The Downtown Presbyterian Church

Sermons

Come In From The Parking Lot

Hebrews 4:12-16; Mark 10:13-27

28^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Rev. Kenneth M. Locke

The Downtown Presbyterian Church

Do you remember the last time you were at a small-town parade, something like 4^th of July or homecoming? Remember the excitement and confusion and camaraderie? Remember the bands marching and cheerleaders yelling and everyone lining Main street, jockeying for a good place so they can see everything and really be a part of it?

Two years ago I was at a small-town parade. It was pretty typical: fire engines blaring, marching bands, floats, the whole works. Many of the floats were tossing candy at the crowd and the kids were going nuts. I mean little children running everywhere, not listening to their parents, dropping the candy they had just picked up, shoveling as much as they could into their bags; squealing and hollering and having a great time.

Watching those children running and dodging and diving for candy I had a revelation. I finally got what Jesus was talking about when he said, “whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” Of course, that’s it. We can’t enter the Kingdom tentatively, uncertainly, standing on the sidelines with our hands in our pockets. The Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who jump in and squeal with delight. It’s for those who come running in and grab it, rejoicing, delighting in God.

Watching a parade is pointless. The point of a parade is being a part of it: cheering the fire engines and waving at the floats. It’s meaningless unless we’re helping the children pick up candy and striking up conversations with the people around us. Like a parade, the Kingdom of Heaven has to be entered into fully or not at all.

One of the things that really saddens me are the number of people who claim to be Christian but who aren’t actually participating in it. They’re just watching it go by. Loving the stranger, faithfulness to relationships, forgiving enemies, loving God more than family or career or self: nothing more than floats going by which the pseudo-Christian is watching with a detached air, hands firmly in pockets.

Yes, sometimes they come to worship, singing hymns and passing the peace, but their hearts aren’t in it. They make a pledge but it’s the minimum they think they can get away with. For them pledging is about paying dues rather than joyfully expressing thanks for God’s love. And they certainly never give enough that they would actually miss the money, much less give so lovingly they have to rely on God’s grace to get by. They’re at the parade but they’re not a part of it. They’ve come to the edge of the Kingdom but they’re just standing there, looking in.

These are the people Fred Craddock calls the Parking Lot Christians. They’re committed enough to get as far as the church parking lot but not committed enough to actually go in and be a part of the Kingdom of God.

And there’s always a good reason not to. I had a bad experience with religion when I was a child. I’m too intellectual for that stuff. I don’t like the preacher, I don’t like the choir, I went one time and they weren’t nice to my children. I have soccer practice, I have band practice, it’s the only time I get to sleep late. I’m not giving very much because I’m saving up to replace the car when this one dies, my wife wants us to live a better lifestyle. I can’t commit myself entirely to the Kingdom, I can’t sell all my possessions and follow Jesus, because I have many possessions – be they emotions, biases, desires, whatever - and I like them all very, very much.

The rich man’s sin is not that he won’t give up his possessions. The rich man’s sin is that he won’t strip himself of what is holding him back from following Jesus.

About now some of you may be recalling our Epistle Lesson. The word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing us, separating who we are from who we say we are. It sees our hearts and knows if we are standing in the parking lot or if we’re really in the Kingdom. Jesus’ desire for total commitment judges our thoughts and intentions of the heart and knows if we are just watching the parade or if we’re an active, integral part of it.

And we have to conclude Jesus is right, for mortals embracing the Kingdom really is impossible. None of us, no matter how committed, ever really lets go of everything, giving heart and mind and soul to Jesus. Whether it’s possessions, or lust, or worshiping our jobs or our parents or our children, we’re all holding something back. Try as we might we’re all watching the parade with one hand in our pockets. We’re walking into the church but leaving something in the parking lot.

And like the disciples we find ourselves asking, “if it’s impossible what’s the point? Why bother? Who can be saved?”

And Jesus answers, “with God you can be saved because I am interceding for you. I am offering prayers and sacrifices for you. I am your great High Priest.”

Now being a High Priest was not something just anyone could do. It wasn’t like us telling our children anyone can be president, or even governor of California. The High Priest had to marry within a certain select circle. He couldn’t touch certain things or do certain things. His body couldn’t be lame or deformed or diseased. Frankly, being High Priest was out of reach of nearly everyone.

Now think of the glitterati who are born into money, who never have to work and never do work, who spend all their time skiing or hot-air ballooning or shopping in Paris and Milan and you’ve got a pretty good idea of the High Priest’s social set. The truth is High Priests couldn’t understand most peoples’ concerns and most people couldn’t relate to them.

But Jesus knows about being frustrated and tired and things not working out. Jesus knows about working hard and being worn down to nothing. Jesus knows about being hungry and thirsty and still having to get up and keep going. Because Jesus knows our lives he knows the kind of baggage we’re carrying that’s keeping us out of the church and in the parking lot. Jesus can sympathize when we stand with our hands in our pockets, watching the parade go by.

Because our High Priest is one of us we can approach God with all our baggage, all that stuff that’s keeping us from waltzing through the eye of the needle.

Imagine you’re at the express lane at Kroger’s. You’ve got too much stuff for the express lane, way too much stuff for the express lane, your cart is overflowing, but you can’t give it up. You can’t let any of it go. Even though you’re nervous and afraid of what’s going to happen you can’t let it go. You’ve got to have it all.

You’re next in line. What’s the checker going to do? Frowning, yelling, calling the manager, refusing to let you through, tell you you can’t possibly make it through this needle? What’s going to happen?

The checker looks at you and says, “It’s OK. I understand. Let me help you make some priorities so you can get rid of some of this baggage.”

Friends, if you’re spending your life in the parking lot instead of the church, if you’re at the parade but you’re not really a part of it, if you’re so burdened with memories and emotions and anger and fear and possessions and habits and the thousand little things creating the huge baggage of life keeping us from the Kingdom of God, if you’re despairing of letting go of any of it and are walking away in sorrow, stop. Stop and ask our great High Priest to help you let go of what is holding you back, to follow him with full commitment, then approach the throne of grace with boldness, so you may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Getting out of the parking lot and entering the Kingdom, embracing the divine parade with all the joy and excitement of little children - that is God’s will for our lives. And in Jesus Christ we can do it. This is how much God loves us. Thanks be to God. Amen.