The 17th Sunday after Pentecost (Year B) Mark 8:27-38 St. Andrew s Episcopal Church - Sedona, AZ. Living the questions

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1 The 17th Sunday after Pentecost (Year B) Mark 8:27-38 St. Andrew s Episcopal Church - Sedona, AZ Living the questions and on the way Jesus asked his disciples, Who do people say that I am? Who do people say that Jesus is? And who do you say that Jesus is? How often do you think about who Jesus is? How often have you shared with other people who Jesus is for you? I think I ve only been asked that question directly a few times in my life. For much of the first part of our lives we are told who Jesus is whether though church school, or confirmation class, or inquirer s groups. Back in the day, most of what we were taught was doctrine what the Church has had to say about who Jesus is over the centuries, and maybe even who Jesus is in particular for our denomination or congregation. I think the first time that I was asked about who Jesus is was when I was invited to serve on the Vestry of the Cathedral in Albuquerque. I don t remember exactly what I wrote, but answering that question, and a few others, helped me discern whether it was the right call, at the right time. After much prayer and candid conversations with trusted advisors, I decided to live into the call to serve as a vestry member. Several years later, I was asked a similar question as I began the discernment process toward ordination. I think I was asked to describe my relationship with Jesus Christ. 17th Sunday after Pentecost (Yr B) Mark 8:27-38 The Rev. Monica Whitaker Page 1

2 By then I had prepared four spiritual autobiographies for the Education for Ministry class for lay leaders, so I had reflected a great deal on this topic by myself and with my classmates. And then, toward the end of three years of theological education at seminary, I was asked by the diocesan board of examining chaplains how I would succinctly describe who God is. My answer was brief, and I was not asked to elaborate. I said that God is unconditional love. Unconditional love. It seems like such a simple answer, yet it encompasses so much more than we could possibly describe in a lifetime. Unconditional love is the kind of love that surpasses all understanding, and yet, we have all experienced glimpses of its power in transforming lives; its wisdom in bringing about reconciliation; its inexplicable, indescribable presence in shifting our perspective when the circumstances of life don t matchup with our expectations. In describing God as unconditional love we are drawn into remembering our relationship with the Holy One in specific situations, through different phases of our lives. Our experiences of Jesus showing up is different every time, but our faith in his abiding presence sees us through life s joys, and sorrows, and challenges. We Episcopalians aren t exactly known for sharing our faith experiences openly with others. Perhaps it s because we have relied so long on the 17th Sunday after Pentecost (Yr B) Mark 8:27-38 The Rev. Monica Whitaker Page 2

3 teachings of the Anglican Communion that the foundations of our faith are upheld by the authoritative sources of scripture, tradition, and reason. It has only been in recent years that we have acknowledged that human experience has also helped shape those authoritative sources. And we in the Episcopal branch of the Jesus movement are just beginning to verbalize, with confidence and clarity, how our personal lived experiences intersect with scripture, tradition and reason. We who shrink from the idea of evangelism are learning that sharing our faith helps us recognize and respond to God s activity in our lives, and to value our diverse roles in the unfolding of salvation history. Last Thursday, at Gospel Coop, we reflected on the questions of Who do people say that Jesus is? and Who do you say that Jesus is? We found it easy to default into talking Churchspeak sharing words that are true yet based on orthodox doctrine, like savior and redeemer, and light and love, and Son of God. We even touched briefly on Trinitarian doctrine. And then we shared more from our hearts about who Jesus is for us personally and as a faith community. We shared about palpable experiences that revealed God s mysterious ways to reach us when we least expected it. We shared how Jesus guides us through difficult situations through the gift of the Holy Spirit and the gift of fellow sojourners. We shared how we yearn for Jesus to save us, rescue us, 17th Sunday after Pentecost (Yr B) Mark 8:27-38 The Rev. Monica Whitaker Page 3

4 and to fix uncomfortable situations and he does eventually, even when we are mad or frustrated at him. In all of our sharing, we were informed by doctrines and beliefs that we had been taught in earlier years, but our real lived experiences and the opportunities to witness with others reignited our faith in who Jesus is for us and the world. While the foundations of our faith may have been nurtured through personal prayer, corporate worship, Bible study and ministry, every aspect of our faith formation was and continues to be shaped by our desire to be in relationship with Jesus and all of God s creation. Our relationships with God and each other and all that God creates whether tangible or intangible is an opportunity to proclaim who Jesus is and share his work of resurrection in our own lifetimes for the sake of the Gospel, the Good News, now and beyond our lifetimes. Right now, our Vestry is contemplating how the Good News will be proclaimed by St. Andrew s over the next several years. And our delegates to convention are pondering what role the diocese might have in helping us build up the Body of Christ in Sedona and Arizona. And the candidates for bishop and our faith communities are discerning who God is calling to partner with us in being the Episcopal Church at this moment in time, in this particular context for Jesus sake and for the sake of the Gospel. 17th Sunday after Pentecost (Yr B) Mark 8:27-38 The Rev. Monica Whitaker Page 4

5 If you ve read any of the essays offered by our three bishop candidates, you probably noticed that they approach the questions differently. And yet, they are also unified by their love of God and desire to live the Good News. During Gospel Coop, we reflected on their responses to just the first question because it relates to this week s Gospel. The search committee asked the candidates, Who is God to you? - not to test them, or try to prove whether they belonged here, or to trip them us so they could be labeled heretics. Those were the tactics of many of the religious leaders of Jesus time. But Jesus asked this question of his disciples and we asked a similar question of our bishop candidates to become acquainted with how they have experienced the Holy One in their lives with their families, faith communities, neighbors, and strangers; in nature, music, poetry and art - and yes, in deepening their relationships with scripture, tradition, and reason. All of the candidates recognize the challenges and blessings of living in a secular and pluralistic society; in a time when we are reexamining and redefining what church looks like. But all of their responses reflected what it means for them to faithfully share in proclaiming the Good News for the love of God and God s love for all of us, in this and every generation. In all of our discipleship groups, despite of and because of our diverse perspectives and gifts, we are all being invited to respond to the question - Who do you say that Jesus is? - because who we say Jesus is, is revealed not 17th Sunday after Pentecost (Yr B) Mark 8:27-38 The Rev. Monica Whitaker Page 5

6 just at church on Sundays, or in our various ministries throughout the week but in our everyday lives, with everyday people in everyday encounters. Responding to the question, Who do you say that Jesus is? might seem like an impossible question to answer. But it is always there waiting to be answered again and again and again. Asking Who do you say that Jesus is? shouldn t be a question asked once or twice in our lives. It shouldn t be asked only of confirmands or seminarians, ordinands or bishop candidates. It is an open question, like and open invitation, for each one of us to explore throughout our lives for the sake of the Gospel; for the sake of Jesus th Sunday after Pentecost (Yr B) Mark 8:27-38 The Rev. Monica Whitaker Page 6