“Pretenses” 

Ruth4:13-17

Mark 12:38-44

Hebrews 9:24-28 

I would like each of you to take a finger, maybe two, either hand, it really doesn't matter, and, listen carefully, poke yourself (not your neighbor).  Perhaps find two or three places to poke.  Kind of bony there; soft there, ...  Now, did your finger notice what you were wearing?  Whether you had on an old t-shirt or a fine new dress?  Or did your finger really only notice what it was hitting underneath your clothes? 

Mark has been trying to readjust our vision, our way of looking at ourselves, our culture, our attitudes for the last number of weeks.  Mark repeatedly takes what we consider to be important and offers a different view, a Godly view.  Think of how the Oscars are presented on television.  There's a large crowd, a limo pulls up to the red carpet, the door opens, someone famous gets out, a producer, an actress or actor, to a blinding blitz of flashes.  With a dazzling smile they make their way up the red carpet as a breathless announcer comments on the dress or suit, who designed it, the fabric and cut, then comments on the hair style, who is at their elbow, and suddenly they disappear as the next limo pulls up. 

Now, I had best avoid too many comments on fashion - I depend on Dorothy and my daughters to figure out which shirt and which tie go together on a weekly basis.  Oh, by the way, that is the modern origin of the preacher's robe: so that people would not spend time thinking about the preacher's fashion, or lack thereof.   

Going back to Hollywood, Hollywood does provide a modern glimpse into what Mark was concerned about.  It really isn't the clothes that are important.  It's what that finger finds under the clothes when we poke ourselves that is important.  We should think about being poked more often.  First, we should poke ourselves; perhaps gently so that we don't bruise.  What is our attitude toward what we are wearing?  Do we think that it makes us important? Or special?  Do we think it makes us impressive showing off our fine wardrobe?  Or do we wear what we wear on Sunday because we are coming into holy space, coming into God's house?   

But we should also be aware of being poked by someone else, being poked by God.  What God sees under the clothes, is what should concern us.  What does God see when he looks within us?  Rather than an endless debate about whether God even notices what we wear, I can assure you of one thing, the certainty that God does notice what is in our hearts; God knows whether we come humbly before God and man or feeling all important because of what we put on.  In the eyes of God, fashion is internal.  Jesus does not comment on the widow's clothing even after he described what the scribes were wearing.  She was probably wearing old clothes, probably very rough, perhaps even ragged.  Yet she is commended just as the scribes are condemned. 

The scribes also liked the best seats in the synagogue.  Long robes, best seat; I might be in trouble again.  Yet, I see a lot of good seats.  The seats up here get to look out and see all of the folks worshiping.  Now, the seats right up here, those are perhaps the best seats - plenty of leg room.  And there are a couple of seats way back there, behind the post - where you can get a good nap without anyone noticing.  Perhaps that is the best seat in the synagogue.  Or perhaps the ones near the exits so that you can get down for the cookies and juice quickly after the service.  There are many good seats in the house. 

Yet, as I look around, I can't help but see the seats a little differently, seeing which seats are the best, a little differently.  Some are special; there are some really special seats here.  The seats the deacons are sitting in, now those are special.  These people who give of their time and effort, give of their strength, to help those who need comfort and support.  The seats the deacons are sitting in, now surely, those are some special seats.  And I look at around at some others, the seat where the cancer survivor sits, that is a special seat, the best in the house.  Or the seats where couples who have been married fifty years are sitting, those have been blessed.  Or the extended family.  Or the single mother with child, struggling successfully to make ends meet.  Or the one who is sick, may not have much hope of recovery, yet is completely at peace, comforted by the Holy Spirit, looking forward to being very presence of the Lord, that is a special seat too.  God must view each of these seats as the very best seats.  Best because of the faith stories of the people sitting in them, the best seats because of you and your relationship with our risen Lord, those are the best seats. 

As I stand up here, looking out at you and the choir, I realize how much God has blessed each of these seats.  They are not the best seats because of how we judge them, behind the post or the leg room; we can not demand the best seats because of something special that we are or how important or righteous.  No, the best seats are given to us by God; given to us by God because we are special in God's view, not our own view.  The best seats are saved for those who are not righteous, at least not self-righteous, saved for those who know that they depend upon God's continued blessing, God's continued mercies, God's continued grace, day by day. 

And so it was with the widow.  Not only did she not have the latest and finest fashions, she could not have had the best seat in the synagogue; had no sense of importance that would let allow her to claim that best seat.  Yet, in God's eyes, she may have been sitting in the very best place - for she depended upon God.  She didn't depend upon God just for a spiritual blessing or a chance to feel good about her religion, she depended upon God for her next meal, her next day of survival.  When she gave all that she had, she placed God before her own needs; Kingdom needs before human needs.   

The scribes also prayed loudly, so that all people might hear how wonderfully they could repeat prayers to God.  Their focus was on impressing those around them, letting their fellow citizens be amazed at how holy they were.  And that alone is what they received, the amazement of their fellow citizens; they sought and received only human responses.  Do we pray for others, so others may hear our prayers or do we pray so that God can hear, as if we are talking with God, not about God? 

There is a verse about praying when we don't know what to say; how to pray when things are so heavy or so complex that we can't form our thoughts or the words won't come together.    It talks about the Holy Spirit leading us in prayer, that even the groans of the spirit are pleasing to God. 

The spirit intercedes with groans when we do not know how to pray. 

A seminary professor of mine related how he was welcomed as the new pastor in a small church out on the Great Plains.  One of the men invited him to go to an ecumenical prayer breakfast in the next town.  On the drive over, he explained that they took this verse seriously at their prayer group.  So this new pastor was a little surprised when he walked into the room, for a half hour not a word was spoken.  Twenty gentlemen were there groaning, he said it sounded like twenty men imitating a maternity delivery room - groaning and groaning and groaning.  After a half an hour the first word was spoken, someone said: “Amen” and they all got up and had eggs and coffee for breakfast. 

It is important to pray with a sincere heart. It is important to listen to scripture to help us learn how to pray.  But it also is important to listen to the full verse, listening to the context.  It would be good to emphasize that there are times when we do not know how to pray, when all we can do is, with the Spirit within us, groan.  It is important to know that even if we can not find the right words, God still hears the prayers of our hearts, still understands what we are praying about.  To focus only on 'groaning' is to miss the mark.  To focus on groaning, is to focus on what we can do to get God's attention.  We don't need to get God's attention; God is already listening to our spoken prayers, to our unspoken prayers. It is not what we do but what God has already done for us when we pray.   

Next week the reading from Mark looks toward the future; so this week ends the teachings that have so directly confronted us.  Mark has not been gentle on us, has not been gentle in his contrast between how we view things and how God views things; how Jesus taught us God's values compared to our own.  Mark has challenged us on many levels.  How tightly should we hold onto our wealth?  How dependent are we on God to provide, to provide even as for the widow, to provide our next meal?  Do we try to impress our friends, even impress God with what we wear or where we sit or how we pray? 

The Apostle Paul expands, especially in Romans, on this idea that Mark has presented of two kingdoms.  Jesus has introduced us to the idea that we are simultaneously living in two kingdoms: the kingdom of humankind and the kingdom of God.  This human kingdom is focused on exteriors - wealth, legal interpretations, dress, self-sufficiency and self-importance.  Then there is the Kingdom of God; a kingdom that focuses on our interiors - our attitudes, our motivations, our dependence upon God and our humility.

As we worship together, let us make this Kingdom time, kingdom of God time.  As we take care of our own members, let us also reach out to strangers and be sure that we welcome them as well.  As we determine what to offer to God, let us look at our time, our talents, as well as our treasure.  Let us ask how little do I really need to keep versus how much do I really have to give to God.  As we pray, let it be a conversation with God and not a speech directed toward other people.  As we worship, let us focus on Jesus, not on those religious practices that drew the scribes away from God, those religious practices that might draw us away from God. 

The scribes practiced their religion on the street corner but entered the temple with hardened hearts.  The widow also practiced her faith on the street corner (she put the mite in the treasury box) and entered into the temple fully dependent upon God for the next meal, for the next day.  Let us follow the widow's example.  Let us enter into worship each week dependent upon God.  But also let us enter into worship as we go out, as we live the rest of the week, that our actions during the rest of the week, may also be worship, worship of our Risen Lord. 

November 12, 2006

Rev. Al Hammond

First Presbyterian Church

Logan, Utah