Year B

Mark: 2:23-3:6

The Very Rev. Denise Vaughn

Ordinary Holy Vessels

We are beginning today that time in the church calendar we like to call “Ordinary Time.” This title can be misleading because these weeks moving forward in the season of Pentecost are anything but ordinary. In a sense we go on, where we left off, as we continue to witness in our readings the themes that are based upon Easter-the resurrection, Pentecost-the work of the Holy Spirit in the Church and Trinity Sunday-the presence of the triune God, as God with us and for us. The texts will witness to the actions of the triune God for the life of God’s people. Yet, sometimes, just when we think we know how God will act based upon ours and others experiences, we are brought up short and surprised by the unexpected.

God does indeed “move in mysterious ways” and uses all kinds of ordinary people including each one of us, to accomplish these ways…often times to our surprise. This has certainly happened in my life and it certainly seemed it happened to each one of the main characters in our texts today-Samuel, Paul and Jesus. God uses the inexperienced like Samuel, and the imperfect like Paul, and the outsider like Jesus to witness to God’s word of love, hope, judgement and forgiveness. It seems the scriptures abound in call stories. One of the most memorable in all of scripture is today’s story of the call of the boy Samuel.

Beginning today and continuing for the next ten Sunday’s the OT text will be from the books of Samuel. Just a bit of background may be helpful for us as we begin. This period of time in Israel’s history was pivotal, as it marked the transition in which the people of Israel went from being led by charismatic judges guided by God, like Samuel, to a form of monarchy led by Saul, David, and Solomon respectively. The books of Samuel describe the mighty acts of God in bringing about this transition from judgeship to kingship under Saul and the emergence of David’s rule as king. Many of the Israelites at that time felt that to have an earthly king was to abandon faith in their heavenly king, God. Others, however, came to believe that God could and would act though a king.

Although Samuel’s judgeship was ultimately rejected by the people in favor of the kingship of Saul, Samuel continued as the most important religious leader of his time. The role of the prophets of Israel begins to unfold during these times and is at the heart of today’s text. Though Samuel is a young boy today in our text, God is beginning to use him in the prophet’s role that will characterize his entire career. Samuel, when he was born, because of his mother’s prayer to God, is dedicated to working in the temple, ministering under Eli the priest. God comes to speak through young Samuel who mistakes the voice of God for the voice of Eli. Eli finally realizes it is God calling the boy.

Not many of us have experienced a call as dramatic as that of Samuel, but we all have been called in one way or another to be disciples of Christ and to live out that call as Samuel did, this is what life is all about. The late Billy Graham once made this point: “Our world is obsessed with success. But how does God define success? Success is faithfulness to our calling. And of course our greatest example of being faithful to his calling was Jesus. Yet, we might question this faithfulness today as Mark practically begins his story of Jesus with conflict. The gospel text is a part of a series of stories depicting Jesus’ conflict with the religious authorities. This conflict sets the stage for the rest of the story because by the end of the story today, several opposing groups start collaborating to kill him.

For most of weeks ahead, Mark provides our texts, more or less in order, proceeding through the gospel. Mark wrote to strengthen first century persecuted Christians and to provide them with a basis for continued faithfulness to Jesus. The entire gospel stands as a witness to God’s ability to help those who are committed to accomplishing God’s will in spite of opposition. Mark focuses our attention in his gospel on Jesus, sent by God, whose ministry of the word and power demonstrates his divine authority and his claim on us.

Questions about his authority lie at the core of the text today. Although Jesus is a fellow Jew he comes from outside the establishment. Therefore, he has no authority according to the religious leaders to heal on the Sabbath or allow his disciples to break the Sabbath by plucking husks of grain in the field. The deeply religious authorities are now nervous about Jesus, because his works demonstrate the presence of God and his proof of authority. They begin to see him as dangerous. He questions conventions and teaches that observing the law is second to love. Reminding them and us that our lives are meant for God, and he challenges other competing claims, other priorities, whether they are religious, ethnic, or economic.

Paul affirms Jesus’ teaching and his authority today in his second letter to the Corinthians. He says, “For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as slaves for Jesus’ sake. This portion of Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth describes his relationship with the church as one of a slave or a servant for Jesus’ sake. He is speaking to a congregation that is plagued with problems and he is trying to help them understand that his leadership as a servant for Jesus’ sake differs radically from what they had become accustomed to in the world. God act’s in ways that do not fit the world’s criteria nor should God’s people. He can be their servant because God, not the Corinthian congregation, is his master. 

He has no choice but to follow Jesus, to walk in the steps of his Lord, who was a servant to the world. Jesus’ weakness and Paul’s weakness demonstrated God’s strength. This is why he can speak of having this treasure in “clay jars.” He uses the example of common pottery to remind his readers that they, humble vessels are carrying the image of Jesus. Though we are subject to all kinds of afflictions, we carry about in fragile humble cracked jars the treasure of the Good News about Jesus. The presence of God is found within us and in that treasure, we find power, life and hope. We find the glory of God and lots of ordinary people will hear an extraordinary Christ if we allow ourselves to be the vessels to carry that Good News out today and every day; because God does “move in mysterious ways” in Samuel, Paul, Jesus, you and me.