Christ Episcopal Church
September 16, 2012
19 Proper B
May a year ago, Don and I decided to try out our favorite vacation spot a little earlier in the summer. Usually, we go on vacation in early August, just before the school and program years start back up in the fall. That year, for some reason, the best time to go on vacation was in mid-May, right after the school year and the program year ended. I made a reservation at our usual hotel and found that, in May, the rates are significantly less expensive than in August, so I booked an extra night. We were looking forward to long walks, eating at our favorite restaurants, and getting a lot of reading done.
Well, let’s just say that we were lucky one of our vacation goals, if vacations have goals, was to get a lot of reading done. The weather on this island in mid-May is cold and rainy. The reason the hotel was so much less expensive is because few restaurants and attractions are open in mid-May. The boats to the other islands, which we enjoy exploring, don’t run until June. Neither the pool, nor, more importantly, the hot tub, were open yet. Good thing I took a lot of books!
In the end, however, we had a great time. We did get some after dinner walks in as the weather started to clear. Since most of our favorite restaurants were closed, we ate where the local folk ate and that gave us a different taste of the island. On the walks we were able to take, we practically had the island to ourselves. And we did get lots of reading done. The week was both enjoyable and relaxing, just not in the way we had planned.
The disciples are on a journey this morning, although their journey is a far cry from a vacation. They are on a journey to Caesarea Philippi and beyond. Along the way, Jesus asks them "Who do people say that I am?" But what Jesus really wants to know is "Who do you say that I am?" Peter’s answer is famous "You are the Messiah." In that one simple sentence, Peter sums up his itinerary for this journey. Jesus is the Messiah, the one the Jewish people have anticipated and expected for hundreds of years. Jesus is the one sent by God, anointed by God, to save the people from the Romans and restore Israel to the glory and power she had when David was King. Jesus is the one who will usher in the Kingdom of God, a kingdom of splendor and might. This is a journey of power and privilege, as the disciples follow Jesus and wait to see what will happen next, and imagine what their roles will be in this new dynasty. Just a few chapters later, this theme is repeated when James and John, two of the disciples, come to Jesus as ask to sit, one at his right hand and one at his left hands when Jesus comes into his glory.
The only problem is that Jesus is on a different journey. Even though Peter gives Jesus the correct title, he gives Jesus the wrong identity. Peter is thinking about power and privilege; Jesus is talking about pouring out his life. Peter is setting his mind on human things, not divine ones. Jesus’ itinerary goes through the cross, not around it, giving his life away rather than holding on ‘till his knuckles turn white, and he calls his followers to do the same. Jesus calls the crowd with the disciples and tells them that if they want to be his disciples, they must stop hanging on to their own itinerary, get rid of the map, quit limiting their possibilities, and live fully by taking up their crosses and actually following Jesus.
In a week when we have marked the 11th anniversary of 9/11, and watched as violence spread against the United States because of the film "The innocence of Muslims" which was made in this country, in addition to encountering a variety of stumbling blocks in our own lives, we can easily wonder about this journey we are on with Jesus. We did not choose journeys such as these, and, quite frankly, we do not want to be on them. On a bad day, we can easily wonder why, if we are putting ourselves out for Jesus, Jesus does not rise to the occasion and give us, or our loved ones, or our country some divine protection from such challenges to our faith.
When Jesus says "Pick up your cross and follow me," I believe he means even more than asking us to follow him to the cross. Jesus also means follow him as he heals the sick, binds up the broken hearted, and works to show people that the Kingdom of God has come near. Following Jesus means not avoiding the hard questions or challenging situations, but trusting that God is present in them and working to figure out how. Following Jesus is to trust that there is no place we can find ourselves where Jesus has not already been and trusting that Jesus is already there, not necessarily to fix the situation, but to be present with us and guide us on the journey, even when we find ourselves some place we’d rather not be. Following Jesus means that we may not know where we are going or what we will do when we get there, but we trust that Jesus knows and will lead us. Jesus calls us to hand over the map, let go of our own personal itineraries, stop limiting our possibilities, and say to Jesus "You are the Messiah."
Amen.
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