Prince of Peace Lutheran Church
3rd Avenue at 111th Street
in the historic Lansingburgh section
of the city of Troy, New York
Sermon Links
Lent - Easter Sermon Series 2006
The Second Sunday in Lent
"The Living Room"
March 12, 2006
Genesis 28:10-17
Romans 5:1-11
Mark 8:31-37
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Grace and peace to you from God our Father
and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
For those of you who weren't able to be at worship Ash Wednesday evening or last Sunday, we're now in the season of "Trading Spaces," looking forward to the "Extreme Makeover" of creation even of our very selves. "Trading Spaces" and "Extreme Makeover" are two very popular TV shows which seek to completely change the living space of the family home. This season I'm going to be doing something a little different. As we examine the meaning and centrality of the Cross in the furniture scheme of our lives, of our living space, our home, we will consider the "Extreme Makeover" of creation that allowed us to be "Trading Spaces" with Jesus of Nazareth, the Crucified One.
Mark's Gospel constantly points to the Cross as the defining moment of history the time when EVERYthing changed the event upon which all future would be determined, both corporate and personal. The resurrection and all of the power we derive from it would not have "been," had there not been God's action of the Cross. Hence my desire to speak of the centrality of the Cross in the "down and dirty," that is to say, our everyday existence, our daily lives. Consider this as this five-Sunday season of Jesus' "Trading Spaces" with us, taking our place upon the Cross. As such, I continue to mix my metaphors of our daily lives, our living space and our Lutheran "theology of the Cross."
After coming through the "front door" of most Lansingburgh homes, you enter into the living room. This room usually contains the family TV, a couch, perhaps a recliner; ours has a piano and a fireplace. Each one is a little different, but the living room is meant to be a place for just that "living," that is to say, relaxing, taking some time apart from the rest of the day's activities and troubles. A place you can "put your feet up." And nothing feels better than having some nice, cool lotion to put on those tired old "dogs." {Lubriderm}
Mark's Gospel, his biography of Jesus, tells us that Jesus used his feet to take him places. Remember how your parents would tell you "drive you to town? Why, when I was a child, I had to walk 5 miles to school in a raging snowstorm and then turn around and walk 5 miles back home up hill both ways!" Well, Jesus walked a lot further than 5 miles, though I doubt he ever had to deal with much snow, Mark tells us he had to deal with some pretty tough weather and situations deserts, storms on lakes, earthquakes and the like. His feet took him everywhere. We even hear of him "putting up his feet" while in the living room of Martha and Mary. In fact, we're told that Mary sat at his feet, probably rubbing Jesus' "tired old dogs" with some nice, cool lotion as she listened to Jesus' words of wisdom. Soothing your guest's feet was a common practice in Jesus' day. In the Gospel of Mark, we find a number of other occasions where Jesus tells his friends, they need to get to the living room a quiet place apart a place where they can relax and take some time away from the day's activities and troubles.
I've said often that Prince of Peace is a family and, in a way, this is our "living room." We're no different than the people of Jesus' day we need to be able to "put our feet up" in a place where we can relax, taking some time away from the week's activities and troubles and hear some words of, hmm, wisdom? Well, some words of Gospel, some good news words you surely won't hear from that TV in your living room at home. Don't worry, I'm not going to take your shoes off and rub them with lotion. But, I hope the words I speak on God's behalf have some of the same effect.
In today's Gospel lesson, Jesus tells his friends to "take up their Cross and follow him." That is to say, "you've talked the talk, now it's time to walk the walk." Time to do the old "heel to toe" with the soles of their feet. Ah, and there is the heart of the sermon you're hearing today in our living room. The homonyms!
Jesus is telling us precisely the same thing. It was time for him to do the old "heel to toe with the soles of his feet" so that he could heal our souls of the toe (that is to say, "The Old Evil") that has tried to control our lives. Whether our feet, our lives seem filled with bunions of despair, ingrown toenails of anger, the bursitis of someone's manipulation, the athlete's feet of over-activity, the fallen arches of guilt or the Achilles heel of temptations; Jesus "walks the walk" to the Cross, that he might heal our souls of the toe the old evils that have troubled our hearts and minds.
When you get relief for your feet, whether it be bunions, ingrown toenails, bursitis, athlete's feet or fallen arches, when the soles of your feet are healed, you feel great! There's nothing like it! Freedom you want to hug your podiatrist! And how many do? Well, how many call to say thank you, thank you, thank you? When your soul is healed, do we take the time to thank the eternal podiatrist? Lent is the season for remembering, for giving thanks and "walking the walk." If we ever have a recurrence of any feet problems we can always call. The great thing is, we have a podiatrist that makes house calls and not just house but "where-ever you are calls." The eternal podiatrist comes to the living room of our lives and invites us to the Cross, the ultimate "living room," in the home of God Jesus "put his feet up" on the Cross, nailed through, that the living room of our lives might truly bring our tired feet, our tired selves, relief.
As you return home and, after a long day, get relief from the cares of your day by putting your feet up in the comfort your living room, remember the centrality of the Cross in the furniture scheme of your life. Consider the "Extreme Makeover" of Creation that allowed us to be "Trading Spaces" with Jesus of Nazareth, the Crucified One. Now, that is more reality than you'll ever see on ANY TV show. Amen.
The peace of God which passes all understanding,
keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.
