Staying Strong in the Midst of Distraction: Sermon Luke 13:31-35

Dear God, take our minds and think through them; take our hands and feet and work through them; take our lips and speak through them, take our hearts and set them on fire for you. Amen

“The leading cause of atheism in the world today, is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny him by their lifestyle. That is what and unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable”. This the opening line of a song by the contemporary Christian group dc Talk. I remember the first time I heard it I was sort of dumbfounded. You mean that somehow I could be responsible for the atheism in the world and that my actions and my decisions affect more than just me. This was a radical idea for a teenager and put me into some serious thought. However, the more I thought about it the more I realized that it was true.

I have talked to many people who no longer consider themselves to be Christians. Some say that they are simply “spiritual” but not “religious” and even some have rejected the whole kit and caboodle altogether and have become atheists. I ask them, politely and without judgment, why, why have they made this decision? For a lot of those people it was because of a traumatic experience in a church setting. One lady saw her pastor preach hellfire and brimstone on Sunday only to carry out adulterous affairs during the week. Another person had an abusive parent who thumped their kids as well as their Bible. In some way each person was hurt by someone who claimed to be Christian. Whatever the reason because of the actions of a so-called Christians they have rejected Christ. In these cases our actions as Christians speak much louder than words.

We are constantly bombarded with distractions from our faith. There is money which always seems to get us into trouble. Maybe that is why Jesus said we couldn’t serve two Masters God and money. Jealously, anger, resentment, and many other things seem to take our focus away from God. It happens to all of us at some point, no one is immune from it. Unfortunately we are being watched, like a hawk. The eyes of the unbelieving world are upon us just waiting for us to mess up. They are just waiting for the moment that they can go “Aha! Look over there! It is a Christian who has done something awful, it’s a priest who has molested children, it is a preacher that preached homophobia caught with a male prostitute, and it’s an angry Christian shout and yelling at someone.” It seems that they are just waiting for any opportunity to point and say “Hypocrite, hypocrite!!” They get their chances to because the fact is that although we are Christians we are also human beings, who make mistakes. Fortunately for us God has grace for when we mess up; unfortunately the world has no grace.

Jesus faced similar situations. Our story today places Jesus on the road to Jerusalem, on his way to what he knew would be his death. Along the way he faced many distractions one is within our story. Jesus is walking along when a group of Pharisees come to warn Jesus not to come to Jerusalem because Herod would kill him. This is interesting because it is the Pharisees who we have seen traditionally as an adversary of Jesus is coming to warn him. Perhaps, these were secret followers of Jesus, perhaps they were trying to trick Jesus into not coming to Jerusalem, either way it was a distraction from the work that he had to complete.

Jesus is not dismayed but instead remains focused. He tells them that he is going to continue on his way doing what needs to be done and I will come into Jerusalem and complete the task that has been set before him. Jesus had to maintain his focus and stay on the path of his mission. Jesus knows that his destination is Jerusalem and that his fate is death. However, Jesus knows that the end is not right now and that between that time and now there is much work left to be done.

Don’t we face distractions of purpose, distractions of faith in our journeys with God? Just this week we have seen a group of people claiming to have found the tomb of Jesus and not only that but the body of Jesus. They claim to have found this along with that of Mary Magdalene, Mary and Joseph, James the brother of Jesus and Judah the son of Jesus. These people make these claims because of the markings of the burials boxes. So needless to say this has caused huge publicity. Newspapers and TV news channels have broadcast the question “Is this the end of Christianity?” If Jesus was not resurrected then the whole show is over. Well I will tell you that there are serious holes in this group’s credibility and many scholars, religious and secular, have dismissed any notion that this is the actual tomb of Jesus Christ. We can see though the impact that this could have. Most of us who are strong in the faith can see this is simply another opportunity to make money, like the DaVinci Code people a few years ago. However, it could cause others who might be searching for God to stumble.

The heart of the matter in this whole controversy is faith. People both Christian and atheist want proof to bolster their side. Christians want to find Noah’s Ark or the lost Ark of the Covenant or the Garden of Eden to prove the Bible is true. Atheists want to find the body of Jesus or some scientific explanation to the universe to prove that God does not exist. However the truth is that we cannot nor probably will not prove God exists scientifically and that is ok by me. It’s not about proof it is about faith. Faith is the evidence of things unseen. Faith cannot be measure or tested scientifically and faith does not require scientific evidence. We have faith that Jesus is the Son of God, we have faith that Jesus rose on Easter morning, we have faith that He will come again; we have faith that death is not the end. Jesus told Thomas “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who haven’t seen me and believe anyway.” Jesus’ faith in God and in his mission kept him going in the midst of distraction. And it is our faith that keeps us going in a world filled with distraction. Our faith can be a beacon to others in the world. We cannot prove God’s existence scientifically, but with our faith and with our actions we can show they world that there is something higher that we look to. We have to stand strong in the midst of distraction.

Let’s look back at the story. Jesus reaffirms his mission and his faith that God is with him. Jesus then laments that it has come to this. He is not sad for himself, because of his pending sacrifice, but instead he is sad because the people have not come together. He is sad because the people would not listen to his teachings, but instead they rejected his teachings. Instead of the people join together with him, they scatter. Jesus says “How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” Jesus wanted to unite the people together, but they would not listen.

Does Jesus lament for the church today? Does Jesus see the divisions amongst his people and become sad again? There are so many things that divide Christians. We argue about baptism, how much water should be used, we argue about Communion and home many times should we celebrate it, we argue about whether or not women should be allowed to preach the gospel. All of this bickering divides the body of Christ along denominational lines. Protestants vs. Catholics. Baptists vs. Methodists vs. Church of Christ vs. Presbyterians it goes on and on. We become cynical and hateful to our brothers and sisters in Christ. Our divisiveness is seen by the unbelieving world. They say well if these so-called Christians can’t get along what hope is there for the world. Why would I want to become a Christian if all they do is bicker amongst themselves?

We can see how our arguments can be seen by those seeking faith and how it can turn people off to religion of any kind. We must unite together again. We all have different ways of worshiping God, but the point is that we ARE worshiping God. We have to create a united front in order to face the onslaught of the world. This is what Jesus wants. One denomination is not the “true church” we are all the Church, the body of Christ.

We cannot escape from the world; we are a part of the world. We have to remember that our actions are seen and judged by an unforgiving world. We have to become good ambassadors of the love of Christ. We have to stand firm in the midst of distraction, just as Jesus did. We have to join together as a united Church, resolved our differences as Christians, calmly and lovingly.

Today, as we celebrate Communion let us come together not only as Rehoboth/Liberty United Methodist Church but in communion with all churches and all denominations. Let us remember in the act of Communion we are all one people, given life by the death and resurrection of Christ, through his broken body and shed blood we are set free from our sins. Let us become one once again and hold in our hearts that we are ambassadors of Christ and we are watched by the world. When Christ comes again we will be one, heaven is not divided along denominational lines or by church affiliations. We will be one again, let us be one now.

Let us pray…

Grant, O Lord,

that what has been said with our lips we may believe in our hearts,

and that what we believe in our hearts we may practice in our lives;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.