Walking the way

A Sermon preached on May 14^th, Easter V, at St. Augustine’s, Wiesbaden

Acts 7: 55 – 60, I Peter 2: 2 – 10, John 14: 1 – 14

Today is German and US Mother's Day, so it would be tempting to preach on 1 Peter with its image of God as a mother nursing the faithful who are "like newborn infants, longing for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation." Instead, I will focus on today's gospel from John, with that famous line "I am the way, and the truth, and the life."

This is one of the gospel passages we use at burial and memorial services, and that is part of what our service is about today. It is both a comforting and a difficult or controversial passage, especially when we emphasize the sentence following the "I am" statement: "no one comes to the Father except through me." This is often used to justify an exclusive view of Christianity, that no one outside of Christianity, and often also no one outside of a particular brand of Christianity, has access to the Father, to God.

That is in itself a topic worth a whole series of sermons or as the basis of a course of adult formation. For now, I just want to offer one observation. Jesus' statement follows a question from Thomas, who like Philip in the subsequent paragraph, is being particularly obtuse. "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we knew the way?" he says. I can just see Jesus reacting a little frustrated, perhaps even rolling his eyes while thinking, do you ever listen to me? Then answering: "OK Thomas, let me make it easy for you: you follow me, you follow my teaching, you follow my example, and then you'll go where I'm going, to the Father. 

His slightly more impatient reply to Philip is in a similar vein. Philip says "Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied." To which Jesus replies, "Philip you really haven't been paying attention either. I embody the Father, and what I embody is love. All YOU need to see and know is me, Jesus. And that goes for us too. Jesus is OUR way to God. 

As you may know, a group of us have just returned from a pilgrimage to Canterbury. So the term "I am the way" resonates with us. Some of the group even felt that that was a little too much "way," i.e. walking on our trip! The official website for the pilgrims' way to Canterbury gives 4 reasons for going on a pilgrimage:

1. To set aside time for God and to feel closer to God

2. To discern God's will and guidance in times of transition and difficulty

3. To be strengthened in faith

4. To be inspired by the example of all the saints who have gone before

Reason number four, following the example of others, is in part what some of our readings are about today. Stephen's example, as recounted in the book of Acts, has inspired many others who have been threatened and killed for witnessing to their faith. Thomas Cranmer, author of our Prayer Book and first archbishop of the newly separate Church of England used the same words when he died at the stake: "Lord Jesus receive my spirit" and "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." He was not always forgiving when alive and in a position of power, but thankfully at this moment he remembered and was inspired by Stephen's example, just as Stephen was inspired by Jesus and Jesus' example, by Jesus' way, Jesus' truth , and Jesus' offer of life beyond life.

In just a moment, we will hear some stories about Father Bell, the former rector of Saint Augustine's who died just over two weeks ago. They are stories about how he moved and inspired people, how he acted as an example. Karl was able to be an example not because he was a saint, at least no more and no less than all of us, but because he was a follower of Jesus. He knew God through Jesus, he chose to follow Jesus' way, to teach Jesus' truth, and to live his life to the full. in his last months he looked back joyfully on an abundant and fulfilled life. In her eulogy at her fathers funeral, Diane Bell said he had told her just a few days before he died that he "had absolutely zero regrets about what he had done with this life." And in my last correspondence with Karl,  I also experienced someone who trusted implicitly that a new life beyond life was beckoning.

"I am the way, the truth, and the life." This is of course one of many of Jesus' self-descriptions in John's gospel, last week we had I am the Good Shepherd and I am the Gate. It is also both a promise and a challenge. We have to follow that way, we have to embody his truth, we have to live his life ..... which is not always easy. To help us, we have the example of those who have gone before, Stephen, Thomas, Karl, and all the saints. And even more importantly we have Jesus' promise that He will empower us: "Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these."

Amen.