Please note: The following sermon is provided as a resource for the thought, prayer, and meditation of the members and friends of St. Mark's. It is the residue of a verbal event, and thus it does not have academic footnotes and other details that would be expected in a written document. The writer gladly acknowledges the prior thought and work of many Christians before him.

So, you thought that this Christianity stuff was all supposed to be easy, all lightness and smiles, did you?

And many get discouraged and fall away when it is not.

This being changed from what we are now into what we will finally be is a tough process.

--It is hard on us and on our companions;

--It has already been hard on our Lord Jesus Christ.

Mark uses an image which stresses the difficulty of the situation.

This is the beginning of the birth pangs, he says; the labor, the painful work of bringing in new life.

What is it that parent need during the birth process?

--accurate information,

--focus on the goal

--encouragement to move ahead,

            sometimes gently whispered,

            sometimes sharply voiced.

Hold onto that image a bit while we turn to the 2^nd lesson, from Hebrews.

Perhaps you might want to take your pencil and underline several things in the lesson.

                        verse 19  Therefore

                        verse 22   let us approach

                        verse 23 let us hold fast

                        verse 24 let us provoke one another to love and good deeds.

1. When we encounter the word therefore, it means that we are in the middle of a discussion.

There has been a “because” section, an now we are turning to the results, the “so what”

Over the previous sections of Hebrews in past weeks, we have heard that Christ reconciles us to God by the singular sacrifice of his own life.

The therefore signals that now we move to explore the needful and appropriate ways in which we can respond to that sacrifice.

2. verse 22 let us approach the sanctuary in full assurance....

The old temple had a series of divisions and barriers.

--Gentiles only in the outermost court,

--women could come a bit closer,

--men, closer still,

--priests, enter the temple only when each has a turn

--high priest, who once a year enters the Holy of Holies.

But now in Christ Jesus, God has come near to us, making himself available to us in word and sacrament.

And so we approach, gather and worship in assurance that we are bid to do so.

3. verse 22: Hold fast to the confession of your hope because God is faithful.

Christ is pursuing us; he is determined to shape us into much more than we have ever imagined that we could be.

Hold fast to that hope.

4. verse 24 Let us provoke one another to love and good deeds....

The translators chose the word provoke in order to carefully convey the Greek original.

They might have chosen a wishy-washy word like facilitate,

or a neutral word like urge or facilitate, but the translators felt it carried that extra edge to it, with a bit of confrontation, and thus they settled on provoke.

We are to provoke one another to good deeds.

Hidden away in the background of the Greek word is the verb to cut or prune.

This is startling!

We are to prune one another in order to stimulate one another to good works?!

This is what we do with flowers sometimes; we nip off some buds and shoots so that the plant will grow stocky and bushy, and bloom more profusely later.

Should we allow each other to grow in a haphazard way, this direction and that?

Parent/teacher conferences that are taking place in these days are perhaps this kind of pruning and shaping.

Should we be provoking one another:...

-- by the reminder that everyone needs to be involved in some aspect of Christian education, Sunday School or one of the other opportunities.

--by the reminder that our offerings likely should be a tithe instead of a tip.

--by the reminder that there is some part of our caring ministries in which each person here can take part.

--by the reminder that our lives each day are to reflect the love of God for us in all that we do.

We are to provoke one another into these things and many more.

Perhaps it would be a good thing if each of us could remember a teacher somewhere during our school days who functioned that way, who perhaps made us angry, who demanded and got us to do more than we ever imagined that we could, so that we were provoked to excellence.

I remember my 9^th grade English teacher who was never satisfied by how we wrote the book reports and little compositions.

It was painful to hear over and over: “No, I expect better than this.”

What a relief when that year was over,...but then I had her husband in 12th grade, and he was even worse.

But I can write a coherent sentence now and again because of it.

It would be easier to stand here and speak sweet nothings to everyone.

I could rationalize it by saying that I'm such a loving pastor that I don't want to hurt people.

Unfortunately, what that often means is that I have found it safer to leave them alone, to stay out of their lives, so they will stay out of mine.

So, what is the pastor's job in the congregation?

--the chief storyteller

--the chief worship leader

--the first comforter

--the harried administrator

and today we add another title,

            the chief provoker, the one who is to push, suggest, dream, demand, urge, pester, and  cajole more from us all,

so that we accomplish what should be done.

And maybe we are gathered here this morning because we sense that God is calling us for better and more than we have been.

As a little bit of provocation today, we have this little table set right in the middle of the chancel.

It carries some reminders for us.

--a quilt.  Why not show up on Wednesday morning for Morning Prayer at 9:00 and then help the quilters knot for awhile?

Shirley and the others will be delighted to give a little bit of instruction.

It is a wonderful time for gentle conversation also.

And besides that, whom do you know that needs comforting?

--Cards:  Whom might you greet and cheer with a card?

            --Might you sign the list and deliver the altar flowers once in awhile?

--Telephone:  Who needs the sound of your voice?  Glance through your church directory, the shut in list in the newsletter, or your personal list.

--Hammer and towel: where are your specific skills and abilities needed?

            --How is your honey-do list going at home?

            --Is there a neighbor who still has leaves un-raked.

            --Have you checked with Bernadette to see if she needs help while Susan is recovering from surgery?

            --We need someone to be in charge of organizing the Seder meal next April. Is it you?

--Stars: We've pretty well put together the basic supplies we will be using when Family Promise finally opens, but right now it is time for something else, a little Christmas present for a ward of residents at Danville State Hospital, folks who may rarely get anything or anyone.  Will you take a tag from the tree and fulfill the wish?

I'm just getting warmed up...but we all get the idea.

We know what happens when a speck of sand gets inside a certain kind of bi-valve sea creature's shell.

It cannot get rid of the sand and it is bothersome, so it secretes a substance to cover it...and that continues over and over until a pearl at last is formed.

And so let's say it ironically:

may each of us be so irritated, so provoked, by what we hear from scripture today that pearls result in our lives!

I remember hearing a story about Mother Teresa, who was very good at nagging good deeds out of people.

One time when she was flying, she asked how much the airline would donate if she returned her dinner.

Then she got everyone including the crew to give back their dinners.

When they arrived at their destination, she asked if she could have the dinners to give to the poor.

And asked if she could borrow an airline truck to transport them.

In our own congregation, I think of Becky who by word and persistent personal example pushes us to do better and more in social ministry and education.

I think of Bill, who, though himself long past child-rearing age, has taught effectively for several weeks in our middle school class, and keeps asking questions in church council.

And Mel, persistently telephoning folks to put together the Way group this year.

and .....

Let us provoke one another to love and good deeds, encouraging one another all the more as you see the Day approaching.

St. Mark's Lutheran Church

142 Market Street

Williamsport, Pennsylvania

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