"How Can I Keep from Singing?"
Sermon Presented April 29, 2007
John 10:22-30
When I first looked at our text for this morning, I checked to see how I could relate it to this special occasion of the dedication of the piano. After reading the first verse and seeing that the setting for the exchange between Jesus and the Jews is the temple at the time of the Feast of Dedication, I thought: "Wow! This is great!" However, upon further examination, I found little to relate to what we are about today. After spending more time with the text, other thoughts emerged that may not connect directly to the occasion, but can impact our lives in meaningful ways. Let's see where this leads.
I'm reading from John 10:22-30. (Read text.)
The text begins with Hanukkah, a great time of celebration for all Jews. This isn't a religious holiday, but a celebration of the Jewish military victory over the Syrians and the rededication of the temple that had been desecrated by followers of Antiochus. It's an eight-day celebration that is currently associated with music, reading from the Torah and the Psalms, gift giving and the lighting of candles.
The party is in full swing when some Jews approach Jesus in the temple to see if he will claim to be the Messiah. Neither they, nor Jesus' disciples understand this concept of Messiah as it relates to Jesus. Their question can't be answered with a simple "yes" or "no" because their understanding of key words is different. Concepts like messiah, eternal life, and Jesus being one with the Father have different understandings. Neither the Jewish religious leaders nor Jesus' own followers really understand who Jesus is, so a theological discussion breaks into the festivities.
It isn't unusual to think about theological issues during times of celebration. The grief and questioning of a person who lost a loved one during the Christmas season will come up each year when Christ's birth is celebrated. Members of Bay View Baptist Church may question God's direction each Easter; and the Jews who celebrate the Festival of Dedication recall each year when and how the temple was desecrated. Celebration doesn't cause us to forget the past, and it sometimes brings up the theological question of "Why, God?"
At this festive time, Jewish leaders approach Jesus with questions about who he is and what his future role will be. The question is both theological and political. Jesus gives a 2-part answer - first, that he has already answered their question, and second, that he and God are one. He states that he is perfectly unified with the will, heart and works of God! This is even more controversial than when he said that if they have seen him, they have seen God!
Jesus' relationship with God is both the crux and the stumbling block for the Christian faith. It's also the focal point of most of the controversy between Jesus and the religious authorities. In John's Gospel, Jesus never claims to be a second God or somehow to replace God. He claims to know God as no human has ever known God, to be one with God in will and work for the salvation of the world. His acts of healing and his words demonstrate and embody the presence of God in the world. (Interpreters' Bible, Vol. Luke-John, p. 679)
I believe that how we understand "oneness" in this text is crucial to living full lives. The Greek work "one" is neuter, not masculine so that Jesus isn't saying that he and God are one person, nor even one nature or essence. Rather he's saying that he and God are united in the work that they do. It's impossible to distinguish Jesus' work from God's work because Jesus shares fully in God's work. (Ibid. p. 677) It's important that we look at this text in its context and not in light of later Trinitarian doctrine. The word Trinity isn't in the Bible.
Jesus says: "The Father and I are one." How do we understand this when Scripture tells us that Jesus prayed to God and called God "Father"? He claimed he was sent by God and was obedient to God. He believed God abandoned him on the cross and raised him from the dead. This shows a clear distinction between Jesus and God. And yet Jesus said that to see him is to see the very face of God. It's almost too much to wrap our minds around, isn't it? How do we understand this concept - this Truth?
I believe that Christians become open to spiritual Truth as we follow Jesus; and non-Christians find Truth when they are open to receive it. As we mature, our spiritual lives need to grow into new understanding. I am open to Truth today that I was closed to even a year ago, so it's important to keep an open mind and heart. Jesus said to seek and you will find. As we understand Truth and act on it, we are drawn deeper into God's presence. When Jesus attempts to explain a Truth to people with closed minds, it doesn't go very far - only far enough to antagonize them.
Now let's go back to the controversial statement of Jesus' oneness with the Father. I believe that when we begin to grasp this truth, our hearts will be lighter and our relationship with God will be more open and meaningful. What does it mean to be "one" in the context of this teaching?
In a marriage ceremony, the minister will often advise the couple to leave parents and become one. Now this doesn't mean that Les and Wilanna became one person when they married; nor does it mean that they think and act in the same way. What it means is that their love for one another and their goals flow together so that there are moments when their hearts beat as one. They aren't the same person, but they can be one in the biblical sense of the word!
There are times when the women ministers in our covenant group share in such a way that we catch a glimpse of another's soul. At that moment we become one. We will never be the same person because we are really quite different, but we can be one.
In the 60's, I learned a chorus titled "We Are
One in the Spirit". It reads: We are one in the Spirit; we are
one in the Lord. We are one in the Spirit; we are one in the Lord. And
we pray that our unity will one day be restored. And they'll know we
are Christians by our love, by our love, yes, they'll know we are Christians
by our love. We sang of unity with one another and with God. Love brings
us to oneness - one with God and one with each other.
The heart of Jesus beats in tune with the heart of God. Theirs is a
total and complete mystical union; and I believe that we, too, can experience
moments of mystical union with God or another. As I proceed, you may
realize that this experience of oneness has already been yours at special
times. When we recognize these moments, we will want to celebrate them
and then learn how to open our hearts to experience this union again.
Even though we prize our individuality greatly, it's a powerful experience
to glimpse the Holy and move into God's presence in a spirit of unity.
Many have erroneous ideas about mystical experiences, so I want to help you dispel your blocks to becoming united with God. This past week a friend who attended last year's concert featuring Laura, Fred and Jerrod Snyder told me of her mystical experience that afternoon. Jerrod played a Pachelbel piece on his cello in such a way that when he finished, my friend couldn't move. She couldn't clap. She couldn't rise. She just sat there - her entire being merging with God through the music. It's been more than a year since that performance, but when she related that experience to me, she had goose bumps on her arms. Jerrod brought her into God's presence through the music. For a moment they were one!
Can you recall a time when you held your baby or your grandchild next to your heart and in that moment, you experienced the baby's heart beat with your heart and you sensed oneness with the baby and with God? Or what about an occasion when you held a loved one and you transcended the moment and touched the Holy?
Have you attended a ballet and been transported through the dance, or sat on the lakeshore and watched the sun rise, transcending this world? Have you gazed at a painting, listened to poetry or music, or smelled familiar odors and found that for that moment you were merged with God in perfect union? The moment you realize that there is no separateness between you and another or between you and God, you experience oneness. Jesus said that he was one with God. His heart beats in tune to the heart of God - not occasionally, but always.
Just as the Jewish leaders and the disciples didn't understand what Jesus was saying to them, we must admit that our understanding lacks the clarity we would like. If we're honest, we will admit that there are spiritual Truths that we don't tap into because we don't know to do it. My suggestion is to pay attention to occasions when you sense oneness with God. I also suggest that you branch out into new experiences where your heart tells you that you might find God. Pray! Read! Study! Experience!
We won't be able to keep from singing when in the midst of our sorrows and our joys we become joined with God through the presence of God in our hearts! Seek and you will find!
