Words to remember

It feels like an impossible dream. You know, the kind you wake from feeling wonderful and fulfilled, and then realize that in real life it would never happen that way. The line that feels impossible, finds its way into Jesus’ farewell speech, “that all may be one.” (John 17:11) The words we overhear hundreds of years later capture for John’s readers, what Jesus wants his followers to remember.

Remember that the way of Jesus is the way to freedom.

Remember there is a place for everyone.

Remember that the Holy Spirit lives in you.

Remember that knowing Jesus, is knowing God.

And a prayer, that in working together the dream of God unfolds.

Though this is a bold paraphrase of the farewell discourse which takes four chapters to unfold in the Gospel of John, these words set the stage for the sacred themes which still resonate. They are words of liberation, of belonging, of mystery reminding us that in relationship we discover the sacred.

When our dreams come true, others know the truth we know. We read “that all may be one”, as that all will see things my way. Churches are among the worst offenders. Naturally we think that corner on the truth is the right one. Our traditions and ways of worship and places to sit are important to us; maybe too important to be flexible. Others would be welcome to join us, but only if our comfort level remained unchanged.

It is easy to see in hindsight where past leaders have made mistakes, but more difficult to live into this dream of God as we participate in a community where we are connected. At the core of this speech about things to remember when we remember Jesus, is contradiction. We get to know God through a community of faith and by relating to each other. We learn to care in times of vulnerability, and in doing so we glimpse the sacred. Our relationships are solidified in our gathering places so we easily to confuse our buildings with our God. And we forget the Jesus was not a Christian. He was a Jew, who saw things differently than those in charge. He had a dream, that oppression would end and people would share and nobody would be left out, that all would be as one, and that they would understand something of God in the process.

What if, we still believed that were possible? Then we’d have a mission worth working toward. That would be faith for today!