American Church in Paris -Sermons

American Church in Paris - Sermons

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Constant Companions
by The Rev. John M. Rogers
18 April 1999 - Easter 3
TEXT: Luke 24:13-35
© 1999 J. M. Rogers

When Josef Stalin died, the story is told that Kruschev did everything he could to have Stalin's body buried outside the Soviet Union. After all, he already had Lenin's body to contend with. And what new leader needs yet another hero's tomb to rival for attention? So Kruschev called President Johnson. "Lyndon," he said, "you own a big ranch in Texas. I wonder, as a gesture of friendship and international cooperation, if you would bury Stalin somewhere on the 'back forty' of your ranch?" "Are you kidding, pondner?" Lyndon replied. "I'd like to help, but the eyes of Texas are always upon me and they'd never let me get away with something like that."

Next he called Churchill, but Churchill turned him down, as well. Finally, he called Ben-Gurion in Tel Aviv. Ben-Gurion was more encouraging. "Give me three days, Nikki," he said, "to consider your request." So, three days later, to the exact minute, Kruschev called back. "Yes," said Ben-Gurion, we will do what you ask. But there are three conditions you must meet:

• first, you must ship the body to us in a plain, brown coffin.
• second, the coffin must be delivered to us under the cover of darkness.
• third, you must agree to allow us to bury the body in the most desolate and remote part of the desert we're able to find."

"Yes, yes, anything you say!" Exclaimed an ecstatic Kruschev. "Oh yes," added Ben-Gurion, "there's just one other small detail about which I feel obligated to remind you. Israel has the highest resurrection ratio of all the nations in the world."

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The season of Easter, those weeks beginning with Easter Sunday and continuing to Pentecost, is a time when Christians are called upon to re-examine the bible's post-resurrection stories and to try to find meaning in them for the living of our lives. Eastertide is also a season when Christians everywhere are invited and encouraged to explore the themes of religious doubt and faith.

Last Sunday, Larry Kalajainen reminded us of how Christ appeared to his trembling apostles who huddled in a little room behind locked doors, so fearful were they of the circumstances of the day. And he reminded us of Thomas's disbelief, which is why he is remembered to this day as "Doubting Thomas" -- the disciple who needed more tangible evidence of Christ's resurrection before he would believe. And how he got the proof he needed!

If the Protestant church had patron saints, as our roman brothers & sisters do, I've always thought that Thomas might well serve as the "patron saint of Protestantism". For, in a way, we Protestants pride ourselves upon our questioning and doubting each and every little theological point before we lend our assent to anything! When it comes to loving God "...with all our heart, mind, soul and strength...", We like to make sure that loving God "with all our mind" is not somehow overlooked. No blindly following the faith for us, thank you very much!

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This Sunday, we are examining another of the post-resurrection stories: the story of "the Emmaus road". This story is well-known to most of you. It is the story of two of Jesus' followers returning home from a tumultuous week in Jerusalem which resulted in the passion and death of their leader. It wasn't supposed to have turned out that way. It was intended to be a triumphal week for their teacher -- a week during which others would come to see that he was, indeed, sent by God. Instead, it ended in a bloody crucifixion so far as they were concerned.

As they walked, they hashed and rehashed between them the events which occurred in what was, for them, 'the week from hell', they were totally confused by it all, plagued by doubt about the entire 'Jesus enterprise', paralyzed by grief. And as they walked, gnashing their teeth, the men were quietly joined by a stranger.

First, the stranger simply listened to their expressions of grief. Next, he asked them a few penetrating questions which seemed to help them clarify their thoughts and feelings. Next, he upbraided them for their hardness of heart and stupidity. And, finally, he engaged them in a little biblical and theological instruction in the hope that they might understand.

The story concludes by the men inviting the stranger to their home for a bite to eat. They still haven't identified him for the Christ that he is! Interestingly, it is the stranger who seizes the initiative of blessing, then breaking the bread. And, as he did these things, we're told that their eyes were finally opened.

This story establishes the manner in which the church has celebrated Holy Communion ever since. More, perhaps, than even the Last Supper, it proscribes the sacramental formula of taking, blessing, breaking and sharing of the bread. And it clearly establishes Christ as host because, this is after all, the Lord's supper.

The significance of this important event within the Christian story is reinforced, I suspect, in every cathedral in France. Carvings which depict this story are to be found on virtually every cathedral's rood screen, if not on the cathedral's doors themselves. Look for it the next time.

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This is a juicy text for a preacher because there are so many paths one might pursue. All week long, I've been saying "...How do I preach thee? Oh, let me count the ways"!

A few Sundays ago, Larry threw down a gauntlet to us, challenging us to be more self-disclosing, more authentic, in our dealings with one another. He challenged us to "... assess our personal 'gaps' between public persona and private reality" -- that's the way I think he put it -- to the end that we might become more real to one another.

So I've decided in what few moments I have remaining this morning, to share something of myself with you which I think is pertinent to this story; but something which most preachers do not discuss publicly. Finally, I would guess that it's something which you and I share in common.

I confess that it is far easier for me to identify with those two discouraged and pathetic men on their way back to Emmaus than with the stealthy "Christ figure" who joins them and seems to have all the answers. If I had been a participant in any of those post-resurrection events, I'm certain I would have been like Thomas, or any other disciple who doubted the veracity of the rumors of resurrection, demanding more proof before I could accept the truth. The resurrection of a dead person is a hard concept to grasp. It's even harder to embrace and to affirm!

What I'm trying to say is that, contrary to what you may think, "doubt" has probably characterized and plagued my life, and the life of most clergypersons, far more than "belief". That may seem strange to hear coming from a preacher. While it may be ok for you to doubt to your heart's content, there are lots of people in the church who are reluctant to grant a pastor the same privilege. Yes, doubt can pose a real 'occupational hazard' for clergy at times. A clergyman is constantly being called upon to shore up another's belief system in times of crisis. He's expected by some not to experience the same faith crises others know so well.

This unrealistic expectation of pastors would make sense if doubt was something which simply could be replaced with faith by studying harder and by praying more. But, unfortunately, that not how the doubt/faith dynamic works. There you have it, one of "my personal 'gaps' between public persona and inner-reality."

The truth is, I feel rather comfortable in sharing this confession with you because I know how good we each are at doubting, and how bad most of us are when it comes to believing. This is the human condition. Always has been and probably always will be -- with a few exceptional faith moments along our life's journey.

So here's the way it is, my friends. Belief and doubt, they're constant companions. You really can't have one without the other. So live more comfortably with your doubts. Because they are the growing edges of belief. Don't think you're alone in living with this belief/doubt thing. And don't think that God thinks any less of you for your questioning.

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The fact is, doubt is a gift. Doubt helps us prune ourselves of childish beliefs. It makes room for important spiritual growth and faith maturity. Doubt is the "ants in the pants" of belief. Belief and doubt cling to one another like exhausted boxers. They are a package deal. Still, while we are usually thankful for the one, we dread the other.

Both "belief" and "doubt" are servants of yet another word even more important to us -- "faith". The differences between "belief" and "faith" are like night and day. "Belief" is an act of the intellect; "faith" is an act of the heart. For one to have faith in God requires ever so much more than for us to conclude that we think God exists. "Faith" equals trust, reliance and dependence upon a holy other. "Faith" equals betting our lives on the "belief" that God does, in fact, "hold the world in his hands" -- including our lives.

It was Albert Camus who reminded us that "there are times when we must make a 100% commitment to something when we are only 51% certain."

One of the more illustrative stories I've ever heard demonstrating the distinction between "belief" and "faith" occurred 150 years ago. In those days, at least in the United States, it was the popular thing for tightrope walkers to string a cable above Niagara Falls, then to walk across it before throngs of cheering onlookers. One of those daredevils was a man named Charles Blondin.

One day, before he attempted to cross the Falls on a cable, he turned to the crowd and asked them if they thought he could accomplish the feat. "Of course", they shouted, "go for it!" Thus encouraged, he mounted the cable with balance beam in hand, and became a bit more bold, asking the crowd if they thought he could still do it while carrying another man on his shoulders? "Yes, yes!" Shouted one of the spectators, "I'm certain you can. Give it a try!"

Blondin paused, turned to face his confident and most vociferous fan and, looking him straight in the eye, he asked: "be you that man???" His fan's enthusiasm suddenly deflated like a punctured balloon and he instantly declined Blondin's invitation.

And that, my friends, illustrates the difference between "belief" and "faith" -- when we're faced with having to choose "to make a 100% commitment when we are only 51% certain."

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If "doubt" is a gift, so too, then is "faith". Faith is not something we catch, or learn, or earn through good deeds. It is a quality of life with which we are occasionally blessed. Even then, it does not become our possession.

Faith is something we are given when we most stand in need of it. To paraphrase a Mick Jagger favorite, "you can't always get what you want..." -- like an endless supply of faith -- but God shall surely see to it that "...you get what you need."

The gift of "faith" is something we can

• pray for,
• prepare to receive,
• learn to recognize when it comes,
• anticipate will come to us disguised as something else, and
• give thanks for when it comes.

But faith is a blessing, a gift which comes from God, and not from our own efforts.

Transforming "belief" into "faith" is no less miraculous than changing water into wine. But it is something you and I do everyday. We see that transformation take place every time we board an airplane weighing 60,000 pounds and have faith that it really can escape the pull of gravity and remain airborne for thousands of miles without falling. We see that transformation take place every time we cross the Champs Elysées between crosswalks -- and sometimes even at the crosswalks!

Jesus never offered his followers arguments in support of the existence of God. They already "believed" in God. But, despite their "belief", most lived as though God did not exist. They lacked a living, trusting relationship with God. Like Charles Blondin's #1 fan, and like us all, they were unwilling to stake their very lives upon what they claimed to believe. Often those who seem to be able to define God best are the very ones who understand God least.

"Faith", then, is not the opposite of "doubt". "Doubt" prepares us to receive God's gift of "faith". "Faith" is learning to trust God. Faith is a verb. Living out our faith is putting our beliefs into action. Living out our faith gets us off the sidelines of life and onto the front lines -- exactly where God wants us to be.

"Faith is risking what is yet to be. It is taking small steps, knowing that they lead to bigger ones.

Faith is holding on when you want to let go. And sometimes, it's letting go when you want to hold on.

Faith is saying "yes" when everything and everyone else is saying "no".

It is believing that all things are possible in the midst of impossibilities.

Faith is looking beyond what is and trusting in what will be.

It is the presence of light in darkness, and the presence of God in all."

(Ellen Cuomo)

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