|
|
|
Mystic
Congregational Church, UCC Mystic,
Connecticut Sermon
from September 17, 2006 “Journeys
with Jesus” Rev.
Patricia L. Liberty James 3:1-12 Mark 8:27-38 One of the
more torturous parts of the journey to ordination is the Ordination Paper, a
synopsis of personal belief, theology and call to ministry.
Having just spent three years in seminary, the temptation was to try and
write the next great systematic theology. The
early result, at least in my case, was a deadly boring tome that was returned to
me by the Statewide Examination Committee of the Baptists with the somber words,
“It needs work.” It
seems they were as interested in the two questions of this morning’s text as
the writer of Mark’s Gospel shows Jesus to be.
It’s a helpful question to wrestle with from time to time.
Answering the part about who others say Jesus is turned out to be easier
than answering the questions directly and for myself. The exercise was more than worth it, and 20 years later when
I returned to my UCC roots and had to write the equivalent of another ordination
paper I got to do it all over again. Some
time as part of your daily devotions. give it a try.
Take a blank piece of paper and write the name Jesus on the top.
See what comes to mind—the rich images and thoughts and feelings. Thomas
Woodward notes, “So much of our faith is contained by our response to Jesus’
first question, ‘Who do people say that I am?’”
We are … “always lost in the words of God and seldom engaged in the
Word of God. Often it seems like we
are dating God … always on our best behavior, never angry or indiscreet, and
ever attentive and respectful. At
some point, we need to quit dating God and start working on a serious
relationship.” The
second question is the invitation to move to the next level of commitment. “Who do YOU say that I am?”
It is no longer sufficient to quote, to show how much we know, it is the
invitation to mystery. Thomas
Woodward counsels, “We are now forced to face our fears and inadequacies.
The eternal Christ stands before us and asks us to respond from what is
most deepest, most sacred and most hidden within us.” Brian
McLaren has a chapter in his book, A
Generous Orthodoxy entitled, “The Seven Jesuses I Have Known”.
In it, he recounts how his understanding of Jesus has changed across his
life span, from the childhood image of a kind man bouncing children on his knee
to the human Jesus from last week’s text who was “caught with his compassion
down.”
Peter
shows the model for change and growth in our text from Mark’s Gospel. The checking-in exercise about who people thought Jesus
was is important. It was a way to
keep connected with pieces of the tradition that were being carried forward,
like the connection to Elijah. It was also a way of capturing some of the new
traditions that were beginning to circulate about Jesus.
It’s important to remember that it was 40 years or so after the
resurrection that Mark’s gospel was coming together and what people thought
and believed about Jesus was still coming together. Clearly this passage, coming at just about the halfway point
is a significant turning point in Mark’s Gospel.
That
it is Peter who blurts out a response to Jesus’ question is not surprising. He is the one who seems to rush right in before
completely figuring out what’s going on.
Again and again in the gospels, it is Peter who is impetuous,
short-tempered and has a tendency to open his mouth before fully engaging his
brain. You
may remember when Jesus is walking on water, it is Peter who bails over the
gunwales and heads out to meet him before he figures out that, well …
he can’t walk on water. It
is Peter who, after witnessing the
Transfiguration, suggests that they keep it all to themselves and build three
huts so they can bask in the afterglow. And
one time when Jesus was talking about the glory to come, it was Peter who wanted
to know what sort of special deal he would get because, after all, he had given
up everything to follow Jesus. It’s no wonder Jesus called him the rock; he was, at times,
a little thick. So,
it’s tempting to think that when Peter blurts out, “You are the Christ” or
as the New Revised Standard Version translates from the Hebrew, “You are
the Messiah” that he moves to the head of the class for finally having the
right answer. But that’s not
quite what happens. Peter had an
incomplete insight into Jesus and, while it did make for some changes in his
life, he still had a ways to go. Even
after this insight, Peter will deny knowing Jesus in a moment of fear. It’s encouraging to me that there is room for Peter as a
disciple for his faith and fears combine in the human stuff of his life just as
they do in yours and mine. If
there’s room for him in the discipleship journey, I guess there’s room for
us, too. Peter’s understanding of
Jesus was shaped by his life experience as a Jew in first-century Palestine
under Roman oppression. The
yearning for a messiah was shaped by economic, social, political and religious
persecution. His growing belief in
Jesus as the One whom God sent continued to change him even if it didn’t fully
change the world in the way Peter hoped.
Like
Peter, it’s up to us to sort through what everyone around us says about Jesus
and face the question for ourselves. As
the public voice of Christianity becomes less and less connected with what most
of us believe, it is even more important. As
post-modern Christians, it’s a little unnerving because most of the models we
have for this type of conversation are wrapped in religious behavior that makes
us cringe; at least, it makes me cringe. If
you’ve ever been buttonholed by an overzealous born-again type who makes you
want to drop through the floor, you know what I’m talking about. On
the other end of the spectrum is the popular religious (note I say religious and
not faithful) mentality that suggests being Christian is just another way to get
what we want. It’s the notion
that finding favor with God is synonymous with health, wealth, success and
happiness.
It’s
a journey….not a destination. It’s
a lifetime inquiry and, I like to think, a lifetime love affair.
Jesus
… who
you are to others is
speculation and
too often, who
you are to us is
academic … but
there are times when
crisis rips
the ground from
under our feet and
you become as dear as
life-breath. Forgive
us if we are casual in
our acquaintance on
sunny days … you
know how quickly we
are distracted by ease. Forgive
us if we use you to
win a point or to
put down others who do
not believe as we do … you
know how easily we
become defensive. Forgive
us if we haven’t a clue as
to who you really are ... you
know we tend to put
off ‘til tomorrow what
we don’t need to do today. Forgive
us if, in the courtyards of
commerce and conversation, we
feign ignorance of who you are or
fear speaking about our faith … you
know how we want to avoid conflict
and confrontation. Simply,
Jesus … in
the moments of this day, be
with us in ways too
deep for us to ignore ... too
provocative for us to deny … too
gracious for us to hide from and
too important for
us to fail to see you as life,
truth and way. Amen. |