Mark 9:38-50
38“Teacher,” said John, “we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”
39“Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, 40for whoever is not against us is for us. 41I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward.
42“And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck. 43If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out.[a] 45And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell.[b] 47And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, 48where
” ‘their worm does not die,
and the fire is not quenched.’[c] 49Everyone will be salted with fire.
50“Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other.”
Jesus was not worried about his name being used to do good by someone he has no control over.
A woman I know moved from the Churches of Christ to the Uniting Church. People acted as though she had committed a sin of some kind. She had her reasons but people seem to take it personally that someone has moved congregations.
Anna, doesn’t call herself a Christian, left the church in her early 20’s, works with the Red Cross supporting trafficked women. Because she doesn’t go to Church does this make her ministry and love something we should value less?
A number of years ago I met an editor of the Big Issue. Big issue is a magazine sold by homeless people as a way of supporting themselves and giving them some pride in who they are. He confessed he did not like the Church very much and was not a Christian. Is his ministry any less amazing because of this?
As for Jesus, he does not worry about who is providing people with love and support, as long as it is happening.
So what is the difference between us as a Church community caring for people and those outside the church caring for people?
Caring for people is the essence of who we are. The Church exists to glorify God and doing that requires taking responsibility for the community of the world. We lose our reason for existing if we stop caring for people. It is as simple as that.
God is doing things that are beyond our control. Working through people who wouldn’t call themselves Christians, but whose understanding of their humanity causes them to see a world that is crying out for love.
So many people in this community go beyond what a normal person would do in order to care for someone, sometimes someone they don’t even know, not because they are paid to do it, or for the glory of it, but because the depth of their relationship with God means they know no other way!
We are called to be the salt of the earth and our flavour is about Glorifying God in this place and we do that when we recognise the call to care for people.
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