“One Way In”
April 30, 2023
Dear brothers and sisters, grace and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
Even though I’ve been back in Ohio for a little over six years now, there are still some things I’m working on getting used to. One is definitely the allergies; many of you have probably noticed I’ve been affected by allergies and sinus issues the last couple of months, and I know a lot of you have as well, especially since this is a worse allergy and sinus infection season than there’s usually been around here, so I definitely can sympathize with you. But there’s still one thing I’m still learning to cope with as far as living in this part of Ohio goes: driving in the big cities. Allow me to explain: even though I grew up in a city, I’ve served in small towns for much of the ministry. And in places like ours, there are roads that go in, and the same roads that go out. Two directions, in and out, easy to follow. But in the big cities around here, especially downtown Dayton, what do we have? One way streets. I’ll admit I got thoroughly confused the first couple times I had to drive around downtown Dayton and had to figure out where I was going. And, what was even more confusing was the fact that often the way I would leave would be a completely different direction than how I arrived. Even now, using my GPS, that sometimes happens to me: my phone will tell me to get to one place a certain way, but then will take me home on another route entirely. Sometimes through a way I’m completely unfamiliar with, which can be a little be scary, at least until I get back on a road I actually know. But having to go in different directions to get to one place can still be a bit confusing, if not frustrating.
It can also be just as confusing to navigate through life, when we are confronted with choices, and are unable to figure out which is the right one. Sometimes our internal GPS – our minds and feelings – can confuse us even more, by trying to tell us to go this way or that way, when both or even neither seem to be the right choice. We can get confused and frustrated about which voice to follow. We also can become spiritually confused, as various voices of teachers and others who claim authority boast that they can offer the secret for living a real Christian life, possessing true Christian teaching, even belonging to the true church. Fortunately, at those times, there is one voice to rely on for guidance, who we know always speaks the truth, and who will always tell us the one true way to get us to where we need to go:
The voice of Jesus. Jesus Himself says in today’s Gospel reading, that He is the voice for us to follow, because He alone speaks with the voice of God. It is only through Jesus that we can have any hope of living the life God wants us to live; and ultimately be saved and live in heaven for eternity. As Saint Peter says in today’s Second Reading, verse 24, “He Himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness.” Only the sacrifice of Jesus, and trusting in His sacrifice, can save us and guarantee us eternal life. It is only through the Jesus is not one of many directions to follow in order to be saved: He is the only way. Jesus alone is the path of salvation: no other good works, laws, rules, doctrines, and certainly no other gods, can promise us salvation, which also means that we are not responsible for maintaining our salvation – Jesus alone is. He is, as Peter further says, the shepherd and guardian of our souls. Which means that He is guiding us through life, protecting us from temptation, delivering us from the power of the devil, forgiving us when we sin, and constantly reminding us of who we are – His sheep and His followers. He also has a personal interest in us and our well-being, because He genuinely loves and cares for each one of us individually.
The trouble is, there are many things which are going on, which dominate the headlines and discussions in the news, and which would certainly be an easy topic to discuss from the pulpit at any given time. Unfortunately, the approach has far too often been taken that those who agree or disagree with certain positions are “wolves” or “thieves.” Furthermore, this has also neglected to focus on what the true meaning of being a Christian is – Jesus. Opinions on issues have also been used to attempt to “gatekeep” Christianity – making a judgment as to whether or not someone is really a Christian based on opinions or lifestyle, and condemning those who are or aren’t a certain way as not being Christian, or even Christian enough. But these are not to be what serves as the “gate” for determining being saved: only Jesus Himself is the gate. And, as mentioned before, my being a pastor does not qualify me to be able to speak with authority on every single issue of the day, because I do not possess the proper education and training to be able to speak on certain issues. It is also not my job to determine who is or who is not a Christian – because believing and trusting in Jesus, rather than agreement with certain thoughts, is the only mark of a Christian. In other words, I am not to be a gatekeeper: Jesus alone is both the gate and gatekeeper, and He invites, welcomes, and embraces everyone who believes in Him, regardless of any other circumstances. His gate is also always open to everyone at every time, and He does not slam the gate shut to anyone. My calling, or role, is not to encourage people to listen to or follow me, but instead to encourage all of you, and everyone, to listen to Jesus and follow Jesus alone. Which, as Christians, as what we all are qualified for: this calling is not limited to one person, but belongs to all of us. Each of us, in our own way, have been given gifts and abilities to be able to tell and/or show who Jesus is and what living like Him is like. There is nothing mysterious or secretive about being a Christian: everyone who believes and trusts in Jesus as God and Savior can be called a Christian; and everyone who lives by being transformed to become more like Jesus every day is living a Christian life. There is also no one church that can claim to be the only true church, or alone has the true Christian teaching, because ultimately our belief is not based solely on a system of facts, but on who Jesus is and what He’s done for us.
As long as we continue to preach Jesus, live like Jesus, and love like Jesus, we will always remain relevant. Also, the only voice we are to identify as being the voice of Jesus is that of the Bible: Jesus continues to speak to us through the Bible, and speaks to us clearly, if we are able to listen. No human authority, teacher, or even preacher can replace the voice of Jesus as our one true guide and leader. In fact, unlike any human authority, be it a politician or preacher, Jesus is not concerned about promoting Himself or maintaining His image or power. He is only interested in loving and serving people. He does not need to maintain His power because all power ultimately belongs to Him – and He uses His power humbly, to rescue and save. Being the one true God, He alone can heal, lift up, and give eternal life. So in order to cut the confusion, let’s silence all the other authorities which clamor for our attention, and listen only to Jesus. He is our only way, and He is the only way we need. He is also to be our only example, because just as He is only interested in loving and serving people, we ought to be as well. So let’s no longer be frustrated by all the other voices – let’s find peace, calm, and security by listening to Jesus, and following Jesus alone.
Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
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