Sermon - Mark 10: 2-16 – What God Has Joined Together

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam Churches

Sermon - Mark 10: 2-16 – What God Has Joined Together

World Communion Sunday

October 7, 2012

In our first reading this morning from Mark 10 you heard a story about a group of Pharisees trying to trick Jesus into saying something that would get him into trouble. In Jesus' time the controversial issue was divorce. Rabbis wrote about several leading members of the Pharisees who were getting divorced. Some of the religious leaders agreed with these Pharisees that divorce was no problem citing the Law of Moses, while others condemned the divorces. Which side would Jesus be on. If Jesus took either side the other side would be angry. So the Pharisees asked this controversial question hoping that Jesus would say something that would get him in trouble. Of course Jesus was too smart for this. He had no intention of getting on one side or the other. So he changed the subject and instead of talking about divorce, Jesus talked about marriage. We will discuss this, but first let's pray.

“Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen.” (John Calvin)

When Jesus thought about marriage he went to the very first chapter of the Book of Genesis. Here his what it says:

Genesis 1:27-28 ²⁷ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. ²⁸ God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.

So men and women were created to enter into marriages so that children would be produced and the earth filled with people and used for our purposes. According to Jesus a man and a woman become one flesh in a union that God has decreed called marriage. Any violation of this decree would be a sin.

There is no requirement here that everyone be married. Contrary to some recently published ridiculous reports there is no evidence that Jesus was ever married. Paul thought that remaining single could be a good thing, unless of course you were consumed with passion. In that case it was far better to marry. I was single for 47 years before I met Grace. I was active in singles groups at my church. I developed a deep relationship with God before he introduced me to my wife.

Neither is there any requirement here that you remain in an abusive marriage. Abuse, alcoholism, drug use, and violence all break the union God has established. There is no shame in leaving a bad marriage. Dissolving a bond God has established is a sin, but God hears our prayers of confession and sees our repentance and forgives us. So those who are divorced, if you turn to God, admit whatever mistakes you made, and truthfully intend not to repeat them, then our merciful God will forgive you and give you the gift of a new life.

But there is a requirement that we do what we can to strengthen the union that God has brought together in marriage. If you are married I urge you to talk with the older couples in the church and ask them for their secrets in maintaining a long marriage. I suspect that they will tell you of the importance of worshiping together, praying together and studying the Bible together. These practices not only promote you own personal spiritual growth, they also strengthen the bonds that tie spouses together. Grace and I have been married now for almost seven years. Given our language and cultural differences there should be lots of problems, but there aren't. We worship, pray and study scripture together. We talk about our faith. This strengthens the bonds the God has established. Each of us is closer to God and so we are closer to each other.

Our understanding is that there is a three way covenant in every marriage. There are the vows promised between husband and wife. And there are the promises between God and husband and wife. God blesses us with sexual gratification and children. Marriage therefore is a sort of trinity of God, Wife and Husband. This is a holy family strengthened by joint worship, prayer and Bible study.

If your spouse does not come with you to worship, if he or she refuses to pray with you and study the Bible with you then it is crucial for you to do it for the both of you. If your spouse is not a Christian then there is even more reason for you to pray every day, study scripture whenever you can and worship every Sunday. Your marriage depends on it. And, of course, pray for your spouse every day that he or she will one day come with you to worship.

As we come around this table today, I urge the couples in the church to use this as a time to thank God for joining the two of you together. I urge those in the church who spouses are not with you to use this as a time to pray that the Holy Spirit will find him or her and place a longing for God and the church their heart. For those of you who are single, divorced or widowed I urge you to use this time to thank the Holy Spirit for being with you always as Jesus promised.

The controversial issue today is whether or not marriages can be of people of the same gender, two males or two females. Question 6 will be on the Maryland ballot next month. Here is what you will be asked when you vote:

Question 6, Referendum Petition Civil Marriage Protection Act (Ch. 2 of the 2012 Legislative Session) Establishes that Maryland’s civil marriage laws allow gay and lesbian couples to obtain a civil marriage license, provided they are not otherwise prohibited from marrying; protects clergy from having to perform any particular marriage ceremony in violation of their religious beliefs; affirms that each religious faith has exclusive control over its own theological doctrine regarding who may marry within that faith; and provides that religious organizations and certain related entities are not required to provide goods, services, or benefits to an individual related to the celebration or promotion of marriage in violation of their religious beliefs. http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Maryland_Same-Sex_Marriage_Referendum,_Question_6_(2012)

This question makes a distinction between civil marriage and Christian marriage. The purpose of civil marriage is the good working of society. The purpose of the legislation is to give same sex couples that same rights under the law that heterosexual couples now have. This is a political decision that you as a citizen must make. But when it comes to Christian marriage we know that since creation God has chosen a man and a woman to participate in a holy union we call marriage.

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is in the middle of these conflicts. A study is underway which in a couple years will report on how we should define marriage. One focus of the discussion will be whether or not a pastor can officiate at wedding for same sex couples. This highlights a tension which exists whenever a pastor officiates at a wedding. You see when I conduct a wedding ceremony I am serving two masters. On the one hand I am an agent of the State of Maryland with authority to sign a marriage certificate. On the other I am a minister of the gospel proclaiming a union of a man and woman with each other and with God.

On this World Communion Sunday we must also consider what Christians around the world will think of our actions. If we say that same gender couples can enter into the union God has established in marriage, then we might be called heretics by those who see in scripture that God has joined together a man and a woman in marriage since creation.

So what should we do. First, I think it is helpful to make a distinction between civil marriage and Christian marriage. Some Christians see marriage as a sacrament. We don't because Jesus never commanded us to be married. But I think that the time has come to see marriage as a sacrament, something holy. See the marriage of a man and a woman as a sacred act. And just as Jesus wanted nothing to do with the Pharisees' discussion of divorce, so too should the political discussion of a change in definition of marriage for the purpose of dispensing legal benefits stay out of the church. Vote any you want, but hold onto the view that God joins a man and a woman together in what we call Christian marriage.

I urge you to pray for same sex couples that they will discern God's will for their lives. I urge you pray for women and men who have been joined together by God into a sacred marriage that their bonds with each other and with God would be strengthened by joint worship, prayer and study. And pray for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) that they will speak clearly from the Bible and our understanding of God concerning the subject of marriage, a sacred union of a man and a woman.

Let's pray. Lord Jesus, bless our married couples in this church with strong bonds with each other and with God. We pray that they will experience increasing closeness with you and with each other. For those who are single, divorced or widowed we pray that you will be close to them. Make your presence known, and bless them richly. This we pray in your glorious name. Amen.