May 13, 2007 At Saint Mark in Norman, OK
Acts 15: 17-2, 22-29 + Revelation 21: 10-14, 22-23 -5 + John 14: 23-29
The struggle and the controversy we study in Acts of the Apostles did not end with the decision of Peter. It was resolved for that time in that place,
but it continues here and now with the same intensity and urgency. The discernment of what is required to be a member of the Christian Community continues. The principals established back then in Jerusalem are still valid for us, the details less applicable. No longer is it a matter of circumcision, and how and where we wash pots and pans according to the Mosaic Law. What cut through all of that was an awareness that prompted by the Holy Spirit that Jesus was revealing and offering a relationship, and that in the strength of that relationship, one would be known, recognized, and claimed by God and the Savior Christ Jesus. Our God is a God of relationship. The unique element that sets Christians off from every other religion is the Trinity — an expression of that God of Relationships. Our relationship with God exists because of his love, and our response which is our spirituality must be a response or a return of that love. Anything else is unhealthy, just as it would be in any relationship. It is not about fear, nor is about rewards or getting everything you want — that’s not mutual love.
Being in love with God means doing everything necessary to make the relationship grow and prosper. Once you make that kind of relationship your own, then there is no other choice than to live the Gospel completely not because God wants it and we’re afraid of what will happen if we don’t, but because it is right to do so.
If what Jesus reveals and proposes for us is a loving relationship with God, then we ought to be able manage that by the same means we maintain our relationships with others we love and others who love us. If you think it’s good and right to spend time with your husband or wife, with your children or your parents, or your best friends, would it not be the same with God? I wonder how many marriages would last or how many families would stay together is they got an hour a week of your time. Many work, and they work hard to give and provide for their loved ones, but God gets what is left over – and sometime only on occasion after every other “obligation” is taken care of. Minimalism is not the stuff that makes a relationship, and asking what I will get out of it is a sure path to being out of it.
Our diluted version of being Christ like gives us every reason to sit with these readings today and wonder once more what it takes to recognized as a follower of Jesus and claimed by God His Father. It takes more than knowing the Ten Commandments. It means living them and the Beatitudes as well. Jesus wasn’t fooling around when he said: “Love your enemies.” He didn’t hide the fact that those who were his own would look foolish and be made fun if not even killed.
What they sorted out back there in Jerusalem were the “life rules” that the community must follow in order to be what it is called to be. These shape the attitudes and behaviors of those who truly believe that Jesus rose from the dead. Their mouths were always to carry words of peace and not take up arm. They were asked to live simply and to consider each other’s needs. They were also to not have troubled hearts and live without fear. In a nutshell, that is the Gospel message, and if we take it seriously, it will have a tremendous impact on how we live. But there is a problem to be resolved. We treat each other badly. We sacrifice innocent lives. We seek money and power destroy the environment, develop land and natural resources for our personal gain, exploit the poor and ask God to bless our wars. We promote capital punishment, refuse to moderate our sexual behavior, turn our back on the poor and the sick while never raising a question on how much to spend for our “security”. We abuse and neglect animals, ignore our spiritual lives,
celebrate sacraments when convenient and disregard the voice of our church. What’s worse, we do this and still feel as though we are right with God.
Perhaps as we move toward Pentecost through these Easter Sundays, we might take a hard and good look at how we measure up to the Gospel, ask what we have put before God and what we have preferred over the Holy Eucharist. Pentecost is coming. Indicators of that Spirit’s presence in the lives of Christian people are public and unmistakable. Our faith and its consequences are not private matters. Being loved and loving in return changes everything.