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Conspiracy Theory A sermon
preached by Rev. Ginger Gaines-Cirelli at Capitol Hill United Methodist
Church February 18, 2007. Text: Luke 9:28-43 --------------- My name is Joanna (Lk.8.3)…and I was with him. As soon as I heard about what he was saying and doing, I hightailed it to his feet. Because he spoke of reversals, he preached good news to those who suffered-and I suffered. I had a physical ailment that meant chronic pain…and, of course, any physical ailment was often viewed as some kind of moral failing or sign of unfaithfulness to God. People treated me with disdain-if they even acknowledged my presence at all. I was nothing in most people's eyes-and I was helpless to change any of it. And so when I heard that Jesus of Nazareth was healing people and teaching about turning things upside down you can bet I was there! And when I finally came face to face with him, I felt that I had been seen for the very first time. He looked at me and really saw me…and he loved me, he had compassion for me, he valued me, and that experience healed me of so many wounds… From that time on I stuck to Jesus like cat hair on velvet and did everything I could to serve him and to learn from him. We were on the road a lot in those days. Jesus taught many things and told stories…one thing I remember very clearly was this bit he said about not hiding a light under a bushel basket and he seemed to say that I had a light to share…and the things I witnessed-well-you just have to believe me! He spoke to the wind and water in a storm and those elemental spirits laid down at his feet as though to worship him! (Lk. 8.22ff) And then there was the thing in the land of the Gerasenes. You've never seen anything like it! We encountered this man who was completely deranged, dangerous to himself and to anyone who came into his path. He lived out among the dead and even the strongest chains couldn't contain the demons that plagued him. And yet Jesus' strength healed him. Even those devils listened to him. (Lk. 8.26ff) I was in on all this-privy to the teachings and the healings and all. Until this one day when a man of some consequence came up to Jesus and begged him to heal his 12 year old daughter who was dying. I was always ready to see Jesus do his thing-but that day Jesus only took a few with him. Peter, James, and John. They were the ones who got to go into the house with Jesus. They were the ones who got to come out and tell the story of how Jesus went up to the girl who everyone said had died-and how Jesus said she was just sleeping and then spoke to her and told her to get up-and she did! She woke up! (Lk. 8.40ff) I was a little annoyed that I didn't get to be a part of this and I didn't understand why those guys should get to…I mean, they're great guys and all, but why wasn't I invited? Well, things just snowballed from there. The next thing Jesus did was astonishing. He called together his oldest and most trusted disciples-the 12-and gave them the power to do what he did! He gave them his power-to proclaim the kingdom of God, to preach the good news of reversal and release, to heal and to have authority over the demons that enslave people! (Lk. 9.1ff) And they came back telling of all the wonders that they were able to work. When Jesus told them to feed the thousands of people who had come to see Jesus with five loaves and two fish, they did it. And all were fed. Amazing. All of this made us pretty excited about the future. We figured that we'd go on seeing these awesome things that Jesus did for years to come-and I, for one, counted myself pretty lucky to be in on it. In light of all this, can I be blamed for kinda blowing off one little bit of what Jesus said? At the time, I thought that he tended to bring this up at the worst possible times. And frankly, I thought he was being slightly over-dramatic and misguided. I mean, he would go on and on with this business of how he would suffer and be rejected and be killed and then be raised after three days. Can I be blamed for ignoring this part? After all, the wind and the waves, the worst of the devils, laid down at the sound of his voice. What could be stronger than them? What could make Jesus vulnerable? Jesus clearly had the power to keep himself safe. Why should we have believed that anything could touch him? And then there was that day-the day that I only fully learned about much later… When it happened, I found myself muttering a bit and, again, feeling a little left out. Because Jesus took those same three-Peter, James, and John-up with him on the mountain to pray. The rest of us were left behind to deal with the crowds that appeared wherever Jesus went. I began to think there was some kind of conspiracy going on-that Peter, James and John were in on something with Jesus that might leave the rest of us out. I'm ashamed of those thoughts, but I confess them to you. Anyway, like I said, the majority of us were at the bottom of the mountain. Newcomers came to those of us who were his disciples to hear about Jesus, his teachings and his acts of power. And one of those who came to us was in a real state: this man had brought his son to be healed-and the boy definitely needed help! He was racked by violent convulsions and was clearly suffering and in pain. But, frankly, we all felt helpless. Jesus wasn't with us-and he hadn't issued any clear instructions before his retreat up the mountain. We didn't even know who was really in charge in his absence. It was a terrible feeling-to see such suffering and to not have Jesus, the one who could do something about it-with us. So we gave the man the little encouragement that we could offer and told him to come back later when Jesus could help him. Again, I confess that I found myself angry at Jesus for leaving us with this kind of stuff to deal with alone. He and his co-conspirators had abandoned us and left us feeling helpless to make any difference. I found myself feeling those old, familiar feelings of being helpless to change my situation-I mean what were we supposed to do?! And what was going on at the top of the mountain that was so secret that even when the little group finally came down no one would say anything about it? That's what I was thinking then, selfish, short-sighted as I am… Peter, James, and John did not, in fact, say anything about what they had experienced-they just had a sort of awe-full expression on their faces. But Jesus had a few choice words for the rest of us when he was confronted with the father of the boy we had sent away. I'll never forget the words he used: "faithless" and "perverse"-and then he asked how much longer he would have to be with us…I wasn't sure what he meant by that. And because the words bothered me so much, I studied their meaning. One thing I learned took the breath right out of me: "perverse" has as its meaning "to distort, oppose, or plot against the saving plans of God." Imagine-Jesus accusing us of plotting against-of conspiring against God! And there I had been worrying about Jesus conspiring with Peter, James, and John against the rest of us. I was confused. And hurt. And after he had healed the suffering child what do you think he did? Did he revel in everyone's astonishment and praise? Guess again: He started up with that business about being betrayed into human hands-that suffering and dying bit. (Lk. 9.43ff) It was only much later that I began to piece together the puzzle of those days… It was after Jesus had marched into Jerusalem and allowed himself to be wrongly accused, beaten, humiliated, and crucified. It was after I went with Mary Magdalene and some other women to the tomb and found it empty. It was even after Jesus appeared to us all again…after all these things happened-only then-did Peter, James, and John tell the story of what happened that day on the mountain. They told the story of how they had witnessed a foreshadowing of the resurrection that day…they shared that as Jesus prayed his face, his clothes, his entire appearance changed in a way that was not really describable. The only word that came close was "glory." The glory of God shone on and in and through Jesus-and as they looked, they saw the great prophets Moses and Elijah speaking with Jesus. The three men spoke of Jesus' departure…and as Peter shared these amazing events with us, I saw a look of shame cross his face as he recounted how he had suggested that they make dwelling places for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah…he was ashamed at how dense he must have been to suggest setting up camp when what was being discussed had to do with a departure. But, as Peter explained, he didn't have to wallow in his density too long because even as he was speaking a cloud rolled in in such an ominous way that they were all terrified. And then (I still remember the look on James' face when it came to this part of the story), there was this voice. They all heard it in some, strange way that they couldn't ever quite explain to the more scientific-minded of our group. But they all got the same, very clear message: "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!" I've thought about all these things over the centuries…and one of the things that I have come to recognize is that I was right about a conspiracy going on up on the mountain. To "conspire" is "to breathe with." That's what the word means. And on that amazing day up on the mountain, Peter, James, and John witnessed Jesus conspiring with God, breathing with God, sharing in the ruach -the Spirit, breath, wind, of God. They witnessed a sign of God's plan, of God's presence, of God's power-it revealed the divine conspiracy that Jesus was wrapped up in from the beginning. But perhaps the more important thing to share with you modern-day disciples is that the conspiracy is much more far-reaching than just a few folks who lived centuries ago. The thing that I missed, along with the rest of the disciples, was that Jesus kept trying to get it through our thick heads that he would not always be right there, in the flesh, to carry on the work of God's conspiracy. The conspiracy couldn't stay at the top of the mountain and it couldn't be contained in only one person. Jesus had already given his disciples power and authority to "breathe with" God…to share in God's life-giving, life-transforming conspiracy. And as soon as Jesus went up the mountain, we who had witnessed this all abdicated that responsibility and acted like we had no power at all-far from breathing with God, when faced with an opportunity to be agents of healing, we were more like fish out of water, gasping for air and floundering about. No wonder Jesus called us faithless and perverse. No wonder we were accused of plotting against the saving work of God. We weren't listening! We weren't paying attention. You see then, as now, we are needed to carry on the divine "conspiracy." If we fail to claim our place in that work, then suffering children, indentured slaves, victims of prejudice and oppression, the creation we have been charged to protect, those suffering from disease and hunger, the poor and blind and imprisoned-will have no advocate, will have no healer, will have no hope. If we fail to get in on the divine conspiracy, then the oppressors will go unchallenged and unchecked. And I'm here to tell you that you can't, as I did, accuse Jesus of abandoning you. Because Jesus is more than just a man who lived a long time ago, because Jesus chose the way of self-sacrifice and complete loving obedience to God, because Jesus is the son of God, intimately part of the very Being of the Trinity, then you are never alone. By the Holy Spirit's presence, the breath, spirit, wind, ruach of God is with you, bearing the presence of Jesus into your life. And Jesus gives his disciples power and authority to make a difference in the world, to make changes in their lives, to take risks for the sake of the kin-dom, to share in the life-giving, love-making, reversal-causing, peace-mongering, transfiguration of the world. Jesus didn't have to risk anything-he didn't have to make himself vulnerable to anyone or anything-he had the power to do whatever he wanted. But the glory that was revealed up on that mountain showed that the love of God shone so brightly in Jesus that he was willing to go, unafraid, to any length to relieve our gasping, panicked, death-dealing way of living. Jesus served the divine conspiracy, lived and breathed it-and wants us to do the same. This is one conspiracy theory that I hope you'll believe and get in on. It changed my life. It will change yours…and much more.
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Sermons from other years:
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Capitol Hill United Methodist
Church is a Reconciling Congregation. |
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