Resurrection Revolution Part 5--Living the "Yes"

Our faith in the Living Christ calls us to live completely counter to the world as we know it. The Biblical stories of Jesus and his disciples after his resurrection give us a model for these ways that are counter-cultural and at times radical. In this 5-week series, we'll listen for God's call to disrupt the world with a Living Love. To truly live as resurrection people might even be a revolution. In this second episode, Rev. David discusses Living the "Yes".

Transcript

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A few months ago, I was traveling to a workshop and retreat in Arizona with a group of other pastors. And on the plane, one of my colleagues was sitting across the aisle from me. And then the woman next to her noticed that she was wearing a t-shirt from her church's vacation Bible school. So her new seat mate decided to strike up a conversation with her about faith and religion. And when I heard this woman ask my friend about her t-shirt, and my friend confessed that she is a pastor, I thought, oh, here we go. I know I should be more eager to share conversations about Christ and the love of God with strangers, but honestly, they are rarely pleasant for me. People are either critical of Christianity or they hold a more evangelical faith and assume that I have the same perspective. And so when I heard this conversation start up, I thanked God it wasn't me. But even from across the aisle, I heard the whole story. This woman told her entire faith journey. She launched in about how she's estranged from her daughter because they disagree politically, and because her daughter voted a certain way, she's praying that her daughter will come back to Christ. But when she started talking about a well-known white nationalist as a good Christian man, that's when I decided it was time to put in my noise-canceling earbuds. When we got off the plane, I turned to my colleague who had endured this three-hour conversation, and without an ounce of compassion, I said, for the love of God, do not wear that t-shirt on the plane ride home. It's a strange place in life to believe so strongly in my faith that I've dedicated my life's work to it. But at the same time, dread people knowing it. It's not because I'm embarrassed or ashamed of my love for Jesus Christ and my faith, or even that I don't want to have to talk to strangers on a plane. It's because of the way people of faith are viewed in our larger society and world. Sometimes we're seeing like the church lady from Saturday Night Live who's filled with judgment of everyone. And that faith in Christ is just a narrow list of rules to earn God's love or a small group of people who are worthy of it. I think an overwhelming misconception is that the Christian faith is a big no. It's all about what we're not allowed to do or what we are against. We don't get to do any of the fun things. We're just following a list of commandments that start out, thou shalt not. It's a big no. But even beyond that, I grieve how some branches of Christianity, especially in America, have adopted things that are harmful to what I believe is the heart of the Christian gospel. The prosperity gospel movement that equates financial wealth with God's favor is a bold contradiction of everything Jesus said about money. And I'm troubled by the rise of Christian nationalism that has married Christianity in a distorted understanding of patriotism. Recently, a study was published by Gallup that showed that the decline of Christianity in America is reversing. And that there is growth in the number of young people claiming that faith is an important part of their life. And many rejoiced at the finding of this study. But if you look a little deeper at the data, it's not that simple. The most growth is seen in white young males who have come to believe that if they want to identify with conservative politics, they must also claim a Christian faith. They see no separation between the two. Now, I'm not against white men. Some of my best friends are white men. But what that data tells me is that their religious identification is less about a movement of the heart and commitment to Jesus and more about political ideology. Again, whether it's the growth of Christian nationalism or the prosperity gospel movement or the dominance of judgmental theology, the perception of the Christian faith is a somber no. It's about control and judgment and obeying this narrow set of rules to earn God's favor. Since Easter, we've been talking about the resurrection revolution. As we've been reading these Bible stories of Jesus and the disciples after the resurrection and how we are now to be the living body of Christ in the world. We are a part of the resurrection in this, and we've seen how we must face the scars of our past to find a more beautiful future. And that we must practice radical hospitality and create just communities. And when we live like this, it looks very counter-cultural. It's so countercultural that it seems disruptive to the dominant ways of our society. To truly live as resurrection people sometimes looks like a revolution. But it's hard to start a revolution when you don't want anyone to know about it. When you want to hide this faith that we've been called to live so boldly. And everyone who loves the parent, loves the child, by this we know that we love the children of God when we love God and obey his commandments. I know. 1 John reads like a word salad, and some of the phrasing is confusing. But basically it just said, believing in Jesus is loving God, and when we love God, we are loving our neighbors. These are the commandments of God. But then there's this pivotal phrase in the middle. It says, His commandments are not burdensome. Following God is not a burden. It doesn't weigh us down. It's not saying no to life. In fact, faith is love in action, according to 1 John. It's a joyful yes to life. His commandments are not burdensome. They are the life-giving ways of Jesus. Following Christ is a yes to grace, unconditional love that we don't have to earn. It's a yes to forgiveness that heals even the deepest hurts. It's a yes to peace. Beyond the absence of violence, but also the presence of justice. It's yes. All people should have access to healthy food and safe shelter and clean clothes. It's a yes to community and sharing our lives with others. It's yes to welcoming the stranger. Even the Sally talks a lot sitting next to you on a plane. Our faith is not a burden used to judge and control. It's a yes to all that gives life. The other day I was watching a video of a conversation between two comedians. These two comedians are known for their criticism of religion, but also their political commentary. And they they joked with each other saying that they think Christians need to find Jesus. And they made the point that amid abuse scandals and greed and Christian nationalism, Christians need to get to know Jesus again. What struck me the most about their conversation was how they said, if you can get past all that other stuff, the Christian message is really beautiful and filled with goodness, they said. How it focuses on love and promotes peace and care for the poor. The problem with our faith was not the core of our beliefs and message, but with the way it's being lived out in the world. Or maybe how it's not being lived out by those who claim it the loudest. The thing I loved about this was that these two critics of Christianity seemed to get it more than most. They understood how it's not supposed to be about abuse and control and judgment, but it's a joyful yes to loving God and our neighbors. This is the life of faith the world can get behind. And if the world saw this in action, it would be a resurrection revolution. In fact, 1 John says, whatever is born of God conquers the world. And it doesn't mean that being faithful is about taking over the world with a controlling, dominating vision of Christianity or political and military might. It means these life-giving ways of Jesus are what will overcome all that ails us, all that destroys life, all that keeps us from living the way God intends. The world will be conquered. The revolution will happen when we live the yes. After months of learning and conversation, they will make a commitment to Christ and confirm the promises that were made at their baptism. They will make their profession of faith in Jesus Christ. This commitment they are making is not about promising to never mess up and judge everyone else by that standard. It's not a declaration of all that they're against or all the things they shouldn't believe. This promise is not a burden. It's a joyful yes to Christ. It's affirming that God is love, and when we love one another, we are sharing God. They are saying yes to loving without conditions. They are saying yes to living generously. They are saying yes to feeding, clothing, housing their neighbors. They are saying yes. We believe peace is the way and is possible. They are saying yes to building one another up and compassion is the way to healing and wholeness. They're saying yes to all that is good and beautiful and life-giving. So let us join with them this day with our own joyful yes.