I am currently working on a new theory of human societal interaction that may explain why so many people are so empty headed so much of the time.

I have tentatively titled it: Post-worldview reactive synergy, where most people don't know what they think until society tells them to. It's kind of a slow motion "faddy trendy" politically correct thingy that spins millenially. 

You don't really know what to do because it might offend somebody and offending is the gravest sin someone can do.

Confused - so am I.

Any ideas?

“The Politics of Identification”

MARK 8: 27-38

Many of you go thru life everyday saying you are above the petty politics and gossip of everyday life. I would tell you that it is in our very sinful desires that we make everything and everybody political; we base our interactions, wants, desires, and proclaimed needs on external sources – so how can we not become political in encouraging others to meet them?

A busload of politicians were driving down a remote country road when, all of a sudden, the bus ran off the road and crashed into a tree in an old farmer's field. The old farmer, after seeing what had happened, went over to investigate. He then got out his backhoe and proceeded to dig a hole to bury the dead politicians. 

A few days later the local sheriff came out, saw the crashed bus, and asked the old farmer where all the politicians had gone. The old farmer said he had buried them. 
       
The sheriff said to the old farmer, "So they were all dead?" The old farmer replied, "Well, some of them said they weren't, but you know how them politicians lie."

Two Washington politicians had locked themselves out of their car, and had left some important papers they needed for a meeting inside. "Let's use a coat hanger to pull up the lock," suggested the first. 

"Oh, no," argued the second. "Someone might see us and think we were trying to break in." "Then we could use my pocketknife to cut away the rubber around the window and stick our fingers through to pull up the lock." 
      
"No, no! People would think we're too stupid to know how to use a coat hanger to open cars." "Well, we'd better do something fast. The top's down and it's starting to rain."

Dictionary.com defines political as: of, relating to, or concerned with politics; relating to citizens and their conduct in affairs of life; and use of intrigue or strategy in obtaining any position of power or control, as in business, school,

community, or family. Believe me or not; it’s all about politics.

Each of us have our opinions about politicians and our opinions about each other.

We humans make our politics personal, and if we say we don’t then, we’re just trying to take the high road. But think about it for a minute:

marriage is political, child rearing is political, treating and recognizing the rights of your fellow man is political, business and sports are political, race relations is political, education is political, health care is political, jobs are political, food is political, television and the media are political, certainly religion and faith are political, and now in some places which bathroom you use is political.

Every endeavor of mankind is political because we’ve made it so, like it or not.

We are for and against everything – we have opinions, attitudes, trigger warnings,

and we are on constant watch for the micro-aggressive outbursts of others that upset our politically moral outrage and personal images. Politics have become our identities. If we believe or support something then that is who we are.

In our Gospel lesson for today Jesus, walking in the most pagan region of his home area, asks His disciples 2 important questions that had huge political, social, ethical, and eternal implications.

First Jesus asks them what people are saying about Him, and follows up with “but, who do you, my faithful followers, say I am?” Listen to His words and the interaction between His followers from Mark 8: 27-38.

Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” And they answered him, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” 

He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.” And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.

Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly.

And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”

He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? 

Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

It’s clear that the world is only seeing Jesus as something that’s already been seen – just another potentially great leader of the Jews that has already failed in bringing about change in Israel. They cannot see Him in a Divine manner that testifies to His teaching that human outlook on life must change, away from everyday politics.

Jesus is not someone you are going to vote for or against, depending on political whims and party platforms – Jesus is going to become the way, the truth, and the life.

You can’t just endorse Jesus’ teachings, hold Him up as a good moral teacher, or use Him as an example for political exercise – you have to live Him.

Jesus knew He would be controversial. He knew people, politicians, and Luciferians would try to leaven Him out of politics, dilute Him out of laws and the enforcement of laws. Separation of Church and government is only just so much hooey! Christ cannot be situationally separated out of those who follow Him. 

Jesus knew He was to be the sacrificial lamb that was designated to change things forever and that there would be some who would remain firmly on the side of His adversary and remain politically and humanly correct. Their self-imposed lifestyle based on deception, inspired by the great deceiver Satan, would not budge under even His Grace. They want it to stay political – He wants it to become faithful.

A careful man is being tailgated by a stressed-out woman on a busy road. The light turns yellow, just in front of him. He does the careful thing, and stops, even though he could have beaten the red light by accelerating through the intersection.

The tailgating woman hits the roof, and the horn, screaming in frustration as she misses her chance to get through the intersection with him.

As she is still in mid-rant, she hears a tap on her window and looks up into the face of a very serious police officer. The officer orders her to exit her car with her hands up. He takes her to the police station where she is searched, fingerprinted, posed for a mugshot, and perp-walked to a cell.

After a couple of hours, a policeman approaches the cell and opens the door. She is escorted back to the booking desk where the arresting officer is waiting with her stuff. He says, "I'm very sorry for this mistake. You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, flipping the guy off in front of you, and cussing a blue streak at him. I noticed the 'Choose Life' license plate holder, the 'What Would Jesus Do' bumper sticker, the 'Follow Me to Sunday School' bumper sticker, and the chrome plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk. 

Naturally, I assumed you had stolen the car."

What kind of identity do you proclaim to the world? What kind of identity do you live out? Are you ashamed of Jesus or could He be ashamed of you? Are you living politically or faithfully? Amen.

“Fringe Benefits”

MARK 7: 24-37

A Math teacher poses the following problem to one of his classes:“A wealthy man dies and leaves ten million dollars. One-fifth is to go to his daughter, one-fifth is to go to his son, one-sixth to his brother, and the rest to his wife. Now, what does each get?”

After a long silence in the classroom, Joe raises his hand and says, “A lawyer?”

And then this one: Married for many years, Paul had been ignored by his wife, Liz, for some days, so eventually he confronted her with what he perceived as the problem.

“Come on Liz, admit it,” he ranted, “You only married me because my granddad left me $60 million, didn't you?” “You really are silly, Paul,” retorted Liz loudly, “I couldn't care less who left it to you.”

Each of us is aware of the fringe benefits we can receive from jobs like health insurance, vacation and sick pay, and the like. Other things have fringe benefits as well; finding out that your spouse has a special cooking talent or has an ability that benefits your family in some way. Or having a family member that travels because of their job and discovering they can use their earned travel miles for family vacations and such.

Things that yield unintentional positive consequences or opportunities you might not have had – being a food caterer and getting to bring home the quality left-overs, you get the idea.

Now fringe benefits are not those things we manipulate others into giving us, or that we demand, but are those things we get because of something else - they are gifts of grace.

It’s only fair that on Labor Day weekend we discuss the fruits of “labor.” Human values say we that we must expect to earn something for the work we do. God’s values say that we must produce “fruit” in gratitude for the grace He freely gives to us. Two opposite ideas that suggest the idea of labor

Let’s hear our Gospel lesson for today, from Mark 7: 24-37:

From there he set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there.

Yet he could not escape notice, but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin.

She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” 

But she answered him, “Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” Then he said to her, “For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter.” So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. 

He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. 

Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. They were astounded beyond measure, saying, “He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”

The Book of Romans tells us that the wage of sin is death. Paul tells us we are under the sentence of death for violating God’s law because we are unclean in God’s eyes.

Mark uses the Greek word for food in this passage of “chortazō” (klor-ta-zo), which means to fill or satisfy men and/or to fulfill or satisfy the desire of any one.

In the Decapolis, a heavily pagan area, Jesus clearly commands the Heavens be opened to those who are, or were previously, i.e. gentiles and/or pagans, those who can be considered deaf and dumb in God’s Kingdom.

This passage shows us that God, and Jesus, are now including gentiles, that is, people who are not of Jewish birth or religious ritual, have now been adopted into God’s Kingdom as well. In saving the Jewish people, the gentiles get Grace as a fringe benefit, albeit via an analogy that is not without some humor.

The Book of Titus (2: 11-1, HCSB), says it this way: For the grace of God has appeared with salvation for all people, instructing us to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous, and godly way in the present age, while we wait for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

When Billy Graham was driving through a small southern town, he was stopped by a policeman and charged with speeding. Graham admitted his quilt, but was told by the officer that he would have to appear in court.

The judge asked, "Guilty, or not guilty?" When Graham pleaded guilty, the judge replied, "That'll be ten dollars -- a dollar for every mile you went over the limit."

Suddenly the judge recognized the famous minister. "You have violated the law," he said. "The fine must be paid--but I am going to pay it for you."

He took a ten dollar bill from his own wallet, attached it to the ticket, and then took Graham out and bought him a steak dinner! "That," said Billy Graham, "is how God treats repentant sinners!" Kind of a nice fringe benefit for speeding?

Charles Spurgeon and Joseph Parker both had churches in London in the 19th century. On one occasion, Parker commented on the poor condition of children admitted to Spurgeon's orphanage, and how hard they were to care for.

It was reported to Spurgeon however, that Parker had criticized the orphanage itself. Spurgeon blasted Parker the next week from the pulpit. The attack was printed in the newspapers and became the talk of the town.

People flocked to Parker's church the next Sunday to hear his rebuttal. "I understand Dr. Spurgeon is not in his pulpit today, and this is the Sunday they use to take an offering for the orphanage. I suggest we take a love offering here instead." The crowd was delighted. The ushers had to empty the collection plates 3 times.

Later that week there was a knock at Parker's study. It was Spurgeon. "You know Parker, you have practiced grace on me. You have given me not what I deserved, you have given me what I needed.

God love is such that He gives us not what we deserve, but what we need. It is the ultimate fringe benefit of God’s grace and Jesus’ sacrifice.

While we never hear again about the Syrophoenecian woman and her daughter, or the man who was a deaf-mute, we may assume they went forth with lives changed by the Grace of God, accepting the fringe benefits of His Kingdom.

Amen.