Out Our Way: The Gospel Acording to Goliath: 'Going into the thorn bushes'

Mark 8:31-33

Out our way, not all trails are easy and not all places smooth and level. Sometimes it's just downright unpleasant! I recall working cows that had managed to get in some sort of scraggly, thorny trees. Someone said they were hawthorns but I don't know; I just know they had scraggly thorns that tore at my skin and clothing. Fortunately, I had leather chaps and some tough hide-covered gloves when I went in after a couple of pairs that had taken up residence in their midst.

Now why cows would want to go into such a place is beyond me, unless they really were trying to hide from the rancher. For a few hours before Charlie and I came by on horseback, others had combed the area with quads. I can't say I blame them for avoiding the thorn bushes, but in doing so some cows were missed. That's why Charlie and I were there - all decked out in our leather goods - to go into that thorny jungle and move them out to the good grazing and fresh water of a new pasture.

Yup, when I say I cowboy I mean I do the fun stuff: Roundups, brandings, even riding fence. Yet as every rancher and farmer knows, there are parts of the job that aren't fun or glamorous. There are aspects of it that nobody wants to do, but they have to be done. And so they do it. Riding across the prairies on a warm spring morning with the smell of sage all around and a fresh horse under you is one thing; riding through the thorns where it is painful, hot and full of insects is another. And let us not forget the joy of calving season, being out there at 3 a.m. in February helping some cow deliver her calf, or the thrill of 16-hour days harvesting and having to constantly repair some loose or broken something or other every few minutes. Still, it has to be done. Lots of folks may dream of being cowboys like Roy Rogers and Gene Autry, but the real deal is something very different.

The same is true of Christianity. Lots of folks are fascinated by the image portrayed on TV and in the Hollywood religious classics, what critics call "Feel Good Religion." It is a Christianity that is entertaining and inspiring, and aside from a few bucks in the offering plate, requires nothing. Just sit back and enjoy. Someone said the "feel good" church is like a luxury liner in which the attendee is a passenger out to enjoy the ride. But Christianity is more like a warship going in harm's way. It is dangerous - it is often uncomfortable - and there are no passengers, only crew, each with his her own duty station. When "general quarters" is sounded, it's "all hands on deck." If you can't or won't cut it, you will be left ashore.

Now many folks have the idea that following Christ is going to be a pleasure cruise. It is a common misconception that the Christ, or "Messiah," as it is in Hebrew, is simply going to come to earth and fix everything. All we have to do is stand back and watch. Some folks think the same thing of the Second Coming today, that because Christ will do it all, we really don't have to do anything but wait.

But Jesus told the disciples that it was not like that at all. Christmas does not commemorate the end of the war between good and evil, but the turning point. It is "D-Day." As Winston Churchill said of the Normandy invasion, "This is not the end; this is not even the beginning of the end. But it is the end of the beginning!"

Christ's coming was not the end of the war between darkness and light, but the critical shift that has begun to transform the "kingdoms of this world" into the "kingdoms of our Lord." The point is, the job isn't finished. The victory is assured, but the war is not yet won. It is "battle stations" and "general quarters" for the Church, not "cocktails on the afterdeck."

Over the centuries the Church has brought in a great many folks, helping them move into the good pastures and still waters, but there are still a lot of folks out there in the thorn bushes.

The Son of Man came to serve, not to be served, and His call to His disciples is "Follow Me." Sometimes that means going into the thorn bushes. 

--

John Bruington is pastor at First Presbyterian Church. Copies of this and other columns, cartoons, sermon and children's messages are available at http://www.havrepres.org, and Goliath's book, "Out Our Way: Theology Under Saddle," is available at Amazon.com.