August 15, 2004; The Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost Readings: Jeremiah 23:23-29; Hebrews 12:1-7, 11-14; Luke 12:49-56; Psalm 82.   The Rev. Dr. Hilary B. Smith Knowing Jesus in the Darkness I am always surprised by the thought that being a Christian makes everything nice. We have only to look at the life of Jesus to see that standing up for one’s convictions does not always work out well in the moment. Following God does not mean that we will have wealth or power or peace. The Christian faith is not a fairy tale. Jesus is not a Prince Charming who will take us away from the drudgery of life to a dream world of contentment. The Christian faith is also not a self-improvement program that leads to happiness. Sometimes the faith is presented as a way to get what you want out of life. Some churches will tell you, "do these things and you will be rewarded by God." Now, of course, knowing God through Jesus Christ in the power of the Spirit brings great joy to one’s heart. Joy is not the same as happiness. One can be going through a very difficult time—a time that was not desired or pleasant, and yet still have joy through the grace of God. Likewise, one can be in conflict with another because of what following Jesus leads one to do, and still know peace in one’s heart. That’s grace; we cannot create it for ourselves. In the gospel reading today, we hear strong and disturbing words from Jesus. "Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!" Now there are some words that you won’t find on a Christmas card! And the Easter bunny is not going to hop out and say that. But Jesus does. Here we find Jesus who is capable of overturning tables in the temple. Jesus is passionate. God calls us to have passionate intensity about our faith. Do you recall those descriptive verses in Revelation 3:15-16 criticizing those who lacked passion for the faith: "I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were either cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth." Lukewarm commitment is not what God desires. Passion, however, can lead to disagreements and division. Conflict is a normal part of life. Conflict comes as we work through issues of importance with others. I find grace in the words of Jesus because we learn that he is with us in those moments of conflict as much as he is with us when we are savoring the good times. Those early days of Christianity, from which the gospels come to us, were a time of conflict within families. As Christianity became defined, some choose it but others did not. The reality was that families were divided. The reality was Christianity did not make things nice. Times were not easy or simple; they were Spirit-filled and awe-inspiring. I have known people, and been told about people, who have left the church and/or stopped believing in God because of tragedies—personal tragedies, family tragedies, church conflicts, or disasters on a national or international level. I think it is normal to wonder how these things can happen when God is with us. This is where it really helps to remember that Christianity does not promise that everything is going to be nice. God does promise to redeem tragedies and to bring new life from what was once dead. That is the promise of the cross—the worst can happen, but that is not the last word. Nothing can separate us from the love of God that we have through Jesus Christ, as Paul told the Romans. In that amazing letter, Paul notes that life is as much of a threat as death. Christianity does not make things nice. We may not have the greatest month or year or even life based on what the TV tells us counts. But when we turn away from the idols that tempt us to submit to the superficial, we find Jesus calling us to reality—calling us the a reality that can be hard, divisive, sad, painful—but it is meaningful. Meaning can be found there; redemption can be found. In that reality, whatever it is for you and me, Jesus binds us to himself for all time. We have been buried with Christ in his death so that we may be raised with him to new life. New life, eternal life, meaningful life starts right now, when we are open to what is real. The fairy-tale Christianity is not going to get us very far. It won’t help when times are tough. It does not speak to those the so-called "unchurched" because they know it’s not real. Imagine the people who would come into our sanctuary if they knew that we are committed to dealing with the hard moments of life—that we won’t look at them with a condescending smile and say faith will make everything alright. In our reading from Hebrews, the author addresses those who are dealing with hard moments. "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinners, so that you may not grow weary or lose heart." We are called to persevere remembering our history. The cloud of witnesses that surrounds us—those who have lived and completed their race—are an example to us and a source of strength. We are to run our race looking to Jesus, "who endured such hostility against himself...so that you may not grow weary or lose heart." The Christian story is not nice. Jesus died in a terrible way and everyone who loved him felt that their world had come to an end. Christianity that ignores the violence, pain and divisions, risks becoming a fairy tale. That kind of faith can feel good for a time, but when the hard times come—it lacks saving power. We are children of light. Light shines in the darkness. The darkness is still there, but it cannot overcome the light. Looking to Jesus, we see one who endured the cross so that we might not grow weary or lose heart. He went there to be with you and with me. Jesus meets us in what is real; he meets us in the darkness; he meets us in the divisions; he meets us in our pain as much as in our joy. Amen.