Looking Ahead to July 14, 2024 -- 8th Sunday After Pentecost, Proper 10B

The Scripture Reading this week is Mark 6:14-29.

The Sermon title is Dangerous Oaths

Source

Early Thoughts: This week we continue our journey through Mark's Gospel. But what on earth do we do with this story?

It is a nice light thing to talk about in the middle of the summer isn't it. Salome dances and pleases the king [side note, this story is the origin of the famed "Dance of the Seven Veils", which adds a bit of a salacious angle to the story] who makes a somewhat rash promise. Then Salome's mother sees a chance to get revenge on a troublesome preacher, ending with a rather gruesome addition to the evening's festivities.

I see a few possibilities. One could take a slightly misogynistic turn on the story and preach on the ways women lead men astray, using both Salome and her mother as examples. Not going there myself. Not ever going there.

Or one could use this to talk about the risks of speaking truth to power. John is in this situation because he called Herod and Herodias to account for their behaviour. And he ends up paying a really steep price for doing that. We too are called to speak truth to power, to take risks for what we feel is right. There is certainly a sermon there.

For me this year one line jumped out. When Salome comes back and tells Herod what she wants him to do to fulfill his oath Mark says "he king was deeply grieved, yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he did not want to refuse her". Earlier in the story we have been told that for various reasons Herod was reluctant to kill John, but now he seems to be trapped by his own words.

When do we find ourselves trapped by our own words? When do we make a promise and then feel honour-bound to keep it even when it feels distasteful or wrong to do so?

From an early age we are told to keep our promises. Scripturally speaking, keeping oaths would be a good thing. Herod would lose face if he 'chickened out' and reneged on the vow that he made in front of them,. There are lots of reasons to follow-through. And yet....

When I re-read the story I have to wonder if anyone other than Herodias thought this was a good idea. I ponder the possibility that some or all of the guests were repulsed as the platter was brought in and presented to Salome. Might the gathering have given Herod a free pass when they heard the request? 

AS people of faith we are called first to be faithful to the rule of love. Yes we need to be people who keep our word, we need to be seen as people of integrity but our first loyalty is to the gospel of love. So we need to be careful about the promises we make, we have to not make promises that put us in conflict between keeping our word and living as people of love.

Even more important, there may be times when we need to be ready to look foolish or lose honour and respect because we know what the right thing to do is. Sometimes we need to do what is right and faithful even when it means breaking our word.

If we are realistic, we know that this is the way life works. We know, and we teach our children, that there are time when we have to say "I know I promised but...".

Words, oaths, promises are powerful and important things. They can keep us on the right path or they can push us into doing terrible things. We need to discern when to make promises, when/how to keep our promises, and also when to break our promises. May love always be our guide.
--Gord

Looking Ahead to July 7, 2024 -- 7th Sunday After Pentecost, Proper 9B

 The Scripture Reading this week is Mark 6:1-13.

The Sermon title is Right Place? Right Time?

Early Thoughts: How do you know? Is the time and place right or wrong? Is one right and the other not? Does it really make a difference?

This week we continue our journey through the Gospel of Mark. Jesus has made his way home and his reception is a bit mixed. On one hand people are amazed at what he has to say and what he can do. On the other hand they are a bit dubious. After all they have known him forever. They know his family. They may even see him as being a bit uppity, too big for his britches.

It seems that home was not the right place for Jesus to do ministry after all. Sometimes you can't go home again. So Jesus goes out and about again.

Around this time in the story it appears Jesus decides that the work needs to be shared. The work is never all for Jesus to do, others play a role. Accordingly, he sends his closest followers out in pairs (the work is to be done together, not alone) to continue what they have seen him doing. They are to travel light and to rely on the kindness of strangers. The text tells us that they do just that and have a measure of success in preaching and healing and casting out demons.

But the text also tells us that they may not always be welcomed. They may find that they are in the wrong place for their ministry to be welcomed, or possibly the place will be right at a different time. Jesus tells them be ready to accept that reality and head off to the next stop.

I wonder if we sometimes need that same reminder.

Are there times we get so caught up in our own agenda, or maybe our own comfort, that we miss the signs that the time or place calls for a different response? I think this can go two ways. Either we try to push people into a place they are not yet ready to go or we prefer to sit in our comfort, saying "we aren't ready to do that". 

We need to read the world around us to know what response is needed and when.  That can be difficult in communities. After all not everyone in a community is in the same place (physically but more importantly philosophically or emotionally) at the same time. Which means that some call for different responses at the same time. What are people in leadership to do?

In our Gospel reading this week results seems to be the answer. Because his hometown was not the right place Jesus was unable to do ministry there. Where the disciples were welcomed they could preach and heal and cast out demons. Maybe paying attention to the results will help us know if we are responding to what the time and place require of us. Then we can re-evaluate what we do next.
--Gord