The Upside-Down Kingdom: Where the Blind Can See

Pastor Michael Stadtmueller

Sermon Text: MARK 10:46-52

⁴⁶As [Jesus] and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. ⁴⁷When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” ⁴⁸Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” ⁴⁹Jesus stood still and said, “Call him here.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart; get up, he is calling you.” ⁵⁰So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. ⁵¹Then Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said to him, “My teacher, let me see again.” ⁵²Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.

The Upside-Down Kingdom: Where the Least are the Greatest

Rev. Michael Stadtmueller

Sermon Text: MARK 10:35-45

³⁵James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” ³⁶And he said to them, “What is it you want me to do for you?” ³⁷And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” ³⁸But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” ³⁹They replied, “We are able.” Then Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; ⁴⁰but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”
⁴¹When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. ⁴²So Jesus called them and said to them, “You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. ⁴³But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. ⁴⁵For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

The Upside-Down Kingdom: Where the Last are First

Rev. Leta Arndt Behrens

Sermon Scripture: HEBREWS 4:12-16

¹²Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. ¹³And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account.
¹⁴Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. ¹⁵For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Sermon Text:

I have the honor and privilege of getting to bring my four year old nephew to preschool here at Our Saviour’s. He is the baby you all prayed for when he was in the process of being born and in the NICU. You brought meals to his family, words of comfort to me, and a steady word of grace and prayer throughout that difficult time four years ago. And today while he is small, he is mighty. Especially his attitude! I use his full name at least five times every time I am with him–Greyson Lee… try that again. Greyson’s siblings and closest cousins are all teenagers, so, Greyson’s world is one that has some extremes–he has wonderful preschool friends and education… and he has a lot of time with siblings and cousins more than ten years older than him, who adore him and yet can do a lot of things he is not quite ready for. As all young children, Greyson wants to do this MYSELF… He is just pretty sure he is bigger and stronger than anyone else his age. This week, Greyson was with myself and John my 14 year old for an afternoon. We got in the car and insisted that he could buckle his carseat himself. We are pretty patient, not in a big hurry… But he was not going to be able to do this one himself. His hands just are not strong enough yet. So John, probably the most patient and compassionate, said, ‘well the first step is for me to hold this part still. Then you can push that buckle hard and it will click.’ So with John pushing up from the bottom and Greyson pushing hard from the top, the seatbelt clicked. Greyson exclaimed proudly, “See I do it myself!” … However the first step in that was accepting help from his older cousin.

Consider some first steps in your life. Some are exciting, or at least satisfying, like this one was for Greyson–first steps of baby learning to walk, first step into a new home you have worked hard for, first step into a new college or career you have been educated for, first step into a partnership or a new family. And some first steps are quite scary or a mix of emotions–first step into a new school or new job, first step into a new town or family. And then there are first steps we have to convince ourselves to take because they are beyond our comprehension of our life–the first step into an AA or Al-Anon meeting, first step into a cancer center for treatment or the NICU with a newborn, first step in calling the counselor or walking into a mental health clinic, first step into giving up some of what we have or control and giving it away in the name of faith.

This is the kind of first step I imagine the young wealthy man in Jesus’ story was taking. All the scripture tells us is that he left grieving and in shock. We don’t know if he was grieving because he knew there was no way he could give all these things up or if he was grieving because he had decided to give them up. We don’t know if he came back or told stories of Jesus or showed up to stand at the foot of the cross. We don’t know if he heard the resurrection news or if his life changed one way or another after that day. What we do know is that when Jesus answered this man, he was answering his bigger question of what is hindering him from a full of experience of God and as Jesus answered, He looked at him and LOVED him–first. This is only one of three times in this gospel that Jesus looks upon someone with love specifically and it is a stand out moment. This man knew the commandments. He knew the law. He knew that Jesus was a way to light and life. And he really believed that there was something he could, should do, had to do, in order to make this promise come about for him.

And here is where we can get stuck. We want to manage this story. Explain that Jesus didn’t really mean that, at least not globally and not for all of us. We want to list all kinds of caveats and exceptions–managing your wealth is good stewardship, everyone giving everything away in a society is not healthy for the common good, Jesus was exaggerating to get their attention, to get our attention. And then Jesus goes on to confuse the issue even more–why should it be more difficult for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God? What is this about a camel and the eye of a needle? How can Jesus say who is last is first and who is first last–what does that logic even mean–are we to imagine a line into the gates of heaven where the last person keeps rotating and those who arrived ahead can never get in? There must be a loophole somewhere, somehow for us to… Well for us to do it … “by myself’!

And that is precisely the issue Jesus is addressing. A camel going through the eye of a needle, whether it is a sewing needle or a narrow gate into the city, no matter how you turn this image, it’s still something that is not possible. When we push back on this text, the text hold steady and pushes up and back on us and for us to open up the new promise that Jesus keeps delivering–God is here and it is in and through God that the promises of grace and life are made the least bit possible. In other words the most upside down part for most of us to get used to is that finally God, in this scripture and in the promises is the subject, is the one acting all around us.

Recognizing this is the first, and maybe the most difficult, step and it’s a first step we get called back to again and again. The life of faith is never done, our learning and relearning and taking first steps in faith and first steps in life together isn’t finished at confirmation or when we read the whole bible in a year or even when we take classes or become ordained. The life of faith is always a re-learning, re-engaging, and invitation to take a closer look at our spirits, our actions, and how we talk and walk this path as a Christian.

That first step shows us that being in an upside down kingdom is about transformation and change. It’s about examining what we do have, what first steps we are taking, and the ones we are avoiding. We need continual reminders that we are not called to hold back our gifts, but to open them up and let them be used and bring light to the world. All those things that hinder us must be the the things we let go of to take those first steps in faith. First steps can be exciting like getting your first Bible, creating a welcoming space, or meeting new friends in our church community. First steps can be mixed- as we look to the future of our building and to the future of how we engage faith together and invest intentionally in the community and world us together. First steps can be scary, like taking that step to teach a sunday school class or mentor a confirmation youth or take 10 minutes a day to the daily devotion or give away more of your resources than you have been willing or able to before.

First steps are all about putting God s the subject in our lives so that they are centered around grace and love for ourselves and others. And our Actions of putting God as the subject don’t take away our responsibility. One thing we can do as we look at our world today is to respond in God’s name to the crisis in Florida–as we pray and hope and join our thoughts and hearts with those experiencing so much loss, we can join our resources as well in supporting Lutheran Disaster response. This organization is a response of our faith together- we step into the world together claiming our identity as Christians and our ability to come into crisis with our funds, our hands, and our prayers, connecting and bringing the light of Christ with these kind of first steps.

To all of these first steps and the ones you are called to in your life, Jesus’ final word is to bring hope. Even as you are called into these and number of steps–you are not called to do them all by yourself, nor can you. The grace of God is the assurance that as God gazes on you with love… and there is transformation. Transformation in spirit, in mind, in body, in actions. All these things are a part of the daily living with God and all are real in life with God and even already happening all around you and with you. “Truly, I tell you,” Jesus promises, “ I tell you that no one who has taken these first steps for my sake and for the sake of the good news of grace and love will be left out or alone, no matter where you are in life, no matter what step you are on, no matter if you are on your first or your last step, God is here and with you all the way.” Thanks be to God. May it be so.

Upside Down Kingdom: Where the Children are Blessed

Rev. Leta Arndt Behrens

Sermon Scripture: MARK 10: 13-16
¹³People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. ¹⁴But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. ¹⁵Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” ¹⁶And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.

Sermon Text:

The person I wanted to be my best friend in elementary school was a very popular girl named Jennifer. Jennifer was beautiful. She had long blonde hair, bright blue eyes, she could paint and draw and do math… and Jennifer could hang upside on the money bars. And I could not. Just like I was afraid to talk to Jennifer, I was afraid to let go on the monkey bars. I could get my legs over the bars and I could tilt my head back a little if I kept my eyes closed. But to let go and open my eyes and hang… that was terrifying. I was also scared that if I didn’t do this, Jennifer would not be my friend anymore. I had heard other girls say that to one another, if you can’t do this or if you won’t do that I won’t be your friend. So this made it difficult to make friends…

One day, when I was sitting on the bar, dreaming of turning upside down and letting go Jennifer helped me. She got off her bar, walked over and said, you can do this, I will help you. She explained how to lower down and hang fully while still holding on. She encouraged me let go with one hand and then the other. And then she said you’re doing it! Open your eyes! I opened my eyes, trusting, not thinking, and what I saw was a whole new world and the same world all at once. My hair was brushing ground, the building looked like a different school, I had to let my brain adjust to the new view before I could recognize the people around me and turn the trees the right way in my head. It was fascinating and exciting and dizzying–as happens when one is upside down. That day, I saw not just the earth from a different perspective, but I saw Jennifer with new eyes too–not as the popular girl that I was too shy to talk to, but as a fellow human being, a kind person like me and not just the untouchable super popular girl.

I think that is why I love this photo that we picked for the opening of this series so much. A child, hanging from her mother’s lap, seeing the same world in a new way, seeing it with open eyes and hands free. Allowing herself to feel the earth from a different perspective and to see the sky from another direction. This is an experience of hanging upside down. It’s an experience of allowing another person’s point of view to influence our own. It’s an experience of seeing where God is and what God is up to in a whole new way. All the while still being in the same place, the same body, the same mind and spirit. It’s about being open, letting go, and trusting.

In today’s gospel, parents are bringing children to be blessed by Jesus. It’s a story I tell our preschoolers on the first chapel of the year so they are sure to hear first the words that God wants them and welcomes them. It’s a story that gets painted and drawn usually with a grassy field and bright sun and blue sky with children of all the colors surrounding Jesus, smiling, running, laughing, full of joy. This is a beautiful way to see the story and it’s not the only way to see the story.

This story is in the middle of other other stories. Stories of how Jesus talked about human relationships, marriage, leaders, followers, divorce, community and the coming kingdom. As we continue through Mark this month we will hear about who is last and first, what God may be like, and where the kingdom of God comes to be a part of our place here. This story is not just a cute moral reprimand to the disciples where joyful well behaved children come to bounce on Jesus lap like some kind of biblical santa claus. This story is much  more challenging and pointed than that and is asking us, the readers, to turn upside and see the world a different way.

In order to do that, we need to understand a few things about what it meant to welcome children in the time this story was written. Today we have children’s sections of libraries, playgrounds, schools and day care centers, drinking fountains set at child height and birthday parties that center around celebrating and counting the years since birth. None of this was true at that time. In fact, it was almost opposite and at least a little upside down from our current perspective. In the honor/shame society of the time, people were very quick to see and welcome and want to be in the presence of those who were in high status because that would bring honor and status to their own. Children had no status. They were vulnerable, they needed care, they could be a drain on a family as much as they were hope for a family. Things were not geared for children or held in esteem to accommodate children, they were instead seen as not quite all human until they were grown and contributing to the physical needs of the family or village.

So when Jesus says, “Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child (paidion) will never enter it.” These are not nostalgic or passive worlds. They are words of challenge to the mainstream and words of power and change. There are two ways to understand the phrase in Greek. One could be the interpretation we often hear that Jesus means to become ‘as a child’ to be like a child in your faith and in welcoming the kingdom of God. In one way, this understanding can run the risk of putting children on a pedestal, saying that they always see things more purely somehow… and I know plenty of children who can use the word no or ask why 1000 times before they accept or welcome anything with open arms. And yet, at the same time, the open eyed newness and wonder of child who sees snow for the first time or discovers their reflection in the mirror or who sees others not for their skin color or body type but just with accepting curiosity is a gift in helping us to see ourselves and others from a stance of grace instead of judgement, joy instead of competition.

The other way to understand the greek here is to know that the noun could be accustive instead of the more descriptive, which change the meaning to Welcome the kingdom like you would welcome a child. This brings us back a couple of weeks to Mark 9 when Jesus actually picked up a child in the crowd and said, welcome this child and you welcome God. Here Jesus is turning the idea of who gets welcomed and lifted up to not be the strong, but the weak. In the kingdom of God, it is the vulnerable who are welcomed–those who do not bring status or honor or wealth to the table. In the kingdom of God, it is turned upside down and those who are to be welcomed are the very ones that are cast aside or hidden away in our world.

What we see in this text we will see repeated over and over. Jesus has not come to bless the status quo, but to bring forth blessing for all kinds of people–those this world sees has having value and those this world sees as not having value. Where would Jesus stand among us today? Who would we try to stop from getting to Jesus? Who would Jesus pick up from the crowd and say,  “Welcome him the prisoner. Welcome her the refugee. Welcome them the victims of violence and abuse. Welcome him the unemployed, Welcome her the one who loves broadly. Welcome them the muslim, the Jew, the atheist. Welcome him with the broken body. Welcome her with the broken heart. Welcome them with the broken minds.”

In the kingdom of God, it’s all welcome.  That is the point of hanging of upside down in the scriptures, that we see the humanity in the person next to us and in the stranger who we don’t know and may not even have the capacity to understand. The person who was assaulted and the person who has lost their child to suicide. The person who has it all and the person who has nothing. Jesus says, this, this is all blessed and this is all held by God. There is wholeness and value in all of “them”, in all of you. That is the fascinating and dizzying part about the welcome and grace of God. It is there and the same for each person, each life, each community no matter what angle we view it from, no matter what lens or perspective we do or do not see, no matter how terrifying it is, no matter how we turn it or shake it or spin it. Jesus ushers in the welcome and love of God when he opens his arms wide to the children and when he goes to the cross and enters into the depths of humanity– from the cross he turns us upside side, shows us how to let go with one hand and then the other and then from that place opens our eyes to bring us life, show us love, and welcome us with open arms right where we are.