The
Light of the World
John
7.35-8.12
Dr. Matthew M. Fry
We want to live in your light and truth, O God, for we know that you are the light of the world. But in your light there is little room for hiding or no place for pride. We want to live in your light and truth, but it is so hard O God. Help us, especially in this time, but always, to reach for the goal of living in, and spreading, your light to all corners of the world. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.
Today’s sermon is a little different. Since I was away at Montreat from Monday morning until Friday afternoon, Chris and I, along with the consent of the session, had planned on having Chris preach today. Obviously with the death of his grandfather, and the funeral that was yesterday, he is where he needs to be, for himself and for his family. And I don’t think there is a person in here who doesn’t support that. So, I am given the task of preaching without any preparation. As I mentioned, I got back Friday afternoon. I could have prepared Friday night, but Walter wasn’t going to roast himself. And then yesterday, between band practice, that banjo playing takes practice. I know that is hard to believe, but it is true. But between band practice and fried fish to eat, I was left with minimal prep time. So, this is less prepared, but more off the cuff. The one thing you will notice is that it is obvious that much of my sermon prep work is refining, making sure to say stuff so that different people at different parts of their Christian journeys can take away different things. Those who need not to be offended usually are left with that option.
Which is my way of saying, if I offend you today, I’m sorry. I didn’t have time to prep in the subtleties.
So, hear now The Word of the Lord as it comes to us in the 8th chapter of John. Listen. John 8.1-12.
[[53 Then each of them went home, [John 8] 1 while Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him and he sat down and began to teach them. 3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery; and making her stand before all of them, 4 they said to him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. 5 Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" 6 They said this to test him, so that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." 8 And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9 When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10 Jesus straightened up and said to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" 11 She said, "No one, sir." And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again."]]
12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life."
The Word of the Lord…Thanks be to God.
Open your pew bibles. Beginning at chapter 7, verse 53, there should be double brackets that complete at the end of verse 11. Let me give you the reason they are there….
The most ancient authorities lack 7.53--8.11; other authorities add the passage here or after 7.36 or after 21.25 or after Luke 21.38, with variations of text; some mark the passage as doubtful.
Now, here is why that is important. I want to read it the way that many scholars believe is closer to the original text. So, we’ll read 7.35 – 7.52, and then 8.12. You might notice a difference. John 7.35-7.52, 8.12.
35 The Jews said to one another, "Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? 36 What does he mean by saying, 'You will search for me and you will not find me' and 'Where I am, you cannot come'?"
37 On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, 38 and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, 'Out of the believer's heart shall flow rivers of living water.'" 39 Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive; for as yet there was no Spirit, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
40 When they heard these words, some in the crowd said, "This is really the prophet." 41 Others said, "This is the Messiah." But some asked, "Surely the Messiah does not come from Galilee, does he? 42 Has not the scripture said that the Messiah is descended from David and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?" 43 So there was a division in the crowd because of him. 44 Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.
45 Then the temple police went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, "Why did you not arrest him?" 46 The police answered, "Never has anyone spoken like this!" 47 Then the Pharisees replied, "Surely you have not been deceived too, have you? 48 Has any one of the authorities or of the Pharisees believed in him? 49 But this crowd, which does not know the law — they are accursed." 50 Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus before, and who was one of them, asked, 51 "Our law does not judge people without first giving them a hearing to find out what they are doing, does it?" 52 They replied, "Surely you are not also from Galilee, are you? Search and you will see that no prophet is to arise from Galilee."
[John 8] 12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life."
The Grass Withers, The Flower Falls, but The Word of The Lord endures forever…Thanks be to God.
The context is important, is it not? Here, the way it most likely was presented in the most original texts, the statement comes out of the sense of an argument with the Pharisees, an argument that continues after verse 12.
I go to Presbytery meetings. Not all of them, but certainly my share of them. Those of you who have gone with me are laughing at the fact that I would transition from a sense of a chapter and a half long argument into a Presbytery meeting. But you know why that is an ironic laugh.
Here’s the word I want to bring today. At every Presbytery meeting, and in the history of many churches currently, folks are lamenting the dying of mainstream Christianity. They give all sorts of reasons for the dying, but they are not afraid at all to proclaim the dying nature of the church. And I want to know, how is that living in light, or spreading light? How is telling a dark and depressing story about living in the light?
It feels an awful lot like language of people who don’t know the Easter story. It feels like people who don’t understand that death never has the last word, that God gets the last word, and God’s word is never death, but grace, and love. It feels like the language of nostalgia, which understands that God was working in the past, but leaves no room for the living God to be doing a wonderful new thing. And the language of death has no place in the context of Easter people!
Which is not to say we should put our heads in the sand, or just say that everything is going just dandy, all we hit was a little iceburg, no biggie captain. We need to be open and honest about what is going on.
But here’s the thing. I don’t spend my time in a congregation that is dying. I spend my time in a congregation that is spreading the love of God to all parts of the world, certainly in Norcross, but also in Uganda, Bolivia, Mongolia and Kentucky. We feed the hungry, care for the homeless through the money given, and the sweat poured out at ministries such as the Co-op, Clifton, and Rainbow Village. I spend my time in a congregation that is dancing in the life and light of God, and can’t answer questions about the dying church, cause I don’t know what that looks like.
I spend my time eating Fried fish and drinking coca cola at the table of the Kingdom. Don’t miss out what we did yesterday, and what we do every October at the BBQ. That is more than fellowship, it is lowering some heaven, enacting the table at which we will one day eat.
I guess what I want to say is this. What we do here on Sundays matters. It is nothing less than God’s charge, and it is nothing less than God’s plan. And I for one am sick and tired of hearing death language used about it. Where is faith? Where is the memory of Easter? I know it was early this year, but it wasn’t that long ago.
In God there is enough, always enough.
Lastly, I promise I’ll close. This is why it is good for me to prepare, otherwise I’ll go on and on. But lastly, the complaint is always of the nature that we aren’t upholding standards, that we will let anyone in. I took a magazine with me this week and read how one of our denominational sisters are holding standards to the point where gay or lesbian people might be blocked from joining the church, not the ministry, but the church. And the rationale is that identity can be regained and the hemorrhaging stopped. Mainline denominations are being charged with being too inclusive and welcoming.
I got a call last week from a mother who wanted me to talk to her son…
About a year ago I was talking with the cluster of Pastors which meets every other month. And we were talking about what to do in the light of the fact that our numbers dwindle. “In the year 2053, the last Presbyterian will turn out the lights as they leave the church.” And I looked around and said, “Over. My. Dead. Body.” I’ll be 83 then. And I am bound and determined to make sure that the light continues to shine, that we continue to live in the story of resurrection and not of death, that we engage the culture with the life of God, so that all are welcomed and accepted. I’m proud of being part of a religion that is charged again and again with being too accepting of people. Let us live in the light of the world. Amen.