Fourth Sunday after Epiphany

“Got Religion?”

St. Mark 1:21-28

 

Grace and peace to you from the living Christ.

This story is told about a man who ‘got religion’: 

It happened in a typical church - a “nice” church - a “respectable” church. One Sunday, a man walked into the sanctuary, but he just didn’t seem to belong. He was scruffy in appearance and his clothes were ragged. He smelled of beer (which, judging from his lurching walk, he had consumed in great quantity the night before).

An usher acknowledged the man with a halfhearted nod and motioned him toward an out-of-the-way pew. Ignoring his suggestion, the visitor staggered down the center aisle to the front pew, and planted himself there.

So far, so good, thought the usher ... that is, until the pastor began his sermon.

“Hallelujah!” shouted the newcomer.

The pastor gave him a stern look, and continued on. Not a moment later, the visitor interrupted him again. “Praise the Lord!” he proclaimed.

The usher came over and whispered to him, as nicely as he could, “Sir, we don’t do that here!”

“But I’ve got religion!” the man objected.

“Yes,” said the usher, “I’m sure you do. But you didn’t get it here!”

[source: Proclaim Sermon – Parish Services]

A man with an unclean spirit stumbled into the synagogue.  He shouted and convulsed and disturbed the reverent setting as the assembly and religious leaders looked on in dismay.  The religious leaders wanted this impure man to find religion elsewhere.  Jesus speaks to the impure man with authority and cures him and that man definitely did not get religion that day he actually ‘got Jesus!’

 There are interesting ironies in this short healing story about Jesus.  Strange as it may seem neither the disciples, nor the religious leaders, nor the crowd recognize or understand who Jesus is.  However, the one who does recognize and understand the power of Jesus and his authority is the impure one – the man with the unclean spirit.

It is interesting to note the issue here is purity.  Is this man pure enough to be in the synagogue – the answer of the religious leaders is “No!”  The answer Jesus gives is “Yes! And I will heal him!”

Note that Mark says, “He taught as one having authority, and not as the scribes.  Jesus trumps the purity laws and teaches with an ‘authority’ unlike the religious teachers of his day!

The authority of Jesus is not some demand to lead a moral life.  It is not the authority of the religious leaders who demand perfection or insist they are speaking for the one true church spouting church laws.  How often do the pious exclude from God’s grace those who differ from themselves in race, gender, or sexual orientation?

 In contrast to the authority of the religious leaders base in laws and demands and measuring up, the authority of Jesus is the compelling power of compassion that heals and restores. 

 In contrast to the religious people of the day compelled to measure others by the purity laws, Jesus takes away fear and brings hope.  Jesus did not tell this impure person to get lost, or ‘You do not belong in this place because you are impure.’ Or – ‘Get religion elsewhere.’  No, Jesus came to him and restored him and included him in the synagogue.

I don’t blame people for not wanting to be part of religion or the church when all they see are pious people excluding others that don’t fit into their own concept of religion.  On the one hand are people who ‘got religion’ and become exclusive and judgmental.  On the other hand people who follow Christ don’t ‘get religion’ but instead they follow a way of life – a path of compassion made by non-other than Jesus Christ.

Got religion?  Then maybe we’ve got the religion of the scribes.  Got all the right answers – than maybe you’ve got religion, but do you have Jesus?

Christ enters the synagogue with authority.  His authority comes from the compassionate heart of a loving God.  The power of Christ to persuade and heal comes from deep within him.  Its source is a deep-seated divine passion.  The Greek word that St. Mark uses for ‘authority’ is exousia.  Exousia expresses authority or power coming from a deep place within the person- a divine place deep within the heart.

Have you ever had a teacher who was so passionate about her subject, so excited that you just could not help but join in?  Christ is a passionate teacher.  Jesus is that kind of teacher.

The impure possessed man did not get religion that day, but he got Jesus, the teacher – full of compassion.

Got religion?

What of the followers of Christ today?  Have we ‘got religion’ or have we got Christ? 

We ‘got religion’ when we worship saying all the right words, using the old ‘Our Father who art in heaven…’ Lord’s Prayer – the pure one, you know.  But then we neglect or overlook the so called ‘impure’ – those who are not like us, those who differ from us. 

We ‘got religion’ that Sunday, but did we ‘get Christ’?

Rob Bell – evangelical pastor and preacher puts it quite well:

“Lots of people confuse religion with God and walk away from both!”

God is not about a set of propositions that define the Divine.  Religion is all too often about propositions that define the Divine -  right belief – or adhering to a set of attributes about God like God is all powerful, all knowing, all ‘holy.’

Faith [as opposed to right belief], on the other hand, is about trusting in the person – Jesus Christ, who unveils and reveals the deep character of the living God.  Religion replaces faith in Jesus with tenets about Jesus.  We need to move from tenets about Jesus back to faith in Jesus. 

Our Jewish sisters and brothers say it well and yes, Jesus was certainly a Jew.  Jews always say that their religion is best understood, not as a creed, but as a way of life. 

The prophet’s constantly reminded God’s people that empty ritual does not bring faithfulness to God, but following the path of compassion and justice put praise of God into action.

The point isn’t Christianity.  The point is being a Christian – following the path of Jesus connecting with everything that is true, good, and loving.

Got religion?  Just because one has religion does not mean one has the Christ.  I can know the Apostles’ Creed backwards and forwards.  I can recite that Jesus suffered under Pontius Pilate. Yet, if I ignore my baptismal covenant, which among other things, calls upon me to strive for justice and peace in all the earth – I’ve ‘got religion,’ but I don’t have the Christ!

Christianity is not a creed or formula about God.  Christianity is a faith that is a matter of embodiment.  Christ – the Word – became flesh not a formula.  Followers of Christ are indeed the continuation of a flesh and blood Jesus in the world. 

‘Religion’ with all its trappings and attending rituals is intended to be a means by which one enters into following Jesus.  But all too often, buildings and creeds, and words become an end in themselves.  We spend all our energy holding up an institution rather than serving the impure man crying out in our midst.  Whenever we become more enamored with something spilled on the carpet than with feeding the hungry – we got religion, but we maybe did not get Jesus!

The Gospel reading for today is a vivid reminder of Jesus, the prophet, who calls us not to creeds – but to deeds.

 All praise for prophets, through grace inspired

to preach and witness with hearts on fire.

Your Spirit chooses the weak and small

to sing the new reign where mighty fall;

with them may we live your Gospel call.

Amen