by Fr. Bill Garrison
Please note that the following sermon text was provided prior to the audio recording. The two versions may differ substantially.
Mark 3:20-35
The crowd came together again, so that Jesus and his disciples could not even eat. When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, “He has gone out of his mind.” And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons.” And he called them to him, and spoke to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come. But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered.
“Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— for they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.”
Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you.” And he replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”
This Sunday I want to talk about families, and in that vein, I have a story to tell you before I get serious.
A father passing by his son's bedroom was astonished to see the bed was nicely made, and everything was picked up. Then, he saw an envelope, propped up prominently on the pillow. It was addressed, “Dad.” With the worst premonition and trembling hands, he opened the envelope and read the letter.
Dear Dad,
It is with great regret and sorrow that I'm writing you. I chose to elope with my new girlfriend, because I wanted to avoid a scene with Mom and you.
I've been finding real passion with Stacy, and she is so nice, but I knew you would not approve of her because of her piercings, tattoos, tight motorcycle clothes, and because she is so much older than I am.
Stacy said that we will be very happy. She owns a trailer in the woods, and has a stack of firewood for the whole winter. We share a dream of having many children, and Stacy has opened my eyes to the fact that many of the things that society rejects really don’t hurt anyone.
Don't worry, Dad. I'm 15, and I know how to take care of myself. Someday, I'm sure we'll be back to visit, so you can get to know your many grandchildren.
Love, your son, Joshua.
P.S. Dad, none of the above is true. I'm over at Jason's house. I just wanted to remind you that there are worse things in life than the school report card that's on the kitchen table. Call when it is safe for me to come home!
The gospel today references the family of Jesus. They are worried about him. He isn’t himself anymore. He has changed radically in some way. They, and many others, are concerned he might have lost his mind.
Family systems are interesting. Each person in the system has a place and the family runs much like an engine as each person completes their assigned duties. Most familial and parental systems are similar but with nuances that are their own. Mom and dad each have their jobs, however they might be defined.
The kids have places and duties too. As an example, one gets great grades, another is an athlete, and another might be adventurous while often getting in trouble.
As long as the status quo is maintained, everyone maintaining their duties, nobody becomes anxious or concerned. However, when one of the family’s parts changes or goes missing the family no longer functions efficiently or even well. Psychologists earn their keep helping to fix these broken systems.
Jesus had broken the family system. He had changed dramatically and the family was no longer working efficiently. They wanted their Jesus fixed so everything could return to normal. But it wasn’t not going to happen. In fact, Jesus was in the process of redefining what a family is.
I will quote him when he is told his family is outside and wants to see him. “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.” Jesus has just told those listening that his family is now much larger than it used to be. He has not only changed. He has redefined what a family in the kingdom of God is. By doing so suggests the rest of us adopt the same understanding.
I can’t recall exactly when the story I am about to tell you happened. I was either a teenager or a very young adult. It took place in the kitchen of my grandparent’s farm in Oklahoma. We were sitting around the table listening to my grandfather tell a story about something I had never heard about or read about in a history book that happened in 1921.
He was describing the destruction of the black community in Tulsa that everyone is talking about these days. What he described was beyond my ability to believe. After all, anything that awful couldn’t possibly be unheard of. Could it? And he didn’t seem sorry it had happened. Surely, he had exaggerated? It wasn’t for many years that I learned he had not. What he had spoken of was true.
I spent much of my early life, well into my thirties, in that little white house out in the country. I was always there at least a month a year and often more than that. I have wonderful memories of the love there. I have wonderful memories of the Sunday family get togethers. We would fit in excess of twenty people in that little house of less than one thousand square feet, and there was a palpable love that existed between all of us.
My grandmother was probably the finest person I have ever known, loving, patient, smart, and kind. My grandfather loved all of us and was especially crazy about the children. He was in charge in some ways, but we knew the backbone of the clan was my grandmother.
My uncles and aunts were close to me, and I knew their love for me was real as was mine for them. All us cousins had a good time for the most part. You know how kids can be. Both my uncles were veterans of wars, one having survived as a Korean prisoner of war. An uncle I never met died in the invasion of Normandy. One uncle was well educated and quite successful. The other was a man that worked well with his hands. They were different, but brothers who cared about each other.
My immediate family was different than the Oklahoma branch. We didn’t live in Oklahoma full time, and we enjoyed a more progressive lifestyle. We didn’t believe in all the same things they did. But when we were in their presence we spoke Okie and we enjoyed fitting in.
The point is that in that little house on the farm everybody knew their place in the family and the whole family lived a comfortable and loving life with each other most of the time.
Now I come from a family of incredible racists. I remember one time we were watching television and General Colin Powell came on the television. I remarked that I believed he would make a terrific president. One of my uncles immediately jumped up from the couch, pointed a finger at me, and cried out something I will not repeat. This from a man I loved very much.
I also come from a family that enjoyed killing things. Hunting and fishing were huge entertainments. I enjoyed the fishing a bit with the surrounding camaraderie and, although I am very handy with a gun having grown up around them, I never could get on board with hunting. My father, bless him, finally said to me one day, “Bill if you aren’t going to shoot anything you might as well stop carrying a gun.” So, I did.
I could continue to describe my family, but I think you get the drift. We were and are far from perfect. But no matter my failings and theirs, and trust me we all have plenty, we love each other and accept each other in a most wonderful and wonderous way. My grandmother probably has a great deal to do with that because she is as close to Jesus Christ as anyone I have ever met. For me she represents the Jesus in the Gospel we read a bit ago.
Which brings me back to that gospel. Jesus redefined what a family is. He told us family is a whole lot bigger than what we generally think it is. In fact, I am quite certain Jesus would suggest that most of humanity, and certainly our immediate surroundings through the nation in whom we live are our family.
I think St. Matthias is a wonderful example of what an extended family can be. We are not all alike here. We do not all think alike. We make our livings disparately. We are in different stages of life. Some of us have children and some of us don’t. Some of us are politically progressive and some are conservative. We are of different orientations. We are different ethnicities.
Yet we care for each other and give each other the space we need to be ourselves. We speak St. Matthias here. We meet in the house of God together. We talk about doing the loving thing. We practice idea with each other.
I suggest to you this morning that Jesus’ definition of family is the correct one. We are one family. In this place, this address for the Kingdom of God, we are a model for what our community and our nation can become. I invite you to spread the word. Hopefully there are others doing the same and folks are listening.