Mars Hill (Part 4)- Downtown

Downtown

We hit some traffic on Western Avenue but still managed to make it to the Mars Hill downtown campus with a few minutes to spare.  Again, we were dependent on the parking signs to tell us where to find the church-- another nondescript brick warehouse-like building with a couple of black polo shirt-clad greeters standing outside.  A friendly greeter gave us a nod, and Mike checked with him to make sure we had parked legally.  Though the church is adjacent to a paid parking lot, the lot is available for free on weekends (a pretty sweet setup given the limitations of downtown parking).

This venue had a lot of similarities to the Mars Hill Ballard campus, but it was much smaller, with room for just a few hundred people and an open back to the sanctuary so that people outside in the foyer could hear.  Right outside the sanctuary was a full coffee bar with several couches and tables across from a small information desk with bathrooms just up the hall.  The bathrooms shared the larger setting’s industrial flavor, and TV sets inset into the bathroom mirrors allowed people in the restroom to keep up with what was happening in the sanctuary.  Further up the hall was a room designated for mothers and children; though this campus might be too small and singles-oriented to necessitate full childcare services, they did offer this space where a parent could take a fussy child if needed.  As for the sanctuary itself, I realize I said something similar about the Ballard campus, but this location definitely looked like a repurposed bar/dance club.  (Actually, I just did a little research, and it turns out that this building is the renovated and repurposed Tabella Lounge, which was closed by the city after repeated incidents of violence.  There’s some pretty cool symbolism in that.)  The walls inside were a bare concrete that had been painted solid black, and rope lights stretched across the floor on either side of the room, providing illumination.  Other lighting was provided by the dim lights scattered among the rafters, the stage lights, and any light from the coffee bar that filtered into the room.  This was an almost exclusively young crowd, with the average age probably hovering just above twenty.  There were a few young couples, but the majority seemed to be college singles.

The band walked up on stage, and I was impressed that they were mostly female.  Again, the male-dominated contemporary Christian music scene has gotten under my skin a time or two, so this was a refreshing change of pace.  As infamous as Mark Driscoll’s male-centered theology is, Mars Hill wins the award for female participation in worship so far.  This was also one of the larger bands I’ve seen: cello, bass, drums, two violins, piano, synths/computer effects, and two electric guitars with various members of the band singing on different songs.  The band played a quick instrumental breakdown to alert us that worship was starting, and they were then introduced as “Honor the Emperor,” Mars Hill’s new Sunday night band for the downtown campus.  There was a reading from Mark 2:16-17, and even though this reading came from the calling of Levi, it also tied in well to that evening’s sermon on Zacchaeus.

When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, they said to his disciples, "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?"  When Jesus heard this, he said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have come to call not the righteous but sinners." (Mark 2:16-17)

Following the reading, the band cut into their first song, a musical resetting of Psalm 116 with the words projected in unadorned white lettering on the wall behind them.  “I love the Lord because He has heard my voice. . .”  There was a very mellow indie vibe to the song, and one of the guitarists was singing the lead melody.  Dressed casually in a t-shirt and jeans and sporting a pair of black-rimmed glasses fairly similar to my own, he had a voice that was simultaneously cutting and lyrical, sort of like the lead singer from Death Cab for Cutie or The Helio Sequence.  Mike and I were both impressed, and the rest of the congregation seemed to be as well.  There was clapping following the song, and the band cut into its next number with an upbeat drum line.  The congregation were lifting their hands and singing out, and the female cellist was the lead voice now:

How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory

Pastor Tim Gaydos

After this, the campus pastor (a trendy younger guy named Pastor Tim) got up and delivered the announcements.  Maybe this was just because of the venue, but his demeanor felt a bit like an emcee.  Speaking about Father’s Day, Pastor Tim remarked that 65% of the congregation at the downtown campus was single, so not a lot of us were fathers.  He also mentioned that the evening services at this campus were sometimes a bit on the small side, and I would guess there were probably just short of 100 people present, with folks drifting in and out a bit throughout the service.  Pastor Tim mentioned this past week’s Belltown Green and Clean and encouraged the church members to fill out the visitor cards in the bulletins (called “connect cards”) to learn about similar efforts in which they could get involved.  He reminded us that Mars Hill loves this community and seeks to serve it through any means possible, including cleaning up litter and graffiti.  He called the congregation to action, saying, “Mars Hill needs servants.”

Pastor Dave Kraft

After this, Tim introduced Pastor Dave Kraft, a member of the downtown staff who was preparing to move down to Orange County to be closer to his children and to the newest Mars Hill campus there.  Though he looked fairly young with his shaved head and glasses and uncontainable energy, Pastor Dave was 71 years old, something of an anomaly at Mars Hill.  Riffing on his age, Pastor Dave read to the church from Joshua 13:1 as part of a casual but respectful farewell: “Now Joshua was old and advanced in years; and the LORD said to him, ‘You are old and advanced in years, and very much of the land still remains to be possessed.’”  Building up a prelude to the upcoming sermon, Pastor Dave reminded us, “There is still so much land for you to possess!  Get involved!  Invest your life!”  After a prayer, Pastors Tim and Dave hugged, and there was much applause as a final sendoff for the youthful 71-year-old.

Pastor Tim continued with the announcements, mentioning that Mars Hill uses the summer for community building, and the downtown campus holds regular Saturday evening activities called “After the Service.”  A few upcoming events include a BYOB rooftop party, a dating seminar, a viewing and discussion of the film The Fighter, and a few Mariners games.  (Mike and I both thought it was worth noting that the 65%-single downtown campus was holding a dating seminar, while the more family-oriented Ballard campus was offering marriage seminars-- just another fun example of a church custom tailoring its ministry to match the needs in the congregation.)  Following this set of announcements, we were given a fairly long time to greet one another, and I spoke for a bit with a young couple behind me, after which the lights dimmed again, the Luke series video played, and we were dove headfirst into another 50-minute Mark Driscoll sermon.

Sermon: Jesus and Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10)

Clad in a black suit (very different from his usual attire) and with a tree painted in the background where the stenciled money sack had been before, Pastor Mark appeared on screen and launched directly into his sermon recorded from the previous Sunday at Ballard.  He jumped right in by explaining that men --women too, but especially men-- are inherently drawn to money and power.  We want control and status and all the perks that come with them.  Of course, it’s not always pretty when we get the power we seek, and a lot of famous wealthy people have caused a lot of problems in our society; he referenced Bernie Madoff specifically.  In fact, Zacchaeus is something of a biblical Bernie Madoff.

He entered Jericho and was passing through it.  A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich.  He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature.  So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way.  (Luke 19:1-4)

“Zacchaeus was a wee little man, and a wee little man was he.”  Pastor Mark said it in comedic deadpan, quoting the classic kids’ song amid laughter.  He was a wee little rich man and the chief tax collector, putting him at the top of one of the oldest Ponzi schemes in human history.  Zacchaeus was a traitor to the Romans and got to keep all the extorted profits collected by his ring of tax collectors, making him absolutely loaded.  In today’s society, he would have vacation homes and private jets and all of that.  Looking at the tidy profit that Zacchaeus had racked up, all of it legal under Roman rule, Pastor Mark emphasized, “Sometimes, just because something is legal, that doesn’t mean it’s not sinful.”  Romans 13 says that we ought to submit to the government, but we also must submit to the law of God.  For example, there’s nothing in the law about kids’ dishonoring their parents.  It’s not exactly something you can call up the cops about, but that doesn’t mean it’s not sinful.  When Pastor Mark acted out a phone conversation between a frustrated parent and a confused police officer, it got tremendous laughs from the congregation.  This sermon was infinitely more tongue-in-cheek than the one from that morning.  It was looser, friendly, and it had people laughing.

When imagining Zacchaeus in his head, Pastor Mark said that his frame of reference was always Danny DeVito or maybe Woody Allen.  Yep, imagine a rich, powerful Danny DeVito running along the road to see Jesus.  “Now, this in and of itself would have been unusual since real men don’t run unless we’re getting fit, we’ve stolen something, or there’s a dog involved.”  Again, this got laughter.  Pastor Mark described Zacchaeus running and climbing in his best robes; it would be like Jesus walking along today and spotting Bill Gates up a tree in his most expensive suit.  Of course, there’s also just a great irony in that the name “Zacchaeus” actually means “the righteous one,” and Pastor Mark quipped, “That would be like ‘Charlie Sheen’ meaning ‘the sober one!’”

Zacchaeus

This guy could write for Leno.

When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today."  So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him.  All who saw it began to grumble and said, "He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.” (Luke 19:5-7)

Again, all of this makes for a pretty funny scene.  Note Jesus’s sense of urgency in this passage though.  He calls Zacchaeus to hurry, and he says that he will be staying at his house today.  Even more interesting, Jesus calls Zacchaeus by name.  Maybe Zacchaeus was infamous enough to have a household name, or maybe there’s something deeper going on here.  Maybe Jesus was calling Zacchaeus by name just like he called Pastor Mark by name at age 19 and just like he might be calling you by name right now.  Zacchaeus had been alone, without a friend in the world (or, at least, not any real friends), and here Jesus was extending friendship to him.  Wanting to go to someone’s house and dine with them was a big deal in this culture, so Jesus’s actions here caused quite a stir among the crowd, most of whom despised Zacchaeus or distrusted him because of his reputation.  Still, just like John 15 says, Jesus seeks to make us his friends.

Pastor Mark asked us to think about what our response to Jesus’s invitation would have been.  Zacchaeus is joyful because he realizes how little he deserves this honor, but the crowd around him begin to grumble.  Pastor Mark commented that we do this sometimes; we like to talk about someone, but we never really talk to them.  “Some of you might call this ‘prayer,’” Pastor Mark scoffed.  The comment drew laughter, but I also winced a bit.  It was another one of those nuggets of verbal abuse that is kind of endearing if you’re familiar enough with Pastor Mark to expect it, but it might not be so entertaining otherwise.  Pastor Mark went ahead and labeled the crowd around Zacchaeus as being “smugly religious,” highlighting an old argument of his about the distinction between old entrenched religion and being an enthusiastic follower of Christ.  He followed up with a very convicting point though: Would you grumble if Jesus befriended one of your past abusers?  There were people there in that crowd who had been taken advantage of by Zacchaeus.  If you had been one of Zacchaeus’s victims, would you be mad at Jesus for befriending him?  Would you grumble?  Pastor Mark explained that, in God’s sight, we’re all guilty.  There’s nothing about our sins that makes them any nobler than Zacchaeus’s, so really, we should rejoice when anyone turns their life around and accepts Jesus’s request to come to their house for dinner.

Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, "Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much."  Then Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham.  For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost." (Luke 19:8-10)

An equation appeared on the screen next to Pastor Mark:

Repentance + Restitution = Rejoicing

The crowd marvel at Zacchaeus's generosity.

As the passage tells us, Christ both forgives and changes Zacchaeus, making him desire to restore the property he has taken.  When he makes his pledge of restitution, Zacchaeus also addresses Jesus as Lord, signifying that it is Jesus, not Caesar, with whom his allegiances lie.  All of this is evidence that Jesus is endowing Zacchaeus with a new nature, one based on Christ’s love.

Repentance signifies a literal turning away from sin.  The word means a change of mind, and that is exactly what Zacchaeus is experiencing.  Turning physically and using his body as a visual aid, Pastor Mark explained that Zacchaeus has turned his back on sin and is now walking toward Christ.  Repentance should also be accompanied by confession and restitution, but we shouldn’t confuse these with penance.  Making restitution is the evidence that you have received forgiveness; it signifies that you are trying to extend to others the same friendship Christ has extended to you.  Of course, Zacchaeus goes above and beyond in this department, returning everything fourfold.  Pastor Mark commented, “It would be like someone stealing your Hyundai but coming back and leaving a BMW in its place!”  Can you imagine how the community must have rejoiced with Zacchaeus?  He has become an agent of God’s grace in this passage, inspired by Christ’s generosity just as we should be.  Remember that, as John 3:16 tells us, our God is a giver.  In the story of Zacchaeus, Jesus is actually on his way to Jerusalem to make Himself the ultimate gift, and in this passage, we see Zacchaeus becoming like Christ in his generosity.  Can you imagine how embarrassed the grumblers must have been?

It’s also worth noting that Jesus has just successfully put a camel through the eye of a needle.  Christ talks about money and possessions very often in the Bible.  In fact, about 25% of Jesus’s sayings relate directly to money.  For Zacchaeus, money had become an idol that had to be cast down, but we should remember that God loves the rich and the poor alike, seeking to save and use both.  So often, in our culture, we tend to go to either extreme, clinging to a prosperity theology or a poverty theology.  Prosperity theology treats religion like a stick and Jesus like a piñata-- we seem to think that we can just love God and get stuff out of the deal, and that’s not how it works.  Conversely, a poverty theology isn’t totally healthy either.  Sure, we’re not supposed to love money, but it’s not like the stuff is Christian Kryptonite either.  God needs good stewards in the Kingdom, rich and poor alike, people who are generous and practice restitution and good investing with whatever resources they have-- riches or poverty.

Pastor Mark explained that there are really four kinds of people in the Bible:

Unrighteous and Rich- One example would be Zacchaeus before his encounter with Jesus.

Righteous and Rich- This would be Zacchaeus after his encounter with Jesus, and these are people who use their resources to help others and to show them love.  Pastor Mark made it clear that he was really tired of people debating whether or not this was ethical.  Some folks use their resources for the Kingdom of God, so it’s not appropriate to demonize every person who has money in the bank.

Righteous and Poor- Well, here’s an obvious example: Jesus.  Our Savior renounced all His possessions and was homeless.  Moving on.

Unrighteous and Poor- While these characters do not appear directly in the story, the book of Proverbs has a lot to say about the unrighteous poor.  A prime example would be the recurring character of the slothful fool, someone who tries to get rich without doing any real work.  Pastor Mark also talked about people who squander what few resources they have, and he pointed specifically to people with substance abuse problems, saying that we are called to show mercy to these folks and help them in whatever ways we can.

Pastor Mark asked us to think about the categories into which we might fall and to consider whether we are using our resources righteously or not.

Of course, what’s to say this wasn’t all just a publicity stunt for Zacchaeus?  How do we know that he didn’t renege on his promise of restitution?  According to Clement of Alexandria, Zacchaeus would remain faithful to his word and go on to become Bishop of Caesarea.  He went from being a government-sanctioned thief to being a pastor.  This should serve as a reminder that people can always turn things around, and Pastor Mark went ahead and asked if we were looking to make such a turnaround ourselves.  “What is your repentance and restitution?” he asked us.  What would you need to do?  What would it take?  “Sell your car if you have to!  We want thousands of dollars pouring out of Mars Hill.”  (Pouring out of Mars Hill?  Interesting comment-- very missional.)  Just like the previous sermon, Pastor Mark gave us a series of questions to consider:

What do you need to give back?  What changes do you need to make in order to do so?

Who have you defrauded, and what should you repay them?  Pastor Mark gave the example of selling a car that is clearly a lemon and reminded us to observe the Golden Rule.  “Wouldn’t it be great if we just put a bumper sticker right there on the car that warned, ‘This car is a lemon to be sold with Christian love at a discount rate’?”

When have you been lazy, and what do you need to do to change that behavior?

Who have you neglected, and what does your restitution require?  It may not be money either.  Pastor Mark told us to think of all the times that you’ve stolen time from someone, especially loved ones.  Isn’t it a sin to deprive your spouse or children or friends of time with you?  Shouldn’t you repay them?

Which sinner have you grumbled about when you should have called them out instead?  Instead of talking behind someone’s back, maybe confronting them could help them to repent and make restitution.

What joys have you stolen and need to repay?

What sins have you tolerated in yourself, and what should repentance for those sins look like?

Have you been greedy, and how would it look for you to be generous?  At this point, Mike and I were both tensing up, and, almost as if taking a cue from us, Pastor Mark said, “I know what you’re thinking: ‘He wants my money!’  No, I want you to have joy, and it is more blessed to give than to receive.  God loves a cheerful giver.”  This still had me feeling kind of uneasy, and I couldn’t help but notice that his comment came with a certain televangelist flourish to it.  Asking for money from your church just seems like a sticky issue all around, no matter how you frame the request.

He closed by reminding us that the Son of Man is seeking, saving, and befriending the lost.  Transitioning into a prayer (during which the projector turned off and the band returned to the stage), Pastor Mark admitted that we were sinful and thanked God for the words of the Bible, which bring us conviction, not condemnation.  He asked that God help us to worship even with our money, to use properly the resources that had been entrusted to us, and to be wise and generous stewards.

My wallet remained in my back pocket.  I don’t really blame Pastor Mark for talking about money two sermons in a row since the church’s progression through the Gospel of Luke naturally lends itself to such discussion, but still, the requests for money had me feeling more uncomfortable than charitable.