Will They Recognize You?

John 13:31-35

31 When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him. 32 If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.

33 “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.

34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

A couple years ago I preached a sermon on “Doubting Thomas” and made the point that Thomas’ failure was not that he doubted.  Rather, his failure was leaving the group of believers so he missed the initial return of Christ.  It wasn’t the doubt itself that separated him from God it was his absence from the group.  I think I remember this sermon above many others because it eases my own mind in times of doubt.  It serves as a reminder that doubts are ok just as long as I remain within an  arm’s reach of my family, church and community.  I recently watched a Ted Talks video by Casey Gerald entitled “The Gospel of Doubt” where he examines his experiences through the lens of hope found in doubt.  I know, it doesn’t really seem logical but it was an excellent talk that he gave.  Casey was 12 years old on December 31st, 1999 and it was this night that his pastor had promised the return of the second coming of Christ.  Casey spends a few minutes going through this experience clinging tightly to the hand of his grandmother as the pastor prayed through midnight in that Texas church only to find that nothing had happened.  It was at this time that Casey realized that he and the entire congregation had been taken, lied to and hoodwinked.  He goes onto explain that this disappointing incident wasn’t isolated.  Casey walked away from his faith shortly after that New Year’s Eve night but he took that faith and placed it in several places after that.  He was an intern for Lehman Brothers in the fall of 2008 and looked at all that potential wealth.  He even called his family to tell them that they would never hurt for money again.  Of course, in the 2009 this new faith in the financial system also failed him.  He then went to Washington to work in the political realm as a staffer and after he saw the deadlock of that place he then went onto more schooling.  Having already graduated from Yale he continued to Harvard Business school and placed his faith in education. After that it was his own business that helped struggling entrepreneurs get started.  All of these areas that Casey has placed his faith had failed him.  It was all a bust.  He goes onto to say, “I had been duped, hoodwinked, bamboozled.  But this time, the false savior was me.”  I think we can all relate.  There are times, and if they haven’t happened yet they most certainly will, where our faith has failed us.  Yes, our faith fails us.  

That is not to say, though, that God’s love, grace and faith in us is failed.  It is my hope that with this new outlook and perspective on life that Casey gives his faith another chance, eventually.  He really could help a lot of people wade through the doubts and questions of life with his powerful words.  Even though Casey felt that God failed him that New Year’s Eve night, He didn’t.  It wasn’t God that failed him.  It was man.  It wasn’t God that promised his return that night, it was man.  Our faith fails us when we place it fully in the words of man.  Our scripture for this morning started out this morning by saying, “When he was gone, Jesus said....” Do you know who “he” was?  It was Judas.  John 13:30 says, “As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out.  And it was night.”  Do you know what Judas’ mistake was?  Yes, he betrayed Jesus.  Yes, he left the comfort of his fellow disciples.  Judas (and I think we could say Thomas and all of the other disciples at different times as well) placed his faith in a man.  Judas so badly wanted Christ to be an earthly ruler that many believe that is why he turned Jesus in as to force his hand to show his power.  Judas believed solely in the words of a man.  He didn’t see Christ for all that he was.  This is where we too will find our faith failing when we place our faith squarely on the promises of a fellow human.  God became flesh to show us how much He loves and is willing to sacrifice on our behalf.  Jesus, the man, fell short of Judas’ beliefs.  Jesus, the man, failed according to many of the disciples.  Jesus, the man, fails.  Clinton, the man, fails.  Fill in the blank, the person, fails.  God does not fail.  His love and grace reigns through eternity.  Our misplaced and misguided faith in the words and promises of false idols and prophets fails.  

With failure and doubt surrounding us what are we called to do?  If we will all fail one another as predestined by our human nature then what is there to do?  If doubts and questions will continue to disrupt our faith what is left to do?  If our political parties divide and separate what can we possibly do?  “‘A new command I give you: Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.’”  As imperfect and failing human beings, how can we do this effectively.  If we are destined to fail, isn’t it fair to ask won't we fail at this too? Yes, we will fail.  God doesn’t.  Our perceptions and beliefs and sometimes misguided faiths will fail but God won't.  How do I know this?  Because we are always within an arm's reach of God’s love and grace.  Always. We are never “too far gone.” Never.  

If we look closely, and I may be reaching a little here but, I don’t think Casey necessarily blames God or has completely lost his faith in Him.  Casey sees the imperfections and failures of man, and of himself.  He says, “This doubt compels me to renounce the role of savior that some have placed on me, because our time is too short and our odds too long to wait for second comings, when the truth is that there will be no miracles here.”  I should try to ask Casey to clarify what he means by that last phrase... Does he mean that he himself will not provide any miracles or has he so given up on a broken system and broken people that not even miracles can save us?  Or does he mean that he himself will not provide any miracles?  I don’t know for sure but the fact that chose to close his organization makes me think that he is afraid of becoming a false prophet and savior.  Or he may be insecure in his own abilities to lead and is afraid to take that step further.... Or, as Casey concludes, “...this doubt, it fuels me, it gives me hope that when our troubles overwhelm us, when the paths laid out for us seem to lead to our demise, when our healers bring no comfort to our wounds, it will not be our blind faith -- no, it will be our humble doubt that shines a little light into the darkness of our lives and of our world and lets us raise our voice to whisper or shout or to say simply, very simply, ‘There must be a better way.’”  

Yes, there must be a better way.  And that Way is found in the saving and eternal love and grace of God.  Not man.  Not any person or ideal or institution.  God is the way to better.  Love one another, even when that love fails, it is still the best of each of us.  The love that we share is our absolute best, even in imperfection. Jesus said, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”  The question that remains is: will everyone know that you are a disciple? An imperfect, failing, and doubting disciple?   Amen.