Sermon Video: How does the Gospel of Mark end? - Mark 16:9-20

Aside from a sentence about snakes and the drinking of poison, the 'Long Ending' of the Gospel of Mark has parallels in Matthew and Luke. That continuity turns the question of the authenticity of the surviving ending to Mark from one of theological significance to one of educated opinions. After briefly discussing the evidence for and against the originality of vs. 9-20, the sermon shifts to look at the text itself, noting the continuity it has with other passages of scripture.

Sermon Video: The Resurrection of Jesus - Mark 16:1-8

Much of what we hear and read about in life is colored by hyperbole.  The greatest and most turns out to be a pitch.  Not so the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.  This moment is the turning point of all history, not just human history, history itself.  Why?  Because this is the moment that humanity's two biggest problems, sin and death, were dealt a blow that will ultimately prove fatal.  It was also the moment that God's plan of reconciliation and renewal for all of Creation passed the point of no return; nothing can stop the final victory of Jesus and the triumph of his Church.

What is our response to this Good News?  Share it!  Tells others, bring hope and joy to places of darkness and despair.

Moral Clarity: God help us if we can't see that Vladimir Putin and his war are Evil.

Commenting on the social media feeds of others is "like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get."  I recently wrote in support of a post from a fellow minister (who lives outside PA) who had shared a story from The Gospel Coalition regarding a statement released by ten seminaries that were formerly behind the Iron Curtain against Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. {10 Seminaries from Post-Soviet States Issue a Joint Statement - The Gospel Coalition}.  The response to that posting from an individual that I don't know anything about (other than we have one mutual FB friend) was shocking, to me.  This individual called the Gospel Coalition's story propaganda, "TGC has a tendency to push the accepted narrative, and in this case they're apparently declaring which side God and the Church is on and/or routing for. It reads like propaganda."  After further discussion, with myself and the clergy member who posted the link, he wrote, "I don't believe Putin is trying to harm civilians—he certainly has more important locations in mind. There's going to be wars and rumors of wars until the Lord returns, and I don't plan on falling for the cookie cutter narrative pushed by the mainstream media and big tech any time soon."  In the end, I walked away from the conversation (and that of another commenter on the post who shared Russian posts and claimed it was a 'civil war'), as there seemed to be no common understanding of the facts that allow a fruitful discussion to take place, if the video of residential buildings on fire and refugees fleeing don't make an impact, neither will my words.

As the war in Ukraine unfolds, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, displacing millions of refugees, wrecking cities, destroying the Ukrainian economy, and of course maiming and killing countless innocents, it seems clear to most, myself and every clergy person I know included, that this war and the person primarily responsible for starting it is Evil.  Yes, the capital 'E' is on purpose.  It pains me to think that there are Americans, hard to say how many, who could look at the actions of Vladimir Putin over the last two decades, the litany of murdered dissidents, journalists, and exiles killed in the countries they had fled to, plus the cities leveled in Chechnya, Syria, and now Ukraine without being able to call this evil.  It should disturb us all if some claiming to follow Christ can only view this war through their own American Culture War glasses {the dig at the 'mainstream media' being my clue as to that motivation, I don't know the writer of those words at all, but he claimed to be a follower of Jesus}  If this litany of bloodshed, if this repetition of violence isn't evil, what is?

Isaiah 5:20 (NIV)

Woe to those who call evil good

    and good evil,

who put darkness for light

    and light for darkness,

who put bitter for sweet

    and sweet for bitter.

This is indeed an ongoing danger to the Church, one that has reared its ugly head many times in Church history, when those who claim to follow Jesus at the same time embrace for themselves, or others, doing acts that are exceedingly immoral whether in service of 'the greater good' (The Crusades, Inquisition) or enslaved to their own sinful desires (such as Putin's dream of a new Russian Empire for which he is willing to kill many thousands).  

Should we pray for Vladimir Putin?  Certainly not for his success or the continuation of his autocratic rule, for his desires are evil, and actions causing suffering on an epic scale.  For the salvation of his soul?  Absolutely, the same as we pray for the Lost the world over, for by the fruit of his actions he has repeatedly declared himself to be in need of repentance.  God can forgive the vilest of sinners, but not until they turn from their wickedness, of that we have yet to see any sign.

The Holocaust was Evil, and so were the actions of everyone who aided it.  Anyone who cannot see that, who either denies that it took place, or attempts to minimize or justify it, is living in darkness of heart and mind.  There is no comparable action in human history to the Holocaust, it is the ultimate example of the depravity of humanity both singularly (Hitler) and collectively (his willing executioners).  I dislike both as a student of history and a minister, attempts to compare people to Hitler and events to the Holocaust.  To say that something is less egregious, or less evil, than the Holocaust is a given, but sadly there are still many others things that rightly deserve the label, they may not be the ultimate example of evil, but evil they are.  Unless Putin unleashes nuclear weaponry and threatens the existence of life on this planet, he will remain a notch below Hitler, but with every passing day that this war continues, he moves further down that path.

We may not always agree on what ought to be, on what the best path forward is (and that disagreement can be, to an extent, healthy for the Church), but God help us as a Church if we can't see evil for what it is and denounce it.  

Sermon Video: The Burial of Jesus - Mark 15:40-47

In the aftermath of Jesus giving up his spirit and the Centurion's utterance of the truth of who Jesus is, Mark focuses upon two groups previously existing primarily in the background.  The first is the women who gathered at the Cross.  They too were disciples of Jesus, less known than the Disciples, but crucial to his ministry's logistics (food, clothing, shelter).  Here they bear witness to Jesus death, with plans to visit his tomb on Sunday morning.  The other is Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Sanhedrin who decides to risk his political/cultural connections by caring for the body of Jesus, offering to Jesus the dignity of a proper burial in opposition to the humiliation inflicted upon him by his foes.  In both cases we are reminded of the many roots of the Kingdom, the many people serving God faithfully behind the scenes, and on occasion taking risks to serve self-sacrificially.

Sermon Video: The Death of Jesus - Mark 15:27-39

Six hours upon the Cross, three of them in darkness, culminating in a cry of "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" What did it all mean? What did Jesus accomplish? How? While hanging on the Cross, Jesus was mocked by those around him, his love was stronger. Everything that was necessary to complete the redemption of humanity was carried out that day by Jesus, and when he set his life down, giving it up willingly, it was not defeat but victory that he ensured.