Monday, April 21, 2008
Saturday, April 19, 2008
April 20, 2008
1 Peter 2:2-10 “Living Stones”
The last two Sundays, there has been this common thread in my messages –what it means to be a follower of Jesus the Christ. Two weeks ago, in his letter to a Christian community that was struggling to establish its sense of identity and commitment, the Apostle Peter spoke of accepting a ‘new life’ given us without price and the necessary investment in that life. Last Sunday, he challenged his readers – as well as us - to think about what it might mean to follow Jesus ‘for real.’ And now, today’s text from 1 Peter seems to be about where we are to go from here – having become ‘ for real’ followers of Jesus. So, what happens when we do?
Does everything go smoothly for us from then on? Probably not, as many of you well know. Even for Christians there are times when things don’t go well. Maybe now is one of those times. So, where do we go? John 14 gives us the answer.
Jesus says, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled.” And he tells his followers, “Don’t worry. Trust me, believe in God.” God’s great love for us is more than enough – there is room for us all, no matter what he trouble is. Jesus says, “I go to be with the Father.” When things aren’t going as you would like them to go and times are tough, that’s where we are also to go – to God the Father.
Peter connects Christ with the rejected cornerstone – the very ‘living’ stone on which these early Christians were to build their faith and community. He says, “As followers of Jesus, you are called to be "living stones." Whoa! Stones are the opposite of something living - like in Christ's death we are given the opportunity to become fully alive, through the power of the resurrection. So, what DOES it mean when he says a ‘living’ stone? Perhaps it is as simple as: in life there is growth – and that should be our expectation.
A first-grader came home one day and announced he had a substitute teacher. His mother asked, "Was she a young woman or an older woman?" The boy thought for a second, then said, "I don't know. She looked brand new to me." (Country Magazine, June/July 1990)
Does it matter if we are young or old? Or brand new – ever growing, a ‘living stone.’ Some of us are old, some are young, but all of us are to be ‘living stones.’ And when we are there is life there is growth.
Growth happens when new life begins.
Peter first tells his readers what they must do. He says, “Be like newborn babies who are thirsty for the pure spiritual milk that will help you grow and be saved. Peter suggests that each believer's natural longing should be for "pure spiritual milk." You are followers of the Lord. You are chosen. You are a holy group representing God. And so you must tell others about God by telling them about the one you follow.
Not only is Jesus the ‘living stone,’ he is the solid rock on which to build one’s faith in God. Peter says, “You are living stones.” Just as Jesus was chosen by God to bring about the kingdom (and all that means), so are to be living stones on which God’s kingdom can be built. We are to be the building blocks as God builds up the community of faith, the church.
Might Peter be saying then that as followers of Christ there is growth in store for us? John Wesley once said, “I am not yet what I am to become” (or something like that). Perhaps he was somehow thinking of what it means to be a living stone as well. To grow into what we are to become – a living stone like Jesus.
Mark Ellingsen in his book, Preparation and Manifestation, writes: “On our own we cannot know who God is; we need Jesus to make God known.” I might add ‘and we need ourselves to make God known as well.” Perhaps this is what Peter means in the followers of Christ becoming ‘living stones’ – making God known to others through the love of Christ in us.
Growth takes place when living a life of Christ – a life of loving others.
A love that can be experienced, as Martin Luther once said, not by “hearing God's name, or of his will, his works, his grace, or his displeasure,... but we must nestle and cuddle on the lap of Christ, like dear children on their mother's lap or in her arms, and close our eyes and ears to everything but him and his words."
We are thirsty, aren’t we, even like the ‘newborn baby’ Peter speaks of. We want to be nourished - sometimes. We would like to grow- sometimes. Growth in Christ is important to us - sometimes. That is a part of following Christ, anyway as Peter sees it. It’s also what the people, who call themselves United Methodists, believe is required of us. It’s part of what we say we will do when someone receives baptism. As a congregation receiving someone into the church, don’t we promise, to “increase their faith, confirm their hope, and perfect them in love.” Increase means growth, doesn’t it? And growth in our faith comes by living a life of Christ.
Growth can also take place when we are involved in intentional study together.
It’s necessary as a church, and as ‘living stones,’ to be involved in intentional faith development - including all of us. Bishop Robert Schnase in his book, Five Practices of a Fruitful Congregation, says, “ the transformation of hearts and minds is God’s work through the Holy Spirit, and intentional learning in community is our way of placing ourselves in the hands of God so God can sculpt our souls and recreate us in the image of Christ.” He goes on to say, “Christians learning together engrafts us onto the body of Christ and becomes a means of grace by which God awakens a heightened desire to love our neighbors… as following Christ becomes a way of life.”
As "newborn infants" – and brand new members of the Christian community of faith – Peter suggests that each believer's natural longing should be for this “spiritual milk."
Thus nourished by this spiritual milk, we are formed together into a close-knit community through the spiritual power of the "living stone," undergoing a miraculous transformation, and becoming “God's own people."
I guess one could say there are two kinds of stones, at least in Peter’s mind. There are ‘living stones’ following in Christ’s footsteps and stones with no life at all. Some stones are growing, and some are not. Some stones are living the life of Christ, and some are not. Some stones are growing together though study, and some are not. Some stones are being transformed, and sadly, some are not.
May we all find our life in Christ – the living stone – today! Amen
The last two Sundays, there has been this common thread in my messages –what it means to be a follower of Jesus the Christ. Two weeks ago, in his letter to a Christian community that was struggling to establish its sense of identity and commitment, the Apostle Peter spoke of accepting a ‘new life’ given us without price and the necessary investment in that life. Last Sunday, he challenged his readers – as well as us - to think about what it might mean to follow Jesus ‘for real.’ And now, today’s text from 1 Peter seems to be about where we are to go from here – having become ‘ for real’ followers of Jesus. So, what happens when we do?
Does everything go smoothly for us from then on? Probably not, as many of you well know. Even for Christians there are times when things don’t go well. Maybe now is one of those times. So, where do we go? John 14 gives us the answer.
Jesus says, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled.” And he tells his followers, “Don’t worry. Trust me, believe in God.” God’s great love for us is more than enough – there is room for us all, no matter what he trouble is. Jesus says, “I go to be with the Father.” When things aren’t going as you would like them to go and times are tough, that’s where we are also to go – to God the Father.
Peter connects Christ with the rejected cornerstone – the very ‘living’ stone on which these early Christians were to build their faith and community. He says, “As followers of Jesus, you are called to be "living stones." Whoa! Stones are the opposite of something living - like in Christ's death we are given the opportunity to become fully alive, through the power of the resurrection. So, what DOES it mean when he says a ‘living’ stone? Perhaps it is as simple as: in life there is growth – and that should be our expectation.
A first-grader came home one day and announced he had a substitute teacher. His mother asked, "Was she a young woman or an older woman?" The boy thought for a second, then said, "I don't know. She looked brand new to me." (Country Magazine, June/July 1990)
Does it matter if we are young or old? Or brand new – ever growing, a ‘living stone.’ Some of us are old, some are young, but all of us are to be ‘living stones.’ And when we are there is life there is growth.
Growth happens when new life begins.
Peter first tells his readers what they must do. He says, “Be like newborn babies who are thirsty for the pure spiritual milk that will help you grow and be saved. Peter suggests that each believer's natural longing should be for "pure spiritual milk." You are followers of the Lord. You are chosen. You are a holy group representing God. And so you must tell others about God by telling them about the one you follow.
Not only is Jesus the ‘living stone,’ he is the solid rock on which to build one’s faith in God. Peter says, “You are living stones.” Just as Jesus was chosen by God to bring about the kingdom (and all that means), so are to be living stones on which God’s kingdom can be built. We are to be the building blocks as God builds up the community of faith, the church.
Might Peter be saying then that as followers of Christ there is growth in store for us? John Wesley once said, “I am not yet what I am to become” (or something like that). Perhaps he was somehow thinking of what it means to be a living stone as well. To grow into what we are to become – a living stone like Jesus.
Mark Ellingsen in his book, Preparation and Manifestation, writes: “On our own we cannot know who God is; we need Jesus to make God known.” I might add ‘and we need ourselves to make God known as well.” Perhaps this is what Peter means in the followers of Christ becoming ‘living stones’ – making God known to others through the love of Christ in us.
Growth takes place when living a life of Christ – a life of loving others.
A love that can be experienced, as Martin Luther once said, not by “hearing God's name, or of his will, his works, his grace, or his displeasure,... but we must nestle and cuddle on the lap of Christ, like dear children on their mother's lap or in her arms, and close our eyes and ears to everything but him and his words."
We are thirsty, aren’t we, even like the ‘newborn baby’ Peter speaks of. We want to be nourished - sometimes. We would like to grow- sometimes. Growth in Christ is important to us - sometimes. That is a part of following Christ, anyway as Peter sees it. It’s also what the people, who call themselves United Methodists, believe is required of us. It’s part of what we say we will do when someone receives baptism. As a congregation receiving someone into the church, don’t we promise, to “increase their faith, confirm their hope, and perfect them in love.” Increase means growth, doesn’t it? And growth in our faith comes by living a life of Christ.
Growth can also take place when we are involved in intentional study together.
It’s necessary as a church, and as ‘living stones,’ to be involved in intentional faith development - including all of us. Bishop Robert Schnase in his book, Five Practices of a Fruitful Congregation, says, “ the transformation of hearts and minds is God’s work through the Holy Spirit, and intentional learning in community is our way of placing ourselves in the hands of God so God can sculpt our souls and recreate us in the image of Christ.” He goes on to say, “Christians learning together engrafts us onto the body of Christ and becomes a means of grace by which God awakens a heightened desire to love our neighbors… as following Christ becomes a way of life.”
As "newborn infants" – and brand new members of the Christian community of faith – Peter suggests that each believer's natural longing should be for this “spiritual milk."
Thus nourished by this spiritual milk, we are formed together into a close-knit community through the spiritual power of the "living stone," undergoing a miraculous transformation, and becoming “God's own people."
I guess one could say there are two kinds of stones, at least in Peter’s mind. There are ‘living stones’ following in Christ’s footsteps and stones with no life at all. Some stones are growing, and some are not. Some stones are living the life of Christ, and some are not. Some stones are growing together though study, and some are not. Some stones are being transformed, and sadly, some are not.
May we all find our life in Christ – the living stone – today! Amen
Sunday, April 13, 2008
April 13, 2008
1 Peter 2:19-25; John 10:1-10
“Following Jesus — for Real”
In High School, a passion of mine was chess. A good friend taught me play. I wasn’t very good, but I was bound and determined to get better. My friend was good, very good. So, my goal was to beat him – then I could retire. I read books. I played whenever I could, but really the only time I could play was at school… with my friend… most often during one the classes we shared. The games might go on for days as they were played two identical chess board drawn on paper in our notebooks with pieces erased and redrawn as each move and counter move was passed back and forth. This was all before computers and handheld video games and cell phones. Paper, pencil, and eraser was our mobile technology then. We must have gone through reams of paper and still I couldn’t win. There were even classmates following our portable games and at the end of class would check to see how each of us were doing – knowing full well who would be winning. Some times the games got pretty intense and the paper would be passed in the middle of the teacher’s lesson to the class - not a good idea.
But when you’re passionate about something, things happen. And the result might be that we suffer for our passion. Sometimes we bring it on ourselves and sometimes it just happens. Which brings to mind a story:
A group of chess enthusiasts checked into a hotel and were standing in the lobby discussing rather passionately their recent tournament victories.
After about an hour the manager came out of the office and asked them to break it up and go to their rooms.
“But why?” they asked as they moved off. “Because,” he said, “I can’t stand chess nuts boasting in an open foyer.”
Here we have not only a silly pun but also an example of a rather unfair situation. These ‘chess nuts’ were kicked out of the hotel lobby for no good reason, at least to them. Hasn’t that happened to most of us at some time or another? Hasn’t someone done us wrong for no real reason? So, what are we to do when that happens?
Well in the verse prior to our reading for today, the apostle Peter says: “Servants, you must obey your masters and always show respect to them. Do this, not only to those who are kind and thoughtful, but also to those who are cruel.” (2:18)
Peter is writing to Christians who are slaves and who have been beaten and mistreated by their owners because they have been spreading the good news of the gospel. Now what Peter says may be hard for us to understand. We’ve not been slaves nor mistreated for our passion in sharing the gospel, although passionately sharing the gospel is something we should be doing – and some of us may be doing just that.
Peter’s advice to these Christians was if you’re where Christ is, you’re going to suffer, sometimes. You’re going to be treated unfairly. You are going to have to deal with some not-so-nice things – but be like Jesus, he says, even in your suffering. Jesus didn’t respond with violence. He didn’t threaten those who were beating up on him. Wouldn’t that be good advice for us as well? Especially when considering the Jesus’ suffering went way beyond the little irritations we face in our daily life. They are basically the same. And shouldn’t we be more like Christ – even to the point of continuing to do good even though we suffer because of it?
We know what it means to be held responsible for our failures and the mistakes we’ve made. Sometimes we have even suffered because of it. But chances are we’ve also suffered for something that wasn’t our fault. We’ve been blamed for things we didn’t do, accused of doing something for a reason quite the opposite of our intention or called an opportunist when we were unselfishly trying to help someone. We know what it means when someone says, “No good deed goes unpunished.” We’ve been there, all of us.
So, Peter’s logic makes perfect sense. What’s the big deal if you accept blame and suffer when the screw-up is really your fault? There’s “no points for that!” You should take responsibility; it’s the right thing to do.
But if you suffer for doing the right thing, that’s different Peter says, “God blesses you for that.” Then he goes on to say, in effect: “Those who follow in Jesus’ footsteps are going to suffer too.” (v. 21). It comes with the territory. When it comes to suffering, don’t expect a free pass. There aren’t any. And that goes for all of us, not just the slaves to whom Peter is writing. You go where Jesus has been – and that’s exactly where we should be - you’re going to experience some grief.
Peter goes on to say when Jesus was abused he never tried to get even. And that’s what we should do as well - regardless of the situation or circumstance. What guides us in our relationships with fellow Christians ought to apply in how we deal with irritating strangers, and both should be guided by the example of Jesus.
Dr. James Orbinski, who has devoted his life to serving the poor and victims of war through Doctors without Borders, traces his path to a life question he asked when he was younger. The question that drove him is this: How am I to be, how are we to be in relation to the suffering of others? His life is the answer to that question. He calls it living the question.
That should challenge us all deeply to ask, “Do I want my life to be about ME, or like Jesus, do I want it to be about others and about God.”
Peter is putting Jesus out there as the model for Christians to follow. Peter’s message is really not about turning the other cheek, or saying no to getting even – although he does say those things. It is about following Jesus — for real. It’s about looking at Jesus’ footsteps as revealed in the Bible, and then trying to place our feet in the same places. And, it’s about what that might really mean for all of us.
The good news is that for those of you who have “wandered away like sheep,” Jesus will help us find the right path as well, for “now you have returned to the one who is your shepherd and protector.” (v. 25). There is hope in what Peter shares with us today!
So let’s not just talk about Jesus, or say we believe in him. Let’s not just hold him up as someone special. Let’s follow him — for real.
“Following Jesus — for Real”
In High School, a passion of mine was chess. A good friend taught me play. I wasn’t very good, but I was bound and determined to get better. My friend was good, very good. So, my goal was to beat him – then I could retire. I read books. I played whenever I could, but really the only time I could play was at school… with my friend… most often during one the classes we shared. The games might go on for days as they were played two identical chess board drawn on paper in our notebooks with pieces erased and redrawn as each move and counter move was passed back and forth. This was all before computers and handheld video games and cell phones. Paper, pencil, and eraser was our mobile technology then. We must have gone through reams of paper and still I couldn’t win. There were even classmates following our portable games and at the end of class would check to see how each of us were doing – knowing full well who would be winning. Some times the games got pretty intense and the paper would be passed in the middle of the teacher’s lesson to the class - not a good idea.
But when you’re passionate about something, things happen. And the result might be that we suffer for our passion. Sometimes we bring it on ourselves and sometimes it just happens. Which brings to mind a story:
A group of chess enthusiasts checked into a hotel and were standing in the lobby discussing rather passionately their recent tournament victories.
After about an hour the manager came out of the office and asked them to break it up and go to their rooms.
“But why?” they asked as they moved off. “Because,” he said, “I can’t stand chess nuts boasting in an open foyer.”
Here we have not only a silly pun but also an example of a rather unfair situation. These ‘chess nuts’ were kicked out of the hotel lobby for no good reason, at least to them. Hasn’t that happened to most of us at some time or another? Hasn’t someone done us wrong for no real reason? So, what are we to do when that happens?
Well in the verse prior to our reading for today, the apostle Peter says: “Servants, you must obey your masters and always show respect to them. Do this, not only to those who are kind and thoughtful, but also to those who are cruel.” (2:18)
Peter is writing to Christians who are slaves and who have been beaten and mistreated by their owners because they have been spreading the good news of the gospel. Now what Peter says may be hard for us to understand. We’ve not been slaves nor mistreated for our passion in sharing the gospel, although passionately sharing the gospel is something we should be doing – and some of us may be doing just that.
Peter’s advice to these Christians was if you’re where Christ is, you’re going to suffer, sometimes. You’re going to be treated unfairly. You are going to have to deal with some not-so-nice things – but be like Jesus, he says, even in your suffering. Jesus didn’t respond with violence. He didn’t threaten those who were beating up on him. Wouldn’t that be good advice for us as well? Especially when considering the Jesus’ suffering went way beyond the little irritations we face in our daily life. They are basically the same. And shouldn’t we be more like Christ – even to the point of continuing to do good even though we suffer because of it?
We know what it means to be held responsible for our failures and the mistakes we’ve made. Sometimes we have even suffered because of it. But chances are we’ve also suffered for something that wasn’t our fault. We’ve been blamed for things we didn’t do, accused of doing something for a reason quite the opposite of our intention or called an opportunist when we were unselfishly trying to help someone. We know what it means when someone says, “No good deed goes unpunished.” We’ve been there, all of us.
So, Peter’s logic makes perfect sense. What’s the big deal if you accept blame and suffer when the screw-up is really your fault? There’s “no points for that!” You should take responsibility; it’s the right thing to do.
But if you suffer for doing the right thing, that’s different Peter says, “God blesses you for that.” Then he goes on to say, in effect: “Those who follow in Jesus’ footsteps are going to suffer too.” (v. 21). It comes with the territory. When it comes to suffering, don’t expect a free pass. There aren’t any. And that goes for all of us, not just the slaves to whom Peter is writing. You go where Jesus has been – and that’s exactly where we should be - you’re going to experience some grief.
Peter goes on to say when Jesus was abused he never tried to get even. And that’s what we should do as well - regardless of the situation or circumstance. What guides us in our relationships with fellow Christians ought to apply in how we deal with irritating strangers, and both should be guided by the example of Jesus.
Dr. James Orbinski, who has devoted his life to serving the poor and victims of war through Doctors without Borders, traces his path to a life question he asked when he was younger. The question that drove him is this: How am I to be, how are we to be in relation to the suffering of others? His life is the answer to that question. He calls it living the question.
That should challenge us all deeply to ask, “Do I want my life to be about ME, or like Jesus, do I want it to be about others and about God.”
Peter is putting Jesus out there as the model for Christians to follow. Peter’s message is really not about turning the other cheek, or saying no to getting even – although he does say those things. It is about following Jesus — for real. It’s about looking at Jesus’ footsteps as revealed in the Bible, and then trying to place our feet in the same places. And, it’s about what that might really mean for all of us.
The good news is that for those of you who have “wandered away like sheep,” Jesus will help us find the right path as well, for “now you have returned to the one who is your shepherd and protector.” (v. 25). There is hope in what Peter shares with us today!
So let’s not just talk about Jesus, or say we believe in him. Let’s not just hold him up as someone special. Let’s follow him — for real.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
April 6, 2008
1 Peter 1:17-23
“Cornerstones”
Sign on subway wall: "Life is one contradiction after another." Underneath sign is written: "No, it's not."
Sometimes the reality of a situation contradicts the intended outcome.
It has been said that the perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing and the lawn mower is broken.
But unfortunately, all too often, the mower works, and another perfectly good ‘God thing’ is ruined by a ‘human thing.’
In a Frank and Ernest cartoon: The boss says, “I was a cornerstone of this organization, and then I found out they were cutting corners."
Cornerstones can be cut, they can be shaken, they can crumble – and sometimes, when they are ineffective, they can even be replaced. This is what Peter calls us to do when Jesus is not the cornerstone – make him the cornerstone, and central in one’s life.
Sometimes though, the only time we recognize Jesus as being here, with us, is in the breaking of the bread, as reported by the two disciples in today’s gospel story. Until then he goes unrecognized. There can be so many things that keep us from seeing him, walking right beside us along life’s journey. And then, in the ‘breaking of the bread,’ as we will do today, we realize he has been here – in the simplest of things - all along.
With that discovery though comes a responsibility or obligation. Peter says it’s not just a matter of saying we believe in God, or trusting in God, or claiming to be God’s children or God’s church. It’s interesting Peter reminds his readers that despite what some of them may have thought - and what many may think today - God doesn’t play favorites. God’s expectations are the same for all of us.
No one is exempt. Didn’t Jesus come to save all of us? His precious blood shed for everyone? So, why would it be any different for some of us? We are all to do the same things. We are all to honor God. We are to have faith in God as Jesus has taught us. We are to put our faith and trust in God. We are to obey the truth. And we are to love each other (totally and completely).
So, how do we do that? How do we, as a community of faith, honor God? How do we become as confident in God as Jesus? When everything was falling apart and going ‘south’ for Jesus, he continued to go to the Father. How do we learn to trust God like that? Jesus loved the ones who crucified him as well. How do we do what Jesus has taught us? And how do we possibly love others like God would have us? As Iowa singer/songwriter Susan Werner asks in her song “Forgiveness”:
“How do you love those who never will love you
Who are happy to shove you out in front of the train.”
All those things God expects of us. They’re not easy, are they? It would be a lot better if we were excused from some things – after all, didn’t Jesus take care of everything for us? We shouldn’t be held accountable for things that are so hard to do. It’s awfully hard trusting someone else. I would much rather do things myself. How do you love some people anyway?
Werner suggests pretty much what Peter said,
“How do you love those who never will love you
I think only God knows and he is not taking sides”
It seems impossible, sometimes, all the things God asks us to do. Wouldn’t it be easier to paint the church or go to work or mow the lawn or provide food for a dinner or go dancing or do my chores or play with the grandkids or even give money? Those kinds of things we can do, but how are we going to ever trust and love the way God wants?
And in conclusion, Werner sings,
“I hope one day he shows us how we can love those
Who never will love us but who still we must love”
“How do you love those?” How do we do all the other things God wants us to do, anyway? It’s a real dilemma until we realize...
We have been shown, haven’t we – in the breaking of the bread. It’s just that we haven’t recognized him along the way until then. Somehow we have been kept from it. Maybe it’s been in living a lifestyle rather than investing ourselves in a life-substance. Just think how much of our energy, time, and money goes into the ‘way we live’ – our lifestyle, rather than into ‘why we live’ – our life-substance?
Where is it we find our satisfaction? What do we take pride and comfort in? What would we rather do? And where do we spend most of our money, anyway? Is it in those seemingly difficult things God calls us to do, or is it in something else? Peter says God has no favorites. No one gets a pass. All are on equal ground. The expectation is the same for us all. Are our lifestyles more important than our life-substance?
When do we recognize Jesus in our walk; when do we truly follow and put him in charge; when does Jesus become Lord? Maybe it’s when we invest in the life-substance Jesus offers rather than in a lifestyle?
Peter reminds the Gentile Christians, struggling to form a community of faith, that they have been "ransomed" from the ineffective and meaningless lifestyles of their ancestors through the gift of Christ's "precious blood."
You and I are offered the same way out from our unsuccessful attempts at creating meaning and "success" in our lives, both as individuals and as a church. Jesus' gift of new life is the answer. Jesus offers to lead and will empower those who give up control and trust God, those who will make Jesus their life-substance and those who will live life with Jesus as the cornerstone.
“Cornerstones”
Sign on subway wall: "Life is one contradiction after another." Underneath sign is written: "No, it's not."
Sometimes the reality of a situation contradicts the intended outcome.
It has been said that the perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing and the lawn mower is broken.
But unfortunately, all too often, the mower works, and another perfectly good ‘God thing’ is ruined by a ‘human thing.’
In a Frank and Ernest cartoon: The boss says, “I was a cornerstone of this organization, and then I found out they were cutting corners."
Cornerstones can be cut, they can be shaken, they can crumble – and sometimes, when they are ineffective, they can even be replaced. This is what Peter calls us to do when Jesus is not the cornerstone – make him the cornerstone, and central in one’s life.
Sometimes though, the only time we recognize Jesus as being here, with us, is in the breaking of the bread, as reported by the two disciples in today’s gospel story. Until then he goes unrecognized. There can be so many things that keep us from seeing him, walking right beside us along life’s journey. And then, in the ‘breaking of the bread,’ as we will do today, we realize he has been here – in the simplest of things - all along.
With that discovery though comes a responsibility or obligation. Peter says it’s not just a matter of saying we believe in God, or trusting in God, or claiming to be God’s children or God’s church. It’s interesting Peter reminds his readers that despite what some of them may have thought - and what many may think today - God doesn’t play favorites. God’s expectations are the same for all of us.
No one is exempt. Didn’t Jesus come to save all of us? His precious blood shed for everyone? So, why would it be any different for some of us? We are all to do the same things. We are all to honor God. We are to have faith in God as Jesus has taught us. We are to put our faith and trust in God. We are to obey the truth. And we are to love each other (totally and completely).
So, how do we do that? How do we, as a community of faith, honor God? How do we become as confident in God as Jesus? When everything was falling apart and going ‘south’ for Jesus, he continued to go to the Father. How do we learn to trust God like that? Jesus loved the ones who crucified him as well. How do we do what Jesus has taught us? And how do we possibly love others like God would have us? As Iowa singer/songwriter Susan Werner asks in her song “Forgiveness”:
“How do you love those who never will love you
Who are happy to shove you out in front of the train.”
All those things God expects of us. They’re not easy, are they? It would be a lot better if we were excused from some things – after all, didn’t Jesus take care of everything for us? We shouldn’t be held accountable for things that are so hard to do. It’s awfully hard trusting someone else. I would much rather do things myself. How do you love some people anyway?
Werner suggests pretty much what Peter said,
“How do you love those who never will love you
I think only God knows and he is not taking sides”
It seems impossible, sometimes, all the things God asks us to do. Wouldn’t it be easier to paint the church or go to work or mow the lawn or provide food for a dinner or go dancing or do my chores or play with the grandkids or even give money? Those kinds of things we can do, but how are we going to ever trust and love the way God wants?
And in conclusion, Werner sings,
“I hope one day he shows us how we can love those
Who never will love us but who still we must love”
“How do you love those?” How do we do all the other things God wants us to do, anyway? It’s a real dilemma until we realize...
We have been shown, haven’t we – in the breaking of the bread. It’s just that we haven’t recognized him along the way until then. Somehow we have been kept from it. Maybe it’s been in living a lifestyle rather than investing ourselves in a life-substance. Just think how much of our energy, time, and money goes into the ‘way we live’ – our lifestyle, rather than into ‘why we live’ – our life-substance?
Where is it we find our satisfaction? What do we take pride and comfort in? What would we rather do? And where do we spend most of our money, anyway? Is it in those seemingly difficult things God calls us to do, or is it in something else? Peter says God has no favorites. No one gets a pass. All are on equal ground. The expectation is the same for us all. Are our lifestyles more important than our life-substance?
When do we recognize Jesus in our walk; when do we truly follow and put him in charge; when does Jesus become Lord? Maybe it’s when we invest in the life-substance Jesus offers rather than in a lifestyle?
Peter reminds the Gentile Christians, struggling to form a community of faith, that they have been "ransomed" from the ineffective and meaningless lifestyles of their ancestors through the gift of Christ's "precious blood."
You and I are offered the same way out from our unsuccessful attempts at creating meaning and "success" in our lives, both as individuals and as a church. Jesus' gift of new life is the answer. Jesus offers to lead and will empower those who give up control and trust God, those who will make Jesus their life-substance and those who will live life with Jesus as the cornerstone.
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