Getting Off Our Butts – Physically and Spiritually
28th January 2024 SERMON
Mark 1: 16-28
“At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.” (v28)
We’ve heard this line this morning, from the opening chapter of Mark’s Gospel.
Why? Why was Jesus’ fame spreading?
Mark has told us why…
· Jesus has called out to people to follow him;
· taught (with authority) in the synagogue;
· and healed a man with an unclean spirit.
Jesus’ words and actions resonated together with authenticity!
“…his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.” (v28)
Here at the start of Mark’s Gospel story, it’s really clear who is at the centre of the story.
Jesus is here.
Jesus is being noticed.
People are taking an interest.
This is the most obvious part of Mark’s story, and also the most important part of Mark’s story:
Jesus is here.
The Incarnation is what we celebrated at Christmas – God comes to us in person.
God has chosen to come down into our reality – the reality God created.
Incarnation illustration:
· If the distance from the Earth to the Sun (147 million kms) was the thickness of a sheet of paper,
· then the distance from earth to the nearest star would be a stack of paper 21 metres high (the height of the short St John’s tower, above the Chapel).
· And the diameter of our galaxy would be equal to a stack of paper 499 kms high.
The universe is VAST.
And, the One who made it all, comes to be with little ol’ us.
This presence of God with us causes a stir.
This is clear in the passage we hear today.
The same interest in Jesus motivated the writing down of the stories about Jesus in the years following his life on earth – the New Testament of the Bible.
The same interest motivated the passing on of these stories to people and communities and places around the world.
The same interest motivated sharing the meaning of Jesus with the following generations – with children, and their children.
The same interest motivated people to journey across the seas to bring the Good News to Aotearoa, where it was received by Māori as they recognise God’s (existing) presence in their midst.
Isn’t it the same interest that motivates us to recognise Jesus’ presence, and take an interest?
My question for us today – how does his presence stir us?
Please stand
as our Bibles are brought in
to begin our worship
Here at St John’s, these words come up on the screen to indicate the start of our worship together.
More accurately, they are the invitation for us to express our readiness to participate in what is happening here in worship of God – to be part of an experience where we encounter God
- the God who made all things.
Is this what you’re thinking when we stand as the Bible is carried in at the start of the service,
and when the Bible is carried out at the end of the service?
Perhaps you’ve never given it much thought before.
And if THAT’s true for you, I hope you won’t resent me making some suggestions today as to why standing for the Bible signifies something meaningful.
The assumption is about the truth of what we are doing here together.
It’s different from Netflix.
It’s different from live theatre. (entertainment)
It’s different from a university lecture. (education)
It’s different from a podcast. (Current events/special interest)
It’s different from a news report. (news)
What we are doing here together is part of what Christians have been doing ever since recognising God’s presence in their midst.
What we are doing is an organised ‘stirring’ – in response to God’s stirring among us.
Worship isn’t something God needs.
Worship is our response to how amazing God is.
We want to dwell more intentionally in God’s beautiful presence
and inhabit more fully God’s truth.
Standing for the Bible marks the start of our worship of God together.
That we are activating ourselves to be attentive to God’s presence.
And this experience of worship we are part of expresses a theological vision.
We are participating in a glorious dance of gesture, posture, and procession.
We stand, sit, sing, speak, smile, seek, see …sometimes maybe we even sigh!
Within the worship service there is differentiation, often for the sake of intensification.
This is bookended by the Gathering and the Sending by standing for the Bible.
This time we are part of is activated and enacted theology.
It is the reign of God being rehearsed with each element – both drawing from and contributing to the meaning being expressed.
What meaning do we express in standing for the Bible?
This action reminds us of the authority of scripture in our Reformed tradition.
We stand recognising the authoritative role of the Bible, through the gracious work of the Holy Spirit.
And this role never fades; we anticipate the grace of God to encounter us though the Bible, because of God’s own faithfulness to keep His promises.
We anticipate "glad tidings", evoking the image in Luke of the shepherds outside the little town of Bethlehem, as they received "good news of great joy for all the people." (Lk 2:10)
In our worship, openness to God's Word is the critical recognition that God is present with us, and is addressing us.
To listen to the Bible in this time together, and in the context of our whole life,
- recognising the authority over all believers, in the whole Church -
is being ready to be challenged.
The act of standing for the Bible expresses our willingness to engage.
And is an act of witness to the Incarnation.
There is a connection between Jesus’ body and our body.
God has come in the flesh,
and so we worship with our whole bodies.
All our postures, music, movement, gesture, symbols, silence and ritual express our participation as whole human persons in worship.
Our worship involves all the senses. We bring our full humanity into the presence of God.
Getting off our butts moves us!
The Bible signals for us to pay attention.
After all, God’s Word to us is a call to action.
Will we let the presence of God stir us?
Do we WANT God to stir us?
We can move our bodies to express we are ready!
And so, as we sing now, I invite you to stand as we continue in our worship of God.