Chan Willis – C.P.C.                                                                                                                                                                         February 28, 2010

“Wonders and Wondering”

Exodus 15:11-13, 21-24; Matthew 28:16-20

Today is Sunday, Feb. 28.  Who remembers what happened 3 weeks ago today, Feb. 7?  The Super Bowl!  You know, from “Aints” to “World Champions.”  “Who Dat?”  to “We Dat!”  “Choose to Believe.”  “Finish Strong.”  Even if you weren’t a Saints fan… which hardly anyone now would admit… most everyone had a smile on their face, basking in the joy of that singular victory.  All those 43 years of frustration atoned for in one miraculous event… one that many of us woke up from the next day wondering if what we saw really happened…

And TODAY?  Well, I think that most everyone has settled back down to earth now.  Faced with the harsh realities of traffic… children… work… taxes…  We’ve come down from our mountaintop experience to face everyday life in the valley.  ‘Super Saints Sunday’ has given way to ‘Mundane, Menial Monday’.  Interesting, isn’t it, how quickly that euphoria can disappear… almost like it never happened?

In the passages we’ve read this morning, in some ways we can relate our experiences to those of the followers of Moses and Jesus.  Think about the Israelites, and those many years of suffering they endured, at the hands of Pharaoh.  And how through the incredible miracle of the parting of the Red Sea, they were delivered from sure death to safety.  A mere three days later, however, we read that “the people grumbled against Moses.”  Three days!  I guess that bears truth to the modern-day question, “But what have you done for me lately?”

And then there’s the disciples’ case.  They have gone through the agonizing trial and brutal treatment of their Lord…witnessed His excruciating suffering in being nailed to the cross… and being laid to rest in a cold, isolated tomb.  In the midst of their grief and disappointment, however, the disciples come to find out that He is NOT dead… that He is alive, just as He said.  And they go to the place that He told them to come, and there they see Him, face-to-face.  Life conquering death.  The miracle of the Resurrection.  The words that were spoken by the Prophets… and by Jesus himself… fulfilled in the flesh of Christ.  As would be expected, the Scriptures say that “When they saw him, they worshipped him… but… some doubted.”  The same Jesus that they had walked with on that agonizing Via Dolorosa (or, “The Way of Suffering”)… the same Jesus that they had cried out for and wept bitterly as He took His last breath… a mere three days later, this same Jesus “some doubted.”  So, from the miraculous parting of a great body of water… or the even more miraculous raising of the body of Christ… faithful followers go from the lofty experience of ‘awesome wonders’ to the doubtful depths of ‘awful wondering’…

WHY IS THAT?  How could those eyewitnesses of the two greatest events in the history of a people of faith… the parting of a body of water that was in all likelihood several miles wide… and a brutally executed man come back to life… in only a few days time so quickly come to “grumble” and “doubt”?!

Well, the short answer is human nature.  It is our nature to doubt that miracles will really happen… and when they do, we try to rationally explain them away.  It is our nature to grumble when things are not going our way… forgetting the multitude of things that have gone our way.  Even with an all-powerful, all-loving God, we can quickly forget the abundant blessings of life that our Heavenly Father has given us, and point our fingers at Him and say, ‘but what have you done for me lately?’  Particularly in our ‘instant gratification’, ‘results-oriented’ society, we are used to getting what we want when we want it.  Too often, we can look at God as our holy ATM machine… punch in the right numbers, He spits out what we ask for.

But beyond our human nature, there is, for me, yet another aspect of humanity’s short-sighted faith in God evident here.  And that is that our trust in God has got to be based on more than a single landmark event.  [worship… prayer/study]  As powerful as the Hebrews’ YHWH was in parting the sea… as incredible as it was to see Christ risen from the dead, just as He said… these single experiences would not sustain God’s weak, fallible people in their struggle to follow Him.  To trust in God enough to faithfully follow Him, even through long years in the wilderness… to believe in Christ enough to utter His Name aloud, publicly and privately… requires more than a particular ‘event.’  It demands an ongoing relationship.  A continual presence.  A pervasive purpose in living our everyday lives every day for the sake of Jesus Christ.

Let me go back to the Saints’ analogy.  Perhaps intimating that the ‘thrill had gone’ for everyone was an overstatement.  Let me safely say that it had for ME!  You see, I didn’t grow up in N.O.  I didn’t go to all of the Saints games.  I didn’t pick up the daily paper and read every article about the latest game, or training camp, or draft choice, or injury report.  Sure, I got caught up in the excitement of the moment, but I hadn’t suffered through all those 40 years of ‘wandering in the wilderness’ of ‘wait til next year.’  (Of course, I could relate to Saints’ fans long-suffering for the ultimate victory…in the nearly 50 years it had been between National Championships for my LSU Tigers!)

My point is, the more time that you spend in learning, discussing, and following a particular group or individual, the more emotionally invested you become.  The more attached you are.  The stronger the relationship.  That relationship is what helps you to make it through the difficult times… and makes the good times all the more sweet.

Looking at the Israelites concerns, if they thought they had something to ‘grumble’ about after three days, boy, ‘they ain’t seen nothin’ yet!’  Wait ‘til they really get into ‘wandering in the wilderness.’  And yet, we know from our hindsight perspective, that as they do journey together through long trials of following God (and particularly, his ‘slow of speech’ servant Moses) indeed their faith WILL grow stronger.  As the Hebrew people learn to trust in their God… day-by-day, year-by-year… they will spend less time ‘wondering’ what the heck He is doing and more time focusing on the ‘wonders’ of God’s grace and providence.  We too wander through that same ‘wilderness’…

As we look at the followers of Jesus, and how they ‘doubted,’ we are those same disciples.  Even in this holy season of Lent, which will lead us up to those powerful historical events of Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Resurrection Sunday of Easter, We too can be plagued with doubt.  Did it really happen?  Is it real?  Can you believe it?

With the Saints’ Super Bowl victory, we could answer that with the testimony of eyewitnesses, folks who saw it with their own eyes… either through television or in person.  How many eyewitnesses can you speak to who saw the empty tomb?  Who can you speak to who saw Jesus on the mountain that day He commissioned His disciples?

No one.  But you can read of the testimony of many of His followers who were with him most every day for three years.  You can talk with His faithful saints… little ‘s’… who have walked with him all their lives.  You can talk to your Lord whenever you can squeeze some time for Him into your busy schedule.  As important as the landmark events are in which God has manifested Himself in the annals of history… from ‘oceanic disturbances’ to ‘bodily resurrections’… what will make God REAL in your life is to be in a daily, real, consistent relationship with Him.  To treat Jesus not only as your Savior who died to save you from your sin, but as the One who (in the words of the great hymn) “walks with me and talks with me, and tells me that I am His own.”  There is nothing more important that you will ever do in your life than to say, ‘Jesus, I am yours… and You are mine.’

As most of you will remember, my focus in the Scriptures we are considering for the first part of this year have to do with the vision and mission (‘vission’) of our lives, and church.  The spiritual guide I am making extensive use of in this process is… besides the Holy Spirit, of course … is Mr. Tom Bandy.  I actually had coffee with him on Thursday, and in our time together we discussed, in part, what the “Core Values” and “Bedrock Beliefs” are for C.P.C.  You see, in order for us to understand God’s vision for our church, we must first come to grips with just what is it that we value and believe.  What is important to us as a people of God.

In particular, I found our discussion of “Bedrock Beliefs” to be most challenging.  In our time of analysis as Deacons and Elders, we had come up with things such as “Bible – Word of God”… “Eternal life”… “God’s Unconditional Love”… “Fellowship of Believers”… “Jesus Christ.”

ALL of which are certainly very important elements of what we believe.

But what Mr. Bandy held me to task for was to take away the ‘religious vernacular’ in expressing these beliefs.  To speak in terms that ‘specifically name God’s supernatural character.’  That a ‘Bedrock Belief’ is that principle or symbol that we will turn to in times of crisis, confusion, or stress.  To put it quite bluntly, in his words, that which you believe ‘that would prevent you from committing suicide.’

Well, as you might imagine, THAT sure got my attention.  You know, as a “Minister of the Word and Sacrament,” I am trained to talk in theological terms.  The problem is, most people don’t talk in those terms.  And they don’t WANT to!  What people are looking for is answers to their everyday struggles:  How to deal with the loss of a loved one.  How to mend… or accept… a broken relationship.  How to handle pressures at work to perform… or conform.  Or, on the most fundamental level, to believe that their life is of any value at all…

As you and I approach this most holy of days, Easter… which we know lies at the very core of who we are as Christians… let us remember that our faith must be more than any ‘landmark event.’  First and foremost, being a Christian is about being in relationship with Jesus.  I challenge you to think about yours.  I challenge you to make sure that your experience of Jesus is not limited to an hour or two on Sunday morning… but in study and prayer throughout the week.  I challenge you to be prepared to tell someone… who may be wondering just why knowing Jesus is important… why it is to you.  You might start with the wonder that He loved us so much that He gave His life for us…yes, even the ones who grumble and doubt…