Getting Out of Our Own Way (Reflections on Pentecost 18)

September 30th is the Feast of Saint Jerome, so I thought I'd give a shout-out to the old boy and publish his picture with this post. We'll get back to him in a little bit.

The gospel text in the Revised Common Lectionary for Pentecost 18 is Mark 9:38-50. In this pericope, the Apostle John, doubtless feeling very proud of himself, tells Jesus that he and his buddies have caught some guy casting out demons in Jesus' name, and they have stopped this enterprising exorcist because he wasn't a member of their group.

Can't you just picture Jesus receiving this news? I imagine him slamming a palm against his own forehead in frustration and letting out a Homer Simpson-esque "DOH!"

He looks at John and says (not in so many words), "Dude. The guy was casting out demons! That's actually a good thing, don't you think? Why do you go and stop him? If he's using my name, he's got to have at least some kind of faith in me and my mission. Don't you think we should be encouraging that sort of thing?"

John turns a little red in the face. Being one of the chosen twelve disciples, he kind of liked feeling special. He looks down at his feet. "Oops. Sorry, Boss. My bad."

Jesus just shakes his head and sighs.

From the very first, it seems, the Christian Church has had a special talent for screwing things up. We have the most beautiful message to give to the world, and yet we keep putting stumbling blocks in our own way. Once upon a time, in my parish, a very pious lady--president of the congregational council no less--took me to task for allowing a catechism student to serve as communion assistant and pronounce the words, "The blood of Christ is shed for you." She told me she didn't think a child should be doing that. As if a twelve-year-old is somehow not qualified to proclaim the sacrifice of Christ!

And yet, through the centuries we have caused so many "little ones" to stumble. We've told so many that they are not good enough:

"You're too poorly dressed for this church." "You're a different race and you're not from around here." " You're gay." "You're a lesbian." "You're divorced." "You're married to a divorced person." "You've had an abortion." "Your worship style is too ritualistic and formal--it's obvious you don't have the Holy Spirit." "Your worship style is too frenetic and free-wheeling--it's obvious you have no piety." "You're covered in tattoos and body piercings--ya freak!" "You're homeless." "You have illegitimate babies." "You're overweight and your momma dresses you funny." " Your mentally challenged." "You're mentally ill." "You're an addict." "You're a jail-bird." "You're just TOO YOUNG!"

And sometimes, those of us who are "good enough" are stumbling blocks:

We've molested children. We've covered up for those who have molested children. We've cheated on our spouses. We've stolen from the church. We've preached rigid intolerance. We've shown our bad tempers. We've had our mental breakdowns. We've taken scripture out of context and preached our own agenda. We've been too human.

And sometimes, we trip over our own policy. We make "personal salvation" our only goal and never discuss things that matter like divorce, abortion, poverty, homelessness, war, bullying, substance abuse, mental illness, sexual abuse, or immigration.

But in the end, our job is to proclaim Jesus--in all his love and forgiveness--any way we can. And if something gets in the way of that proclamation, we need to throw it out. I love my high church liturgy, but if it becomes too arcane for someone new to the teachings of Christ, then I have to be prepared to get rid of it. No stumbling blocks to wholeness in Christ. If all I do is try to save my idea of Christianity, then I'm working for myself and not for Christ.

When the majority of Christians in the Roman Empire spoke Latin rather than Greek, dear old St. Jerome translated the Bible into their language--their common, every day language so they could understand it. When Latin was a dead tongue, Martin Luther translated scripture into the vernacular and urged others to do the same. When classical organ music ceased to move a new generation, God was praised in folk tunes and in rock 'n' roll. If need be, we'll go to hip-hop if that will reach people with the message.

As ambassadors for Christ, we sometimes need to learn how to get out of our own way. We better throw out our prejudices and preconceptions, or we'll drown trying to save them.

So what's keeping YOU from being who God wants you to be? A grudge? A prejudice? An addiction? Your guilt? Your comfort zone? A dysfunctional relationship? Your ego?

Think about it. And be at peace with yourself.

Thanks for reading.