Order, Words, & Voices
01.14.24, Making Room, Mark 2:1-22
Order
Pre Worship Music – Spotify – Open and Close
Songs Lynn/Team
Be Thou my Vision
In Christ Alone
‘This Child’ and Prayer Martha
Songs Lynn/Team
What a Beautiful Name
Softly and Tenderly
Passage Mark 2:1-22 Mitch
Message Making Room Rick
Music Make Room Lynn/Team
Community/Benediction Rick
Closing Peace Rick
Music Jesus, Name Above All Names Lynn/Team
Post Worship Music – Spotify – Open and Close
Music (slides) Lynn/Team
Verse 1
Be Thou my Vision
O Lord of my heart
Naught be all else
to me save that Thou art
Thou my best thought
by day or by night
Waking or sleeping
Thy presence my light
Verse 2
Be Thou my Wisdom
and Thou my true Word
I ever with Thee
and Thou with me Lord
Thou my great Father I Thy true son
Thou in me dwelling
and I with Thee one
Verse 1
In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light my strength my song
This Cornerstone this solid Ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love
what depths of peace
When fears are stilled
when strivings cease
My Comforter my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand
Verse 2
In Christ alone who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
Till on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live
Verse 3
There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ
Verse 4
No guilt in life no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
Till He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand
‘This Child’ and Prayer (No Slides for reading/Slides for prayer) Martha
Few understood, fewer still were able to see
Regardless, God had come to earth for all peoples
The new parents saw the oppression and misery outside the stable doors
However, at least for now, they focused on the child laying in the manger
Wondering what he would be, what would he do, what was ahead
A stranger made room for the birth to take place
Shepherds excitedly shared about the news from the angels
Wise men, from another land, brought unexpected gifts
At the temple, Anna and Simeon rejoiced at the sight of the boy
A world would hear, a world would be released, a world would learn to rejoice
Many would share his hunger and thirst for righteousness
From teachers he would consume all the knowledge they could share
His understanding of what it is to be poor and to mourn would grow
Gentleness and mercy would be evidenced through his life
He would see God’s breath in the pure of heart and those who sought peace
His empathy would be with those who were reviled, persecuted, defiled, slandered, defamed, and rejected
His joy would be contagious, and his life would teach us about God
This son, who was born in a stable, this son who was laid in a manger
This son, would turn the world upside down
This son, would show us how to live and walk with us as we become
This son, would do what we can not do for ourselves
This son, God’s sacrifice, would open our eyes to hope and peace
This son would understand our struggles, our failures, our frustrations, our traumas, our pain, our mourning, our fear, and our sadness,
This son would understand our celebrations, victories, happiness, and our joy.
This son would understand our humanness, this son would identified with humanity
This son, through his life and sacrifice, would show us how to live
Leader: Join me in the prayer of Jesus,
[Slides] Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, On Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses, while we forgive those who trespass against us. And, lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Music (slides) Lynn/Team
Verse 1
You were the Word at the beginning
One with God the Lord Most High
Your hidden glory in creation
Now revealed in You our Christ
Chorus 1
What a beautiful Name it is
What a beautiful Name it is
The Name of Jesus Christ my King
What a beautiful Name it is
Nothing compares to this
What a beautiful Name it is
The Name of Jesus
Verse 2
You didn’t want heaven without us
So Jesus You brought heaven down
My sin was great Your love was greater
What could separate us now
Chorus 2
What a wonderful Name it is
What a wonderful Name it is
The Name of Jesus Christ my King
What a wonderful Name it is
Nothing compares to this
What a wonderful Name it is
The Name of Jesus
What a wonderful Name it is
The Name of Jesus
Bridge
Death could not hold You
The veil tore before You
You silence the boast of sin and grave
The heavens are roaring
The praise of Your glory
For You are raised to life again
Bridge
You have no rival
You have no equal
Now and forever God You reign
Yours is the kingdom
Yours is the glory
Yours is the Name above all names
Chorus 3
What a powerful Name it is
What a powerful Name it is
The Name of Jesus Christ my King
What a powerful Name it is
Nothing can stand against
What a powerful Name it is
The Name of Jesus
Ending
What a powerful Name it is
The Name of Jesus
What a powerful Name it is
The Name of Jesus
Verse 1
Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling
Calling for you and for me
See on the portals He’s waiting and watching
Watching for you and for me
Chorus
Come home come home
Ye who are weary come home
Earnestly tenderly Jesus is calling
Calling O sinner come home
Verse 4
O for the wonderful love He has promised
Promised for you and for me
Tho we have sinned He has mercy and pardon
Pardon for you and for me
Chorus
Come home come home
Ye who are weary come home
Earnestly tenderly Jesus is calling
Calling O sinner come home
Passage (Slides) Mitch
After Jesus’ baptism and God’s affirmation, Jesus faced a time of testing. Then, Jesus and his new disciples traveled throughout Galilee proclaiming the good news. Along the way, Jesus healed many.
News traveled fast as Jesus returned to Capernaum. Many crowded into the house where Jesus was staying and soon there was no room inside or even outside. Everyone wanted to hear what Jesus had to say.
Four men who had heard about the miracles Jesus had done approached the house carrying their paralyzed friend hoping that Jesus would heal him. They could not get to Jesus because of the crowd, but they did not give up.
They climbed up and dug a hole through the layers of roof, and then lowered their friend and his mat to the floor right in front of Jesus. The crowd made room for the man and his mat as they watched what was happening.
When Jesus saw the faith of the man and his friends, that they all believed so strongly that Jesus could and would heal, and that their belief led to such innovative actions, Jesus said to the man, “Child, your sins are forgiven.”
Some of the scribes who were sitting and watching what was taking place began questioning Jesus’ words, “Why does Jesus speak in this way? What he is saying is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
Jesus perceived what they were thinking and said to them, “Why do you raise such questions? Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or, to say ‘Stand up, take your mat and walk’? “
Jesus looked at the religious leaders and said, “Okay, so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins…” then, mid sentence, Jesus turned from the scribes to the man,“…I say to you, stand up, take your mat, and go to your home.”
The man stood up, grabbed his mat, and walked away for all to see, everyone was amazed and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”
Mark 2:1-12
Message Rick
Today we begin a look at Jesus’ journey of becoming as depicted in the gospel of Mark. The gospel writer, an associate of the apostles Paul and Peter, does not give us a first person account of Jesus – instead, the writer collected all the eyewitness’ accounts of Jesus and carefully pieced them together.
[Screen Share]
[Slide] The introductory sentence of the gospel is, “the beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet.” A statement of the purpose of Jesus – Messiah, the identification of Jesus, Son of God, and a rare tie in this gospel to the long awaited promise and prophecies of Jesus. It is the only personal statement by the author, basically everything else is the stories of others.
[Slide] Let’s break the book down. The first 8 chapters explain who Jesus is by using the testimony of others through their 1st person stories. This is not a book of theology but instead it is an account of Jesus, on which our theology, our understanding, must be grounded.
[Slide] In the middle 3 chapters, we see the connection of Jesus’ time in Galilee and his journey to, and time in, Jerusalem – it was during this time we see the disciples struggle into an understanding who Jesus is and what it means for Jesus to be the Messiah.
[Slide] The final 6 chapters, we see the journey of ‘becoming’ the Messianic King.
Mark is a book about the journey of becoming, Jesus’ becoming, his disciples’ becoming, and ultimately, our becoming. Becoming followers, becoming transformed, becoming the righteousness of God.
[Slide] The book of Mark was written primarily for a gentile audience. An audience that did not carry the traditions of Judaism, an audience that would be much more impacted by stories of Jesus’ life rather than religious arguments. This was not an audience seeking a critical analysis of Jesus’s teaching nor were they searching for prophetic proof – theirs was a journey of seeing with their minds. It does not begin with a genealogy or a nativity narrative, it starts with Jesus, Jesus coming up from John’s baptismal waters and then God’s voice to Jesus declaring “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
[End Screen Share]
In today’s passage, as we see Jesus’ pure delight when he witnesses the paralytic man and his friends pushing boundaries to make room while at the same time inspiring others to do the same.
The story of the man lowered from the roof, the man to whom Jesus says, “Your sins are forgiven,” we traditionally give a large chunk or our focus to the scribes, to whom we would consider, the antagonists of the story. (It is interesting how, with repeated visits to a passage or story in the Bible we gain a different perspective). Antagonists who were, incidentally, only doing their jobs. They are silent during the actions of Jesus and the crowd, but once the actions become intertwined with theology, their theories and beliefs, the scribes object. Jesus’ turns their attention back to the actions by asking “Which is more difficult to say without repercussions -Is it to say ‘your sins are forgiven?’ or is it to say to the man, ‘Get up and walk?’ The man had not yet gotten up, the man had not yet proven that he was healed – which was easy and which was risky? The scribes, as they began listening only to the words, became blind to the miracles happening around them.
Making Room – Pushing boundaries
As we are coming out of the official season of Christmas, I continue to be struck by the fact that, apart from the miracles of the birth of Jesus and John, the first extraordinary action taken was by the man who had no room for Mary and Jesus but, he still made room for the couple. He made room. It was not an earth shaking action, it does not warrant much acknowledgement in the Bible, in fact to many, the home owner is a villain. But, it was significant, he made room, he provided a manger, a bed, for the newborn.
Sometimes the most impacting actions are those done for another without us ever knowing the impact the action makes.
Years ago I was being pushed along in huge crowd when I heard my name being yelled out. I looked over to the see the building custodian glued to the wall attempting to not be swallowed by the crowd. There was no way I could make it over to him so he began yelling to me who he was. As I remembered him, he began to tell me that my words, almost a decade before, had been a daily affirmation and encouragement to me ever since. The words he said I had offered to him in a time of misery, words which maybe, kind of, sounded like something I would say, but not completely. I yelled back, ‘Are you sure that was me?’ He responded without hesitation that it had been my words. For me it had obviously been a small act but for him it had been life impacting, at least for ten years.
This is why Jesus is so impressed with the actions of the friends of the paralyzed man, none were limited by the availability of space, they make their way in and, as they do this, the people in the room follow suit and make room on the ground in front of Jesus for the man and his mat. Make space. Are they annoyed by the intrusion or is this an ah-ha moment where they ask, ‘why didn’t we think of that?’
Let’s talk about the mat that was lowered with the man. A piece of woven fabric, which had been his place of comfort or even refuge where he was sat by his friends each day. It was his security, and the friends and the crowd made room for the man as we was, not a man who was no longer going to need this mat. There was no judgement, they all just made room.
Being lowered with his mat was a bit the same as the baptism of John. Folks would walk into the water with those things they had held onto. Things such as fear, resentment, immorality, grief, insecurity, and many other things that kept them from being ready to soon see and hear Jesus, things that kept them from life, thing they would often confuse with being life. John didn’t say, ‘Stop, you cannot bring that stuff into my clean and pure water, get rid of that thing before you step anywhere near me’, no he said, ‘Come on in.’ And then, the folks would walk out, no longer needing those things.
[Screen Share – 2 slides]
Jesus looked at the man and said, ‘Stand up and walk…take your mat but you are not going to need it.’
We have to release those things that distract or make us deaf to Jesus words and his life. Sin is not necessarily our bad actions, rather it is those things that we hold onto that keep us from accepting and listening, keep us from being open to making room for Jesus and others.
John clarified, especially for the religious leaders, that the things they held, to would be washed away including their unholy perspective of their own religiosity, their own interpretations of the law, their own forgetfulness that God said to love God and others – those things that closed their minds from seeing truth.
From the very beginning, Jesus’ ministry shatters boundaries. He eats with the unclean, heals on the Sabbath, touches lepers, and even claims divine authority to forgive sins. God’s invasion of this world in Jesus is resisted by those who hold power, those whose lives are dedicated to keeping boundaries intact. Yet for the leper who is cleansed, for the paralytic who is healed, for the sinner who is forgiven and welcomed to the table, God’s voice through Jesus life and words is welcomed as a mission of liberation, healing, and life.
[Slide] “Jesus may very well be attempting to break down boundaries that we are desperately trying to hold in place. Yet this boundary-smashing Jesus is our only hope of deliverance from all that holds us captive…The old boundaries cannot contain the new reality of eternal deliverance.”
(Elisabeth Johnson, Pastor)
[End Screen Share]
Jesus is not challenging an institution to change, he is challenging individuals, including the leaders, to let God transform us so that we can then change the world. Not grow an institution but to go health and freedom through love.
This week, the Eurasia Group, released its much anticipated World’s Top Risks for 2024 report, offering a stark assessment of the year as a geopolitical minefield characterized by three dominant conflicts: Russia vs. Ukraine, Israel vs. Hamas, and the United States vs. itself. They labeled ‘2024 – A Year of grave concern.’ Their number one of all risks is us, the United States, and our internal battle with ourselves. They cite ‘US most dysfunctional democratic nation – and the only wealthy democracy that cannot guarantee a free and fair legitimate transfer of power. Allies are concerned, foes see opportunity to sow division. Americans no longer trust government institutions, the media, and especially the church. Americans do not share the same understanding of facts.’
The church in America has had a part in this dismal reality, in a world that seems incapable of making space for one another. We ceased to care about making a holy impact on the ‘least of these.’
A young girl was walking along a beach upon which thousands of starfish had been washed up during a terrible storm. When she came to each starfish, she would pick it up, and throw it back into the ocean. People watched her with amusement. She had been doing this for some time when a man approached her and said, “Little girl, why are you doing this? Look at this beach! You can’t save all these starfish. You can’t begin to make a difference!” The girl seemed crushed, suddenly deflated. But after a few moments, she bent down, picked up another starfish, and hurled it as far as she could into the ocean. Then she looked up at the man and replied, “Well, I made a difference for that one!” The old man looked at the girl inquisitively and thought about what she had done and said. Inspired, he joined the little girl in throwing starfish back into the sea. Soon others joined, and all the starfish were saved.
As we look at this new year ahead, a year that might the most tumultuous
of our life times – how can we save some starfish?
Music (Slides) Lynn/Team
Make Room
Verse
Here is where I lay it down
Every burden every crown
This is my surrender
This is my surrender
Here is where I lay it down
Every lie and every doubt
This is my surrender
Chorus
And I will make room for you
To do whatever you want to
To do whatever you want to
And I will make room for you
To do whatever you want to
To do whatever you want to
Bridge
Shake up the ground of all my tradition
Break down the walls of all my religion
Your way is better
Your way is better
Ending
Here is where I lay it down
You are all I’m chasing now
This is my surrender
Community (Slides) Rick
- [Slide] Next Sunday, 01.21.24, Mark 4:1-34, ‘Hearing’
- [Slide] Weather Permitting – ‘In-Between’ Bible Study Begins this Wednesday, January 17, Wednesdays at noon, Mark 2:23-3:35. Evening sessions w/expressed interest. Location?
Benediction (Slides) Rick
We leave here into a world that has great concerns. An unclear future. A very blurred reality. We doubt, we hope, we fear, we rejoice, we reject, we embrace, we hate, we love.
We go into a world that God loves. A world to whom God gave the dearest sacrifice. A world whose hope lies in an empty grave. A world overcrowded, a world alone.
We walk into this world incapable while also being empowered. We walk with confidence, not in ourselves or others, but in the mighty God who also walked in this world.
We walk into this world to make a ripple of magnitude to just one, and, eventually to many. We walk.
Closing Peace (Slides) Rick
[Slide] Leader: May the peace of the Lord go with you.
[Slide] Response: And also with you.
[Slide] Leader: Go in the peace of the Lord.
Music [Slides]
Jesus name above all names
Beautiful Savior glorious Lord
Emmanuel God is with us
Blessed Redeemer living Word
Order, Words, & Voices 