Iowa City Church Podcast

We've all had those moments when we've been misunderstood. Maybe because of appearance, language barrier or simply using the wrong word, there can be confusion about what is really going on. When it comes to Christianity, I have found that there is a huge misunderstanding about what it's all about. Over the years I've had people say, "Well, I could never be a Christian because I find parts of the Bible offensive." In my ministry I've had people be offended about what the Bible says about money, women, creation, marriage, sexual ethics and many other things. My response typically goes something like this: I think every part of the Bible is important, one of the jobs of the Bible is to be offensive, to challenge us to be different. However just for a moment, put the ethical teaching aside: If Jesus was raised from the dead, you're going to have to deal with everything in the Bible. If Jesus wasn't raised from the dead, you are free to ignore the Bible completely. To understand Christianity one must start with the bodily resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. Everything about the Christian faith is built upon this historical event...and if it is true you must change the way you live. Check out the conclusion of our journey through the Gospel of Mark and discover how Mark's unique ending is an open ended challenge to respond to King Jesus!

On Saturday, May 6th 2023 the coronation of King Charles III and his wife, Camilla, as king and queen of the United Kingdom and the Common wealth realms took place at Westminster Abbey, London. The coronation itself is an intricate service lasting just over two hours and follows a traditional template that has stayed much the same for more than 1,00 years. For example there is great symbolism in the royal scepters that are used, the intricate details of the throne and the crowns. Every part of the coronation is marking the transition of Charles from prince to king. If you are interested in all of the details, the BBC ran this helpful article to bring everyone up to speed on the significance of the event.

What does King Charles' coronation have to do with Jesus of Nazareth? Actually, a whole lot more then what you would think. Answer these questions: When did Jesus become king? When was Jesus recognized as being the King of the Jews? When was he robed in a royal garment? When was he crowned and lead through the streets of Jerusalem? When was he lifted up a recognized as being God's son? According to Mark's gospel this all took place on the day Jesus was crucified...a crucifixion that was actually a coronation. When we consider the cross of Jesus we typically think of Jesus' atoning death for the forgiveness of sins, and we should because that is what happened. However, many other significant things are happening as well, one of which is his glorification, where he is lifted up and recognized as the Christ, the son of the living God. In this episode we will ponder what the coronation of King Jesus on the cross means for us, his followers.

One of the hardest places to be angry with a person is at the supper table. It's nearly impossible to share a meal with someone with whom you are at odds with. Either you won't enjoy the food you are eating or you will be forced to leave the table and eat somewhere else. The flip side of this is when you are in a healthy relationship with another, sharing a meal is the best place to be; the conversation flows freely, the laughter is effortless and even the food tastes better! Here's the truth: To share a meal with someone you are at odds with requires reconciliation. For the Christian, we often describe our connection with God as a relationship. When we pledge our allegiance to God through baptism, we enter into a covenant relationship. There are moments when the relationship is amazing and transformative. Unfortunately there are times when the relationship is at odds and not because of God, but because of mine and your rebellious nature. Here's the problem, when we are at odds with God what are we to do? The guilt can be overwhelming, the shame paralyzing and the embarrassment distancing. We wonder if God will take us back? We blame ourselves for repeating the same offense again and again. We become convinced that this time, God's patience with us has finally run out. Here's what you need to know: Jesus knew this would happen. He knew that we would break our covenant relationship with him, and that we would need a way to reconcile the relationship. Ironically, he invites us to a meal table, a spiritual meal table designed specifically to bring about restoration and reconciliation. We call that meal, The Lord's Supper.

Unfortunately, for many Christians, The Lord's Supper (Communion) has simply become a memorial service, much like how we celebrate Memorial Day or Independence Day. The reality is that Jesus instituted this meal to be so much more then remembering. It's about participating in the work of the cross, it's about confessing our sin, and allowing Jesus to restore our relationship. Simply put, The Lord's Supper is multifaceted in what it does in our lives and in our church family. To learn more about how The Lord's Supper is so transformative in our lives as disciples of Jesus, make sure and listen to part ten of Come, Follow, Me...where you will be invited to have a seat at the table. Maybe it's been a while for you. Maybe you're feeling disconnected from God. The best place to start is to accept Jesus' invitation and take a seat at the table.

The story is told of a man who was on a business trip and stayed in a hotel that had a bug problem. There were bugs all over his room. He complained about this to the management and later wrote a letter of complaint to the main office of the hotel chain. Sometime later he received a letter signed by the President of the company. It said:

"We are humiliated that a man of your integrity, a man of your reputation, a man of your importance in the community should have had this experience in one of our hotels. We are deeply sorry."

This made the man feel somewhat better about the situation until, as he was folding the letter to put it away, he noticed a little piece of paper at the bottom of the envelope, obviously not supposed to have been included. It was in the President's handwriting and it read: "Send this guy the 'bug letter.'"

Unfortunately, this is the way we sometimes treat other people. We send them the "bug letter," the form letter. We give them the tired, old cliches: We ask them: "How are you?" when we don't really care. We say "have a nice day," or "I'm so sorry," when really we couldn't care less. When Jesus was asked which of the commandments was the most important he replied with two. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." ~ Mark 12:30-31 According to Jesus the only way to truly love God requires us to love people as we love ourselves. Now, there is a lot going on in this text but the bottom line is simple: a disciple of Jesus loves God by loving people. That's easy enough to remember and say, yet actually loving someone is much harder to do. True love requires something of us...it requires us to truly care about others, even if they are our enemy. Each day we come into contact with people who will have one thing in common: they're struggling with something. They will tell us about loved ones who are sick, loved ones who have died, loved ones who have problems. They will share with us their sufferings, their heartaches, their fears. Perhaps Mark Twain was right when he said, "You should never tell people your problems because 80 percent of them won't care, and the other 20 percent will think you deserve them!" Let us not send them the "bug letter." Let us listen carefully and mean it when we say we care. Jesus never sent anyone a "bug letter." We shouldn't either. To better understand what this would look like in your life, check out part nine of our sermon series through the Gospel of Mark.

I'm not very familiar with figs or fig trees. My only connection might be that I enjoy a Fig Newton every once in a while, that's about it. However, a fig tree becomes a central point of emphasis for what Jesus teaches in chapter 11 of Mark's gospel. Jesus and his disciples are heading into Jerusalem, and Jesus is hungry. Up ahead he sees a fig tree, mature and full of leaves. Even though it's a little early for the fig harvest he's hoping to score some figs. However, when he gets to the tree he discovers there is no sign of fruit, not even a little bud. Here is what he says: "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." ~ Mark 11:14 Jesus then proceeds with his disciples up into the grand and majestic Temple, the place which represented the presence of God amongst his people, and what does Jesus find? He finds corruption, injustice, and in his own words "a den of robbers". He then cleans house and leaves the Temple. The next morning as Jesus and his disciples make their way back into the city here is what they saw: "they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. Peter remembered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!" ~ Mark 11:20-21

What's the point Jesus is trying to make? Don't just appear to be faithful to God (the leaves of the fig tree/the beautiful Temple). True faithfulness to God produces fruit not corruption. As Jesus says: "Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them." ~ Matthew 7:20 What does this teaching mean for those who are disciples of Jesus? You can look the part of a disciple with your "leaves": going to church, giving money, reading the Bible, having theological knowledge, and being a morally good person. However, if there is no "fruit" what good are you to the Kingdom of God? These are strong words by Jesus and ones we must wrestle with on our journey of following him. To learn more about what the "fruit" of a disciple is and how to develop it, check out episode eight of Come, Follow, Me.

"Father Damien was a priest who became famous for his willingness to serve lepers. He moved to Kalawao—a village on the island of Molokai, in Hawaii, that had been quarantined to serve as a leper colony. For 16 years, he lived in their midst. He learned to speak their language. He bandaged their wounds, embraced the bodies no one else would touch, preached to hearts that would otherwise have been left alone. He organized schools, bands, and choirs. He built homes so that the lepers could have shelter. He built 2,000 coffins by hand so that, when they died, they could be buried with dignity. Slowly, it was said, Kalawao became a place to live rather than a place to die, for Father Damien offered hope.

Father Damien was not careful about keeping his distance. He did nothing to separate himself from his people. He dipped his fingers in the poi bowl along with the patients. He shared his pipe. He did not always wash his hands after bandaging open sores. He got close. For this, the people loved him.

Then one day he stood up and began his sermon with two words: "We lepers…."

Now he wasn't just helping them. Now he was one of them. From this day forward, he wasn't just on their island; he was in their skin. First he had chosen to live as they lived; now he would die as they died. Now they were in it together.

One day God came to Earth and began his message: "We lepers…." Now he wasn't just helping us. Now he was one of us. Now he was in our skin. Now we were in it together." ~ John Ortberg, God Is Closer Than You Think

Why did Father Damian give his life in service to the people on the island of Kalawao? He did so because that was the example set for him...and all Christians by Jesus himself.

More then any word Jesus spoke, it was his actions of serving that have most impacted each of us. It was Francis of Assisi who said, "Preach the gospel at all times; if necessary, use words." When each of us begins to model the actions of King Jesus in our neighborhoods, our lives and our neighborhoods, literally begin to change. ‌ Also, there is one more biblical truth you need to be reminded of: Jesus lives in your neighborhood; he lives in the form of that person who needs to be helped by you, who needs to be served by you. Jesus is the lonely kid who just needs somebody to play catch with him. Jesus is the elderly widow who is dying of loneliness. Jesus is that young couple who would give anything for a person with a healthy marriage to come over and encourage them and say, "You know what? You can make it through this. It's okay. We'll help you." ‌ Jesus said:

Jesus Christ is in your neighborhood, and he's waiting for you to reach out and serve him. He's waiting for you to choose to be a servant, not to serve just when it's convenient, but to serve because you are his disciple. To learn more about what this looks like in your life, give a listen to part seven of Come, Follow, Me.

In August of 2003, the Church of the Holy Cross in New York City was broken into twice. In the first break-in, thieves made away with a metal moneybox that had been resting next to a votive candle rack. Three weeks later, vandals escaped with something much more valuable: they unbolted a 4-foot long, 200-pound plaster Jesus from a meditation area, taking the statue of Christ, but leaving behind his wooden cross on the wall. The church caretaker, David St. James, confessed his bewilderment at this: "They just decided, 'We're going to leave the cross and take Jesus.' We don't know why they took just him. We figure if you want the crucifix, you take the whole crucifix." In other words, David St. James was saying, "If you want Jesus, you take his cross, too."

It only makes sense if you want Jesus, the cross is a part of the deal; that's one of the many reasons why Jesus is so amazing! For the Christian, the cross of Christ represents love, grace and forgiveness. You take Jesus and his cross. But what about your cross? If you follow Jesus, you have a cross as well...at least that's what Jesus says. "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me." ~ Mark 8:34 There are a lot of people who are fans of Jesus; they agree with some of the things he says, they appreciate the love and forgiveness...they even wear a "Jesus Is My Homeboy" t-shirt! However being a disciple of Jesus isn't about agreement or fandom...it's about self denial, allegiance and loyalty. Here's why this matters according to Jesus: "For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it." ~ Mark 8:35 Intuitively we think that by preserving our lives we save them, yet according to Jesus by surrendering our lives, our passions and even our desires over to the cross (our own cross) we will find life. So the question we all have to wrestle with is this: Will I take Jesus, his cross and my cross too? To better understand what this looks like in your life, make sure and listen to part six of Come, Follow, Me.

In part five of Come, Follow, Me we discover how Jesus intentionally coaches his disciples so that they can be prepared to carry on the Kingdom Mission.

In a few months we will see tractors working the soil in the fields surrounding Iowa City. We will also observe countless people tilling the soil in their backyards, prepping the ground for the huge gardens they are about to plant. Here is what the farmer and the gardener both know well: the dirt matters. One doesn't just throw some seeds onto any type of soil. The ground needs to be a rich, dark, black...well aerated with enough moisture. Using rocky or weedy soil is not going to produce the crop anyone wants and if the ground is like concrete--well you can forget about it! Here's the thing, we all intuitively know this to be true however, we don't often realize that it applies to our lives as well. Our ability to follow and grow in Jesus is directly related to the kind of "soil" we are. This basic truth is the basis of Jesus' parable of the soils found in Mark 4:1-12.

How does one prepare their "soil" to best grow the instructions Jesus wants to implant into our lives? Jesus actually gives us the key. It's found at the beginning of his parable of the soils. "He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: "Listen!" ~ Mark 4:2-3 Our ability to grow as disciples of Jesus lies in our ability to listen to Jesus. A lot of people heard the words of Jesus, but very few people actually listened to Jesus. Here's the question, do you hear Jesus or do you listen to him? Why does any of this even matter? It matters because what you become in the Kingdom of God is directly related to your ability to listen to Jesus. Simply put, your life could potentially take a completely different trajectory if you learn how to listen to Jesus! To learn more, give a listen to part four of Come, Follow, Me.

Imagine the mystery and delight of not just hearing, but seeing the story of Jesus for the first time, almost as an eyewitness.

That's what happened to a tribe in the jungles of East Asia when missionaries showed them the Jesus film. Not only had these people never heard of Jesus, they had never seen a motion picture. Then, on one unforgettable evening, they saw it all—the gospel in their own language, visible and real.

Imagine again how it felt to see this good man, Jesus, who healed the sick and was adored by children, held without trial and beaten by jeering soldiers. As they watched this, the people came unglued. They stood up and began to shout at the cruel men on the screen, demanding that this outrage stop.

When nothing happened, they attacked the missionary running the projector. Perhaps he was responsible for this injustice! He was forced to stop the film and explain that the story wasn't over yet; there was more. So they settled back onto the ground, holding their emotions in tenuous check.

Then came the crucifixion. Again, the people could not hold back. They began to weep and wail with such loud grief that, once again, the film had to be stopped. The missionary again tried to calm them, explaining that the story still wasn't over; there was more. So they composed themselves and sat down to see what happened next.

Then came the resurrection. Pandemonium broke out this time, but for a different reason. The gathering had spontaneously erupted into a party. The noise now was of jubilation, and it was deafening. The people were dancing and slapping each other on the back. Christ is risen, indeed!

Again the missionary had to shut off the projector; this time he didn't tell them to calm down and wait for what was next. All that was supposed to happen—in the story and in their lives—was happening. (Source: Ben Patterson, "Resurrection and Pandemonium," Leadership Journal)

Can you imagine experiencing Jesus for the very first time in such a unique and powerful way? This is Mark's goal as he writes his account of Jesus of Nazareth; he wants his readers to be introduced to Jesus in such a way that their lives are changed forever. This is one of the reasons Mark's Gospel is short, action-packed and focused on answering this one question: Who is Jesus? Mark knows that if his readers learn that Jesus is King, it will provide them with someone to lead them through life. Mark also know that if his readers understand that Jesus is God's Son, they will be able to find forgiveness and relationship with God. These are just two examples of how Mark strives to answer the question: Who is Jesus? Do you know Jesus? To see Jesus with fresh eyes, give a listen to part three of Come, Follow, Me.