almost to be denying his own family - perhaps his lack of eating and this denial suggest he had gone mad as some said, but far from doing that Jesus was setting out key point - that the gospel is open to everyone; that the gospel is indeed good news for everyone.

Perhaps the most important part of this gospel reading is that point that Jesus has come to save all people - that Jesus' message would not be directed at the already religious or the supposedly good by the standards of society - Jesus' message was for all – the welcome to his family is for everyone.

I don't know if you've ever had the experience of being away on holiday abroad and ended up talking to a British person - it seems that being abroad breaks down barriers and we're more willing to talk to strangers when at home we might politely nod at best! 

But that experience of being abroad and barriers being broken down is surely the dream and hope of Jesus for all his people - that His church will truly be a family united, ready to talk to each other and others, ready to really share good news - and supporting each other, caring for one another, recognising one another and reaching out to others sharing God's love - a love that is for everyone, everywhere. 

So three lessons from our readings today about priorities. Firstly a priority in our life must be to trust God – to listen to him, to follow him even when it doesn’t seem to make sense to us... Secondly it is to remember in all things that God is with us and that we can trust him to carry us through pain and through loss and grief and illness and worry. He will never abandon us – he’s done too much for us already to give up now...

And finally it is to remember that we are to be a family welcoming all – a family committed to serious care for those around us, whoever they may be... 

Jesus, in our gospel reading said that if a kingdom is divided against itself then it falls apart, and too often in the church we allow ourselves to become distracted from the priority of good news for all, and we get bogged down, and sometimes even argue and fall out over things that really don’t matter too much in the bigger scheme of things...

Sharing good news needs to be a priority. Let’s be a church that’s known for welcome and joy and compassion and love. Let’s be a church that tries seriously to live out the priorities of Jesus...

A great missionary to India, William Carey, became concerned about his son Felix. Felix had promised to become a missionary. But he broke his vow when he was appointed ambassador to Burma.
Carey requested prayer for him: "Pray for Felix. He has degenerated into an ambassador of the British government when he should be serving the King of kings."

We have a great privilege in being ambassadors for Jesus and he equips us to fulfil that role... if we let him... and let’s remember that the gospel, if we let it, is powerful and transforming and life giving, full of hope and joy and peace and love - for us and for all we meet. Amen