Sermon – Sunday, August 23, 2009
Text: John 6:56-69
Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever." 59 He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum. 60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, "This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?" 61 But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were complaining about it, said to them, "Does this offend you? 62 Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 63 It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But among you there are some who do not believe." For Jesus knew from the first who were the ones that did not believe, and who was the one that would betray him. 65 And he said, "For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Father." 66 Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him. 67 So Jesus asked the twelve, "Do you also wish to go away?" 68 Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."
Sometimes the cross is not good news.
For some of us, the cross is a difficult encounter – it is far from what we would expect and can offend us.
It challenges our ideas, our conceptions, and our notions of how things ought to be.
It proclaims that the least of us will be lifted up – which leads those of us who are not among the least, the lost, and the forsaken to wonder what that means for us.
The cross challenges our understanding of how to be people of God and what that means in this time and place.
It challenges the choices we make including how we use money, care for others, and what we eat.
It challenges our very place in life.
Sometimes, it seems, the cross is not good news – especially when it means giving up what we believe to have been earned or what belongs solely to us.
It can be perceived as anything but good news when it means changing the way we live.
And the cross is particularly challenging when we don’t understand – when things remain a mystery.
Which is exactly how we encounter Jesus’ disciples in today’s Gospel text.
Some of those who have been following Jesus, listening to his sermons, eating the food he has miraculously provided, watching him heal person after person, still have problems understanding what it is he is talking about.
Jesus is the bread of life – the one sent from heaven so that all may have life.
It doesn’t make much sense and they find it difficult to understand.
Just like the Jews did only moments before, some of the disciples, those who were following Jesus begin to grumble that this teaching is too difficult.
Not just the Jews, but those very people who have followed Jesus around, who have thought there is something more to him than simply being the son of Mary and Joseph or the kid from Nazareth.
But when he hears these disciples are beginning to complain, Jesus does not comfort them. Instead he pushes them a bit more.
Does this offend you?
“Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?” (John 6:62)
What if you were to see him lifted up on a cross? That’s really the question Jesus is asking them.
If you think the bread of life is a difficult, offensive teaching – then wait until you see the Son of Man lifted up on a cross.
While we’re very much used to the idea of the cross as God’s saving action, these are people who cannot imagine the horror of such an instrument of death to display God’s glory.
They do not understand.
Because sometimes the cross is difficult, sometimes it is offensive.
So they leave – they walk away.
Because it’s easy to walk away from what we don’t understand, what we don’t like, what we find to be difficult.
And I have to admit that today I stand before you as one who does not understand.
I spent most of this past week in Minneapolis at the ELCA Churchwide Assembly.
If you read the article in yesterday’s Washington Post, have been keeping up with the Assembly on the web, or have heard from others – then you know by now the Assembly adopted a new social statement on human sexuality and voted to open ordination to those in committed same-gender relationships.
These two votes, only two among many this past week, are the cause of many mixed feelings among people in the ELCA right now.
I watched on Wednesday as the social statement was adopted by the narrowest vote possible – 66.67%.
I also watched all the mixed emotions of people following the vote – tears of joy from those who thought they were once far off from the church and now feel included.
I heard some cry out in pain following the vote, those who cannot understand how such a statement endorsing same-gender relationships could be part of God’s plan.
And others simply sat there in stunned silence.
Those same emotions carried into the next day and then again into Friday when the ministry policies were changed to allow those in committed, loving, monogamous, same-gender relationships to serve as Rostered leaders by a 55% vote.
And these emotions, all of them, have carried into how we treat the “other.”
I have heard people who endorse the change refer to those who do not as intolerant.
I’ve also heard those against the change say those who want it do not believe in scripture or don’t love God.
And I am certain there will be people in every congregation of the ELCA who hear this morning’s Gospel text and believe it is those they disagree with who are walking away from Jesus.
Some will argue that the decision to allow partnered, gay clergy is the difficult word driving some to consider leaving the ELCA while others will argue the 55% who voted for the change have already left.
But that is simply not the case.
Neither group has left.
And yet in many ways, both groups have already chosen to walk away.
Both groups continue to say to Jesus that they have come to know he is the Holy One of God.
But by refusing to listen, refusing to empathize with the struggle of their brother or sister in Christ, they too have walked away.
Unfortunately, this week a lot of people felt like winners and losers. Some people felt their faith had been ripped from them, taken away because 55% voted to change the ministry policies of the larger church body, while others found new life given to their faith.
All of this because each of these people very much loves Jesus and wants to do what is right. It’s just that they, we, are not in agreement as to what the “right” thing is.
But it does not mean that we have to walk away from one another and away from Jesus.
Instead it means we must do exactly the opposite – be together in the midst of this.
The reality is that none of us is God – no matter how much we think we’re right, we need to be able to extend a bit of grace and care to our brothers and sisters who do not agree with us. Acknowledging that we may not have the right answer.
And we must also acknowledge that all of us, at times, have walked away from Jesus because it was the easy thing to do.
We’ve walked away, choosing instead to follow the god of money and greed. Or choosing to trust in ourselves more than Jesus.
We’ve walked away from Jesus because of a sense of pride – because the possibility that we may be wrong is too much to accept.
But in the midst of all of this, even when we’ve not remained committed to Jesus, he has remained committed to us.
He called us while we were sinners, no requirements to have it all figured out or to understand everything before we are able to follow him.
In fact it seems to be exactly the opposite – that only by following him do we even begin to understand.
And when we still don’t understand, when we stick our feet in our mouths, he stays in it with us, continuing to love us despite our fears and failings.
Even Simon Peter, the guy who always seems to have his foot in his mouth, realizes this.
“Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:68-69)
We have come to believe…
We did not believe when you first called us…
Or even after the first couple of days…
It’s only been after waking with you for a while… talking with you… that we realize you have the words of eternal life.
Words that challenge…
Words that love…
Words of life…
It is those same words we hear now – words we need to hear from both Jesus and our fellow brothers and sisters.
Words of love and words of challenge.
Words of life from each other, that we love each other enough not to leave just because something is difficult or we don’t understand.
Words that say we’re committed to figuring this out together – this offensive, often difficult act of understanding why our God would be so committed to a frail creation by being ultimately frail on a cross.
Words that remind us we need to stay in this together because we are the one body of Christ, and can only be together.
While Wednesday evening seemed to bring division among those at the Assembly, Thursday morning was a time of unity as we all worshiped together.
The same people who clapped at the adoption of the social statement and those who cried prayed side-by-side that morning.
We all sang hymns together and came to Christ’s table together.
At the table on Thursday we ate Christ’s body, broken for each of us, and drank Christ’s blood, shed for us. Each of us, all of us eating the bread of life together.
One body, one faith – no matter the disagreements between us.
Called there by the head of that body, Jesus Christ who remains committed to us, even to death.
Sometimes the cross doesn’t seem like good news, and in many ways it isn’t. But this morning it is.
It is a sign of a God who cares enough to get involved with the world, a God who does not walk away, a God who loves us despite our failure to understand, and a God who unifies us despite our disagreements.
Yes, the cross is good news this morning.
