Always we begin again. November 25, 2018 The Rev. Kathleen M. Sturges

John 18:33-38

In a world where alternative facts and fake news abound, Pontius Pilate’s question, “What is truth?” especially resonates today.  This question comes at the end of his interrogation of Jesus as he demands to know, “Are you the King of the Jews?”  That’s what Pilate really cares about.  It’s a simple question and it’s clear he is looking for a simple answer, yes or no.  But you don’t have to hang around Jesus very long to know that his answers are rarely simple because truth is not often simple.  Take this situation, if Jesus had answered Pilate, “Yes, I am the King of the Jews,” Pilate would have understood his answer within the context of his own experience of what a King was which would not have been correct.  On the other hand, if Jesus had answered “no” then that too would have also been untrue. 

That’s not to say that everything in this world is so complicated.  Facts exist and they do matter.  They are essential to our wellbeing as a society.  A fact is something that can be verified objectively or that can be proven with evidence.  Like the fact that the earth is round, or all mammals have hair, or fire is hot, or Church of Our Saviour is the best church ever - ok, that’s not fact, but it still may be true. 

Still, in the exchange between Pilate and Jesus, sticking to just the facts was not enough.  Jesus explains that his kingdom is not of this world.  It’s not a kingdom that operates with violence and domination - and that’s clearly demonstrated by his willingness to submit to Pilate’s examination and ultimately to the cross.  But there’s even more than that, Jesus goes on to say that if anyone wants real answers they will find them by looking to Jesus himself.  “For this I was born,” he says, “and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.” 

So what is truth?  Truth is larger than fact.  It doesn’t discount facts, but it does move beyond facts into the realm of meaning.  Truth is not something that is simply believed or thought of.   Truth is something that is lived and done.  Jesus’ life on this earth testified to truth, to God who is infinite love, mercy, and grace.  Truth, therefore, is not something that can ever belong to us rather we are invited to belong to it.  

 

“Everyone who belongs to the truth,” Jesus declares, “listens to my voice.”  Which means that one of our challenges in this world is to tune out the other voices around us that claim to have truth, and to pay attention to the one to whom we belong.  But really, how are we supposed to do this?  Given that Jesus does not speak in an audible voice like you or I, how are we to listen to his voice?   We listen by participating in regular worship and communion, by reading and studying Scripture, by seeking God’s guidance in prayer, and by discerning Jesus’ voice in others.  It’s important to remind ourselves that belonging to the truth and listening to Jesus’ voice is not an individual assignment, but a group project.  There’s a saying that goes, “It takes the whole world to understand the whole gospel.”  And indeed we need one another as we seek to belong to the truth, listening to Jesus’ voice.  For it’s a voice that speaks for a kingdom that is not of this world.  In the face of human need, we hear the voice say, “I was hungry and you gave me food.”   When death surrounds us, the voice says, “I am the resurrection and the life.” In the midst of today’s refugee crisis we hear, “Love the foreigner as yourself.”  When confronted with hatred, the voice says, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”  And if ever we feel alone the voice speaks, “Remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” 

Belonging to the truth and listening to Jesus’ voice means that our lives, like Jesus’, testify to the truth.  Thankfully, though, that doesn’t mean we are to have quick and easy answers to every question someone might ask.  Just the other day a parishioner was sharing how inadequate she felt when her friends asked her about her faith.  She didn’t know really what to say.  And she’s not alone.  We probably all struggle to find words that express why we believe what we believe.  It’s a challenge because words alone cannot convey the fullness of truth.  And honestly, very few people come to faith through well-reasoned arguments.  More often people believe because of personal encounters with love, mercy, and grace - when people experience that truth they naturally want to belong to it.   So even though words may fail us, as we listen and respond to Jesus’ voice our lives can and do testify to the truth.   

But I know that’s not the case all of the time.  At least it’s not for me.   Sometimes even when I hear Jesus’ voice, I act in ways that are a far cry from testifying to the truth.  Fear, hurt, anger, selfishness speak to me and, I confess, I listen and react.  It is then that the words of St. Benedict comfort me.  “Always we begin again,” he writes, which seems particularly apt for today, being that this is last Sunday in the season of Pentecost, the end of the church year.  Next Sunday we start a whole new year with Advent.  We will begin again.  And unlike the world’s time that moves in a linear fashion where, for example, November 25, 2018 will never come again, the church marks time in a circular way.  We move through Advent, then Christmas, Epiphany, then Lent, Easter, then Pentecost eventually coming back to Advent once more to do it all over again.  Always we begin again.  Each and every day is a fresh opportunity to experience in new ways what it means to belong to the truth, to listen to Jesus’ voice, and to live into the answers.  And if, … no really it’s a matter of when, we fail to do so even then, or maybe especially then, we get to experience the truth of God’s grace, mercy, and love, that beckon us.  Always we begin again.  And in doing so our lives become a testimony to what the world desperately needs: Truth.