"The Meaning of Life" March 22, 2015

On pulpits throughout the country there are brass plaques which as inspiration to the preacher state: “Sir, we would see Jesus!” On our pulpit there is a Post-it Note: “March Madness, Round 3, and Syracuse does not get to play.” The fact of the matter being that while “We would see Jesus” was intended as inspiration to reveal the Savior to us, to make the Scriptures palatable, the goal of worship is not to make us into Greeks, or to lift a single phrase out of context, but to know the Holy Spirit, to know Christ, to know God, and to know as frustrating and disappointing as life circumstances can be, we will not be left hopeless. Someone gave me a bumper-sticker that says: “What if what it's all about IS the Hokey Pokey?” There are times when all we are prepared for is putting our toe in, other times when being part of a team everyone puts in their left hand to say “GO TEAM,” times when we greet strangers by extending our right in friendship, times when we show our backsides to others, times when we are willing to commit to putting our whole self in, and the times in between each, when we turn ourselves round and round, trying to figure out what to do. I have been intrigued by a recent commercial in which people are asked to place a yellow sticker for circumstances of loss or tragedy, and a blue post-it note for positive ones. The announcer comments on our futures being virtually all hopeful, and the past being a mixture with as many losses as gains. This morning we are addressing the assessment of the meaning of our lives, and hope for the future. One minister colleague used to describe his greatest fear, was that the churches he had served, the places where he had been a leader and made sacrifices, would be forgotten. For many of us, there is an expectation that gold stars from our past, should count for something when there are hardships and doubts, like a Get Out of Jail Free card, but often people have moved on forgetting what has been when new crises come. The tragedy for this minister was that late in life, his own loss of memories meant that he forgot who people were, what events had happened, even who he was. My father had a BS, 3 Masters in Engineering from Syracuse, a M. Divinity, an MA in Counseling and EBD for a PhD in Education. When he died, I had been researching our family's genealogy, and it occurred to me that throughout life we try to amass degrees, stories and accomplishments, so that when we die we might win at having the best obituary, for the meaning of our lives; yet in successive generations, who we become is simply a place marker in the lineage, if remembered at all. Whom we married, who were our parents and children; all the stories, accomplishments and academic degrees are interesting anecdotes, but really not helpful to the genealogy, as we are reduced to being our Christian names. We mentioned on Ash Wednesday, how odd it is that throughout life there are two times when our Christian Names are used, at sacred occasions our Baptisms, Confirmations, Graduations, Weddings and Funerals; and when we are in trouble. There seems to be something important in that when we have sinned, when we have gotten into trouble, are linked to our sacred identity before God. One of the lessons we learn doing Bible Study of the New Testament, is that the Letters: Corinthians, Ephesians, Galatians,... actually were written and circulated long before the writing of the Gospels. The Gospel of Mark was not published until roughly 40 years after Jesus crucifixion at the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD, the Gospel of John after that. SO what was known and meaningful about the life of Jesus, so much of value that throughout history people have called themselves Christians, is that Jesus suffered and died on the Cross for us. As described in the Apostles' Creed: “He was born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried and rose again on the third day.” Everything else, the Parables he taught, the Healings, the institution of Baptism and Communion, all are remembered through relationship to what Jesus names in today's Gospel as being “Glorified.” This is a wonderful story, only preserved by the Gospel of John. At the Passover in Jerusalem, there were some Greeks, Gentiles, non-Jews, who had come for the festival, much as people today go to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, or Times Square for New Years Eve. While at Passover in Jerusalem, they heard stories of Jesus raising Lazarus from the tomb. So they found Phillip, who was from their home town of Bethsaida, and asked of him “Sir, we would see Jesus!” While their statement is much like “We want to take a Selfie with this historic figure,” instead of inviting them in, Jesus recognizes this as a transition point between his having been Rabbi and Healer to his being the Sacrifice for the Sin of the world, but even more that this is a defining moment disclosing his purpose and identity. Having been the great teacher of Parables, Jesus begins with a parable. A seed is just a seed, and could be kept and preserved as a seed for years. But if a seed is planted in the earth, the seed dies in order to reveal the real purpose of the seed, in germination to sprout and grow producing many kernels or seeds from every one planted. How many sermons have been preached about passing the point of no return, facing a circumstance that changed your identity? I remember mountain climbing with the Boy Scouts, and hoping to just make it to the plateau, so I could gracefully tell the group this was not my thing and good bye, but when we reached the plateau I realized there was no way back down, only ahead for seven more days and 50 more miles. I recall a mother describing having brought her baby home from the hospital laying it on the bed and saying “I don't know nothing about raising babies!” There was a Mother of a child with serious illness of birth, who had prayed that either the illness be taken away, or if not then the child, and instead God had given her a church of support to work through what she needed. Like so many Parables, the disciples do not understand, so Jesus shifts to speaking personally. This is my purpose, this is what I have longed for and come to do, but if I could ask that this cup pass before me, and I not have to die, while I would prefer that, I know it is better for you that I should fulfill this purpose. Courage is not about being without fear. Courage is doing what you are most afraid of doing because you know it is yours to do. I love this passage in John, because it is one of the most human expressions by Jesus. Somehow we have this image of his willingly becoming this sacrifice, but here he names his fears and doubts and still his faith in God. Ultimately, Jesus speaks to God about his glorification. Naming his loss and fears, a voice of assurance comes saying “This I have done, and will do again!” John has this wonderful description that no one else heard or understood it, some thought it was thunder and lightning. How often we are in our own world, hearing the narrative of our lives and we do not pay attention to the signs and wonders going on around us. But Jesus sacrifice, the death of the Messiah for us all, demonstrates what the Prophet Jeremiah described. With Abraham and Sarah, God had made a Covenant. God will be God and we would be the people of God following where God led. But in successive generations the family struggled with relationship. With Moses, God made a Covenant to lead the people, all they/we needed do was follow the Commandments as law. But we broke the laws. For over two hundred years after the time of King Solomon, the people played games, hid their true feelings. The nation made political alliances with other nations and other gods. They sacrificed to fertility idols. SO God sent the people into exile. But as was demonstrated in the prophecy of Hosea, even though God had sent them away, God still loved them, God ached for their redemption and reclaiming. SO here in Jeremiah, God prophesies a new covenant with Israel. That every person would know the Lord in their heart. HG Wells described “In the heart of every person is a 'god-shaped piece'. We were born with an inherent understanding of the divine expectation.” No longer is there any need for people to judge one another or say “Know the Lord” because everyone will know the Lord. BUT still they will violate trust and God will forgive. Not that our suffering causes God to act, but that even when we have broken the Covenants, when we suffer, God will not leave us hopeless. I do not know if you have been watching but Matt Lauer of the TODAY Show and Ellen DeGeneres have been playing pranks upon one another. Every prank leads to the other getting even, to the point where after a series of pranks, one said to the other “Now it is Game On, look out!” That is our habit in life, we respond insult with insult, competition with competition. You get a lawyer, I get a lawyer. But this new Covenant prophesied in Jeremiah, fulfilled in Jesus, is that the Powers of this World have lost all power, because the debt of sin was already paid for us. No longer is there need for fear of whether we measure up as Good enough for Heaven, or in need of suffering, or purgatory or limbo, because Christ died for us. The proof and assurance for us, is in our own lives. All we need do is stop and consider. All we need do is turn ourselves around, and decide if we are going to put our whole selves in, or take our whole selves out?