Leaping Christians

May 17, 2009
I John
John 15:9-17


Observations made while attending the Calaveras Frog Jump for the first time:

The novice jumpers, the young jumpers, gently caress their frogs, gently set them down on the pad, and then wait. The frog is thinking, this person likes me. I am going to stay with them. I am going to come back to them. I am never going to go far from them.

Eventually the novice is convinced by others to jump up and down, slam their hand on the floor, and shout. The frog makes an instinctual jump, but quickly remembers. I like this person. I am going back to the shade.

The serious jumpers handle their frogs very differently.
They just let their frogs hang there. Belly exposed to the sun, long legs dangling. Just lets them hang there. The frog is thinking, this person doesn’t like me. As soon as I can I am getting as far away from this person as I can.

And so soon as the serious jumper puts their frog down on that pad, they themselves are down, on all fours, like the frogs themselves, and they shout and pound the floor and jump right behind the frog.

And the frog? They are saying, I am out of here. I have got to get away from this person as far and as fast as I can.

While I was watching all of this, I couldn’t help but think of that Danish religious existentialist philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard.

I realize that not many of you were required to read Soren Kierkegaard as I was as a philosophy major in my undergraduate studies. So you might not know why I thought of Soren Kierkegaard while watching the constant failed attempts of frogs to escape from their tormentors. But I do believe that if I ever enter a frog in the Calaveras Frog-Jumping Contest I will name him "Soarin' Kierkegaard," in honor of the philosopher who wrote so eloquently about the leap to faith.

Soren Kierkegaard, the philosopher, not the frog, believed that there are limits to reason. We cannot make every action in our lives based upon knowing all the pros and cons, forecasting all the possibilities. This is especially true for a Christian, or a person following any spiritual path. Christianity is based upon the idea that Jesus can be both human and divine. This is doesn’t stand to reason. Christianity is based upon the idea that we can look at a symbol of death, the cross, and see life. This doesn’t stand to reason. And Christianity is based upon the idea that we, as individuals and as a society, can live our lives based upon compassion, forgiveness, humility, grace, sharing of goods so that there is no one in need. This does not stand to reason. It requires a leap to faith.

And yet, we believe, we trust, we know, that that this leap to faith, though it does not stand to reason, is not irrational, because we believe all of God is in all things. God is the Creator, and we are a part of God’s creation that includes sea turtles that navigate their way through thousands of miles of Pacific Ocean to return to their home.

God, is the Vine and we are the branches. When we connect with the source of creation, we will find many moments when reason is a our helper and guide. And we will also find something more, when we leap to faith. We will find moments of grace and love, forgiveness and purpose we will experience miracle and wonder, that cannot be explained by reason alone. They are a gift and our response is gratitude.

And as it turns out, there are ways to develop this ability to leap to faith. There are practices for trusting the leap, trusting the landing, that do not require fearing punishment, or someone shouting at us or slapping their hand on the stage behind us.

Would you like to know what they are?
Well you have already accomplished one this morning. You came to worship. You entered the door of the sanctuary. You chose to put yourself in this community devoted to God, to neighbor and to a healthy self.

Your coming through the doors of this Sanctuary are akin to Jesus entering the city of Jerusalem on Holy Week. You don’t really know what is going to be asked of you, but you do know that at some fundamental level you are going to be asked to go a little deeper and discover something new about yourself, about God, and about loving your neighbor.

Coming to worship is an excellent spiritual practice that helps us trust the leap to faith.

And then, after awhile, after you have been in worship for a few months you decide to step a little further into this community of faith leapers. You offer to be a Greeter, you show up on a Thursday night and join the choir, you attend a class, you offer to bake some cookies, you take the minister out to breakfast. (How did that get there?)

Or you begin reading the Bible, you begin your day with prayer and end your day with gratitude.
Or you make a new friend with whom you can share your true feelings. Or your find a partner who has the same concern for social justice that you do. You begin by walking through a door and then…

You hear words like we heard last week.
Perfect love casts out fear.
And your rational mind may hold up its defenses and say that’s impossible.
And yet there it is, in Scripture. Perfect love cast out fear. How can we leap to that?

Perfection is a limiting term, because it isn’t something we can achieve. But there is another way to understand that word perfection. We can look at as meaning complete, whole, living as intended, the lily in the field that doesn’t worry about beauty or tomorrow, it simply is.

This is something that we all desire. The spiritual view of the world says we can reach this sense of wholeness and peace through love. The materialistic view of the world says we can only reach this sense of wholeness and completeness through possessions and looking out for ourselves.

One of the things that is happening in our world today is that the materialistic worldview is collapsing on itself. The economic meltdown, the pollution of our water and rivers, global warming which is putting all of life at risk, are all signs of the failure of the materialistic viewpoint.

The spiritual view of the world says that we can have basic needs met, food, shelter, health, beauty, and purpose if seek love first, love of God, neighbor and self.

The spiritual view may one day win out when the broken world finally says, “Well we might as well try it. Our current way of doing things sure isn’t working.”

We as a society are kind of like those frogs, just hanging, dangling, knowing that our feet and bellies belong on the ground, but we don’t know where the ground is anymore.
The blessing, the resurrection that is potentially within this moment, is that we will see that our current economic and political systems based upon greed and self-centeredness, are dysfunctional and we will begin to work for more sustainable practices.

I want to look a little more at the phrase, perfected in love. Let’s assume that perfection means wholeness, completeness, acting as intended. Let’s also assume that love in this case means the willingness to extend oneself for the purpose of another’s spiritual growth.

Let’s assume that we have become perfected in love.
Now what happens to fear? Scripture says that perfect love casts out fear.
What does perfect love reel in, bring in? If perfect love casts out fear what does it bring in? Peace, acceptance, forgiveness, compassion, joy.

Complete love brings in peace, confidence, reconciliation, giving oneself way to someone else. Complete love brings in a sense of having all that I need, I don’t need anymore. This is enough. I am not going to get talked into buying something I do not need.

My joy, purpose, and meaning are all satisfied with what I have. In fact I have so much I am going to give it way. To the church rummage sale. The food bank. To the Heifer Project. To my next door neighbor. To my next pew neighbor.

And when I find myself in a place of not feeling peace, completeness, joy, purpose, I am still perfected, redirected in love. I am not going to be afraid. I am going to pray. I am going to ask for help. I am going to go for a hike in the Sierra. I am going to do a watercolor, sing a song, bake some brownies, call a friend. I am not afraid.

I am going to abide in love. I am going to remain in love. I am going to be healed in love. I am going to be patient in love. I am going to put some space around myself and see myself as God sees me, well-loved.

I am going to put some space around myself and see that person in need as God sees them, well-loved. I am going to put some space around my God-created-self and see that person, who is making me angry, as God sees them, with compassion, understanding and patience.

Trusting that from that place of complete compassion, true action is born. True peace is born. The kin-dom of heaven is born.
So praying for perfection in love, that is your birthright, perhaps forgotten but able to be remembered, is one way to leap into faith.

Another is given in this morning’s scripture.
John 15: 9-17
If you live in my instructions you will live remain in my love.
I have told you all this so you can be the source of my happiness.
Love each other as I have loved you.
No one can love to a greater extent than to give up life for friends.
I have called you friends, not slaves, I have let you know everything I know.
I chose you and I delegated you to go out and produce fruit.
You fruit will last because God will provide you with whatever you request in my name.
Love each other.

Worship, study, and living in compassion are all ways to leap to faith. But I encourage us all to remember that “Finally, and most important, transformation is not something we do, certainly not something we do by ourselves. It is God’s work. It is God who works transformation.

Getting a new heart, [leaping to faith], [being perfected in love], means opening ourselves to God, seeking God, turning to God, surrendering to God, and relying on God. I does not mean giving up responsibility, but it does mean surrendering our illusion of control. It means letting God be God for us.”
(Anthony Robinson, pg 79, Changing the Conversation)


Let me close with this proverb and a story.
First the proverb from Ghana
" If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."

Can a community of faith leap together? With God's help we can.

Let all people who do justice and love mercy say amen.