February 11, 2007
Preached at Brigus Hall

In mainland China, several years ago, two young women exit a home - the home is known to Police and Security Officials for its harbouring of Christians where they worship - sing and pray.  One woman, the older, is well known to Police for it has been reported on a number of occasions that she has uttered profanity, at least as defined by some - she has professed Christ as her Savior.  As the two women walk along the darkening dusty road, an older man steps out from the shadows - with four security officials following him.  The older man, dressed in a long trench coat is part of the Chinese Security Force.  The two young women are stopped and immediately surrounded.  The older of the two women, the one who is a known Christian is pushed back against the wall.  The other woman is then confronted by the Older Security Official - Do you know that the person you are walking with is an alleged Christian - that she has ties to printing propaganda like Bibles and tracts?  The young woman looks at her friend held against the wall - then looks at the security official - he has such dark eyes and his demeanor reveals a pain that seems to have been infected causing malicious behavior and a bitterness scaring his appearance. The older man speaks again - Did you hear me - she is a instigator - do you know her - is she a friend of yours ... do you espouse her views - I ask you, who are YOU?

In our culture, in Canada,  we are not called upon to share our views -  if we want, we can keep our views to ourselves.  What we believe and think is a matter of individual freedom.  Yet, there are times when we must ask of our own selves -  what do I believe. 

In the reading from Luke, Jesus is with the crowds and the disciples.  We have just witness the feeding of the five thousand and after this reading, next week, we will hear of Jesus being transfigured.  In this reading, Jesus asks the disciples what the crowds are saying - who do the crowds say that I am?  And the disciples share what they have heard - it is always easy to repeat what you have heard other saying - so for the disciples to repeat what the crowds have said - it is no hard chore ... the crowds think he is some prophet or John the Baptist.  But, then Jesus asks the disciples to go deeper ... to not just repeat what they have heard, but to share of themselves - to say for themselves.  Jesus asks them: Who do you say that I am?  We know that Peter responds with You are the Christ!  But what about us ... what is our response?  Do we know the seriousness of the question ... like the woman held by Chinese officials who is confronted with a life changing and possibly life threatening question, do we know the seriousness of the question asked by Jesus.  It is obvious that Jesus did not believe that all the disciples knew how important a question it was, for Jesus launched into a further explanation of discipleship and we hear five characteristics about professing Jesus as the Christ.

First, Jesus says:  If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me^[i]  Faith is not about self.  We can rejoice that in Christ we are deeply loved - we will be called God’s Children.  Yes, God values humanity, but being a people of faith is not something that means we become the center of our actions, but rather that the ministry of Jesus becomes the focus - that the example of Jesus and his call for us becomes what we do - it is everything.  Faith is not about me or you - our wants - what is convenient for us - what is comfortable - what we are used to - deny self and following Christ is taking the cross of ministry so that others are reached and God’s mission furthered.

Secondly, Jesus says: For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it¹  The giving of ourselves to the person  and ministry of Christ is complete.  We can not separate our lives - today I will be faithful and tomorrow I will get what I can not matter what.  Following Christ and living the faith is a change of live and focus - it is metanio, the Greek word meaning having a total change of heart.  One writer shared: The church will not be saved by trying to preserve it, but by giving its life away in service to the world.  I get to visit a lot of churches and sometimes, it seems that church people are so busy trying to keep the church buildings open that they forget to be the church.  They forget that the most essential thing about the church is what they take with them where ever they go - and that is the cross of Christ fixed before them and the faith and love they give in God’s service.

Jesus then says: What does it profit them if they gain the whole world, but lose or forfeit themselves?¹  Faith is not separate from our daily living.  Faith impacts how we treat others, how we spend our money, how we use our time ... faith in fact does not just influence, but it GUIDES how we live - our choices, our values.  James said: What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you?¹⁵ If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, ¹⁶ and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? ¹⁷ So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead¹  Karl Barth, theologian said: The Worship of God is also the service of Humanity.   

Jesus says: those who are ashamed of me and of my words, of them the Son of Man will be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels¹  Jesus links our private lives with public profession.  If we call ourselves Christian, if we call upon the name of God as our hope and our being for living, that profession is not something we are afraid of or ashamed of.  Rather, it is something we speak of with ease and in fact, with joy.  We say: I follow Christ - I seek to live and have God as the center of my life.

The final saying Jesus shares is this:  But truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.”¹   Being a disciple is having and sharing the hope of the Kingdom of God.  Being a disciple is having a promise in our heart and sharing such hope with others. 

In speaking to the disciples and telling them about being a disciples, Jesus shares those five wonderful characteristics of faithful discipleship: one, that faith is not about ourselves, it is about God’s mission and ministry for the world ... two, that discipleship and sharing of faith is what has predominance over the life of a disciple ... three, that sharing faith requires that our work and witness, our thoughts and our actions are one and that faith is reflected in our works and our works reflect our faith ... four, that our lived faith points to our belief in Jesus as Christ and finally, that our faith reflects the gloriousness of the Kingdom ... that we have a hope and that hope is to be shared.

Discipleship: it is complete and glorious - wonderful and hard - frustrating and always fruitful ... so, what about YOU. WHAT ABOUT YOU?  What would your answer be if Jesus’ question was asked of you for it is asked of you every day ... WHO DO YOU SAY THAT JESUS IS ...

And if you endeavor to answer that Jesus is the Christ, know that such an answer is glorious and also requires our turning to Christ in our whole lives. 

Remember that young woman I told you about earlier - the one who was questioned by the older security official and who was asked about a Christian friend: do you know her - is she a friend of yours ... do you espouse her views - I ask you, who are YOU?

The young woman, with great fear and trembling, as she bit her lip, asked for God’s strength and her face straightened and she looked directly into the Security Officer’s hardened face, not with anger, yes with fear, but also with love and she said: This woman, she is my friend and I am a fellow follower in Faith ... I too speak of Jesus and he is my Hope.  And the Security Official’s eyes watered and he and the others walked away with shame.

Our hope, that is who Jesus is and also our example for ministry.  Later this evening, you will be making choices as a pastoral charge - Do so with faith and with the knowledge that the ministry of Christ is not one discharged to a clergy, but one you ALL share with you current minister and all who follow after her.  Those of you who have a bible with you, please note that in verse 23 of chapter 9, Jesus, when he speaks of discipleship, Jesus speaks to them ALL.  No matter the version of the bible, be it the NRSV, THE NIV, Good News, Living Bible, Contemporary, King James, American Bible Translation -  no matter, the bible translation, they say the same thing: Jesus said to them ALL.  All of us have a glorious hope and all of have good news to celebrate and all of us have a faith we are called to share and all of us have a God to proclaim.  No one person, no one group, no one group of people who happen to be in a church building, no ALL of us have a faith to share.  All of us charged with the task of Discipleship.  Jesus asked them: Who do you say that I am ... let us answer, let our lives give witness and may we all together proclaim that Jesus, you are the Christ.  Let us pray

[1]The New Revised Standard Version, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers) 1989.

1The New Revised Standard Version, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers) 1989.

1The New Revised Standard Version, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers) 1989.

1The New Revised Standard Version, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers) 1989.

1The New Revised Standard Version, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers) 1989.

1The New Revised Standard Version, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers) 1989.