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Jesus is Lord?

 Helen Jacobi explores what we do with the concept of Jesus as Lord in our 21st century progressive faith 
Rev Cate Thorn

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Jesus is Lord?

Transcript
And my Twitter feed this week, there was a really interesting discussion about the use of the term Lord and worship. I know it's really nerdy clergy stuff, but it is actually a conversation. We have in our worship committee to reasons. Given for avoiding the word, Lord, as a word for God were, well, it's a masculine name for God and it makes us think of English, medieval hierarchy Lords and serfs that kind of thing. And people in the discussion, we're pretty much agreed that the many and varied names for God in the Bible, should be used and great variety. And the occasional Lord and ahem won't kill us except that as for the hundred or so people that the originator of the discussion, the Reverend station Stacy image from Ohio had to block from the conversation for being abusive and calling her a heretic. More problematic though and the discussion was what to do about calling Jesus, Lord. When the early Christians say Jesus is lord, they're making a political statement saying that the Roman Emperor is not Lord. Jesus is instead and making that claim, they risked death or even or at least persecution. And in the discussion, nobody really came up with a better more modern word. That would suit that scenario of wanting to keep the political strength of the statement. The best thing offered was probably Sovereign one, and that might work in an American context, but an hour context where we still have the royal family, Sovereign one sounds like the queen, right? So, you know, be a good conversation for us to have. If we wanted to say, Jesus is Lord and replace the word, Lord. What would we replace it with an hour context that still has that? That political sense of replacing, the emperor we could have the same kind of discussion about the language in our first reading from The Book of Revelation. It's pretty amazing stuff in our liberal Progressive Church tradition that we belong to. We don't often read from the book of Revelation, the end times, apocalyptic imagery, and the talk of angels and Thrones, it's not really to our taste. It was written for communities who followed in the tradition of the Gospel of John and the letters of John. But it speaks and images which are strange to our ears. But for them, it was written for real communities and real people about real situations. When the multitudes cry out salvation Belongs To Our God, who is Seated on the throne and to the lamb? We hear imagery that speaks of a Faraway God and a heaven up there. Something that we don't really believe in. But if you listen to the words and think of early 2nd century, Christians and Jews being persecuted by the Romans, then perhaps we can hear them differently. And as my Twitter discussion reminded us, Christians were Killed for refusing to call the emperor. Lord, they defied the propaganda of the Roman Empire and called Jesus Lord. So when we read salvation Belongs To Our God, who is Seated on the throne? It's not about God and some Faraway heaven, but God on the throne of the lives of those early, Christians God whom they worshipped, not the emperor. and then when they were brave enough to make that claim, They comforted by the writer of The Book of Revelation. Again that there will come a time when the persecution they are suffering will end, they will hunger no more. They were first no more and the lamb that's Jesus will guide them to the springs of the Water of Life and will wipe away every tear from their eyes. And then in the kind of interesting overlay of imagery, the lamb is also going to be the shepherd who is going to guide them. The lamb and the Jesus is the lamb and the shepherd and Revelation just like Jesus is the shepherd and John's gospel calling. The Sheep who know his voice to follow him. And of course, both John and Revelation Eco, the 23rd. Psalm the Lord is my shepherd who leads me, besides Still Waters and restores my soul. So, those Christians who hear those words of reassurance are being asked to put their faith and their lives on the line? They do that by calling Jesus. Lord, not the emperor, but they do in doing. So they begin to build a new community people loyal to Jesus and they will build a new community, a new way of living where Souls can indeed be restored. And her sermon last week, Kate said that in this new community, we are called to tell a different story from the story of violence and tolerance, and Justice. And oppression, that was the case 2000 years ago, and it's the case now. An hour time that violence and oppression has appeared in the form of the Christ, Church Massacre, and other acts of hate in our land. Kate said, we can learn to act together in a different way, so a way of living well together is seen and heard. So we learn it within our community and then we show it to the outside world. We can work as a community that model at models acts of graciousness and love and so repeal violence and fear. Very dramatic language of Revelation, says the same thing. It says there is a diversity of people from all tribes and languages who declare their faith in God and in the goodness of God, They're not promised an end to the suffering that A salesperson, but they are promised the Waters of life. So, how does that work? The Gospel of John seems to be saying that the foundation of the way we build this community is to be found in trusting that God has called us into this place of relationship with each other. And with God, my sheep hear my voice. And I know them like Mary Magdalene at the tomb recognizing Jesus by his voice when he says her name like that. We hear our names called And we're told that no one will snatch us from the hand of God. It's from that place of safety from The Still Waters That We Gather here and say, how can we Face Down the evil in our world? What can we do to offer dialogue and action that brings peace? Yesterday we hosted another vigil, a vigil for peace and Sri Lanka. I was very grateful that at short, notice quite a few of you parishioners were able to come and assist in attend. We stood alongside those of other faiths and supported those from Sri Lanka as they Ponder yet more violence in their land. It wasn't quite a great multitude from all tribes and languages, but it was a small multitude of tribes and languages seeking peace and Still Waters. if we want to find that place of peace and Still Waters and offer it to others, then we need first to spend time hearing our names called hearing our names called, as we come to receive the Bread and Wine, hearing our names called, as we share the peace, say the Lord's Prayer, light candles and receive a blessing. That's what Alana said. And her welcome to you this morning. We take time to nurture our faith here, so that we can stand the heat of the desert and the great ordeal of Revelation. The heat of the desert is the reality of poverty and racism and Injustice, right? Outside the doors of our church, on our streets and in our homes, and on our social media feeds, the great ordeal is when that racism turns to violence like in Christchurch, I know some of you have started conversations about what do we do next? How do we as a parish respond to the new reality of Life post Christchurch? We haven't figured that out yet. But let's keep talking, let's keep asking, let's keep listening to the voice that is calling us. The voice that says my sheep hear my voice. I know them and they follow me. And wherever we're called to, we can be sure that no one can snatch us from the hands of God. We will be led beside Still Waters and even if we walk in the valley of death, no one can snatch us from the hands of God. We can't magic away the suffering of the victims of violence. We wish we could, but we can't. But we can seek the new Heaven and the new Earth, which is promised. And we can continue to say with all those Saints. Alleluia Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. Alleluia