One on One With Christ
- Terry Sweeney
- Aug 2, 2009
August 2, 2009
John 6:24-35
The Rev. W. Terry Sweeney
“The proclamation of what had been heard, seen and felt was part of The Word of Life, the Gospel of Christ . . . the Gospel announces and offers life in Christ. The genitive of LIFE in the fourth Gospel means “life giving” (Light of Life, Bread of Life, Living Water). The revelation proclaims that which it includes; it has, announces, gives life. This audible, visible and tangible apprehension of that which was from the beginning was possible to human beings only because (for) the life appeared.” John R. W. Stott, The Letters of John, p. 66
John 6:51, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven.”
In the Name of God: + Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
We’ve been gone for so long I feel like I have to reintroduce myself to you J We enjoy our visits to Tennessee and this year was no exception – we took a few good hikes and on two successive days were driving back to our place and ran across a bear standing in the road . . . great fun.
As you know our first week away GC09 was in session and the HOB and HOD passed two resolutions in particular that were extremely disturbing: One deals with ordination, up to the episcopate, of openly, active gay/lesbian persons and the second resolution dealt with the development of “resources” a.k.a. liturgies for same-sex unions/marriages.
I wrote a letter to you about these resolutions stating our position as a church, vestry and me as your rector – I had understood that I would be called and we would have a brief opportunity to discuss this as we’ve done when mission teams went to Uganda but for some reason that did not happen.
We also ran an “Open Letter to the Community” piece in the Catonsville Times to state our position publicly. That has been met with no response, at least thus far.
Our vestry will discuss these issues beginning this month and invite the entire congregation into a dialogue with us very soon – no decisions will be made in a vacuum inasmuch as this is an issue for all of us.
NOW – I want to move away from that and address another issue which also was addressed at the very opening of GC09 by KJS: I want to address the journey of becoming a follower of Christ.
I want to address it individually and corporately and this might take me awhile inasmuch as it is a sermon that depicts a journey as well as a defining moment for many.
The text comes from John 6:24 and following and I’d like to begin by going back a month ago to the opening of GC09 and the address given by KJS to the convention delegates.
I was at the GC09 opening address when this was said by KJS as she described what she characterized as the “United States church in crisis”.
[The “crisis” is the elephant in the room that she won’t address, namely that evangelical, orthodox Christians are leaving liberal denominations and forming themselves around biblical principles . . . the crisis is that they have the gall to say theology and the bible are important enough to stand-up for and be counted. As a consequence, the coffers of liberal denominations like TEc are dwindling so they have to layoff staff, close churches and cut back on programs. The TEc budget was reduced by 30% and 37 persons were laid off after GC09, even though the budget for litigation was raised to 4 million dollars. . . . so she’s ticked off and looking for a way to marginalize orthodox believers . . . . . the dreaded Evangelicals!]
She went on to say that the overarching connection to problems facing Episcopalians has to do with "the great Western heresy – that we can be saved as individuals; that any of us alone can be in right relationship with God. It's caricatured in some quarters by insisting that salvation depends on reciting a specific verbal formula about Jesus, individualist focus is a form of idolatry, for it puts me and my words in the place that only God can occupy, at the center of existence, as the ground of being."
I’m not always the quickest person in the room – so I sat there wondering if I had really just heard what I thought I’d heard – then it dawned on me that she did say what I thought she had said!
Yes she actually did she said that turning to Jesus once we recognize that we are sinners and asking for His forgiveness through a prayer is individually selfish and the worship of a false god.
That’s when I started to feel a deep and overwhelming pall of sorrow for her and TEc.
The shortest response that comes to me is that she has not read Romans 10:9, “Because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is LORD and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”
I also think of John 5:24, “Truly, truly (verily, verily) I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.”
Christianity has always been grounded on a sinner being given the grace to accept Christ in faith as their personal Savior who shed His blood on Calvary for his/her sins and thereby in faith that person acknowledges their sin, asks for forgiveness and accepts Christ into their lives as LORD.
Matthew 1:21, Gabriel speaking to Joseph in a dream: She (Mary) will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
His Incarnation – His shed blood – His death – His resurrection – His ascension – His coming again . . . . faith in Him as the One who came into the world to save it . . . . crucial to understand
That moment of faith, whether we remember exactly when it happens or not, happens to everyone who follows Christ – in fact that moment may be deepened as faith is renewed and strengthened.
So, if KJS has read these or similar verses she obviously doesn’t believe them. . . .
Additionally, the theme of GC09 was UBUNTU – an African term which roughly translates to “I am because we are”. It sounds nice – warm –friendly – inviting – even philosophically religious.
I have nothing against community – I take exception to the theme knowing the underlying message is humanism – postmodern – post-Christian- post-truth loaded with really ugly stereotypes.
We as Christ followers have to invite unbelievers, skeptics, lost souls into our community and show them real-time what a Christian community looks like, feels like, acts like.
The error of UBUNTU in the context of GC09 is this: the Gospel says, “I am because Jesus IS; without Jesus I am not.” Because we are the body of Christ – that is because as individuals we have been called (Jn. 6:44 – No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him) and saved (Romans 10:9) and given life in and through Jesus Christ.
What seems to me to be the case here is that the real crises within “The Church Universal” is that in pockets, especially in wealthy regions such as USA and Europe, it has turned from scripture, tradition and reason and turned to cultural experience and wants.
In other words, the culture has shaped the church to the point it’s quickly becoming a Unitarian, supra-social service agency and not the harbinger of the life changing and life giving Gospel of Jesus Christ.
It’s been claimed that in North America “Most people already are followers of another ‘religion’ – the religion of American is spirituality – and that they therefore may currently believe that there is a God, that He or she loves everyone, that all people go to heaven unless they are really bad like Hitler, and that spiritual life is important for personal peace. . . thus when people hear about Jesus, the gospel and turning away from sin, they filter it through their existing religion”.
11 Innovations in the Local Church, p. 210
The result is more often than not disbelief – because they in some real sense have a “different god” – misunderstand Jesus – don’t understand their personal need for conversion – and don’t understand the eternal implications of their misunderstanding.
So the crises as KJS describes it isn’t because of “personal salvation” but because of the inclusion of false gods and cultural theology that misrepresents the Gospel of Christ and who HE really is.
It’s in this context that I want to look at John 6:24-35 this morning.
Jesus is found to have fed thousands with five barley loaves and two fish. Later in the evening the disciples got into a boat and headed across the lake to Capernaum – a storm arose and after they had rowed about three miles they saw Jesus walking across the water toward them. They were frightened – Jesus called out to them – got into the boat and the winds calmed down and immediately the boat came to its destination.
John says the thousands Jesus fed remained overnight at or near the place Jesus fed them –
John tells us a large crowd followed Jesus because of the signs that he was doing on the sick (6.2)
Matthew’s gospel says it was getting late and they were in a desolate place (14.15)
This crowd is filled with awe and wonder over Jesus – to the point Jesus was afraid they would try to make him a king. . . .
Here’s a key point: who did they think Jesus was? What did they believe about him? What did they expect from him? They had already developed a type of “faith” in him, but was it the faith He wanted them to have? Well evidently not because of the dialogue that follows.
The crowd determined that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there so they got into their boats and left for Capernaum
The next day the people (who are now hungry again – material food fills us and in a few hours we need food again – the same is true with water) so the people are looking for Jesus . .
When they found Him they asked Him an icebreaker question: when did you get here?
He answered by addressing the real need in their hearts: Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.
They saw their great need was to have physical food and Jesus saw an even greater need and that was to believe in Him . . . . What good does it do a man to gain the world but lose his soul?
He doesn’t ignore their physical needs – obviously his encounter with the woman at the well is an example.
He heals the sick – casts out demons – feeds the poor but does this as a sign of who He is and to bring them to faith in Him as Savior and Lord NOT as an earthly king who can give them what they want, when they want it.
Jesus implores them to strive for the heavenly food that comes from the Father:
He says in v. 32 “. . . my Father gives you the true bread from heaven; for the Bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. They said, Sir, give us this bread always.”
The bread Jesus speaks of is himself – we are to take within us the Bread of Heaven – Jesus who IS life and gives life and turns our darkness into life.
Jesus keeps on insisting that if we eat His flesh and drink His blood we will have life within us.
This incident takes place at the time of the Passover . . . . perhaps Jesus is looking forward to the last Passover meal with His disciples and the breaking of the bread and the drinking of the cup.
When He speaks of his flesh and blood, that is literally impossible and not literally what He was saying. We know that Rabbi’s sometimes spoke in hyperbole to make a point – so what is the point?
Jesus is both God and Man – he holds a duality of persons that is melded into one. He is intimate with His Father and the Father with Him. To see Him is to see the Father. To Love Him is to Love the Father. . . the two cannot be separated.
He says then He is The Bread of Life which has come down from heaven – in other words He brings sustenance and IS sustenance – life is IN Him and IS Him at the same time.
We need food to live – He’s saying He is the ultimate, essential food of life!
v. 57, “as the Living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me.”
To believe in Him is to have Him as one’s life – the gain we have is that this bread has come from heaven (the Incarnation) to do His father’s will which is “to lose nothing of all that has been given to me, but raise it up at the last day.” V. 39.
So to know Him is life – and out of God’s graciousness He gives us both His word (we call the Bible) and the sacrament of Communion (His body and blood in the bread and wine) as both physical and spiritual feeding. . . . the Bread of Heaven and the Cup of Salvation.
Jesus invites those who know Him through faith to the Passover meal week after week – to eat his flesh and drink his blood and to receive the spiritual benefits of faith in Christ Jesus.
You see Jesus fed 5,000 – He told 120 to wait for the HS to come - He discipled 12 – and He mentored 3. . . . . He came into a large world and gave his life for it.
Yet it always boils down to Him and one of us – one on one with Jesus.
Personal conversion! Receiving the gift of Life giving faith is the crux of our life as individuals and as a community. One person bringing another – as Andrew did with Peter – to meet Jesus.
Jesus’ real concern is to reveal who He really is to the people and one by one, person by person – by grace through faith turn to Jesus as Lord and Savior.
The signs were a vehicle to bring people to faith in Him.
They started off thinking he was a miracle worker, a super Rabbi, someone who could take little and feed many to their fill! Who wouldn’t want to follow him around? But he says there is more – something heavenly about his kingdom – it involved life eternal – reconciliation with God the Father – it means forgiveness – it means grace and not law – it means his death and shed blood – it means following him to the cross and dying with him and rising with him. . . it means faith.
In Virginia one of our members was a man named Joel. Joel was a mining engineer – smart – great guy – agnostic and struggling because his wife was a person of faith and she wanted the kids baptized and suggested that Joel be baptized with his children. Joel was invited into our church – we treated him as a believer (but he did not receive communion) – we loved him and talked to him about Christ and life and all sorts of things. We have to understand that in a given congregation there are many people at different places in their walk with Christ. We’re not all at the same place. Joel was not – in fact he was somewhat radical in his thinking, but nonetheless for him as many people, belonging often comes before belief. In other words, Joel was invited to belong before he belonged to Christ; we treated him as if he was a believer and waited for him to conclude that he wasn’t a believer and live in the tension loving him, gently teaching him, consistently offering him the gospel unto God in His mercy called Joel into a life giving faith. When Joel was baptized he wore his best suit and insisted that I pout three large, cold, pitchers of water over him – The “moment” was crucial but so was the journey that started long before and would continue until his last breath.
L.C. was raised in a Jewish household. She had been attending a non-denominational church in N. Virginia and was transferred to Charlottesville by State Farm. She started attending our Anglican church and asked many questions. We would meet over coffee and she always challenged me to give logical, biblical answers: she always had to see the answer/reason in the bible. On the Sunday of the Feast of the Baptism of Jesus I spoke on baptism and as I did I passed a bowl of water around the congregation. I led the congregation in the renewal of baptismal vows. When the service concluded people started filling out and I had heard that L.C. told someone she wanted to be baptized. I looked and she was standing there and some people were praying over her. To get to the point she confessed Christ as Lord, asked for forgiveness of her sins, and we gathered as many people as we could, and baptized her. . . water spilled all over the gym floor, people broke out into spontaneous singing and crying. I could hardly contain myself.
Some months later L.C. asked me to go to synagogue with her. Her father had died a year earlier and the period of mourning was ending and she wanted some support. We sat in the synagogue and heard the rabbi say Messiah would never come – there was no such thing and she leaned over to me and said “Thank you for being with me. He’s wrong, Messiah has come and He will come again. . . . let’s go . . . I’m a Christian, my father understands.”
There was the young woman who was tattooed and into reiki healing. . . . The nurse whose faith grew exponentially . . . . The grossly overweight man. . . my gosh image after image of person comes to me. . . Christ gave them all faith and they responded –
what did we do as a church?
We practiced the 3c’s:
The 1st C: We invited them to celebrate with us before they believed – we welcomed them in and offered a spiritual home that was open to the movement of the HS – they worshipped the King before they knew Him as King.
The 2nd C: We invited them to connect: small group Bible study, personal discipling and later mentoring.
The 3rd C: We invited them to contribute financially but also to use their gifts for service to Christ.
Personal knowledge of Christ is a defining moment – but that moment has to be taken to the next levels of growth in faith that leads to service to Christ.
One of the flaws in evangelical Christianity is to focus on conversions and forget about ongoing growth (sanctification) and participation in the body. Many churches have let’s say 500 members with an average Sunday attendance of 180; and among the 180 about 40 do all the ministry.
Coming to faith in Christ is a stepping stone to serving Him –
Come and See is where Christ began with the 12 – READ THROUGH John 1:35-51
Then he invited them to take up the cross: Come and Die: Matthew 10:34-39; JOHN 15:18-16:4
Then in Matthew 28 he commissions them to: Go and Tell. Matthew 28:16-20
Three important phases that have been preached and taught for generations by various men.
KJS is dead wrong when she says that "the great Western heresy – that we can be saved as individuals; that any of us alone can be in right relationship with God. “
Without that moment of faith we all remain lost in our sins regardless of how nice we think we are – how funny, how pleasant, how good – we’re lost until Christ is confessed as Lord and to that we have to come to Him in faith.
Over the next few weeks I want us as a church to study further about inviting people to our church to “Come and See” to belong before they believe and what the scripture may teach us about becoming a journey church where people have a place to come and see, to come and try on Christianity.
Some of here today may be “trying on” Christianity – some may have walked with Christ for years without any hiccups – some of us may have struggled in the past or are struggling now.
Each of us here today is at a slightly different place from the rest of us – that’s just a fact.
I invite you to continue in your journey – a journey that Christ Himself has called you to. A journey where He is Lord and King and sovereign over all things.
Welcome in the Name of Christ!
And the Church said, “Amen!”
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