Chop, Chop...Splish, Splash

A sermon based on Mark 9:38-50 and James 5: 13-20

So somewhere in all the unpacking I believe I have an axe. Does anyone want to borrow it so they can cut off their hand or foot or eye? I’m sure we can all think of moments where our hand or foot or eye has caused us to sin, caused us to stumbling in our faith. Chop, Chop – who wants to be the first volunteer?

Our hands have caused many of us to steal, to hit, to punch, to write inappropriate things about others, to make rude gestures at passing drivers. For these things alone we may not have many hands left in room. And for the few of us who still would have a hand left we must remember that our hands have caused us to sin by the things they have not done. In the Order of Confession and Forgiveness this morning, we confess that “We have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone.” All of us have at some point not offered a helping hand when we could have, when we should have. All of us have not given our time or money to those in need. We have no hands left. Chop, Chop. It is better to remove our hands than to continue to sin.

And our feet have caused us to kick, to trip, to jump away, to dance inappropriately, to walk away, to turn around and ignore the problem. We have walked away from those in need, we have walked into situations that we know will be filled with temptation to sin. We have turned around ignoring those need, ignoring what we have been called to do. Chop, Chop. It is better to remove our feet than to continue to sin.

And our eyes have caused us to stare, to ogle, to lust after, to condemn. We have given people looks of disgust and disgrace, not love and grace. We have seen things we know we shouldn’t see, things that cause us to sin or promote sin in others: movies filled with violence, sexually inappropriate pictures and videos, books and magazines filled with graphic descriptions, lies, and gossip. Chop, Chop. It is better to remove our eyes than to continue to sin.

So no we are handless, feet-lees, eye-less people. But what about our other body parts. We can still speak wrongly against others, or say inappropriate words…we better chop off our tongues. Our sexual organs can cause us to lust after others as well as tempt and seduce others…we better become eunuchs and have mastectomies. Our brains can cause us to have sinful thoughts, to think bad about someone, to wish evil upon others, to be greedy or envious…I guess we should all add lobotomies to the list. And the list can go on and on, our stomach can cause gluttony, chop, chop! Our face can cause pride in our beauty, chop, chop! Our whole bodies can be slothful, chop, chop!….and our bodies will become less and less, chop, chop!

Until what would be left of us? Nothing, for eventually if we remove all the body parts that cause us to sin we will end up dead. It is better for us to be dead and full of repentance than to go to hell a full body.

So then why are we still walking? Why do we still have our hands? Why are we still able to see and hear and think and feel and live our lives? Why are we all not dead?

We are all not dead because of Jesus. We are all not dead because Jesus died for us. Jesus saved us from hell. Jesus saved us from chopping off our hands, and feet and eyes etc. We have been saved from sin and death through Christ’s death. We have been saved from sin and death because we have already died.

We have drowned in the waters of baptism. It was not a chop, chop, but a splish, splash that saved us from the eternal fires of hell. We have had our sins washed clean away. Our hands, our feet, our eyes, and every other part of our bodies are no longer just ours but they are also God’s. With our hand, our feet, our eyes and the rest of our bodies we do God’s work. It is God’s work and our hands.

We have been called to do God’s work through our bodies. We have been called to pray for those who suffer, sing with those who are full of joy, anoint the sick, confess our sins to one another, and help keep each other from stumbling. We have been called to make disciples of all nations, teaching and baptizing them in the name of the Lord. We have been called to tell others about the splish, splash that saves us, not the chop, chop.

And just as we are called to do these things for others, we too have been given a community to support us. A community who prays for us, who sings with us, who anoints us and confesses to us. We are given a community to help keep us from stumbling and who are able to help pick us up when we have stumbled. We are given this community, the community of Bethlehem and the community of all believers, who will give us a shoulder to lean on, a helping hand, a listening ear, and a foot to stand on, just as we support others. We have been given these people for it is our faith that saves us not our works. It is the splish, splash, not the chop, chop.

For we are not in this alone. We are not asked to try and navigate this life, to avoid sin and temptation, to avoid the chopping block, without others to help guide us. But most importantly we have been given Jesus, who has navigated the way, who supports us when we stumble, who has already died for us so that we do not have to. We have been given Jesus to carry our burdens to, to share the troubles of this world when they become too great. We have been given Christ Jesus who died for us so that we do not have to. We have been given Jesus who saved us with the splish, splash of the waters of baptism and that is truly the good news.