Mark 6:1-13

Well last night was our first worship service as Five Rivers Church. After about 9 months of praying about it, dreaming about it, and talking about it, it was very surreal for it to actually happen. I have to confess that I was very nervous last night. It was a lot easier to be an occasional preacher at churches in Atlanta than it was to preach in my own living room last night at the first worship service for a new church plant. I was thankful, though, that we began the church amongst the company of family and friends who are supportive of what we are doing and eager to join us in this brand new adventure. One of the folks present last night reminded us of Jesus's teachings about the way in which the Kingdom begins like a mustard seed but grows to become a giant tree that provides a home for many animals. It was good she reminded us of that. A seed was planted last night and it will be exciting to watch God cause amazing things to happen. We may plant the seed and water it, but God is the One who causes things to grow.

Here's a little recap of our reflection on Mark 6:1-13 for anyone that wasn't able to join us or for anyone that might have zoned out/dozed off during my sermon:

• After doing amazing miracles in the surrounding countryside (casting out a legion of demons into a herd of pigs, healing a woman of a bleeding issue who simply touched the hem of his garmet, and raising a little girl back to life), Jesus decides to return to his hometown with his disciples and teach in the synagogue. Jesus's homecoming tour is not well received by his family and neighbors, though. They question his authority as a preacher of God's message and refuse to believe that he is anything more than an average person (Mary's son--the carpenter). The story says they even took "offense" at him and Jesus was unable to do great deeds of power amongst them. In this story being familiar with Jesus is not necessarily a good thing. Let us use this story as an invitiation to re-discover who Jesus is that we may not become too familiar with him as well.
• The first thing that stood to me is the way in which God's messengers are never well received by God's people. We also looked at Ezekiel 2:1-10 where God commissions Ezekiel to be a prophet to the Israelites yet warns Ezekiel that the people will not listen to him. As Jesus reminds us in this story, "Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor." This should be a sobering reminder to us as Christians. We usually think it is unbelievers that are most unreceptive to God's Word, but in the biblical narrative it is usually God's very own people that refuse to hear from Him. Let us humble ourselves, repent, and seek to listen to the Word of the Lord and be willing to respond to it.
• In the second part of the passage, since Jesus and his disciples are not received in his hometown, he sends the disciples out into the surrouding villages to preach the message of the Kingdom there. He tells them not to take anything except a staff and a pair of sandals. They are to go to villages, enter homes that receive them, and preach the message. If people refuse to receive them, Jesus tells them to kick the dust from their feet and move on. Whereas Jesus couldn't do miracles in his hometown due to a lack of faith, even his disciples are able to do amazing things in the surrounding villages because of the faith of the people. Faith is necessary for God's power to be displayed.
• The first thing that jumped out at me about this passage is the way in which Jesus wants his disciples to be totally dependent on God during their mission. They aren't even to prepare to take care of their basic needs. God will do that. This passage reminded me that the work of the Kingdom is God's work. God doesn't need our help or assistance, but, for some reason, invites us to participate. Lots of times when God invites in on the mission we think that must mean God needs our talents, abilities, money, resources, etc. This is simply not the case. God is a missionary God. By His very nature, God is actively working all across the globe to draw people to Himself. God simply asks us to be a part of His mission--to be fully dependent on Him.
• Finally, this passage reminds us of the content of the Gospel message. The disciples went out in the surrounding villages and preached the same message that Jesus preaches at the beginning of Mark's gospel: "The time has come. The Kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news! (Mk. 1:15)" The Gospel message is a Kingdom message of repentance and belief. The Kingdom is simply a place where God's perfect will is done--"Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done." Jesus's message is that God's Kingdom is coming, that God's Will will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. Because of our fallen nature, we, as people, tend to live in ways that are contrary to God' will (i.e. we live in sin) rather than in harmony with God's will. The word "repent" literally means to "turn around." Jesus's message is one that invites us to believe in the coming Kingdom and turn our lives in such a way as to orient ourselves with God's will. This is why Jesus is not always well received by the people that hear him. Jesus is inviting us all to change and we usually don't like to change. Our hope as a new church is to be a group of people willing to repent and submit to Jesus as Lord, allowing him to shape our lives in such a way that they are in harmony with God's will.

Next week we will pick back up with the story and look at Mark 6:14-29. Hope to see you again next week as we go on this journey of re-discovering who Jesus is.