6.10.12--Sermon on Mark 3:20-35

Can you imagine the scene? Jesus and his disciples steal into a house for a moment, maybe hoping to find respite from the crowd, maybe just hoping to catch a quick bite to eat in the midst of healing and teaching. Maybe, like the Texas weather I just left, it was just too hot out in the sun, and they were seeking the shade in shelter. Whatever the reason, they were not allowed even a moment’s break from the onslaught of the masses. Scripture attests that a crowd gathered again around him such that it was impossible for him and his followers to even eat.

That’s definitely standing room only.

But Jesus does not get angry or annoyed at the crowd. He doesn’t chase them out or demand silence and solitude. Instead, he shows the same compassion to them that would later move him to feed over five thousand and then even later over four thousand. Jesus looks out on the crowd, on the people yearning to see him and to hear a word from him, and is moved by love, for they are like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus welcomes everyone in the crowd, those there to quench their sincere curiosity, those there out of awe, and those there to question and confront him.

Not everyone in the crowd is a stranger, though. Mark shares that Jesus’ mother and brothers were there, trying to get to him to take him home before the crowd revolts against him. Mark also shares that a number of the legal experts from Jerusalem—the Pharisees and scribes that Jesus will butt heads with throughout his entire ministry—have descended into the madness of the masses so that they might check out this teacher and healer.

The former are there to save; the latter are there to condemn. 

6.3--Sermon on John 3:1-18

During the summer after sixth grade, I set out on a mission of the direst sorts. You see, I was certain that there was a secret alien base hidden under Burnet High School. We lived across the street from the school, and there were strange happenings around it throughout the summer—people coming and going at odd times of day and night, weird lights shining out of windows and smoke hanging around doors, and weird noises coming from the gym and the auditorium when no one was supposed to be there.

I shared my convictions and fears with some of my close friends, people that I knew would take me seriously and share my concerns. We decided to set out one night to engage in reconnaissance work. We snuck out of the house around midnight—yes, I snuck out a lot during the summers—and we ventured across the street to the campus. As much as possible, we slipped from shadow to shadow, staying as hidden as we could. We had even donned black sweatshirts and black pants—in the summer in Texas, mind you—to blend into the darkness as much as possible.

After a slow slink from my house the school, we began our search for extraterrestrial existence. We peered into windows, checked every door we could, and we even climbed an outside ladder up onto a lower section of the roof. And do you know what we found?

Absolutely nothing.