February 17, 2008

Sins that Silence

Mark 9:33-37

Opening Words: Romans 3:23 says “All have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God.” Many will admit they are sinners but few ever repent. Instead, they have become experts at making excuses. As disciples of Jesus Christ we must remember three things. First, God sees through our excuses for sinning. Second, God is more interested in forgiving us then hearing our excuses. Third, God expects us to repent and become more like Jesus everyday. Lent is a time to stop making excuses. It is a time to identify and eliminate your sinful ways. It is a time to start practicing what you will do in heaven for eternity. This morning let’s look at the sins we commit that reduce us to silence. We find ourselves in the ninth chapter of Mark.

Mark 9: 33-37 33They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, "What were you arguing about on the road?" 34But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.

35Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all." 36He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them, 37"Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me."

I begin this morning with a story about one of America’s greatest communicators, Casey Stengel. He is remembered as a baseball manager but at one time he sat on the board of directors of a California bank. The Wall Street Journal asked him what it was like to sit on the board of directors? He replied, "There ain't nuthin' to it. You go into the fancy meeting room and you just sit there and never open your yap. As long as you don't say nuthin' they don't know whether you're smart or dumb." Casey Stengel was one of the great icons of American history but he failed to see the complexity of communication. It is not always easy to communicate. How many examples do you need? Consider these facts.

The USA Today revealed in a recent survey revealed that only 4.1% of American teenage girls feel comfortable about talking to their father’s about a serious problem. Where do they turn during a time of stress? The most popular answer was their music, the second choice was their friends, and the third choice TV. Amazing as it may sound, moms were down the list at number thirty-one, and dads were forty-eighth. It is not always easy to communicate.

Professor Hans Jurgens asked 5000 German husbands and wives how often they talked to each other. After 2 years of marriage, most of them managed two or three minutes to talk over breakfast, no more than 20 minutes over the evening meal and a few more minutes in bed. By the sixth year, that was down to 10 minutes a day. A state of "almost total speechlessness" was reached by the eighth year of marriage. The American Sociological Review reported working women talk with their husbands an average of 12 minutes each day. It is not always easy to communicate.

Communications experts say that the average woman speaks over 25,000 words a day while the average man speaks only a little over 10,000. What does this mean in marital terms? . . . On average a wife will say she needs to spend 45 minutes to an hour each day in meaningful conversation with her husband. Husbands say they need fifteen to twenty minutes a week! It is not always easy to communicate.

What complicates communication even more is the fact that not all communication is verbal. As a matter of fact communications experts tell us that 90% of all communication is non-verbal. You communicate your opinions or feelings without saying a word! You communicate with your body language. You communicate by the way you hold your hands and arms. The way you hold your body tells the world how you feel about a certain situation. Your facial expressions express what you think about a certain situation. If you don’t believe me then, look at the person sitting next to you. Are they wide-eyed and attentive at this moment? Or are they fast asleep? They are not saying a word but they are communicating two different experiences. Communication is a complex thing. It is not always easy to communicate. It is true in this morning’s Gospel lesson. Look at the text with me.

I have always found this morning’s Gospel lesson to be one of the saddest scenes in the Bible. Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem. I believe two things are on his mind. First, he knew his end was near. His appointment with the cross is at hand. Consider this with me. He had seen people die on the cross in the past. It was common in those days. The Romans wanted to make a statement to the masses about public disobedience. He knew the pain of the cross and his cross was waiting for him. Jesus was fully human. How could he not think of the cross? The cross would be the climax of his ministry. Second, after the cross there would be no more teachings or miracles. After the cross the disciples would be entrusted with the Gospel. If the disciples fail to alter the course of history then his earthly ministry was a failure. The Master is walking to Jerusalem. He is preoccupied about the pain of the cross and wondering if his closest friends were ready for this great task. His preoccupation is broken by the words of his disciples. They are debating who would be the greatest when the Kingdom of God arrives. Jesus tried to teach them but they had missed it. The Kingdom of God was not about them. The Kingdom of God is about others. The church is the only organization that exists for the benefit of other people. Mother Theresa once said, “The greatest problem facing the world today is that we draw our family circle too small.” The disciples missed the point. They thought it was all about them. The Kingdom of God has always been about others. There is no way to live the faith and not be concerned about others. Jesus confronts the disciples with their own words. They are ashamed and have no verbal response. They are silent. Communication is a complex thing.

What sins did they commit that reduced them to silence? What sins do we commit that would reduce us to silence? Communication is a complex thing. There are many but today I only have time to look at three. Each one is found in the scripture lesson. Each one is common in our world. So if you are ready to look at three sins that silence say, “Amen!” The Kingdom of God is at hand. Don’t miss it!

Ruthless Ambition and Jealousy

The first two sins that silence stand together. They are ruthless ambition and jealousy. Let me say this clearly. Ambition alone is not a sin. Webster defines ambition as a strong feeling of wanting to be successful in life and achieve great things. That in itself is not a bad thing. Mark Twain said, “Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions.  Small people always do that, but the really great people make you feel that you, too, can become great.” I like to consider myself an ambitious person. There are still things I would like to accomplish, experiences I would like to have. I still have a few goals both personally and for this congregation. I consider myself an ambitious person. Do you consider yourself an ambitious person? There is nothing wrong with being ambitious. The problem occurs when our ambitions became “ruthless” ambitions. In other words, we want to achieve that goal in our life at any cost. It doesn’t matter who gets hurt along the way. The only thing that matters is achieving your goal.

Standing next to ruthless ambition is jealousy. Webster defines jealousy as feeling bitter and unhappy because of another’s advantages, possessions, or luck. Benjamin Franklin said, “It is the eyes of other people that ruin us. If all but myself were blind, I should want neither a fine house nor fine furniture.” Jealousy does not just stand beside ruthless ambition. Our jealousies feed our ruthless ambitions. Both ruthless pride and jealousy are all the individual.

In the scripture lesson for this morning, the disciples are not just ambitious. They are ruthlessly ambitious. Verse 34 says they were arguing about who would be the greatest. It wasn’t just a friendly argument amongst friends. It was a heated against rivals. In other words, they were arguing about who would have more authority over the other. There is no room in the Kingdom of God for ruthless ambition. The Kingdom of God is not about you. The Kingdom of God is not about me. The Kingdom of God is about others! The truth is in the end both ruthless ambition and jealousy will be our demise.

Leo Tolstoy once wrote a story about a successful peasant farmer who was not satisfied with his lot. He wanted more of everything. One day he received a novel offer. For 1000 rubles, he could buy all the land he could walk around in a day. The only catch in the deal was that he had to be back at his starting point by sundown. Early the next morning he started out walking at a fast pace. By midday he was very tired, but he kept going, covering more and more ground. Well into the afternoon he realized that his greed had taken him far from the starting point. He quickened his pace and as the sun began to sink low in the sky, he began to run, knowing that if he did not make it back by sundown the opportunity to become an even bigger landholder would be lost. As the sun began to sink below the horizon he came within sight of the finish line. Gasping for breath, his heart pounding, he called upon every bit of strength left in his body and staggered across the line just before the sun disappeared. He immediately collapsed, blood streaming from his mouth. In a few minutes he was dead. Afterwards, his servants dug a grave. It was not much over six feet long and three feet wide.

We need to eliminate the ruthless ambition and jealousy in our lives. We are disciples of Jesus Christ. We should know it is not all about us. The Kingdom of God exists for others. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!” The first two sins that silence are ruthless ambition and jealousy.

Greed

The third sin that silences is greed. The disciples wanted to be the greatest. Why? They wanted to be the greatest because with greatness comes both wealth and power. Technology has changed our world but some thing's stay the same. Wealth and power still preoccupy people. John Rocketfeller once said, “enough is always a little more then what you have.” People will do just about anything for money. Let me give you an example.

What are you willing to do for $10,000,000? That was the questioned asked in a survey. These are the results.

Would abandon their entire family (25%)
Would abandon their church (25%)
Would become prostitutes for a week or more (23%)
Would give up their American citizenships (16%)
Would leave their spouses (16%)
Would withhold testimony and let a murderer go free (10%)
Would kill a stranger (7%)
Would put their children up for adoption (3%)

The disciples argued because they wanted to be the greatest. They wanted more wealth and power. How far would you go for $10,000,000? I have nothing else to say. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!” The Kingdom of God is not about you. The Kingdom of God is not about me. The Kingdom of God is about others.

I love the story of First Lady Grace Coolidge. She surprised her husband, my favorite ex-president, Calvin Coolidge by having his portrait painted. When it was finished, she hung it in the library of the White House. Later the same morning the President happened to walk into the library accompanied by a senator. They stared at the picture together in silence. Nothing was said for several minutes. Finally, Coolidge commented quietly: "I think so too." It was “Silent Cal” who once said, “They can’t hang you for what you don’t say.”

What are you saying in your silence? If Jesus came back today, what sins have you committed that would reduce you to silence? Lent is a time to stop making excuses. It is a time to identify and eliminate your sinful ways. It is a time to start practicing what you will do in heaven for eternity. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!” The Kingdom of God is not about you. The Kingdom of God is not about me. The Kingdom of God is about others!