4th Sunday of Easter Sermon

Sometimes the best way to know your own faith is to know someone else’s faith.  For 2016 I’ve put the Qur’an on my reading list – or perhaps I should say an English translation of the Qur’an because according to Muslims the Qur’an is only truly authentic in Arabic.  I’m about a third of the way through it by now.  I did a little bit of background research into the Qur’an before I started reading because it is the scriptural writing of another faith and I wanted to give it a fair reading.  I’ve come across Islamic scholars who interpret the Christian Bible and their attempts are absurdly wrong.  I don’t want to make the same mistake.  Interestingly the first time the Qur’an was ever published was in the year 1543.  And it was published at the insistence of Martin Luther who felt all Christians should read it.

                Now Luther’s reasons for wanting Christians to read the Qur’an were not so they could have a deeper appreciation of another faith.  He wanted Christians to read it because he felt it would strengthen the case to oppose Islam.  Indeed after reading about a third of it I understand why Luther felt that way.  While it repeatedly reinforces that God is merciful and forgiving, in general it teaches that a proper relationship with God is heavily based on doing good works.  Of course Luther argues that a proper relationship with God is created by God’s grace and lived out in faith.  But that is beside the point for today.

                For today I want to use the Qur’an to help us more deeply understand the last line of our gospel reading where Jesus said, “The Father and I are one.”  That’s a theological statement with tremendous meaning that I think we easily overlook because we are so familiar with it. 

The Qur’an brings up Jesus numerous times.  For Muslims Jesus is considered one of the great prophets, but not more. In the sura in the Qur’an called “The Feast” we find these teachings, “The Messiah, son of Mary, was only a messenger; other messengers had come and gone before him; his mother was a virtuous woman; both ate food [like other mortals].”  And, “Those who say, ‘God is the Messiah, son of Mary, have defied God.”  As I said before, I’m not a Qur’an expert so I’m not going to try to fully interpret those verses, but they do give us a backdrop to understand the contrast of our own faith.

                If we consider Jesus to be a great prophet and teacher our understanding of God changes greatly and our faith takes a very different form.  We would believe that Jesus came to teach us about God’s nature and teach us about being in relationship with God.  However, when we take statements like, “The Father and I are one,” our faith takes on a deeper dimension.  Jesus didn’t teach about being in relationship with God.  He was God actually living in relationship with people.  Do you see the difference?  If Jesus taught about God then our faith would be a faith based on teachings, regulations and rules.  A faith built on relationship is different, and as Christians we would say more authentic – incarnational. 

If your faith were based on rules and regulations it would be more like your relationship with the federal government.  Tomorrow is the deadline to file your income tax statements.  How hard do people work to find ways to wiggle out of paying taxes?  They find loopholes and exceptions.  They create strategies to hide wealth and earnings.  Ultimately it’s become a lot like a game.  You may have heard about the recent rulings about companies doing inversions to reduce their tax burden.  Inversions had been legal ways to wiggle out of taxes.  Not anymore. 

If Jesus came only to teach our religion could take on such a form.  Forms, paperwork, rules, exemptions and on and on would go the complicated code between God and ourselves.  It sounds like the kind of stuff Jesus got so upset with the religious rulers about, because that it what they had done.  If that were our case the church could have faith audits of everyone whose annual response was questionable.  Perhaps the church should demand to see your income tax filing and fine everyone who does not meet a tithe!

Do you see how faith would be different if we took Jesus as a teacher and an example, but not the Son of God?  However, when we fully acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God we have a very different faith indeed.  We then realize that God’s nature is not one of being removed and distant from us, but one that wants to be close and in relationship.

                While Jesus taught many things, and we learn from them, following Jesus’ teachings are not the center of our faith.  Being in relationship with God as revealed by Jesus is.  Can any full and authentic relationship be based on teachings and rules?   No.  Sooner or later you’ll find a way to wiggle around the rules. 

Jesus said, “The Father and I are one.”  If you want to know the nature of God fully, look to Jesus.  You know the old saying that actions speak louder than words.  Jesus’ actions speak to the nature of God louder than any words can.  Our gospel reading came from the gospel of John so let’s use it to witness to God’s nature and our relationship with God. 

Perhaps the actions of Jesus that stand out the most are those around the crucifixion; a God who will suffer death out of love for those he created.  Indeed that is central, that is God’s ultimately revelation of love, but there is more.  God is playful.  Look at the miracle at the wedding in Cana.  Water is turned into wine.  And it is not a scant amount of cheap wine, but over a hundred gallons of the finest of wines.  You also see playfulness in the Samarian woman Jesus meets at the well.  Last week’s gospel reading shows God’s playfulness when Jesus tells the disciples to fish from the right side of the boat rather than the left.  Suddenly instead of catching nothing they immediately catch a net full.  There’s also the playfulness at the feeding of the 5000.  Jesus says to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for all these people to eat?” and yet he knew all along what he was going to do.

Of course any authentic relationship is not about just love and fun.  God can get angry.  Look at the scene of Jesus overturning the tables of the money changers in the temple, and Jesus’ anger at Lazarus’ tomb.

God is forgiving.  We experience that in Jesus forgiving the woman caught in adultery.  You know the phrase he uses there well, “Let anyone who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”

God has miraculous powers.  Jesus does all sort of healings and miracles – usually the goal is to restore a broken life to wholeness. 

God knows what it is like to be rejected.  In John 6 we read about many of the disciples leaving Jesus. 

And of course God knows what it is to serve and be a servant.  We see that most clearly when Jesus washes the feet of his disciples.

I suppose I could go on and on but I think I make the point.  Christian faith isn’t about rules and regulations.  It isn’t about works and accountability.  It is about relationship with God.  And that relationship has been revealed because God has revealed himself to us in Jesus; Emmanuel, God-with-us.  Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice.  I know them, and they follow me.”  Again, a relationship.

What makes a Christian a Christian?  What sets our faith apart from others?  One of the biggest things is Jesus’ teaching that he and the Father are one.  If you want to know God, know Jesus.  Our faith is about living in relationship with God because God has revealed what that relationship is like.  He did not teach it from afar.  He lived it for a lifetime.

May you always be able to feel God’s presence at work in your life, and may you be confident in the security of your relationship with God.