Curved Outward and Upward

Text: Mark 9:30-37

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

          The Word of God to which we direct our attention this morning is our Gospel reading from Mark chapter 9, where we see the natural human inclination toward focus on ourselves as opposed to our Creator, our Savior, and those around us.

There’s a Latin phrase, incurvatus in se, that means to be turned, or curved, inward on oneself. The phrase originally came from Augustine, but Luther expounded on it in his lectures on Romans when he said, “Our nature, by the corruption of the first sin, is so deeply curved in on itself that it not only bends the best gifts of God toward itself and enjoys them,…but it also fails to realize that it so wickedly, curvedly, and viciously seeks all things, even God, for its own sake.” Basically, being curved inward on oneself is the fundamental nature of the sinful human heart. It’s selfishness. It’s conceit. It’s pride. It doesn’t take much to look around and see that this fundamental issue is alive and well today. But it’s nothing new. If you look at each of our three Scripture readings for today, you’ll see the contrast between the pull of the sinful nature to focus on itself and the example of Christ who had an outward and upward focus, caring for those around Him while doing the will of His Father in heaven. That’s your calling too. To allow Christ to break you free from the natural curving inward and to allow you to

FOCUS OUTWARD TOWRD THOSE AROUND YOU

AND UPWARD TOWARD YOUR HEVENLY FATHER.

          Luther recognized that this inward curvature is one that we’re all susceptible to by nature, but the pattern of our world also feeds into the problem. We live in a culture that ascribes truth to any and every feeling or perception which causes the individual to further turn inward on themself. When reality is dictated by how we feel, or what thought might pop into our mind at any time, we neglect the fact that there is objective truth and reality outside of ourselves. The problem is made worse by the general feeling that to be well we just have to focus on ourselves. Don’t get me wrong, we should be caring for our own physical, emotional and spiritual well-being, but to do that at the cost of never looking up and seeing the world around you, the needs of others, and the direction that God is leading you in, is in fact sinful.

James says, “But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.” It’s not good to have such an inward focus. Not good for you, and not good for the world around you. James continues, “This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.” And these inclinations build on themselves until it’s not possible for the one caught in them to see outside of the world they’ve created on their own.

We had the opportunity to take a Wisconsin Dells boat tour this week. It was amazing. I’ve read about the views along the Wisconsin River and seen pictures of the Upper Dells area, but to see it firsthand was incredible. We had a tour guide who taught us about how the layers in the sandstone were laid down and how all of it can be explained by what happened during the worldwide Flood as the waters rose quickly and then eventually receded. What really caught my attention though were the potholes. Not the ones on the road to the Dells or back from there, but the ones that can clearly be seen in the sandstone on the side of the river. We were able to get off the boat at Witches Gulch and walk a way through the narrow opening in the high cliffs, and along the way were these perfectly circular vertical holes carved into the rock. They’re called potholes and they were carved when fast moving water hit an obstacle and created a whirlpool so strong that it literally bored through the rock.

Those whirlpools got me thinking about the danger of being curved inward on oneself. A whirlpool is created when a little bit of water starts to circle around a central point. Eventually, everything becomes focused on that central point and the flow becomes so strong that nothing can escape it. In the same way, when we become curved inward on ourselves, we become that central point. Everything becomes focused on us. And eventually we fail to be able to look outward and see that there’s anything beyond ourselves. The draw becomes stronger and stronger until we begin to pull others into our me-focused world and eventually the self-centeredness bores a dangerous hole in a life that God wants to be focused on Him and others as opposed to ourselves.

Even the disciples fell into this trap of self-centeredness. From our Gospel reading we hear, “And they came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, ‘What were you discussing on the way.’” Of course, the disciples were hesitant to answer because the simple question of Jesus caused them to understand the fact that their sinful nature was swirling and drawing them into a world of selfish ambition. “But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest.” Even with Jesus right there in front of them, walking beside them on the way, their nature was to curve inward and focus on themselves. Yet Jesus doesn’t chastise them, but calmly and lovingly offers them a better way. “And He sat down and called the twelve. And He said to them, ‘If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.’” It’s a better way because it’s God’s way, but also because it is focused outward and upward instead of inward.

“And He took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in His arms, He said to them, ‘Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but Him who sent me.’” This is the changing of our curved inward nature to one that is curved outward and upward. To where it should be. To the children in need around us. To the homebound couple that need to know that someone outside their walls cares for them. To the parents who lost their child. To the widow who needs something to give her purpose and belonging. To the single father trying to get back on his feet. And ultimately changing our inwardly curved nature to an upward orientation as we look to the Father who sent His one and only Son into the world that we who believe in Him would have eternal life.

I make it sound so simple, but I know it’s not. Picking your head up and looking outside yourself isn’t always so easy. Your sinful nature is fighting against you. The world that tells you to focus on yourself is fighting against you. Getting out of that whirlpool of self-centeredness isn’t easy. As I said, that inward curvature is the fundamental nature of the sinful human heart. Which is why it took an extraordinarily unselfish and sacrificial work by God to pull you out. And that work of God, through Christ Jesus on the cross, is exactly what does break you free from your tendency to curve inward on yourself. And the desire to share that extraordinary work of salvation with others is what helps you to curve outward, caring as much or more for those around you than you do for yourself. And looking upward to the Father who created you to be a blessing to the world around you, even as you wholly rely on Him for every good and perfect gift you have ever received.

The answer to this sinful and selfish inwardly curved nature is right here, in the Word of God. It’s Jeremiah, who recognized the righteous judgement of the Lord and says of His God, “to you have I committed my cause.” It’s the recognition of James that shows us that true wisdom is not within, but from outside ourselves. He says, “the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, and sincere.” And the answer ultimately lies in the One who reminds us that “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” The One who places children, and widows, and all sorts of other people with needs in our midst. The One who daily gives us opportunities to curve outward and share His love with those around us. The answer to all this inward curving is Jesus. The One who took upon Himself all our sin and offers us true and full forgiveness for all the times we fail to follow His will. Look upward to Him and your heavenly Father and you won’t be able to help but also looking outward to your fellow man. Amen.

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.