Communal Trust

Text: Mark 9:38-50

Introduction:

• Trust is the foundation of a healthy community, whether within a family, church, or society. Counter with Judges 17:6 and 21:25, “Everyone did what was right in their own eyes.” No trust in society and unable to build community in those times.
• In Mark 9:38-50, Jesus offers profound teachings that can guide us in rebuilding and maintaining trust in our relationships.
• Today’s message will focus on three key aspects of trust in community life: humility, accountability, and integrity.

  Humility: Valuing Others in the Community (v. 38-41)

John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he was not one of us.” But Jesus said, “Do not stop him… whoever is not against us is for us.” (Mark 9:38-40)

Key Point:

• John’s Exclusiveness vs. Jesus’ Inclusiveness
  • John saw someone doing good but tried to stop them because they weren’t “part of the group.” This shows a lack of trust in the broader community.
  • Jesus redirects John’s thinking, emphasizing that those doing good should be valued, even if they’re outside the immediate circle.
  • Application: Trust is rebuilt when we move away from exclusiveness and embrace the contributions of others, showing humility in recognizing God’s work through them.

Illustration:  I’m fully committed to our tradition and much of what the UCC offers the world. Yet this stance can leave me more like John and less like Jesus. I’m trying to imitate Christ more. Develop what Brian McLaren wrote in his book A Generous Orthodoxy. A theology rooted in love results in kindness, humility, and compassion towards others. Trying to develop more of that in myself. When I find someone who goes to another church, I try to say what I like about their denomination. Try to be gracious. Try to be humble. More Jesus response than Johns. Hard sometime. Must discern when someone is actively harming others or engaging in cultish or destructive behavior. Sad we have to preface this by saying this excludes snake oil sales folk, KKK (think of themselves as a Protestant Christian organization), or folks harming and exploiting children and followers, but here’s where we are.

Rob Kaiser heading to Orthodox church. Thriving, better human. Demon cast out by someone else. Good for our kith and kin in that denomination and for Rob.

Accountability: Avoiding Stumbling Blocks (v. 42-48)

“If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea.” (Mark 9:42)

Key Point:

• The Importance of Protecting Others’ Trust
  • Jesus speaks about the seriousness of causing others to stumble, emphasizing the need for accountability within the community.
  • If our actions or words lead someone to lose trust in the community or in God, the consequences are severe.
  • Application: We rebuild communal trust by being accountable for our actions, considering how they affect others.

Illustration: Friends moved to new town. She went to the neighborhood association Facebook page. She was looking for information about trash pickup and who else had kids going to the neighborhood school. But as she started browsing, she came across a post complaining about us, the new people on the block: her and her family.

In this post, 41 comments piled up about how they had broken the rules, and not checked with the neighborhood association before putting in a little library. They were right. They didn’t. In the midst of this big life transition, they failed to read the fine print. That was their mistake. It would have never occurred to them that the neighborhood would vote against a free library. But the comments went on. Neighbors expressed fears that banned books would show up in their little box, or that the free books would attract unwanted trespassers to our streets. Took down the library. Stumbling block to trust. Accountable to HOA rules and trying be good neighbors, but why did they post about it and not talk to the new neighbors face to face? Why have so many of us forgotten how to be neighbors? This is one of the afflictions of our modern time, isn’t it? We let fear lead us instead of curiosity and compassion.[1]

Church: threshold is low, very few barriers to entry. Working with A2A to make building accessible and comfortable. Live stream. WISE training for mental health. ONA so when we say “all” we mean “all.” Might occasionally use big words, veer toward intellectual snobbery. No doctrines or statements of faith we make you sign. No guilt, exploitation, or threats to eternal damnation. Folk gathering to be inspired and be better together, and reconcile when things go wrong. Counter to social media, celebrity culture, and amnesia society. Learn to value long work in a short time. Counter-cultural.

Politics has become winning and losing when we’re founded on compromise. Finding the best ideas and merging them together for the common good. Now only judged by how much you’ve won and only accountable for that. Leads to dehumanization on all fronts: language, actions, cover ups as long as “winning.” Fear of our neighbor without ever talking to them. Nothing beats fear like a face. If you’re afraid, lean into it. 90% won’t cause you harm.

Someone had low trust: immigrants invading our country. High schoolers and college kids hate this country. Can’t trust government. Start hyper local. Head to Monarca or House of Hunan or another restaurant to taste and see that diversity is good. Lots of hate to Hattians in Springfield, yet the community turned out in big ways to Hattian restaurants.[2] Diversity is delicious. Talk to high schoolers and college kids, we have a lot we can pair you up with. Can’t trust government, sure… maybe… but let’s go talk to the mayor, county commissioners, city councilors, police, or fire fighters. Fear can be easily overcome.

Integrity: Living Purely and Peacefully (v. 49-50)

“Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with each other.” (Mark 9:50)

Key Point:

• Maintaining Integrity in Our Conduct
  • Jesus uses the metaphor of salt, which preserves and flavors. In a community, integrity preserves trust.
  • When we live with integrity, we enhance the flavor of our relationships, ensuring that trust is maintained.
  • Application: To rebuild trust, we must commit to honesty, integrity, and peace in all our dealings with one another.

Illustration: Consider how salt, when pure, is a preservative. Brings out other flavors of the meal. Similarly, when we live with purity and peace, we preserve the trust and harmony in our community. Yet salt can also melt snow. Get unneeded things out of the way. Too much, it can rust out cars.

City of Medina’s Motto: Preserve past. Forge the future. Salt in the right amount. Not just preservative, preserve the past… but also allows flavors of now to come out. Allows for tradition and expression.

What can erode that is the smart phone. Jeff Crowther was from my last church and he said that the terrorists of the future won’t get in through our borders, they’ll get in through our phones. Technology is a tool. It’s not inherently evil. It’s all in how you choose to use it. Yet it’s also its own little world. It’s good to come up for air and take a hike. Be in this world and not concerned what’s happening in places you have never been and can’t help. Face-to-face interactions. Not doing Zoom bible studies. We have the reach, but in person is better when we’re safe to do so. Time together talking, working towards a common goal, doing things together. Old ways are sometimes the best way. The smart phone is a massive distraction magnet. Best way to build trust is to put it away. When out at a restaurant: phones on table, first one who check it without permission picks up the tab. No phones in bedrooms or at dinner table at home for families. Make your own rules. Allow yourself and others, especially kids to be bored. Boredom is a gift! You’re not running for your life or starving or any of that! In boredom, new ideas can spark and take shape. New directions discovered.

Conclusion:

• Rebuilding communal trust requires humility, accountability, and integrity.
• Challenge: Ask yourself, how can you foster these values in your community?
  • Are there ways you can become more inclusive?
  • How can you be more mindful of your actions and their impact on others?
  • What steps can you take to live with greater integrity in your relationships?

Start as small as you can. Put the bar on the ground, and if folk find away to tunnel under it, then that’s on them. We can only take charge of ourselves and the culture we’re creating here together. Let’s commit to being the community that doesn’t just talk about trust, but actively rebuilds it, one humble, accountable, and peace-filled step at a time. Amen.

Works Cited

[1] https://ordainingsarah.wordpress.com/2024/08/28/being-a-neighbor-a-short-story

[2] https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/sep/22/springfield-ohio-haitian-restaurants