________________________________________________

SUNDAY, AUGUST 24, 2008

THE FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

Matthew 16:13-20 (Caminante, no hay camino)

________________________________________________

TODAY’S SERMON THEME:

Whether we realize it or not, our spiritual lives -- in order to grow -- need ACTION. Daily action. Not just INTENTIONS. Our human nature always wants immediate results. We want to read a short book, or spend a few minutes in prayer, or watch a short video, or listen to CD . . . and attain complete spiritual enlightenment. We want to turn inward for a few minutes, make contact with God in the privacy of our own little world, and then feel refreshed and fulfilled forever. But the spiritual life rarely works that way. Most of us have to put ACTION behind our INTENTIONS. And not just once. Each and every day.

________________________________________________

1. A few days ago, an old friend called in a state of panic. SPIRITUAL panic, to be precise. To make a VERY long story short, my friend had spent the last 20 years drifting away from the church, away from any sort of spiritual life, away from God. And now -- very recently -- two friends died unexpectedly . . . and he was terrified. For the first time in his life, he realized that ONE DAY HE, TOO, WOULD DIE. One day, he, too, would take his last breath, close his eyes, and make his own departure from this life. What scared him the most was that he no longer knew how to pray. He had recently gone on disability income, and he lived alone, so he had a great deal of time to himself. Time to think. Time to meditate. Time to pray. But over the last few weeks he found himself sitting alone in his house, worrying about his own mortality, sweating profusely, hyperventilating, and not being able to say ONE SINCERE WORD in prayer. One day he went to a book store and bought a book about prayer, tried to read it, but still couldn’t pray. He got out an old Bible and tried to read, but still couldn’t pray. He turned on the religious channels on his satellite TV, tried to pay attention, but still couldn’t pray. He put on a couple of Christmas CD’s, listened to the religious hymns, but still couldn’t pray. At the end of his rope, literally and spiritually, he decided to call me.

2. Now. This is where things got a little strange, from my perspective. While he was talking -- in the middle of our conversation -- I started thinking about a poem. A poem I memorized in college some 36 or 37 years ago. It was a poem written 100 years ago by the great Spanish poet Antonio Machado y Ruiz -- one of the famous “Generation of 1898” poets. It is a poem that speaks powerfully to those of us who spend time worrying passively rather than moving actively. It is entitled “Caminante,” or “Traveler.” Caminante, son tus huellas/ el camino, y nada mas

Caminante, no hay camino/ se hace el camino al andar.

Traveler, your footprints are the road, and nothing more Traveler, there is no road; the way is made by walking.

I decided to share this poem with my friend. I told him that I was flabbergasted to think of THIS poem, of all things. At first glance, the lines seem to reflect wistfully and somewhat flippantly on the importance of the JOURNEY in life, and on the lack of importance of the route one takes through life. Our footsteps are more important than the direction they are pointing, in other words. BUT IS THAT WHAT THIS REALLY SAYS? As I let the words roll around in my mind, I suddenly realized that they speak on a much deeper level -- on a level that brings up a spiritual truth that often gets overlooked. And that truth is this: Far too many of us focus on the CALL OF GOD TO US -- as we should -- but we fail to focus on the NECESSITY WE HAVE OF RESPONDING TO GOD IN AN ACTIVE WAY. Another way of looking at this is to say that our human nature leads us to search for “easier, softer” ways in the spiritual life. We want to read a 40-page paperback book and discover all the answers to life‘s issues. We want to watch a short video, or a 30-minute TV show, or listen to a CD and attain complete spiritual enlightenment. We want to TURN INWARD for a short period of time, make contact with God in the privacy of our own little world, and then feel safe and secure -- and spiritually fulfilled -- for the rest of our lives. The problem is that the spiritual life rarely works that way. Most of us have to put some ACTION behind our spiritual INTENTIONS. Most of us -- including the greatest saints on the church calendar -- have LONG, DRY periods of time when we continue to say our prayers, read our Bibles, and reach out to others . . . even though we rarely get the “warm spiritual fuzzies” that so many people want to experience all the time. Most of us have to put one foot in front of the other, every single minute or every day, starting with the first step of each day. Spiritual crises arise in our lives when we look for “one-size-fits-all” spiritual answers -- especially those that fall in the “name it and claim it” brand of spirituality. These ways rarely turn out to be ways. As some of the medieval mystical theologians used to write: People are always finding WAYS to God but are rarely finding GOD. There is, in other words, no secret pathway, no magic formula, no easier and softer way. Traveler, your footprints are the road . . . the way is made by walking. I will tell you in a moment what advice I gave my old friend.

3. The main point I want to make this morning, though, as we look at the great “confession of St. Peter” in Matthew 16, is this:

Whether we realize it or not, our spiritual lives -- in order to grow -- need ACTION. Not just INTENTIONS. Our human nature always wants immediate results. We want to read a short book, or spend two minutes in prayer, or watch a short video, or listen to CD . . . and attain complete spiritual enlightenment. We want to TURN INWARD for a short period of time, make contact with God in the privacy of our own little world, and then feel refreshed and fulfilled forever. But the spiritual life rarely works that way. Most of us have to put ACTION behind our INTENTIONS. And not just once. Each and every day.

4. In our Gospel lesson this morning, we come face-to-face with a passage that should make ALL the difference in the world for those of us who really want to find God. This little passage is one of the most repeated sections in the entire Bible, and it directly addresses the question of WHO EXACTLY IS JESUS TO US TODAY? When we close our eyes and think of HIM, who exactly do we see? And these questions were raised NOT by modern people struggling with their spiritual lives . . . these questions were raised BY JESUS HIMSELF. Let us look at this wonderful scriptural passage:

(1) Jesus and His apostles are preparing for the final, decisive journey to Jerusalem. They are traveling along the outskirts of Galilee, often venturing into un-orthodox territory. The setting for this passage is often thought to be the far NORTHERN part of Galilee, near the village of Caesarea Philippi.

(2) Jesus first asks this question of His apostles: Who do PEOPLE say that I am? This is a safe question. It is a question that any of us in this room could answer. Some say this. Some say that. Others say something else. Some people say you are one of the old prophets -- Jeremiah, Elijah. Others say you are John the Baptist come back to life. But others hold different opinions. BUT . . . Jesus is looking for more than just a recitation of opinions. He wants and desires each ONE of His apostles (and each one of us) to answer a much more personal question.

(3) And here it is: Who do YOU say that I am? Simon Peter is the one who responds immediately. “You are the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the Living God!” Jesus goes on to tell Peter that HIS FAITH -- his confession of faith -- is the type that will prevail against even the gates of hell. This type of faith -- in the sovereignty and divinity of Christ, over against all the forces of evil in the world -- is the type of faith that will have POWER and AUTHORITY over the evil powers of this world. But it is a faith that depends on HOW we answer this personal question . . . and HOW MUCH ACTION we are willing to put behind our INTENTIONS in our daily lives. Who do YOU say that Jesus is? And are you willing to ACT on your faith?

5. Now, just for fun, let us put these questions in a more contemporary setting. (1) Who, for example, does Billy Graham say that Jesus is? This is such a simple question. We can watch his telecasts, read his books, and listen to his tapes. (2) What about Pope Benedict XVI? Who is Jesus to him? Again, that is an easy question. We can read his writings, listen to his sermons, watch his telecasts, and talk to people who know him. (3) What about the late Mother Theresa of Calcutta? Who was Jesus to her? Again, an easy question. We simply have to look at her life to see. (4) And Archbishop Desmond Tutu? Same answer. Just look at the ACTIONS in his life to see the INTENTIONS of his heart. We learn all of this information about Billy Graham, Pope Benedict, Mother Theresa and Archbishop Tutu by watching the way they live. The actions in their lives show us the intentions of their hearts.

6. I told my friend who was in spiritual panic to get out of his living room and GO to places where the Gospel is being LIVED. . . and get involved in the life of faith. If you want to be touched by the hand of God, go someplace where people are being touched by God EVERY DAY. And then get involved. Whether we realize it or not, our spiritual lives -- in order to grow -- need ACTION. Not just INTENTIONS. Caminante, no hay camino. Se hace el camino al andar.