"Show and Tell (Pentecost 11)"
Pastor Susan Langhauser
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Matthew 16:21-28
Well, it’s the end of “wedding season” here at Advent, and I’ve begun to see the way a romance works: (1.) Fall in love. (2.) Confess it out loud. (2a.) The point at which one of the parties (usually the female) will state, “Prove it!” or “Put up or shut up” which means the suitor had better (3.) produce a suitable piece of jewelry to seal the deal. Reminds me of the song from
My Fair Lady that goes “don’t talk of stars burning above, if you’re in love, show me!” Now, most of you know that I’m from Missouri, the “SHOW ME” state, so I can relate. AND, I believe that if Peter had been an American, he wouldn’t been from Missouri, ‘cause he is a “show me” kind of guy.
Today’s gospel is the first of what we call “Passion Predictions” where Jesus talks about his future. There is a lot in this story that is tempting, but basically NOT what I’m going to talk about today. I’m not going to address Peter “rebuking” Jesus, or Satan, or “it’s just my cross to bear,” or tell you when Jesus is coming back. If that’s what you want to hear about – well, I can recommend a good online commentary or Bible Study to you. What I am going to focus on is verse 21, “and (Jesus) began to show his disciples…”
If you like classic movies, you may recall the 70’s tear-jerker, Love Story. The focus today is on the amazing relationship between Peter and Jesus, their “love story” as it were. And, in this movie, they are the understudies for the real thing! Jesus and Peter are stand-ins: Jesus for God and Peter for humanity (that’s us.) Just consider this:
Peter has come to know Jesus mostly by following and listening. There are some minor examples of Jesus putting his words into actions, but those miracles were not for Peter. (Ever notice none of twelve followed because they were healed, exorcised, or forgiven? They just followed.) And Peter’s response seems to be one of intellectual curiosity as well. But somewhere along the journey, finally, Peter comes to the point of “falling in love” and just has to confess it: “You are the Messiah! The Son of the Living God!” Peter blurts it out on behalf of all the disciples, and probably felt like, “Whew! There, now I’ve said it out loud.” Then Jesus responds by telling them all what “going steady” (i.e. loving and following him) will mean: First, he’s moving to Jerusalem. Then, he will suffer unjustly at the hands of bullies and there will be nothing they can do about it. Finally, the crowds will have their way and he will die, but in the end it’ll all be ok. But Peter doesn’t even hear the “everything will be ok” because he has already let his fear overcome his love. His love, obviously human (for the Bible says “Perfect love casts out fear.”) And Peter’s fear was real. NOOOO! Don’t GO! I LOVE YOU! It’s NOT FAIR!
(Now, movie buffs, switch your “lens” to Casablanca.) Instead of comforting Peter, Jesus says, “This is bigger than you and me, Peter. This is about the whole Creation…and I can’t let you get in my way… But I’m hoping, wanting, yearning for you to follow me in the work I have to do. Just remember - I am the Creator, and you are the created.) Roll credits…
Where does this Love Story leave us, and our relationship with God? Well, Matthew 7:21 says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father…”
Apparently to follow Jesus means we can’t just “live a good life.” We need to say why! Apparently, claiming you’re Christian (“Lord, Lord…”) needs some “show me” proof. In today’s cultural “Show & Tell,” the life of faith has two different and distinct options: The Pursuit of Happiness and the Way of the Cross.
New Testament scholar Greg Carey writes: “…a more insidious assumption definitely lurks among us: that God wants us to be happy. Countless praise choruses celebrate how much Jesus loves us, how much we love Jesus and how great God is. Self-help books pack the inventories of Christian bookstores. This happiness assumption has sunk so deeply into our collective psyche that even the words of Jesus can hardly challenge it. Are we even capable of hearing that God might call us to radical sacrifice, even to danger? Can Jesus' words get past our ears?” (If you want to follow me, deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me.)
There seems to be a huge distance between Jesus’ call to follow and our “part time volunteering for the gospel…most of us fit Christianity into the open spots on our calendars.” OUCH! And this hurts me just like it hurts you.
But this is not about being Lutheran, or salvation or even about being Christian, really. This is about our relationship with God through Jesus, about how we understand who we are and what our lives are all about. Now, I can see it on your faces: “So, Pastor Susan, doesn’t God want us to be happy?” Well, yes and no. I can’t think of a single story in the Bible where Jesus said, “Go, and make yourself happy,” (Can you?) In fact, happiness is rendered as “joy” most often, and in Scripture when we “rejoice” those texts are all in connection with God. “Rejoice in the Lord, always, and again I say, Rejoice!”
God just wants us to be whatever God made us to be. Jesus asks us to lose our lives, but I don’t think he is asking all of us to die for him. But what Jesus might be telling us is that unless we deny ourselves all of those things that we have added to what God created good, (like guilt, judgment, unwillingness to forgive, self-loathing, prejudice, perfectionism, or self-centeredness,) we will always have our minds on “human things, not divine things.”
In this passage, we are being called to stretch ourselves beyond our comfort zones. So I’ll ask you these questions: How might you deny yourself of everything about who you are except what God has made in you? What “cross” might you take up to fill all that empty space that’s leftover with God Show and Tell instead of Me Show and Tell? Following Jesus not only blesses our souls, it also calls us to service that will enrich our lives and help us learn who we are and what we were made for…
We will always need both “Show AND Tell” to balance our lives of faith, because tell needs show and show needs tell. Words need actions and the godly life needs a label. We
Lutherans call it Word and Sacrament: Word, spoken, preached and proclaimed, TELLS everyone that God loves. Sacrament, the visible Word in Baptism and Communion, SHOWS everyone that God loves you. Given for you. Shed for you.
Now it’s your turn to share God’s love in words and actions. Follow Jesus, and Show and Tell. Amen
Online resources by Anna Carter Florence and Greg Carey…