As I was meditating on these passages, I was trying to find a link between them.
In the Gospel of John, Jesus is clear about who he is….as he says… “I and the Father are One”. And… “When you see me, you see the father”….
That’s called a high Christology. It is beginning of the basis of the Trinity…God in 3 persons…Father, Son & Holy Spirit.
The culminating line…Jesus says: “I am the Way, the Truth & the Life, no one comes to the Father but by me”.
A definitive word that is both a powerful foundation and a massive stumbling block.
Foundation for countless Christians through the ages. A stumbling block to many thinking people who find it exclusionary & narrow.
Not only is it drawing a distinction from other faith groups…particularly Jews. But also all of the other religions of the NearEast
And, on top of that. Many feel it is drawing a disctinction with other early Christian groups.
It is clear & direct. Jesus is the Way. Jesus is the Foundation. Jesus is Divine.
God-Made-Flesh.
In 1 Peter, we get a similar feel. Let me read it again…
4Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and 5like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6For it stands in scripture: “See, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” 7To you then who believe, he is precious; but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the very head of the corner,” 8and “A stone that makes them stumble, and a rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. 9But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
So, what are we to say? I think the answer is clear: “Jesus is Lord!”
Jesus is the Way…for me.
And perhaps that last bit is vital. I don’t doubt many other people and paths have some kind of relations with God and connect to Spiritual Energy & Vitality.
But, I simply say… “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”. And I invite you to say the same…
There is much we don’t understand, but let us with simple mind and heart…affirm Jesus as Lord.
Let him be for us our Spiritual Foundation.
Let him be for us the “Living Stone” of our lives.
There is much worse we could do. Faith in Jesus…lead us into paths of righteousness. Leads us into truth, wisdom, virtue, compassion. A life of faith in the Rock, will give us an anchor in every storm.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a Lutheran pastor, theologian & writer was martyred in WW 11. He wrote: "Faith means the finding and holding fast of this foundation: the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It means casting anchor upon it and being held fast by it. Faith means founding my life upon a foundation which is outside myself, upon an eternal and holy foundation, upon Christ."
In Baptism, we affirm this faith. Not just the family of the one being baptized, but all of us
Jesus is our Rock, our Fortress, our Guide.
And because of our faith, we become new people. We have a new ethic…An ethic of Love. An ethic of Grace. An ethic of Forgiveness.
I end with these two thoughts…
Around 125 A.D. Aristides, the philosopher, described the early Christian community to the Roman Emperor Hadrian like this:
“They love one another. They never fail to help widows; they save orphans from those who hurt them. If they have something, they give freely to the person who has nothing; if they see a stranger, they take him home as a brother or sister in the spirit, the Spirit of God.”
That’s who we are--or at least, that’s who we’ve been called to be.
If Jesus is the Foundation of our life, maybe we too would live like that.
Finally…A young Christian was returning from a retreat. Waiting for him was his boss who was always criticizing & belittling him. “Out skiving again,” the boss cuttingly greeted, “and in spite of all your costly retreats you still look no different to me.” The young Christian paused, smiled and murmured, ‘Ah, maybe; but you look different to me.”
When Jesus comes into our Hearts & is the foundation of our lives, all looks different to us! Amen.
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1 comment:
Tim, I loved that story about the young Christian and his boss. So true! So hard to remember that is the point.
About six or seven years ago I was working on an AA convention that was coming to Philly, and I tell you, it was the most trying time of my life. One of the guys on the committee actually said, "I wish you people would just let go of control and let me do everything!" It was so challenging to constantly bend to accommodate everyone else when they weren't doing the same for me. I remember screaming at my sponsor, "Why do I have to do all this work and changing my behavior when they do nothing!" and she said because it was my JOB. And, as you said, after I did the work, they began to look different to me. Eventually, I could say, "This is a sick man. I should pray for him." Instead of being angry and reactionary all the time.
Well, sometimes at least. :)
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