Sermon for the Birth of John the Baptist – Luke 1:57-80

Today we celebrate the Feast of John the Baptist. Do any of you know what “feast day” actually means? Ususally we just think “feast” means a big meal like Thanksgiving. But “feast” can also mean an annual religious celebration. For us Christians, feast days are when we remember certain saints. Important people in the history of the church. We like to talk about who they were, what they did, and give thanks for their witness. But you know, it’s odd that we celebrate John the Baptist in the middle of summer. Normally we talk about him in December during Advent. Our readings for today are usually Advent readings, not summer readings. Why talk about John NOW? Well, in Advent we’re building up to the birth of Jesus. Jesus and John are cousins, you know. The angel Gabriel visits Mary to drop a bomb on her – guess what? You’re unwed and pregnant! Oh happy day. Boom. Oh, and by the way, your relative Elizabeth is 6 months pregnant. So, when’s Christmas? 6 months from today. Fun facts!

But there’s a serious reason to talk about John today. What was his job?

Sermon for Time after Pentecost – Mark 4:26-34

Ever notice how Jesus talks a lot about farming? Seeds and fig trees and wheat and weeds. But it’s odd. What was Jesus’ job before he started his ministry? Mark 6:3 – some kind of builder or carpenter. Not a farmer. So why talk about farming? Who knows? But a lot of the people he preaches to were farmers. Jesus wants to be relevant. That means farming sermons. Like you do. But he’s not a farmer, so it shouldn’t be surprising that he says some odd things. In the parable of the sower, the sower sows seeds on rocky paths. Who does that? No one who wants to eat. What an odd example! Here, he talks about mustard seeds, and it’s just as odd, for three reasons. First, he says the mustard seed is the world’s smallest seed. But we know that’s not true. The farmers back in Jesus’ day had smaller seeds too. They knew better. Why would Jesus say such an odd thing?

Sermon for Time after Pentecost – Mark 3:20-35

So, Jesus tells a lot of parables. What’s your favorite one? (ASK) Here’s one that I bet no one ever mentions. “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.” The parable of grand larceny. It’s not cheating – no trickery. It’s not stealing – no sneaking. No, Jesus means storming in, tying everyone up, and PLUNDERING – taking EVERYTHING, like even ripping out windows and doors. That’s not far-fetched – think about how building materials get stolen all the time from houses being renovated in a bad neighborhood. Jesus is talking about an epic robbery. How disturbing is that? I don’t hear anything about a felony conviction. Is Jesus actually telling us how to get away with crime? That CAN’T be right, can it? What’s Jesus up to here?