John 8:21-32
John Lennon looked at a world of deceit and closed-mindedness and sang “All I want is the truth, Just gimme some truth…” Our gospel reading today speaks directly to that plea. There Jesus says, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (John 8:31b-32). But before we consider the question to be asked and answered we need to be sure that we understand Jesus’ intent.
To “continue in [Jesus’] word” and thus be a “true disciple” is about far more than claiming to be a Christian. It is a full-time commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, to the Word Incarnate, to the presence of God in the world transforming lives and pointing toward the coming reign of God in its fullness. It is to accept Jesus as the one who dies for our sins but who also calls on us to take up our crosses to follow him. It is to see in Jesus’ ministry a radical concern for the poor and the oppressed, the marginalized and those who have been cast out. It is to challenge the powers of this world with the light that “shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it” (1:5). Only in pouring ourselves out so that we may be filled anew by the Holy Spirit and guided by the will of God may can we be considered disciples of Jesus Christ in the fullest sense and therefore know the truth. As people of faith we face a true dilemma. On the one hand, we are confronted with a world that shrugs off our intentions and questions our motives, cynics and doubters who see little good in what we have to offer. On the other hand, we worship a Lord who confronts our half-hearted efforts to live in faithful obedience, offering forgiveness born of divine judgment. We often find ourselves somewhere in between, affirming the faith but not fully living it.
The good news is that Jesus’ words were not a final statement, but an opportunity to push ahead, to “continue on” in our lives of faith, welcoming each day as a new opportunity to serve God as witnessed to the gospel. It is, I believe, the willingness to struggle and to face the obstacles of faith that set us apart from the world. And it is this on-going commitment that leads finally to the truth that only God in Jesus Christ has to offer. The world is full of problems; as disciples we do our best when we do not lose heart but accept the grace we’ve been offered and remain steady in our devotion.
Prayer: Gracious God, may we live our lives in such a way that we offer hope to the world and glory to your name. Amen.
Showing posts with label John Lennon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label John Lennon. Show all posts
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Monday, January 21, 2013
Oh, Grow Up!
Ephesians 4:1-16
Our reading from the Letter to the Ephesians for today includes these words: “But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love” (Ephesians 4:15-16). For the author of Ephesians, a life in Christ begins and ends in love. There is a time and place for righteous anger, sorrow is an appropriate response to many events in our lives, joy and happiness are blessings, but all of our emotions and feelings must be bound up in love if we are to become the people God has called us to be. As John Lennon sang, “Love is the answer, and you know that for sure.”
Consider the inability of many in our world to regard others with even a modicum of respect. TV commentators, editorial writers, politicians, entertainers, heads of organizations and lobbying groups, neighbors, even some who claim to be serving the church seem completely incapable of loving those with whom they disagree. Tom Lehrer, the satirical singer/songwriter, has quipped, “…I know there are people in the world that do not love their fellow human beings and I hate people like that.” Point taken. How are we to respond to the anger and animosity of others? Is it not typical to get angry ourselves? Yes, but it shouldn’t be, and this is where the message of Ephesians might be boiled down to the simple call to “grow up!” For growing up in Christ means doing our very best to love one another as Christ first loved us. As we seek to love one another we will find ourselves less and less capable of causing each other pain. The challenge is to see and affirm what it is that makes a person—even someone with whom we differ greatly––lovable, and in doing so, to set aside our anger, our insults, our hatred and speak in terms that express our convictions but at the same time seek to build a community of dialogue.
Why would a member of the National Rifle Association ever say a kind word to a member of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence? Why would a liberal Democrat ever waste a compliment on a conservative Republican? Why? Because that is what God calls us to do. God challenges us to “grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ…”and that means to be “built up in love,” because “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son… Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” (John 3:16a, 17).
Prayer: Lord, help us to love one another just as you have loved and cared for us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Our reading from the Letter to the Ephesians for today includes these words: “But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love” (Ephesians 4:15-16). For the author of Ephesians, a life in Christ begins and ends in love. There is a time and place for righteous anger, sorrow is an appropriate response to many events in our lives, joy and happiness are blessings, but all of our emotions and feelings must be bound up in love if we are to become the people God has called us to be. As John Lennon sang, “Love is the answer, and you know that for sure.”
Consider the inability of many in our world to regard others with even a modicum of respect. TV commentators, editorial writers, politicians, entertainers, heads of organizations and lobbying groups, neighbors, even some who claim to be serving the church seem completely incapable of loving those with whom they disagree. Tom Lehrer, the satirical singer/songwriter, has quipped, “…I know there are people in the world that do not love their fellow human beings and I hate people like that.” Point taken. How are we to respond to the anger and animosity of others? Is it not typical to get angry ourselves? Yes, but it shouldn’t be, and this is where the message of Ephesians might be boiled down to the simple call to “grow up!” For growing up in Christ means doing our very best to love one another as Christ first loved us. As we seek to love one another we will find ourselves less and less capable of causing each other pain. The challenge is to see and affirm what it is that makes a person—even someone with whom we differ greatly––lovable, and in doing so, to set aside our anger, our insults, our hatred and speak in terms that express our convictions but at the same time seek to build a community of dialogue.
Why would a member of the National Rifle Association ever say a kind word to a member of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence? Why would a liberal Democrat ever waste a compliment on a conservative Republican? Why? Because that is what God calls us to do. God challenges us to “grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ…”and that means to be “built up in love,” because “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son… Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” (John 3:16a, 17).
Prayer: Lord, help us to love one another just as you have loved and cared for us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Until Then
Revelation 21:22-27
The old joke says that sin keeps ministers in business. That is only a joke (and not a very good one at that). The truth is that the church as the body of Christ exists to faithfully serve its Lord and Savior; clergy and laity alike share this responsibility (see my blog post from January 5, 2012 for more on that subject). The time is coming when there will be no need for the church as an institution for we will all dwell in the presence of the living God. We find such an assurance in our reading from Revelation for today. “I saw no temple in the city,” we read, “for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb” (Revelation 21:22-23).
Years ago John Lennon challenged his listeners to “Imagine” a world without boundaries or institutions. John, the writer of Revelation, is making essentially the same observation. In the coming reign of God there will be no need for religion as we know it, no place for governments or socio-economic classes. Even the elements of nature that we consider essential for life will become superfluous, all replaced by the glory of God and of the Lamb.
So, yes, I look forward to the day when the church is rendered obsolete, when symbols of earthly power and authority cease to have meaning. When that day comes God will stand alone in undiluted majesty and we will know life as it is intended to be.
Prayer: Lord, give us patience to await the day of your coming and the love we need to care for one another in the meantime. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Yes Is the Answer
2 Corinthians 1:12-22
In his song “Mind Games” John Lennon, the former Beatle, sings, “Yes is the answer, and you know that for sure. Yes is surrender, you gotta let it go.” What Lennon was saying was that the way to peace and reconciliation is through positive actions, affirmations, putting the other first. I think he was right, but only to a point.
Here’s how Paul said it: “For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who we proclaimed among you…was not ‘Yes and No’; but in him it is always ‘Yes.’ For in him every one of God’s promises is a ‘Yes’” (2 Corinthians 1:19-20). For Paul it all comes back to the promises of God which are always fulfilled. Indeed, Jesus is God’s way of saying “Yes” to the world in all of its pain and suffering, all of its sin and apathy. It is not an affirmation of the way things are, but a challenge to live to a higher standard, to do it God’s way. Are we forgiven? In Jesus Christ, Yes. Has death been defeated? In Jesus Christ, Yes. Is there reason for hope? In Jesus Christ, Yes. Is God’s will to be done “on earth as it is in heaven”? In Jesus Christ, Yes. In the mean time we are to embrace the “Yes” of God as disciples of Jesus Christ, and live toward peace and reconciliation as best we can. That’s the part John Lennon got right.
In the days ahead, as you engage in conversations at work or school, as you respond to difficult circumstances or are confronted by conflict, give thought to what God’s “Yes” might mean in those situations. And then live that “Yes” as a disciple of Jesus Christ. By God’s grace we will find “Yes” really is the best answer.
Prayer: Lord, help us to live as your people, expressing your divine love to the world and sharing the grace of your gospel. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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