What shall we say the Church of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it?
There’s a wonderful modern-day parable circulating out there that has become a favorite of mine. In fact, if Jesus had lived long enough to see the formation of even the earliest Christian Church, I’m certain this is a parable he would have told.
Jesus would have introduced it by saying, What shall we say the Church of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it?
It is like the man who was walking across a bridge and came upon another man standing on the railing of the bridge, about to plunge to his death.
The first man shouted, STOP. . . DON’T DO IT.
The man on the railing said, But there’s nothing left to live for.
Wait, the first man pleaded. Are you a Christian?
Yes, as a matter of fact I am.
Well so am I. Are you Catholic or Protestant?
I’m Protestant, he said as he looked intently at the water below.
So am I. What kind of Protestant are you? He asked.
I’m an Episcopalian.
Well so am I, the helping voice said reassuringly.
Are you high church or low church?
Well, I would say that I’m more in the middle, said the desperate man.
What a coincidence, I’m in the middle too!
Do you like traditional music or contemporary music?
Actually, I like a little of both.
That’s really strange, so do I.
Wow, I can’t believe how much we have in common. Are you a conservative Episcopalian or a liberal Episcopalian?
Oh, I’m definitely a conservative, to which the first man said, Die you heretic, and he pushed him off the bridge!
The one true church mentality is alive and well! Now we Christians aren’t the only religious people in the world that play the game of I’m right and you’re wrong; we aren’t the only religious people who draw tight little doctrinal circles; we aren’t the only religious people who judge others based on the brand of faith they carry on their sleeve. . . but the real point, and Jesus makes it crystal clear in our Gospel this morning, is that Christians should be the last people on earth to act like that.
We follow a messiah who made all the wrong people feel right and erased every boundary and border he ever came upon!
John wanted to play the game. Did you hear him in this morning’s Gospel? Jesus, he says, there’s somebody over there who is claiming to do good things in your name, but he’s not in our little circle of believers, Jesus. What are you going to do about it, Jesus? Huh Jesus?
Maybe John thought Jesus would call a convention of the true believers together and pass a resolution or something. I can hear it now. John steps up to the microphone, clears his throat and proposes the following resolution:
Whereas, there are some people who are doing good deeds in the name of Jesus, but who have not actually traveled to the same towns and villages as Jesus.
And whereas, these same people might not be theologically aligned with Jesus and his group of closest followers.
And whereas, these people might mislead other people by doing the aforementioned good deeds.
Therefore, let it be resolved that we (the true and pure followers of Jesus) hereby proclaim that although these doers of good deeds may have noble intentions, they are not in communion with this body of righteous believers.
And let it be further resolved that we declare their good deeds to be null and void.
But Jesus does NOT call a convention. Jesus very calmly and very lovingly says, in effect, John, put a lid on it. If someone is trying to do God’s work, and they invoke my name while doing it, the other incidentals aren’t important because what’s important is loving and serving God’s people. That’s my religion John, pure and simple: loving and serving God’s people. It’s the only creed you’ll ever need to memorize, and all the rest of the tradition and law hang on that simple creed. Stop trying to get the exclusive rights to me. Stop trying to get the copyright on salvation and stop trying to get your personal pipeline to God.
Speaking of pipelines to God, did you hear the story about the Rabbi who visited the Pope at the Vatican. In the Pope’s office he saw a bright red phone on the desk.
Is that what I think it is? asked the Rabbi.
Yes. . . it is my direct line to God.
May I use it? asked the Rabbi.
Certainly, said the Pope, but you will have to give me $5,000.00 because the long-distance rates really add up on that call.
The Rabbi agreed and had a great conversation with the Almighty.
A few weeks later the Pope was visiting the Rabbi. He noticed the Rabbi’s bright red phone on the desk and asked if he could use it.
Certainly, said the Rabbi, and you can use it absolutely free of charge. . . because from here it’s a local call!”
Some Christians today seem to think they are entitled to unlimited long distancebecause they believe they are on the inside all the time. But Jesus says, when it comes to God’s love for people, we are all on the pre-paid plan.
Now by this time, you may be saying to yourself, That’s all well and good, but you’re ignoring all that nasty stuff in the Gospel about amputating limbs and plucking out eyes and being thrown into the fires of hell. If that is what you are thinking, you would be wrong, because that’s where I’m going next.
Would you just indulge me for a minute and raise your hand? Go ahead; just raise your hand. Okay, thank you. I don’t know if you are aware of it or not, but we just proved a profound point, and that is that very few people reading this take this week’s Gospel literally. . . and that is terrific!
If you took the Gospel literally, you wouldn’t have a hand to raise, you would have had to cut both of them off long ago.
Jesus is speaking in hyperbole here. So, no one should go up to their minister at Coffee Hour this Sunday and say, See, some people ARE going to burn in hell.
Hyperbole is exaggerated metaphor to make a point, but actually Jesus is further making my original point. Notice, please, that Jesus does NOT say, If you see someone’s hand causing them to sin, chase them down and cut it off.
No, Jesus says If YOUR hand causes you to sin. . . If YOUR eye causes you to sin. . . He is speaking about each of us taking a personal inventory of OURSELVES, not of anyone else!
The two sections of this Gospel stay on one theme. The only accounting you should take is an accounting of what gets in the way of YOUR love of God and of others. We are not called to make the circles of Communion smaller but to push them out, to expand them beyond our simple and sometimes puny imaginations.
Some years ago, two denominations patted themselves on the back when they agreed to formally approve intercommunion between them. I’m speaking of Lutherans and Episcopalians.
When these two groups of North American Anglo Christians, with essentially the same beliefs, who had never had any kind of a real historical argument, decided it was okay to share communion on Sunday, it made headlines. Now my point here is not to make light of a nice Ecumenical gesture, but do you see how easy it is to keep the circle small and tight, homogenous and worst of all nearly impenetrable?
I believe Jesus would want to ask us how we are doing in the area of Jewish/Christian relations. . . in the area of Hindu/Christian relations. . . in the area of Muslim/Christian relations and so on. I think Jesus would be surprised to find out that Lutheran/Episcopal intercommunion was not a Given.
As the words of one of our favorite hymns proclaims:
One bread. . . one body . . . One Lord of all. . . One cup of blessing which we bless. And we, though many, throughout the earth. We are one body in this one Lord.
Gentile or Jew, servant or free, woman or man, no more.
Grain for the fields, scattered and grown, gathered to one for all. (*)
This may come as a surprise to some, but God is non-denominational.
I’d like to close with this story as told by the Reverend Linda Petracelli. Linda is a United Church of Christ minister who grew up attending a strict, parochial Catholic school. One day, Sister Mary Robert Cecilia preached to the children at the school that everyone who was not a member of her church was going to hell.
That afternoon when Linda returned home, her mother asked her the same question she asked everyday: What are you thankful for today, dear? And on that day, little Linda, without hesitation replied:Today I’m thankful that Sister Mary Robert Cecelia is not God.
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