Meeting with Christ

Meeting with Christ

Rev. Dr. Wilfredo J. Báez

Reign of God Sunday – November 23, 2014

One of the things I value most in my life is my relationship with Jesus.  For me, Jesus represents God, but God as friend, guru, teacher and big brother.  He also represents my future best self, the best possible me.

I remember when I renewed my relationship with Jesus.   I always had a sense of his being there for me and helping me, but I was unsure about Jesus.  I sat down and I imagined Jesus in front of me and said, “Jesus if you are real show me.  If not, I’ll move on to something else.  I don’t know how to do this except to give you the benefit of the doubt.”   And I did.  Suddenly, it was if Jesus was there before me.  And I experienced myself as unconditionally loved, such that I would never need the love of anyone else.  Of course, I wanted the love of someone else and am very fortunate to have a whole lot of loving people in my life.  

As Christians we have Jesus in common.  Each of us has a relationship with Jesus.  The form of that relationship may be different.  We don’t have to look very far for it.  Christ is within us.  God is within us. God is in our relationships with each other.  God is even in the mistakes we make.  There was a saying in the alcoholism field that I worked in:  “God is at the bottom of the bottle.”

 Judy Homanich shared with a group of us her experience of Jesus loving her and how awesome and overwhelming that was.  Jeanette Courtright told me that she has gotten through her 86 years as well as she has because of her relationship with Jesus.  Louise Judski told me that she talks with Jesus.  We sang together, “And he walks with me and he talks with me, and he tells me that I am his own.  And the joy we share as we tarry there, none other has ever known.”  Karen Barzman told me about how grace has come upon her in this very Tabernacle where we now sit.  Christ is present with us here in this Tabernacle.

The scripture begins: “When the Son of Man comes in all his glory . . .”  But Christ is already here in our hearts . . . the Spirit is already active in our lives . . . grace has been imparted to us . . . love has been extended to us . . . we are already forgiven . . . we have already been redeemed . . . we don’t have to do anything else . . . we only have to yes to what already has been given to us and receive it . . . and then appreciate it more and more every day . . . 

We may not be able to do that right away or all the way but it’s there for us when we are ready . . . and it will never be taken away from us . . . It’s ours . . .  Jesus loves us.  God loves us.  We don’t have to do anything to earn it or deserve it . . . We experience it when we say “yes” to it . . . Perhaps we can only accommodate it in part at first . . . but in the fullness of time, the right time, God’s time, in the end we will realize it completely. 

When we consider this phrase “When the Son of Man comes in all his glory” we often think about the return of Christ.  We think of end times.  But what if we thought of it as now times . . . that Christ has already come . . . that Christ is already present in us and among us . . . that the Spirit is already active in us . . . that the spiritual power of love and truth is already present in us . . . and we only need to turn to it . . . and when we do discover that God love us, Christ loves us unconditionally just as we are . . . and God believes in us . . . Christ believes in us . . . we are not our flaws . . . we are no our limitations . . . we are what God has created us to be . . . what God has intended us to be.  Anyone God has made is the elect of God and God will gather up the elect from all of the corners of the earth and all the reaches of the heavens . . . God’s reach . . . God’s love . . . extends to all.

The scripture continues “He will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats on the left.”

What do the goats do?  They ignore the needs of the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick and incarnated.  They’re only concerned with their own needs.  From time to time we find ourselves being goats.  We’re too caught up in our needs to see the needs of others or we are too busy with our everyday obligations.  Has anyone here ever been a goat?  I’ve been a goat.  I’ve walked by someone without saying hello, without engaging them in a greeting or a conversation or inviting them to church . . . What do the sheep do?  They respond positively to the needs of the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick and incarnated. They are concerned with the needs of others.  When we take the time and make the efforts to be kind to others and lend a helping hand we feel fulfilled.  We feel good about ourselves. Has anyone here ever been a sheep?  I’ve been a sheep.  

Truth be told, I’m both sheep and goat.    I’d like to be just sheep but . . . Who here helps out with the Wednesday dinner?  What’s it like to help out at the Wednesday night dinner?  Is it a bother?  Do you enjoy helping out at the Wednesday night dinner?  Do you feel good, like you’ve accomplished something?  Oh, you are a bunch of sheep!  Have you complained about something or someone maybe at the dinner, about the kids there for instance?  Oh, you grumpy old goats.  Have you troubled yourselves searching for ways to reach those kids even during the time of the dinner?  Oh, you sheep!

I think that Jesus is telling us that it matters how we treat others.  He wants us to treat others how we like to be treated.  He wants us to love others the way that he loves us . . . the way God loves us . . . He wants us to say “Come with us, be with us, eat with us, play with us and work with us . . . travel this journey with us . . . be part of us . . . partner with us . . . rather than go away, find your own food . . . go do your thing somewhere else . . . It's amazing what a difference we make when we extend our love to others and invite, include and involve them in our life . . . 

Betsy, Brian and Joshua Perry were telling me how they share the gospel with people in their lives through their work . . . what a difference it makes . . . just loving their students the way they are and believing in what they are capable of  . . .  someone was telling me of the profound difference Jeff and Sheila Carpenter, Dan and Sharon Kriner and Les Platt have made in her life. . . two homebound women told me told me what a difference Elaine Platt has made in their lives . . .  Ilona Horvath and Church and Society are demonstrating their love for people who are incarcerated and their families. . . Members of the Wednesday afternoon conversations group were painfully searching about how to help a new friend.  As a church we are showing love to those who have been disenfranchised from Church and society because of their sexual orientation and gender identity . . . and I am hearing people in this church say to Marcia and me,  come along with us . . . be part of us . . . join with us in our journey . . . You don’t need to go it alone . . .

Miracles are happening and we are experiencing what John Wesley called “Perfection” and I call “perfecting.”  We are being perfected by God’s love every time we receive it and express it to others . . . We are being transformed by love and grace . . , and the world is being transformed by love and grace . . . with our ever every act of love and kindness.