The Mad Parson

At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered, “I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.” –John 10: 22-32

I think the Gospel lesson for this past Sunday is a marvelous commentary on our society and has real implications for it. The fundamental question of the lesson is: “Who do you think Jesus is?” What we think of Christ dictates how we live our lives, and this is nowhere shown better than in our present culture. And I’m not even discussing the seculars who think Christ was a raving nutjob, or who don’t even think about Christ much at all. I’ve actually got in mind those who are part of the Church.

In fact, it might be more accurate to say that the lesson is a scalding commentary on those of us who ascribe to the Christian faith. Each Sunday we say the Apostles’ Creed, we pray the Lord’s Prayer, and we hear some benediction made in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. If we were asked what we believe about Jesus Christ, we would indubitably say the right things: He’s the Messiah, the Chosen One, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Son of God.

But what would our actions say? More and more these days, our commitment to the Church–our commitment to the Body of Christ–is one option for our time out of many. Our commitment to our faith is one possibility amongst a range of possibilities. Instead of our faith being the paramount commitment around which all other commitments are structured, it now competes with other commitments–and quite often loses out. Whether it’s the Sunday New York Times and a cup of Starbucks, or a traveling softball team tournament or catching up on emails for work to get a jump on the week or whatever, the practices of faith are slowly losing out to whatever other option we prefer or even think necessary. Instead of the entree around which the rest of the meal is planned, deliberate Christian practice is now just another buffet option in the cafeteria of life.

Let’s change that. Let’s take a hard look at our lives and ask ourselves: “Do I really believe that Christ is Lord? Does my calendar show that? Or do I treat Christ like he’s a really swell life coach and squeeze him in when I can?” Because Christ the Life Coach can help make our relationships better and give us pretty good advice on staying out of debt. But Christ the Messiah gives us eternal life–deep, rich, abundant life right here and right now, peace-filled life, joyous life, truth-telling life. What we believe about Christ dictates our decisions, and those decisions will guide what kind of life we have. What kind of life do we want?