January 28 , 2007
It seems we talk a lot--I talk a lot-- about God, but not jesus. It is easy to be comfortable around the notion of god, maybe because God can be imaged as distant or as near, as all around or inside, but not specific. Whatever the reason, I know I often find it easier to talk about God than Jesus.
We come here week after week, many of us Christians from the time we were children, a lot of us more recent additions to the communion of the faithful. We have all kinds of different ideas of who this Jesus is that we come to acknowledge. Some of us have had some kind of experience of being near to Jesus and many of us haven’t. Some of us are here at St. Aidan’s because we got tired of other people telling us that we had to have some particular kind of experience of Jesus’presence in our lives. There are a lot of progressive Christians in this congregation who have learned to question much of what has been passed down through the church over the centuries. Some of us are here even though we’ve seen behind the wizard’s curtain and are no longer as awed as we once were by the great voice from the sky. And I want you to know that I have all of that in mind as I set out today to talk about the importance of having a personal relationship with Jesus. Yes, you heard me right my progressive, question-loving friends....a personal relationship Jesus.
I’ve been thinking about this sermon for a while and have been looking for a good chance to work Jesus into the discussion. (That was a joke)
I even mentioned to Mark recently that I was thinking of having a sort of tent revival in the spring. A kind of tent-revival for progressives complete with revival music and maybe even one of those floppy Bibles. You know, the kind the preacher carries and waves and points to while talking about the importance of giving your life to Jesus.
Today’s gospel story seems to suggest that some of the folks who are most comfortable around Jesus--the people who have grown up with him--may have trouble hearing him and understanding what he is about. In today’s story Jesus tells his neighbors that prophets aren’t always appreciated in tehir home towns.
We don’t always know what to do with Jesus, what to make of him, who is......we have so many names for him, savior, christ, friend, companion, lord, prophet. His words sometimes comfort, sometimes challenge, sometimes sting. He is passionate and directive about causes to which we feel drawn, causes like feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, loving the unloved, forgiving those who hurt us. A real part of us wants to participate in such work, but the very desire to do so can bring pain because most of the time we know that we do not care about these things as much as he does. Focusing too carefully on Jesus and the life to which he calls us can be disturbing.
Our liturgy each Sunday is centered around Jesus as the one who died and rose again, and who somehow in those acts changed our lives for ever. We hear the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection every week. Sometimes, we stop hearing the message in words that are repeated over and over again. Or, those words might seep into our consciousness in ways that we are not even aware of. If we are to walk the Christian path and gather around the table in Jesus’ name, we have to figure out what to make of this part of the story. The first part of the story, about Jesus choosing to give up his life and suffering for us can be difficult to take in. It involves a kind of self-giving that most of us cannot imagine. Jesus’ death is understood in the story as the supreme act of love offered not just for a community or for humanity in general, but for each of us. A lot of us have had to work at learning how to accept graciously a simple gift from a friend. This Jesus at the center of our common life may be hard to accept because his gift seems too great. Focusing too closely on Jesus can be disturbing.
The other side of our central story of course can be difficult too. Resurrection? We are educated, thinking, twenty-first century people....members of post-modern, post-Christian western civilization, expected to examine everything in our lives under the lense of logic and reason. How in the world do we let this part of the story have a serious place in our lives? How do we accept the risen Christ into our world? I can ask the question, but I can’t give you the answer. All I can do is tell you it happens all the time. Sometimes it happens in little whispered ways and sometimes in great moments of awareness, but people who begin to look for Jesus in their world begin to find him there. I think a lot of it has to do with looking for him, and at least sort of hoping to find him. I say sort of hoping to find him because that is often all we can do. Those who know their longing for such an encounter know that if it comes it may well be disturbing.
There are so many other ways to entertain Jesus, to allow him into our world. Jesus is teacher. What would it mean to simply engage him as teacher. To take up a new and active interest in what he said and did, in what his followers say he taught them and where that teaching led them.
Jesus is prophet....revealer of truths others cannot or will not see. What would it mean to walk out into your world with Jesus the prophet at your side....to try to see the world through new eyes..to become aware of what has gone unnoticed...to see what needs to be addressed?
Jesus is friend and traveling companion. It isn’t that hard to simply begin a conversation with him. On a walk maybe, or in the car. Start anywhere. Yes, you may have to do most or even all of the talking at the beginning, but when the conversation does become two sided you may be surprised at what you hear.
God we can keep at a distance. God as concept, philosophical construct, out there in heaven, scattered, too difuse to have much local impact. We can, if we choose, keep God at bay.
Jesus though....Jesus comes close, gets near to us.....disturbs us.......usually right where we need to be disturbed.
I won’t do an altar call ..... yet.
I will ask you to listen in this place for some sign of where it is that your life might be open to Jesus.
There are some ways that this community can help you answer that question.
There is the contemplative prayer group on Monday nights. Come make yourself available to Jesus and see what happens. Or come to adult ed. on Sunday mornings. The outreach committee might be a place to engage Jesus...there are still some openings for vollunteers to spend the night at the homeless shelter. And then of course there is our worship. And here we all are.
We will gather with him at the table in a few minutes and take him into our hands....touch him...hold him. It doesn’t get any easier than that.
How is your connected to Jesus?
How might it be?
JMB