Christ Redeemer of the Andes

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Christ Redeemer of the Andes"

Neal Douglas
5 years ago
Views:

1 Holy Spirit Church St. Alban s & St. George s Acts 7:55-60 The Fifth Sunday of Easter Psalm 31:1-5,15-16 Year A 1 Peter 2:2-10 May 18, 2014 John 14:1-14 The Way, the Truth and the Life Jesus said to him (Thomas): "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6) Christ Redeemer of the Andes It is a passage which gives us both comfort and discomfort reassurance and more questions language and images which we think we understand and then are not sure. What is Jesus saying to his disciples on this night before his death? And what is the writer of John saying to his community as they begin to suffer persecution and wonder if Jesus will ever return? In the first century the Christian communities formed around eyewitnesses those who had known Jesus those who had followed him in Galilee or Judea or those to whom he had appeared after the resurrection, notably Paul. The community of John formed originally in Jerusalem around an eyewitness identified only as the beloved disciple. In 70 AD following the burning of the Temple in Jerusalem by the Romans, many Christians fled beyond the borders of Israel. From this exodus the main Christian communities of the first century were formed notably those in Ephesus, Antioch, and Alexandria. And it was in Ephesus, a city of 200,000 in 100 AD, that the community of John established itself. This community was made up of Jewish Christians, many of whom had been followers of John the Baptist. Probably before their move from Jerusalem, Page 1 of 5

2 they had added a large number of converted Samaritans, and once in Ephesus, had added to their community Gentile converts. Late in the first century, probably around 90 AD, the Gospel of John emerged from this community. Unlike the earlier gospels which told the story of Jesus life and ministry, and recounted his parables and teachings, the Gospel of John sought to describe the nature and the mystery of the man. This gospel is divided into two sections one which describes Jesus miracles in theological and poetic terms and one which gathers together his teachings to his disciples. The gospel portrays Christ as pre-existent He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him. Powerful images and metaphors described his person and his nature as truly divine - God from God as the Nicene Creed puts it. The teaching is theological and symbolic, using a style of writing typical of its time. Jesus is described in language familiar to the Greeks and Romans from their own religious rites, and there is a conscious effort to portray Jesus in a way that is understandable to them. The story focuses on Jesus interactions in Judea, with more than half of the gospel devoted to his teaching at the Last Supper. The passage which we read for the Gospel this morning is from this latter half the teachings of Jesus at the Last Supper and it is here that we encounter again the question to Jesus at the beginning of John s gospel, where do you abide? Now, in the face of imminent death, Jesus describes to his disciples where he does abide, and how they will abide with him. Jesus talks about preparing a place for his disciples a dwelling place or resting place with him. But on closer examination we find that this is not so much a place as a relationship a way in which we live with God. And in John s theology, that does not happen only after our death but immediately in this life here and now. Eternal life and the indwelling of the spirit of God are present with us as we accept Jesus as Lord. As we know him, so we know the Father. As he abides in the Father, so the Father abides in us. The complexity of John s language and theology allows us to understand this both in current time and in the future, so that both the indwelling of the Spirit and the dwelling of us with God are equally promised. Following from that is the statement that because Jesus abides in the Father, and the Father in him, there is no way of separating them hence no one comes to the Father except by me. a statement not about other faiths or beliefs (as we tend to interpret it now) but rather about the unity of God. Or as Jesus says to Philip, Believe me, that I am in the Father and the Father in me. Out of this complicated passage comes one of the great I am statements revealing the essence of Jesus nature. In response to Thomas question about following Jesus and not knowing where he is going or the Page 2 of 5

3 way to get there Jesus replies, I am the way Early Christian communities found this to be so central to their understanding of Jesus that they named themselves The Way, as described in the early chapters of Acts. And down through the ages, Christians have understood their discipleship, not in terms of rules or laws or spiritual practices, but as followers of Jesus himself the incarnation of the Way. One of the most important reflections of this passage in my own spiritual journey has been a portion of a poem by W.H. Auden. Auden, a well known English poet, made his home in the US during World War II, after his re-awakening to Christianity and his return to the Anglican Church. I would like to take a few minutes to reflect on Jesus self-revelation as the way, the truth and the life through the invitation of Auden s poem to follow him, seek him and love him. The first section begins: He is the Way. Follow him through the Land of Unlikeness; You will see rare beasts and have unique adventures. It was St. Augustine in the fourth century who first used the phrase the land of unlikeness to describe the human condition as so unlike that of God. But the meaning went beyond the obvious division of heaven and earth. Christianity believed with Judaism that God had created humanity in the image of God, and thus it followed that as we moved away from God, through sin and selfishness, we moved away from our true selves the people that God intended us to be. The phrase was used again by St. Bernard of Clairvaux in the 12 th century to describe our journey from a place of alienation from God (the land of unlikeness) to a place of complete integration and re-formation of the divine image with which we began (the land of likeness). Auden took this one step further by describing Jesus as the guide and pathway through this separation from God but on the journey (and with the companionship of Jesus) experiencing not so much hostile forces but rare beasts and unique adventures beginning to see the world as God sees it filled with beauty and joy rather than death and peril. The second section is: He is the Truth. Seek him in the Kingdom of Anxiety; You will come to a great city that has expected your return for years. Page 3 of 5

4 St. Augustine believed that anxiety was a by-product of original sin and the Kingdom of Anxiety is definitely a place we know. As access to information has expanded, we seem to have more and more to worry about and less and less confidence that we can do anything about it. Beyond the day to day issues are of course our greater fear of the future aging, health, financial concerns, separation from loved ones and death. It is only as we seek Jesus amidst the chaos that we will begin to see the City of God described by St. Augustine - the visible sign of the kingdom of love. And the final section: He is the Life. Love him in the World of the Flesh And at your marriage all its occasions shall dance for joy. (Hymn 463) For Auden, the critical experience of Christianity was the Incarnation. Love of Christ was not for him an aesthetic or ascetic practice, but one deeply physical. As one author put it, we offer our bodies in prayer and kindness, in bending to serve and in clamoring for justice, in the close intimacies of life-long friendship and in the passing courtesies of strangers What we do is what our bodies do including how we love or fail to love. Our bodies are the bread and wine we offer to God at the table a sentiment with which Auden would heartily agree. So now that we ve thought a little about Jesus as the Way which brings us both Truth and Life let s take a moment and reflect on our own journey our own discipleship who we are in this dynamic. Many years ago, I participated in a weekend retreat, which began with a verse from the Book of Revelation and a question. The passage was from the letter to the Church at Pergamum and spoken by the Holy Spirit. The quotation was, To him who conquers I will give a white stone, with a new name written on the stone which no one knows except him who receives it. (Rev 2:17) And, the question was, what is your name? The assignment was to think about your spiritual life your history or journey or path however you wanted to define it and to come up with a name (in the Biblical sense). So, for example, there was Peter/ the Rock, or Lucifer/ the Light Bearer, or John/ the beloved disciple. In order to come to this revelation we were advised to think of passages of Scripture that spoke to us or hymns, prayers, times of the Church year, Page 4 of 5

5 projects and work that brought us close to God. At the end of this reflection (and in our case a paper) we were invited to come up with a name. Now, for me, that was a very interesting process, and I have used it in groups many times since. It is helpful to step back from doing to reflect on our lives as Christians in ways that are positive ways that help us define our discipleship and in the end help us to discern our call. Interestingly this works for church groups as well even entire congregations as the group looks back over its corporate discipleship and discerns first a pattern and then a call. Being a Christian disciple is a full-time job of practicing our faith reaching out to those in need, loving our neighbors, building up the community of faith and it should be practiced at all times - whether we re on vacation, or enjoying the summer weather, or busy, or tired, or moving, or fed up at work, or driving down the freeway, or otherwise occupied. But being a Christian is about a relationship with Jesus following him through the land of unlikeness seeking him in the kingdom of anxiety and loving him in the world of the flesh As we seek him, he comes to us and in this relationship, we begin to discover our true selves created in the image of God and called by a new name. It is in this relationship alone that we are truly alive abiding in the joy, peace and love of the Holy One. May we bear the marks of the friendship of God. Our old life is ended God is making us new. Amen. Page 5 of 5

COLORING BOOK YEAR 3. Generations of Grace Roscoe Blvd. Sun Valley, CA

COLORING BOOK YEAR 3. Generations of Grace Roscoe Blvd. Sun Valley, CA COLORING BOOK YEAR 3 Text: Copyright 2017. Generations of Grace. All Rights Reserved. Illustrations: Copyright 2017. Chad Frye. All Rights Reserved. (www.chadfrye.com) Generations of Grace 13248 Roscoe