Old And Boring

Old and Boring The Rev. Joseph Winston August 9, 2009

Sermon Grace and peace are gifts for you from God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.1 Around this time of the year, advertisements tell us of the “new and improved” cars and trucks waiting for us on the showroom floors. Select almost any hunting and fishing magazine that you want and you will find something like this. With higher performance engines and increased towing capacities, your work will be finished in less time. Come in and start saving today. While waiting to check out at a grocery store, pull out a woman’s journal and quickly glance through the advertisements for cars. They will bring to you the following message. Our commitment to safety has continued with this year’s models. Protect your family with a new car. Turn on the television and you will both see and hear how technological advances in this vehicle bring you the best that this world has to offer. Trade in 1

Romans 1:7, 1 Corinthians 1:3, 2 Corinthians 1:2, Galatians 1:3, Ephesians 1:2, Philippians 1:2, 2 Thessalonians 1:2, Philemon 1:3.

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and move up. Department and specialty stores want in on the action. Right now, they are constantly reminding us that the start of school is just around in corner. Walk into any one of these stores and look around. It does not matter where you go. All of the displays promise you the latest fashions. Put them on and be in style. Continue your journey down to the school supplies. Last year’s items will just not work. They are old fashioned. Get today’s pens and papers. Bookstores surrounding college campuses tell us the same story. This year’s classes use a new edition. That old used version just will not work for classes starting this fall. Grocery stores use the exact same ploy. They actually want you to believe their products are better today than yesterday. Look in the freezers. There you will find new packaging that brings farm fresh vegetables to your table. The trend continues with boxed goods. Not only do breakfast cereals give you a complete day’s requirements of nutrients but now they also provide you with fiber for a heart healthy diet, which might reduce bad cholesterol and the chance of heart attacks. It always seems that cleaning products are the worst abusers of the “new and improved” labels. Purchase this new detergent. Now clothes will smell clothesline fresh. Buy this improved dish soap. No longer will you have spots on your glasses and as an added benefit, your dishes will be cleaner. This completely redesigned mop makes it easier to clean the house. The plainness of Jesus always has been a stumbling block. Today’s Gospel from St. John undoubtedly points this lesson out to us. The assembled crowd refuses to listen to Jesus. Their argument is obvious to any of us that like “new and 2

improved” products. They all personally know Christ’s family and His surroundings (John 6:42). This knowledge, which is only partially correct, brings them to their incorrect conclusion. He is “old and boring” and because of this Jesus cannot be the bread of life. Throughout the Fourth Gospel, problems certainly occur when we reject what has been given to us. In the previous example, the people want something more. They want a better model than what they have seen in the past. By dismissing Jesus and His teaching, they literally do not believe Christ’s Word. In doing so, they have turned down His offer of eternal life. Even Christ’s followers have the same problem.2 They want to add a little bit more than just accepting what actually happened. They want to improve their role in the story. The first case happens in the opening chapter of John. At this time, Andrew and another unnamed individual are followers of John the Baptizer (John 1:40). When they hear their teacher, John the Baptizer, shout out, “Look, here is the Lamb of God (John 1:36)” they both leave John the Baptizer and follow Jesus. Jesus then turns and asks them what they are looking for (John 1:38). When they answer, the two former disciples of John the Baptizer first address Jesus as teacher and then pose their own question to Him, “Where are you staying?” Jesus invites them to “Come and see.” Finally, Andrew goes to his brother Simon Peter and 2

Today, people do not want to “go to church” since what they find there is too close to what they see everywhere else. Gordon W. Lathrop and Timothy J. Wengert, Christian Assembly: Marks of the Church in a Pluralistic Age, (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2004), p. 13. This has occurred since the church, for the most part, has become indistinguishable from the world.

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proudly tells him, “We have found the Messiah (John 1:41).” Perhaps Andrew had a good reason for wanting to improve the account of Jesus calling him. We are not told. All that we know is the following. Andrew did not locate Jesus.3 At the very least, John the Baptizer pointed out Jesus to Andrew. More correctly, Jesus found Andrew, when Jesus came to where John the Baptizer and his disciples where staying. Jesus then invited Andrew to “Come and see.” The second illustration of how we like to continually improve things occurs just a few verses later. It now is the next day. Jesus calls Philip by saying, “Follow me. (John 1:43).” And as if on cue, Philip goes to Nathaniel and tells him, “We have found Him (John 1:45a).” Once again, we do not have any details on why Philip made this incorrect statement that enhances his role in meeting Christ. The reality is this. Philip is completely wrong. Jesus found him.4 Today’s Gospel Lesson clearly spells out this view that God always comes to us and brings us to Christ. Jesus flatly says to anyone who will listen, “No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father (John 6:44a).” Jesus tells us that we are here in this place because God the Father wants us to be here. God the Father has brought us here. We should have no reason to say anything else. Nothing more needs to be added to the fact that God the Father gave you and me Jesus. We did not find Jesus. He found us. This means that I did not accept Jesus as my personal Savior. 3

S.D.B. Francis J. Moloney; Daniel J. Harrington, S.J., editor, The Gospel of John, Volume 4, Sacra Pagina, (Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1998), pp. 54-55, 60. 4 Ibid., pp. 55, 61.

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Jesus accepted me in spite of my sin. Before we soundly condemn those people that would not believe in Jesus because they actually knew His family, or severely criticize Andrew and Philip for changing what really happened to them, or point out the problems with all those people around us who believe they found Jesus, we need to carefully look at what we do right here. We also like to change the Word of God to fit our own needs. When we have Holy Communion, instead of using plain old ordinary bread, the type that you would find at our tables at home, we use specially made wafers. The primary reason for substituting wafers for bread is convenience. It is a lot easier for us to take wafers out of a box rather than bringing in one loaf of bread. However, this ease of use comes at a very high cost. In doing so, we change what was given to us. The oldest written record that we have of the Lord’s Supper is found in Paul’s Letter to the church in Corinth. Paul writes the following, The Lord Jesus on the night when He was betrayed took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me (1 Corinthians 11:23b24).” Obviously, because of their lack of taste and texture, no one would ever mistake these crackers for bread. But switching out these wafers for bread is not all that we modify from God’s Word. Here we use individual wafers instead of than the one loaf of bread that Christ used. With our adjustment to the Lord’s Meal, we loose the reality that we are One body with Christ since we all eat one loaf of bread (1 Corinthians 10:17). 5

Our modifications to Christ’s easily understandable command to “Do this” also extend to the cup of wine. In the same letter Paul writes, In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me (1 Corinthians 11:25).” We do not use a single cup here like Paul describes. Instead, each of us uses a single serving glass. A small glass, like a tiny wafer, gives us the impression that God’s love for us is limited. That is not correct. Our cup overflows with blessing (Psalm 23:5). So should our cup that we share with one another. Another obvious problem with our “improved” arrangement is this. Multitude cups divide the cup of blessing that Christ gives us (1 Corinthians 10:16a). That is not what we believe. We all share these same gifts from Jesus. Our sins are forgiven and we will live forever with Him. One way for us to justify all these different changes to the Lord’s Supper is for us to add an extra special ingredient: something “new and improved”, an item that was not called for by Jesus. The wafers that we use have the additional attraction of embossed symbol of Christ. The wine we serve is Kosher during some times of the year. Our largest innovation in the Lord’s Supper is this. Rather than following Christ’s straightforward command to “Do this,” we delay our Meal with the Lord to make it less plain. Face it. Our life here on earth is rather ordinary and our story is strikingly similar. We are born. We sin. We die.

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We all share the seeds of rebellion given to us by our parents. Each of us believes deep down in our hearts that we are the most important creature in all of creation. So, that is exactly how we act almost every day of our short lives. We ignore the needs of others and we forget who put us here. Our behavior never completely satisfies us and we all want just a bit more out of life. Others need to know how important we really are. To accomplish this shared desire, each of us increases our role in the story. On and on this goes until reality strikes us in the face. We see either the plain fact that we are just like everyone else, without a hope or we die never knowing the truth. God knows what we have been though and realizes exactly what the school of hard knocks has taught each of us. We hunger for what is real. We desire love. We want life. That is what Jesus offers you. He comes to you with the bread of life and says, “Taste and see.” Heaven knows you have tried everything else in the world. Do not turn Him away. Receive His Body. Feel how it nourishes you and gives you the strength for another day. Our longing for acceptance is just as great as our desire for the truth. Jesus comes to you with this amazing offer. Eat this bread and become One with me. Do not think that this offer is too good to be true. God wants you to be One with the rest of the Trinity along with every other believer. Accept this gift and join in the salvation of the world. The two radically different meanings of life is one of the great paradoxes. The world actually believes that authentic life comes from getting things. You have tried that and know first hand how it really never satisfies. There is another option 7

but it is not easy. You give away everything. Eventually, the world cannot stand the truth you represent and your outpouring of love first brings you to Calvary and then to the cross. There is great freedom here. You know what happens but you are not willing to admit it. God has already given you life after every one of your deaths. Trust Christ. Though you die, you will live. “New and improved” items of all sorts manipulate your emotions. They want to satisfy your desire for bread. They hope to become your true love. They wish to become real. We have tried them all and we know what actually occurs. We want more than they can ever give us. There is another way. Taste and see that the Lord is good. “The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”5

References Francis J. Moloney, S.D.B.; Harrington, S.J., Daniel J., editor, The Gospel of John, Volume 4, Sacra Pagina, (Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1998). Lathrop, Gordon W. and Wengert, Timothy J., Christian Assembly: Marks of the Church in a Pluralistic Age, (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2004).

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Philippians 4:7.

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