January 31, 2021
Hope Lutheran Church
Rev. Mary Erickson
Mark 1:21-28
Not Your Typical Sabbath Worship
Friends, may grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge of God and Christ Jesus our Lord.
What do you expect when you attend a worship service? We have certain expectations of what we’ll experience in worship. If we’re at our homey church, we have our favorite spot to sit. Maybe the pew has “our name” on it. We’re familiar with the format of the service, who the regular attenders are. We know the particular cadence of the organist when they play hymns. Some are slow and meditative. Some are energized and lively, like Donna. We know when to stand up and sit down. And we’re familiar with our pastor’s preaching style.
So much of our worship experience is well anticipated. What do you come away with from worship? That’s a question I ask on the sermon notes for our confirmation students. What was your favorite part of today’s worship service? Their answers are surprisingly diverse. Sometimes it’s the children’s time. Or they can mention a song the choir shared, or a particular hymn we sang. Sometimes it’s the sermon or it could be a special witness from a member of the church.
What do YOU come away with from worship? The word “worship” derives from an Old English word “worthship.” It’s connected to worthiness. Who is the one worthy of our praise and adoration?
For the most part, we know what to expect when we come to a worship service. The curve balls come when we worship in a congregation different from our home church. Don’t sit in the front row, or you might be left standing when everyone else sits down! When a congregation has a guest preacher or when they call a new pastor, there’s a sense of anticipation when the pastor gets in the pulpit. What kind of message will they give? What’s their style? We don’t know what to expect from them.
There’s the old joke, you know. When people get home from church, they have “roast preacher” for Sunday dinner!
What words describe your experience during worship?
• Uplifted?
• Bored?
• Challenged?
• Energized?
• Disappointed?
• Edified?
• Entertained?
Whatever words you use, you probably would NOT use “astounded” or “amazed.” But that is what people felt when Jesus stepped into the Capernaum synagogue on that Sabbath day. It knocked their socks off!
This was the very first event of Jesus’ ministry. This worship service launched everything! Jesus had just called his first four disciples: Peter and Andrew, James and John. They came to Capernaum because that’s where Peter lived. Well, the Sabbath day comes, and so they all head to the synagogue.
Jesus is the guest preacher for the day. What were people expecting? Sometimes hearing there’s a guest preacher, you want to groan. Oh, no, not a guest preacher! For others, it’s a welcome stimulation. “Oh, goody, someone new!”
But for sure, nobody, not even Peter, Andrew, James and John, anticipated what was going to happen that day! Jesus “teaches.” It’s a significant word. He teaches. For good Jews, teaching is Torah. The first five books of the Bible, Genesis through Deuteronomy, are called the Torah. Sometimes we hear Torah translated as “law.” But the translation is more accurately “teaching.” So here’s Jesus, TEACHING. And what astounds people is that he’s teaching with authority. It’s like the very Torah itself is being spoken alive in their midst! It’s like they’re hearing it fresh, for the very first time!
What happens there that Sabbath morning is both astounding and amazing. For those worshippers, the word of God is being spoken into their midst. “What’s going on?” they say, “He’s teaching with authority, not like our scribes do!”
Authority. Authority is connected to the word “author.” An author creates something. They’re the originator of this new thing. We say that Jesus is the author of salvation. The book of Hebrews calls him “the author and perfecter of our faith.”
Jesus is teaching to them as one with authority over the word. He’s speaking like these teachings are HIS words. He’s not just reflecting on the holy scriptures. He owns them.
And then comes the real jaw dropper. There’s a certain man in the synagogue that day. He has an unclean spirit. Something destructive possesses him. When he sees Jesus – that is, when the unclean spirit sees Jesus – he knows exactly who Jesus is. And he’s not a bit happy to see him.
Our scientific minds don’t know what to do with a person dominated by an unclean spirit. So, we might feel more discomfort from what happens next than we do amazement. We just don’t know what to do with it! Is this merely thinking from a more primitive era of human evolution? Does the man really suffer from some kind of physical malady like epilepsy, or mental health challenge like schizophrenia?
In a pastor’s text study last week, one pastor suggested another phrasing. Instead of saying that this man was “possessed,” he was “occupied” by an unclean spirit. I know I certainly am occupied by many unclean spirits! What unclean spirits occupy us?
• Depression?
• Addiction?
• Hardened resentments?
• Racism?
• Fears and worries?
• Compulsions?
• Negative attitudes?
• Selfishness? Greed?
There’s no end to the list of things that can occupy or possess our thoughts! This man gets to the heart of it. He sees Jesus, and it’s not good news. He knows that Jesus’ entry spells the end of the many things occupying us! “What is it you want with US?” the spirit asks. He’s asking on behalf of us all.
And this spirit recognizes Jesus for who he is. Jesus is the author of the divine word.
Imagine sitting in the synagogue that day! You came expecting the same old routine. But then this stranger is there, and he delivers a sermon that blows you away. It pulsates with life.
And then, a possessed man starts screaming from the back of the synagogue. Jesus yells back at him. “Shut up!” he commands. “Shut! Up!” And then he points at the man and says, “You come OUT of him!”
Suddenly the man falls to the ground. He’s shaking and convulsing. He screams a blood curdling shout. And then, it’s over. The man is sane and whole. Wow! Imagine sitting there that day!
How very different OUR hearing of this story is for us! We’ve heard this text so many times, all of the surprise has been steeped out of it. Yes, yes, we know Jesus preached. Yeah, he healed people, even raised them from the dead. So the story falls on our ears like yesterday’s news. No surprise and it’s certainly not astounding or amazing!
But this was how Jesus launched his ministry. Considering the congregation’s experience in that synagogue, I’ve thought: you know, I want some of that. I want to be amazed and astounded by Jesus the way the people in that synagogue were. I want to hear and see him the way Peter and Andrew and James and John did on that amazing day.
How can Jesus have that kind of authority over me and you? Friends, he is still the author of salvation. He’s the author and perfecter of our faith.
What do you come away with when you come to worship? What do you experience when you dwell in the word? I think one very important thing is how we come. How have we prepared ourselves? Do we come with an open heart? Have we come expecting to really see Jesus? To really listen to his teachings? Because when we do, we’ll be astounded by him.
