The Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost

Year A (Proper 30)

I don't know if you have noticed, but the stories in Scripture do not often have the usual fairy tale, 'and they all lived happily ever after' ending. The frog does not turn into a prince. The prince does not win the love of the beautiful princess. It is not always even a matter of good triumphing over evil. It is rather God's presence with us through all that we are and do. It is about becoming all that God intends us to be.

Let us take the story of Moses and the journey to the Promised Land. All reason tells us that the story of Moses has a bad ending. From the human point of view it should have ended on the other side of the river. Instead Moses died still in the wilderness, his burial place unknown, unmarked. It was left for another leader to complete the journey. From God's point of view his work was complete – this spokesperson for God, the charismatic leader of Israel, the interpreter of the will and purpose of God was everything he was meant to be.

You see, it is not about happy endings. It is about real life stories of faithful people whose loving action sets them apart as the people of God. And that is, after all, what defines us as Christians. What is the basis of our Christian faith? If it is not 'loving action', then it is all words, all rhetoric. We would be better off without any of it.

Paul's ministry to the people of Thessalonica is a beautiful example, is it not, of what happens when one continues to lovingly minister in the face of opposition. Paul's story is no fairy tale. His early ministry often took him to towns where he was stoned for his preaching and driven out. Ultimately he lost his life for the faith. Opposition to Paul in Thessalonica was particularly unpleasant. Yet he discovered something important about himself, about ministry, and about the faith from the experience. Despite the opposition there developed a real sense of commitment from many people. The communities became places of loving action and the beginning of a strong worldwide community of faith.

Jesus makes it clear that 'loving action' is the ultimate authority. Love is beyond the claims of the law. There is ultimately one law alone, and that is the law to love. It is a law, first of all, to love God – to love totally in all that entails. And the reality of our love of God is part and parcel of our love of neighbour that cannot help but result in loving action towards others. Love of neighbour provides a simple guideline by which we can test our lives.

Jesus used it to test the response of his listeners. "What do you think of the Messiah?" he questions the Pharisees.

"The Messiah is the Son of David," they give the status quo response. But it is not the response Jesus is looking for. He wants them to look, not to the law, not to tradition or reason, but into their hearts. Messiahship has nothing to do with Davidic conquest. It has everything to do with the kind of loving God that we serve. We serve a God who loves, and who interacts with humanity. We do not serve a God who manipulates us like puppets, expecting us to respond to every whim. We do not serve a God who paves the way for us, who pays us off in brownie points and provides us with a fairy tale existence. We serve a God who interacts with us, who loves us, who is with us and provides for us in love.

So what do you think of the Messiah? It is a relevant question, after all, for each of us. It has to do with the kind of loving God that we serve. There are many ideas around about who Christ is, but they are not always the means of our coming into relationship with a loving God. When they do not bring us into relationship with God we need to examine them more closely and find new ways of seeing Christ.

Some see him as an historic figure. They look to Scripture for proof of his human existence. They want to gather facts. They want to know about his earthly existence. Others see Jesus as a radical revolutionary. They have faith as long as there is a cause to fight for. Their response rises more from adrenaline than faith. For still others Jesus is a refuge in time of trouble. When things are going well they are nowhere to be seen, but when disaster strikes they quickly turn to God. For some Christ is a means of personal gain. It is respectable to be seen as a Christian. It is good for business. One might make a few good contacts in the community through participation in the right church. For many Christ is a symbol of goodness, that Sunday School image of Christ with children gathered around him. Such people need those "warm fuzzies".

None of those are bad concepts of who Jesus is, but they are limited. Our image of Christ must lead us into loving action. If Christ is simply a definition, a picture on the wall, a lovely, warm memory from the past, a symbol, or a name to pray to out of desperation, then we simply do not know Christ.

To know Christ is not something I think or intellectualize. Christ is a person to whom I respond by loving. And that love is shown by my loving action in the world. The Gospel calls us to more than words. "We are determined," Paul says "to share with you not only the Gospel of God, but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us." It is easy as Christians to be in the business of getting things organized, of busily doing good, and of sharing tasks. To share ourselves is harder. Yet that is the Gospel call. That is the loving thing to do.

The wonderful thing about good ministry is that you know when you have done it. We may see it as a tragedy that Moses did not reach the Promised Land. But Moses did good ministry. Moses is the one who stood before God and said "Not me! Get someone else to do it. I'm no speaker. People won't listen to me." He is also the one who is remembered as the greatest of the prophets, as more than a prophet – as priest, ruler and judge, as interpreter of the will of God.

Paul may have become discouraged by the lack of response he received in delivering the Gospel message. But he saw the loving actions of the people of Thessalonica. He saw their sense of commitment. He saw them as they shared in the Gospel message even when there were differences of opinion. You see, doing ministry, really doing it, really sharing ourselves, brings us into the very presence of God. It opens up a channel into the kingdom that is totally unmistakable.