Psalm 116
I love the Lord because he has heard my voice and my supplications. 2 Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live. 3 The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish. 4 Then I called on the name of the Lord, “O Lord, I pray, save my life!” 5 Gracious is the Lord and righteous; our God is merciful. 6 The Lord protects the simple; when I was brought low, he saved me. 7 Return, O my soul, to your rest, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you. 8 For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling. 9 I walk before the Lord in the land of the living. 10 I kept my faith, even when I said, “I am greatly afflicted”; 11 I said in my consternation, “Everyone is a liar.” 12 What shall I return to the Lord for all his bounty to me? 13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord; 14 I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people. 15 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful ones. 16 O Lord, I am your servant; I am your servant, the child of your serving girl. You have loosed my bonds. 17 I will offer to you a thanksgiving sacrifice and call on the name of the Lord. 18 I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people, 19 in the courts of the house of the Lord, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the Lord!
John 9:38-41
John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him because he was not following us.” 39 But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. 40 Whoever is not against us is for us. 41 For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.
My lifelong friend, Father Ben, is a Catholic Priest. We have been friends since our teenage years, long before either of us went into ministry. However, our conversations as teenagers were often centered around theology. Theology and our love of music, which is another story, for a different time. My wife and I will travel 30 miles to go to see him and attend mass a few times a year, after which we will have a meal and discuss (you guessed it) theology. I enjoy these conversations (and I am sure I learn more than Father Ben from them), but what I enjoy the most is listening to his sermon during mass. His perspective always gives this Presbyterian minister a new way of seeing the good news of Christ.
This past year, I saw Father Ben preach to the children of his parish who were about to take their first communion. He spoke about watching what happens in church and listening to the instructions. It was a simple sermon meant to encourage the children and instruct them in the way of the Catholic church. Our conversation during dinner was even more encouraging as he explained that in a congregation as big as his (several hundred attending a packed sanctuary), it is crucial to understand what he is doing during the service. But even more important, the idea of watching and listening is directly related to the good news of Christ. Jesus did more than teach and preach, heal and comfort; he lived the example of a perfect life and a perfect ministry, and by his example, we will learn to be good Christians if we “look and listen.”
After another well-done mass, the following conversation was about the disciples and their ability to follow Jesus’ perfect example. Even though the disciples had first-hand knowledge, first-hand seeing Jesus do what he did so well, they had trouble executing the life lessons. Our lesson today shows us one such example. John, the beloved disciple, sees someone casting out demons in Jesus’ name. He tells Jesus that they tried to stop him because he was not one of the 12, not even one of the many who followed them around. John, in his hubris, either didn’t understand the teachings or thought that their little club had an exclusive membership for those who followed them, and Jesus hastily rebuked him for not understanding.
We have all done this at some point in our Christian journey. My Baptist family will tell the joke, “Do you want to see a real Christian? Go to church on Sunday night (or Wednesday night or insert a specific event). I had a Presbyterian colleague use the term CEO Christian to refer to someone who comes to church on Christmas, Easter, and one other Sunday a year. We let our hubris and our egos try to put us up one rung higher than someone else who claims to be a Christian. However, Christ told us to love our neighbor, not judge our neighbor. There were no exceptions or prerequisites for the love we are to share. Admittance into the Jesus club is not set by you or me, the Catholic church, or the Presbyterian church.
Hubris is just a fancy word for Pride. Proverbs tells us, “How much better to get wisdom than gold! To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver. The highway of the upright avoids evil; those who guard their way preserve their lives. Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. It is better to be of a lowly spirit among the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud” (Proverbs 16:16-19). A prideful person is rarely wise, and a wise person is self-aware enough to know when they don’t know something. Wisdom, in theological terms, comes from discernment, and discernment comes when we “look and listen.”
I do not mean to pick on John, but his example is a good one. I encourage you to go to the scriptures and read about Peter, James, and Thomas, among other examples. That was the beauty of my conversation with Father Ben after his sermon. I realized that even those who walked with Christ fell short sometimes, but on their shoulders, Christ built his church. God gave us an opportunity to come together and learn the good news. Today, we are privileged to come together with others from around the world and experience a tradition started by Christ with his disciples. World Communion Sunday is more than another named Sunday on the calendar; it is a reminder that in the Church of Christ, there is no hierarchy of membership. Christ said, “No one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us.” This is why we celebrate the sacrament of communion. This is why we invite everyone, no matter their social ranking, bank balance, where they live, or where they're from. I hope that at some point, you looked; you saw what was happening in your life; you saw what Christ could do in your life. I hope that at some point, you listened; you heard the good news and what it had done for others that you have known. I hope that as you looked and listened, you allowed the Spirit to lead you to the cross so that today, you may be led to the table.
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Works Cited
"NRSVue." NRSVue Holy Bible with Deuterocanonical/Apocryphal Books of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2022.
Roberts, D.Min, Rev. Fr. Benjamin, in conversation with Rev. R. M. Jones, M.Div. (Sepember 28, 2024).
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