Seeing: Ourselves and God
Holy Cross Day, September 14, 2014
I Cors. 1:18-4 with Numbers 21:4b-9 & John 3:13-17 in b.g.)
A lot of what we do as Christians seems pretty crazy, illogical, even foolish. Do you know what I mean? This morning you could have chosen to stay in bed, go, play some golf, watch football or head off with someone you cherish to IHOP for some pancakes. But instead you have come here to worship God, and to give an offering to the mission of the church. Of course you could have also stayed home and watched "church" or chosen to view a movie that's escapist or outrageously funny. But instead you have come here to hear of God and the reality of our human condition.
But fewer and fewer people (in North America) are doing what you have chosen to do today. We live in such a beautiful place that has so many opportunities. Why be part of a Christian community? Why come to hear a middle aged preacher speak on ancient texts? Why come to break bread and share wine with others, others whom you may otherwise not associate with? Why make the sign of the cross upon yourself?
Why indeed?
We live in one of the wealthiest nations in the world. For most of us here, life is good. We can travel. We have beautiful homes. We have an abundance of material goods – opportunities and privileges that even our parents and grandparents never dreamed of. We have credit cards, credit lines. In many ways the world is our oyster. We are tempted: to believe that we are self-sufficient, even independent. Who needs God?
But are we, self sufficient? What if the one we love the most betrays us? What if one or more of our friends deserts or betrays us? What if we are involved in an accident and suddenly can no longer work, walk, think or remember? What if illness strikes us or those we love?
Honestly facing our own thoughts, feelings, perceptions and privileges, can we seriously say that we are self-sufficient?
As a pastor and specifically your pastor, I often am confronted with the inescapable reality that none of us are self sufficient. Globally we are just beginning to come to terms with this. There are consequences to our repeatedly taking from this earth and others without restoring, giving and sharing. There are consequences to arrogantly believing that we are self sufficient without considering where all of this is leading us. Are we concerned for those who will come "after us"?
As a pastor and your pastor, I do hear confessions: both my own and others. I am privileged to hear people as they trust me with their joys and struggles, hopes and dreams, greatest disappointments, personal brokenness and reconciliation. We are anything but self-sufficient! Our hearts are often restless – even when, perhaps especially when we "have" so much.
Augustine was right centuries ago when he said (paraphrasing here) that our hearts are restless until they find their rest in God.
We have a built in need to walk in harmony, closeness with God, the creator of the universe, our Creator. Until and unless we do so walk, we frequently run around like chickens with their heads cut off, or like rats in a maze. Then we live with delusion. We make attempts at pretense: that we are someone, something else than what and who we actually are.
How can we walk closer, in harmony with God? Can we human beings, creatures of the earth, do anything to "make" this happen?
Many say YES – pray this way; fast; give at least ten per cent of everything you make to charities; go off on a retreat; seek out a spiritual advisor; get away for awhile. Others say study, read, learn different languages. Still others decide to ingest chemicals. All of these "ways" suggest their proponents, will lead us beyond ourselves to "discover" God.
But, can a worm "know" me, have a mutual relationship with me, even if it crawls up my leg? Can we who are finite, broken, know the infinite holy God because of things we do or undertake?
The Scriptures repeatedly tell us that God miraculously, steadfastly reaches out to us! Yes, God seeks us! So, St. Paul says, "We proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God."
Christ crucified: executed by being hung on a cross even as he is spat upon, stripped, publicly ridiculed by the powers that be. The Jewish people saw such an execution as a curse in the same way we would view one who is executed in an electric chair, through lethal injection or by hanging as being "cursed". Aren't they getting what they deserve? Moreover, how could such execution bring new life with God and others to anyone?
No wonder that Jesus' own people had problems believing that his going to the cross would make any difference for them in their relationship with God. No wonder that the learned of that day saw Jesus' cross as nonsense. Surely, if God dare become a human being God wouldn't be born in a backwoods town. Surely God wouldn't allow God's own self to be spat upon, shamed, stripped and murdered by mere mortals. God wouldn't do that. God couldn't do that!
But here's the miracle. God takes all the powers of evil, death and human rebellion into and on God's own self in the cross of Jesus. This is so contrary to human "ways" that many reject this as being impossible or the ruminations of the "religiously naive".
Yet, we desperately need God. We need to God to enter into our "stuff": the crap we get ourselves into, the sometimes horrific thoughts we direct towards others, the hurtful things that others do to us. How we can hurt those whom we love, including creation. How we are hurting! Can you hear the groaning right now? From floods and droughts, to wars and betrayal.
Many ask, "Where is God?" They either believe that there is not any God. Or, they are convinced that is there is a god, that god must function in their image: to reward those whom they approve, to hate those whom they hate, to deliver them from any and all serious suffering. They think that they are pretty "good" people. Can we identify with such thinking?
But such a "god" is no God. Such a "god" is some creation of their or our minds, desires, ill conceived dreams.
Instead, the one and only God, the Creator of the universe becomes a human being, born of a young girl in a backwoods place. As He grows this Jesus reaches out to everyone – to honestly care. He reaches out to all because He loves. Loving so much he empties himself of his power. The powers that be cannot stand the truth, the reality that they are not god, nor in control. So, they nail this God in the flesh to a tree. On that cross we see both God in the flesh and ourselves. Our hatred, our fear, our apathy, our belief that the power of death is what wins – all can be seen right there. His words both affirm and confound us. "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" ... "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." ... "It is finished."
In our darker moments we think, "That's it, that's 'life'. Death is the end. Violence is often the means. If we are lucky, we can avoid both for as long as possible."
But such thinking is a lie. Death is not the end. Death: to ourselves – our selfishness, fear, hatred, apathy, consuming anger and drives to get 'more' – is God's means to God's end. God's purpose, God's end, is new life with God, with each other, with creation.
The cross of Jesus shows us all that, points us to all that and draws us to God. We cannot escape the truth of ourselves as we see the cross. But there, at the cross, we also are encountered by the love of God – our hope!
For the cross is God's wisdom. God knows how to draw us in. God shows us ourselves and then lovingly moves us beyond ourselves to God. On the third day. Yes, on the third day, Jesus is raised from death, hatred and violence. He speaks to us, "Don't be afraid. See my wounds. Go and tell!"
Could God loves us? Could God forgive us? Could God enable even us, as broken as we are to both experience and share new life? Yes, oh yes, my people. See the cross of Christ. Live from that One. For as crazy as this seems to us, it is God's way, to new life for us and the world. Amen.