Stumbling Block

Mark 9:38-50

September 27, 2015

Am I a stumbling block?
Have I been a stumbling block.

Whenever I read this scripture I ask myself that.

The answer comes back to me that I guess I have at times.

Probably not on purpose, but there have

probably been times when we’ve all

done the wrong thing at the wrong time

and bent someone’s b

burgeoning faith too far.

We haven’t been a good example of kindness, patience,

understanding or forgiveness.

There are some times 

that individuals can be

stumbling blocks, 

and there are sometimes that

whole churches can be that for people.

In this story from the gospel,

The disciples are doing something that Jesus

sees as a stumbling block for people.

They see someone who is casting out demons,

doing the work of Jesus, but they don’t seem

to have the proper authorization in the eyes of the disciples.

They haven’t been certified or licensed or approved by committee

or something, so the disciples are wagging their fingers at

this person, John is actually pleased with himself

and he’s bragging to Jesus about telling him to stop.

These disciples are displaying a trait of religions –

which has plagued us since the beginning of time –

and very much plagues the Christian Church,

Competition and in fighting.

 These people are, to the disciples admission,

doing the work that the disciples should be doing,

but they don’t like it because it’s being done

by someone they don’t want it to be done by.

We do the same thing today,

One group of Christian doesn’t like the style of other groups,

the feel, the message, the emphasis,

they don’t come from the right lineage or

don’t’ follow the right authority.

They don’t share the right doctrine or practices

so we complain, contrast, put up barriers,

call names and insult.

There was a large Lutheran church in the next town

to the one I was working at who

had been funding a food pantry for the area

and sending volunteers.

They’d been doing it for several years.

But then, the word got out to some people

in the congregation and the pastor that the people

actually running the pantry were Mormon.

The pastor of the Lutheran Church pulled

out their funding and their congregation’s involvement.

They didn’t want to be seen supporting a Mormon institution.

  

Now, don’t get me wrong, there might be good

reasons why we would set ourselves apart from others.

Some of our brothers and sisters in the faith

are downright hateful and brutal with their words and actions.

And we shouldn’t just sit by and pretend it’s not happening..

But sometimes we fall into the trap of arguing minutia

that most outsiders don’t understand.

Sometimes we are arguing over how many angels

can dance on the head of a pin

and to the world outside the deeply churched,

it looks petty, it looks pointless, and frankly it looks unchristian.

I know when we all talk about ELCA Lutherans,

and Missouri Synod Lutherans and Wisconsin and NALC

and all the other Lutherans and we do it with disdain or scorn

people outside this whole Lutheran thing scratch their heads

and think, aren’t you all Lutheran?

Why can’t you get along with each other?

We come by it all honestly though.

Christians have been putting these barriers up

between us and others right from the beginning.

We instantly seem  to have forgotten Jesus statement here:

“Whoever is not against us is for us.”

And in the first centuries of the church

the rule of the Christian church

seems to have turned that statement into

“whoever does not agree with us exactly is dead to us.”

The circle that Jesus makes for our love and acceptance

of other people here in this gospel is wide.

Jesus includes anyone who would just give you a cup of water.

Anyone who acts with kindness and welcome.
Jesus keeps opening his arms and he keeps trying to open ours.

But we always seem to keep trying to close ours.

Now in some ways the Christian church seems to be making progress. 

It was great to see the Pope this week

sharing the stage with people of other faiths at the 9-11 memorial,

being a conduit for peace between nations

and talking about world interests instead of

just catholic or Christian interests.

But at the same time,

Christians seem to be taking steps backwards these days.

The vitriol that We’ve heard from other Christians about Muslims--

our brothers and sisters through Abraham and Sarah-- is scary.

And the hate that some Christians have for immigrants

even those who share our faith - is frightening and disheartening.

And it does put stumbling blocks on people’s faith

when Christians speak and act in hate, when we make divisions between ourselves, when compete with one another.

When we do what the disciples do.

We lose our saltiness. We lose what makes us Christians.

When people cite what has made them fall away from the church

it’s often fighting and anger that’s cited.

Either fighting inside the individual congregation or between churches or denominations. If we’re supposed to love all people

how is it we can’t even love each other?

The people seem hypocritical and the

ideal of loving one another seems impossible.

I realize that even when I point out how some Christians

hatred towards those that are different in this sermon,

I’m aware that I’m making a distinction,

not just between my actions and another’s actions,

I’m putting up a wall of division.

I’m closing my circle up.

  

Someone said,

 "Every time you draw a line between who's

in and who's out, you'll find Jesus on the other side."

The world can live by the motto that

whoever is not with us is against us

The world can exclude and put up barriers.

But Jesus said, “whoever is not against us is with us.”

Jesus default is welcome, union, cooperation.

Jesus opens with the belief that we can work together.

We can even love our enemy, or those who are not with us.

We pray for those who persecute us.

When we are Christian we make a choice to follow Jesus ways

 and not the world’s.

And as followers of Jesus, we need to maintain our saltiness.

our unique quality and flavor.

When people see and hear about Christians,

they should think of welcome, union, and cooperation too.

Jesus ways are not always easy.

Of course, we struggle with people.

Like the disciples,

We struggle with those that we see doing things

in Jesus name that don’t reflect the Jesus that we understand.

But we trust in the one who welcomes all.

We follow the one who opened his arms to all creation on the cross.

Who brings new life to old things.

Who removes every stumbling block.

And the best way to follow Jesus ways in

the practical sense is to do what James tells

us in today’s part of his letter.

Pray for one another and pray for those who we would exclude.

It’s hard to hate people that we pray for.

  

Let’s pray.

God we ask you to help us to grow

in faith toward you and love toward one another.

Today, we especially pray for those people who we struggle with.
Those people of faith that we disagree with.

Who have different beliefs than us.

Who share the same beliefs but carry them out in a different way.

Help us to understand them and love each other

instead of creating more divisions between us.

Help us to flavor the world with your love and understanding.

Help us not to be a stumbling block for others.

Help us to be at peace with one another.