Just a Regular Guy, and So Much More

John 1:43-45

The next day, Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.”

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I'm just an ordinary average guy
My friends are all boring
And so am I
We're just ordinary average guys

"Ordinary Average Guy" by Joe Walsh

One of the questions answered in the great councils of the church during the first 500 years of the faith was "Is Jesus God or is Jesus human?" There were many variations on this theme offered. One was that Jesus was God wearing human flesh like a shell. It's the Halloween costume version of Jesus. Honestly that doesn't cut it.

The final "formula" they could agree to was that Jesus was fully human and fully divine. From a "mathematical formula" point of view, it's not easy to fathom. How could the Lord be 100% God and 100% human? From a math point of view that's impossible. Of course for God, all things are possible.

Fully human doesn't set well with everybody. We want God to be a superman, someone who cannot be harmed the way we can be harmed. That would be way too vulnerable. As far as that goes, I think that's the point.

Being fully human, Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of Joseph. He's just an ordinary average guy. He gets up, goes to work, comes home, picks up the dog poo, cleans out the garage. He's just like all of us, he's normal, he's average, there is nothing special or distinct that makes Jesus any different. If you cut him, he will bleed.

But also, as Philip tells Nathanael Jesus is the one about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote. He is the one who is to come. He's different than we are. He is God.

Ultimately, Jesus as a person was just like we are, but without sin. He was exposed to sin, he was tempted to sin, but unlike us, he was without sin. He is God, this we need to always remember.

On the other hand, we must never forget that he was just an ordinary average guy with ordinary average guy needs and responsibilities. Because of this, Jesus can sympathize with our everyday live.

Jesus is just a regular guy, and he's so much more--he's also the Christ. This is worth remembering.

It's Different for Girls

John 8:2-9

Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him and he sat down and began to teach them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery; and making her stand before all of them, they said to him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They said this to test him, so that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him.

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Don't you know that it's different for girls?
You're all the same

"It's Different for Girls" by Joe Jackson from "I'm the Man"

A friend once asked me the most provocative question about this scripture, she asked "Where is the man?" For those who questioned her intention with raised eyebrows she asked "Where is the man, the one who also must have been caught in the very act of committing adultery?"

Man, it's different for girls, isn't it?

So all of the fat cats in the synagogue are making their points and pointing their fingers and getting ready for a good old fashioned stoning, you know, the kind we had when we were little but don't do so much any more? In the midst of all of this, here's Jesus, just writing on the ground with his finger while all around him blows up.

It calms down enough so that Jesus is demanded to make his judgement against the woman, and judgement against is the foregone conclusion, when he stands up and says, “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” That's when time freezes.

Jesus returns to his writings and the crowd begins to turn away, beginning with the Elders.

My friend thinks that Jesus has been writing the names of the scribes' and Pharisees' girlfriends in the dust. Hypocrites, you're all the same.

I guess in this case it was different for girls. She was taken to the temple, presumably in a state of undress. She was dragged through the streets. She was screaming while everyone else was yelling. It was going to be an old fashioned stoning just like the stonings when we were kids. But Jesus reminded them of one thing, that they were not without sin either.

Somewhere there was a man who was sharing the same sin. Somewhere there were friends and family who were just as guilty as she. Maybe not of the same sin, but in the sight of God, what the difference one sin to another.

Jesus knew this. He reminded the scribes and Pharisees that their judgement was coming along too. Maybe this is why the elders left first. They had lived enough life to know when they were indicted. They had the wisdom, they just needed the sharp reminder. As for the young men, they got the message. It's our message too. There is none without sin, and to say so is like dragging this woman through the streets and leaving the man at the scene of the scene.

Readers might ask why I didn't take this writing to the end, all the way to "go and sin no more." There are two reasons:

The first is that today I wanted to focus on the hypocrisy of sexism and how there are times where the sins men and women commit are different for women. I want to say that this is not so.

The second, well, if nothing else, life has shown us that we as a society don't get "go and sin no more." Just watch the news and get back to me on that one.

Good Days

Exodus 14:21

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The LORD drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into dry land; and the waters were divided.

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On a good day, I know it ain't every day
We can part the sea
And on a bad day, I know it ain't every day
Glory beyond our reach

"Wiser Time" written by Chris Robinson and Rich Robinson, recorded by The Black Crowes on "Amorica"

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It's amazing what constitutes a "good day." It could be your team winning the game. It could be getting through the traffic light that always get stops you. It could be a "thanks" from a friend or co-worker.

Something that always makes the day a "bad day" is when the people of Israel cry out to “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us, bringing us out of Egypt? Is this not the very thing we told you in Egypt, ‘Let us alone and let us serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” That will make you get a "do-over" on the day.

What these two things have in common is what controls a day being good or bad. Those things are external events. Some are good, the kind of thing you want to have happen everyday. The other, well who couldn't live without the nation crying for our heads on a platter.

What makes a day better is the true and certain knowledge of Emmanuel, God with you. The Lord knew what was on Moses' plate, the Lord could hear the initial wails and Moses crying to the whirlwind praying for salvation. It is the coming salvation that makes the day fine.

What was a bad day became a good day with glory beyond our reach. That's the way it should always be.

Come, As You Are

Exodus 2:9-11

The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

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Come
As you are
As you were
As I want you to be

"Come, As You Are" written by Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselik, and Dave Grohl from the Nirvana CD "Nevermind"

There's an old saying, God doesn't call the equipped, God equips the called. This isn't much of a chicken-egg thing, call and vocation come before being ready to answer the call and fill the vocation. It wouldn't be much for God if we were all ready for our assignments. Then it would be more like God doing a jigsaw puzzle than being sovereign over the universe.

Moses doesn't know the name of the God who sends him, so he asks. Moses is told to tell the Egyptians that I AM sent him. Knowing the name of God gives power, the first thing Moses gets with his call is the name of God, even if it's a little cryptic, he receives the first thing he needs to complete his vocation.

Then Moses asks "what shall I say?" The Lord tells him.

Then Moses asks "what if they don't listen?" The Lord enables him to do miracles and wonders with his staff.

Then Moses says, "Dude, I stutter!" By this time, you can imagine the Lord being a little perturbed? Hasn't Moses gotten everything he has needed so far? Has the Lord left him wanting yet? No, so the Lord reminds Moses of what he already has, his brother who does speak well.(This didn't make the Charlton Heston movie, but that's Hollywood.)

We are called, we have all received a vocation. We are called to different ministries. We are equipped with different gifts. But this is what we are to remember, come as you are. Come as you are called. The Lord is able to take care of everything else, in fact, the Lord wants us to rely on God for everything else.

Refusing to Let Go

Genesis 32:10a

I am not worthy of the least of all the steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant.

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I know you wanna leave me,
But I refuse to let you go,
If I have to beg, plead for your sympathy,
I don't mind 'cause you mean that much to me.

"Ain't too Proud to Beg" written and performed by The Temptations

When we think about the matters of faith, we think of them from our point of view. This is more than business as usual, it's the best perspective we have. Today, thinking of "The Temptations," I want to consider this from the other side of the coin.

God knows that we are a sin-soaked people. That's the way of life. We will do everything in our power to harm ourselves in sometimes the laziest and in other times the most creative ways imaginable. Television shows and entire television networks have been built around programming around people being stupid in imaginative ways. Johnny Knoxville and MTV created a cottage industry around the aptly named "Jackass" collection.

In our sin sick ways, we try to leave God everyday, that's just a plain and simple truth. It's God who refuses to let us go. God has begged and pleaded for our return, our reconciliation. He even sent his Son to take us from our own demise.

We have problems living into the redemption. This is true. We have trouble even conceiving what it cost God to pay for our disobedience. The least we can be is thankful. The least we can be is humble. Jacob showed this humility.

Jacob could at least acknowledge that he was not worth of God's steadfast love and faithfulness. Jacob could at least acknowledge that he was the servant of God. He realized that what God had done in his life and for the life of his people was now and would in the future be great.

Now, imagine how much love comes in the words "I don't mind 'cause you mean that much to me." It is up to us to show even a shimmer of that love in return to God and to one another.

Religion Worth Losing

James 1:19-27

You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness. Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls.

But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act--they will be blessed in their doing.

If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

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Oh, life is bigger
It's bigger than you
And you are not me

"Losing My Religion" by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, Michael Stipe from the REM album "Out of Time"

The question, what's the difference between religion and faith? Is there a difference? Yes, there is a difference, and it's bigger than it might seem. Perhaps one simple way to put this is that religion is how we practice our faith. Religion helps define the theology and liturgies and priorities of how we frame faith in God. If faith is a suit, religion is a hanger. Then again, if faith is a suit that's trouble. It should be tougher to remove our faith than it is to take off a suit.

The book of James tells us about faith and warns us about being religious. James calls us to take our faith and be active with it. We are to be doers of the word, not just hearers. It's like having a key; it's great, but if it isn't used to open the door or unlock the chains it's useless. So too is religion that doesn't put faith into action. Sitting in church on Sunday morning isn't a bad thing, but if that is the extent of faith, it's not that good either.

It is especially bad when religion takes its cues from anger. The faithful are called to be quick to listen and slow to anger because anger does not lead to righteousness. If anger causes the tongue to lose its bridle, then the religion is useless. Useless religion is religion worth losing.

It is important to remember that God is bigger than we are. God is bigger than our religion yet or faith should reach toward that bigness. People create religion, hopefully as empowered by the Holy Spirit. Still, religion is a human endeavor, thus laden with the sin of all human creation. Faith must be bigger.

God is bigger than we are so faith must be bigger than we are. I can imagine God singing to creation and to religion, "life is bigger than you and you are not me." When we fail to open our faith to the greater things of God then our religion is worthless. When we are quick to anger then our religion is worthless. God is bigger. Faith should be bigger. When religion limits this truth, we have created a religion worth losing.