John said to him, "Teacher, we saw a man casting out demons in your name, and we forbade him, because he was not following us." But Jesus said, "Do not forbid him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon after to speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is for us. For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ, will by no means lose his reward. Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung round his neck and he were thrown into the sea. And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off, it is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown in to hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched. For every one will be salted with fire. Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its saltness, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.

Bob Roberts tells a story which appeared in the newspaper some time back about a mother of eight children in Darlington, Maryland. She had been visiting the neighbor next door and when she returned home, she found her five youngest children huddled in the center of the living room on her new carpet. The children were playing excitedly with some thing very wiggly and furry. Upon closer examination, she discovered to her dismay that the children were gathered around a family of skunks! In horror of what could happen she screamed, "Run children, run to your rooms." Hearing that each child grabbed a skunk and ran to their bedrooms. I'm sure that's not at all what the mother had in mind. I can imagine that those children carried the smell of skunk with them for several weeks thereafter.

That could very well be a parable of human life. No matter how hard we try, no matter how far we run, we cannot run away from the stench of sin in our lives. For like those children, we carry with us that basic nature which is rebellious to God wherever we go and whatever we do.

Psalm 51:5 says: "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me." Each of us was born with the propensity to sin. And that propensity, that tendency to rebel against God, manifests itself in many ways in our daily lives. It permeates our thought patterns, our actions, and our relationships. It is a powerful force in our lives! It leads us into believing that the world should revolve around our every whim and desire. It permits us to live a philosophy which says, "If it feels good, do it." It tells us "If it's OK for everyone else to do it, it's OK for you to do it too!" It convinces us, "Hey, you're the Captain of your soul - the King of your own Life - have it your way!"

We need no convincing about the presence of our sinful nature. We know how it can wreck relationships. We've experienced the pain it can cause as we seek momentary pleasure without consideration for the long-range results. We know that the Apostle Paul was correct when he wrote in Romans 3:23: "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." But on this Sunday when [six] of our young people are receiving Holy Communion for the very first time, we are reminded that something can be done about our sin.

In today's Gospel, we learn that there is something we can do. We can know our weaknesses and exercise caution about the circumstances and situations which will lead us into sinful action. In the text from Mark 9, Jesus said, "If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off ... If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out ..." The Lord points out to us that sinful actions are a serious matter and serious steps should be taken to insure that those actions are not repeated because of the harm they cause us and others.

Let me give you a few examples: Do you have a hot temper which strikes at others as fierce and quick as a bolt of lightning? Then perhaps Jesus' word to you is to remove yourself from those situations which call forth your anger just long enough for you to be able to talk calmly and sensibly about the problem and find a solution. Perhaps you find that lust can rise quickly in your heart and mind? Than the Lord would tell you to be careful about the movies you see and magazines you look at. Maybe you have difficulty saying "No" to your friends when they want you to participate with them in activities which you know are wrong. Christ would tell you to chop-off those relationships and find other friends. Perhaps you drink too much alcohol or smoke too much? Jesus would say to change your daily routines and seek help to be set free from enslaving habits which do nothing but harm your body and relationships.

On and on the list could go but you can make your own which is appropriate to your life. The point Jesus makes is that sinful activity should be dealt with in a serious and severe manner. We are to cut ourselves off from the activity before it cuts us off from God. We should do everything within our power to avoid those persons, places, situations, and activities which we permit to lead us into sinful acts. We are to be cautious and careful.

I am reminded of a very wealthy man who was interviewing three persons in order to hire a chauffeur. When talking with each, he pointed to a narrow road near his home which ran very close to a steep cliff and asked them, "Suppose you were driving on that road and came to the cliff, how close to the edge could you safely drive?" One man said, "I could easily drive within a foot of the edge without blinking an eye." The second one said, "Sir, I could get within six inches of the edge without your having to worry a bit." The third applicant remained silent. When pressed for an answer, she replied, "Sir, I would never risk your life or mine. I would seek another route." The lady, the cautious one, was hired. In essence, this is the same kind of caution Jesus tells us to exercise regarding the persons, places and situations which we know will lead us into sinful action. We are to stay away from them - find another route! That's the first thing that you and I can do about our sinful activities.

The second thing we are reminded of on this first Communion Sunday is this: Even though we can remove ourselves from situations, activities and relationships which lead us into sinful deed, we cannot remove the sinful nature from our lives. This is simply a fact of fallen humanity. We were born with and will continue to struggle with our tendency to rebel against God and our desire to follow our will instead of his. No matter how devoted to Christ we are ... no matter how serious we are in striving for spiritual growth ... no matter how much we pray and read the Bible ... no matter how many situations, relationships and activities we remove ourselves from, our sinful nature will manifest itself in our thoughts, words and deeds. But God will not let our sins, failures and shortcomings defeat us! He has provided us with a wonderful opportunity to dine with him and share with him all the ways we have failed to live up to his expectations.

In Holy Communion, we kneel with humble hearts in the presence of our King and we confess to him that we have failed to be faithful to him and loving to our neighbor. We tell him that we have tried ... but somehow the old sinful nature took control. And then, if we are genuinely repentant and sorry for our sins, God does not angrily fuss or threaten us with punishment. He says, "My child, I know you have tried. Your sinful nature is powerful. I have forgiven you. Now let me strengthen you for tomorrow." You see, Christ wants to forgive you of your past sins and strengthen you for your future struggle with your sinful nature. Today he wants to free you from the weight of those sins which plague your life and pull you down like a dragging anchor. But for you to realize your freedom from those sins, to realize that he has truly forgiven you, you must also forgive yourself!

In a few minutes, you will be invited to bring your sins to this Altar, confess them painfully and honestly to God and then leave them there! Do not pick them back up again! For in Micah 7:19 we read that when we confess our sins to God, he casts them into the depths of the sea. And that's where they remain. They're gone!

I once read about a missionary named George Woodall, who used that verse from Micah in a unique way. When a person came to him and said she was worried if God had really forgiven her for a certain sin, he said, "I think God would tell you to mind your own business!" When she questioned what he meant, he replied, "It's God's business to say when he has forgiven you, not yours. And he said he has thrown your sin into the depths of the sea and at that very spot he has posted a sign just for you which says, 'No Fishing'." She got the point and was relieved.

I hope you will be as relieved when you rise from the Lord's Table this morning. Regardless of how awful you consider your sin to be, no matter how ugly and unforgiveable you think it is, be reminded, in the bread and wine, of his enormous love for you. Be reminded that he has indeed forgiven you and cast your sins into the depths of the sea and he wants you to leave them there. Don't go fishing for them - don't dredge them up again. If God Almighty has declared you forgiven - you are forgiven indeed! That's all there is to it.

So we've seen this morning that we cannot run away from the stench of sin. It permeates all we do, say and think, because it is a part of our Fallen Nature. But there are two things we can do about the manifestations of sin in our daily lives: First, we can know our weaknesses and avoid those situations, relationships and activities which lead us into sinful actions. Second, we can confess our sins to God with repentant hearts in the confidence that he will forgive us and we will be free to live anew! We no longer have to run from sin for the Lord has a way for us to deal with it! Isn't it good to be a Child of God?!