This sermon was based on John 17: 1-11 and prepared with two confirmands in mind.
Do you recognize the names: Ruth Adam or Thomas Becker? How about Karin Vader or Jennifer Rubens? Do any of those names ring a bell?
They used to be citizens of the United States. But now they're not. In the second quarter of last year, they, along with hundreds of others renounced their American citizenship and turned in their US passports. Of course, the names that I read are not actual people but a combination that I mixed up of the names of real people that are in public records. Yet they all have something in common; they were born in the United States and for one reason or another chose to give up their US citizenship.
So, how or why would you break up with your country? What would cause someone to swap citizenship in one country for that in another?
For French actor Gérard Depardieu, it was a matter of taxes. Depardieu, who has chosen to call himself a "citizen of the world," has collected up to seven passports, given to him by other governments like Russia and Belgium, something which the very rich can easily buy. The irony is pretty amazing for us so close to southern border of the US, with all the unaccompanied children trying to connect with family and other people looking for a better life when on the other hand if they were wealthy they could buy themselves a passport.
Today's the prayer of Jesus is a challenge for it asks us to wonder, what does it take to gain a new identity? How do we begin --- as Jesus puts it in his prayer --- to be in the world, but not of the world? We do not "belong to the world," Jesus says. We are in the world, but not, like Depardieu, "citizens of the world." What does that mean for us, for Keile and Keenau as they begin their life as confirmed Christians?
I don't know about you but praying not to have an identity as a citizen of the United States is not typically in my prayers! But in our Gospel, that is one of several challenging statements in Jesus' prayer to God before his arrest. This prayer however is not in a photo image garden somewhere with clutched hands praying on a big rock while the disciples nap. This prayer is while everyone was seated around a table, after a meal and during an extended conversation, with the disciples hearing every single word that Jesus says. So just imagine if today's prayer like the Lord's Prayer would include this line, "Give us today a new identity as we are in relationship with you."
Why pray that? I think there can be many reasons, reasons that may be helpful to all of us besides Keile and Keenau as they prepare to confirm their faith, this same faith that we affirm.
Why does Jesus pray to provide his followers with a new way of viewing themselves? It is based on the fundamental fact that we have a Christ like created new identity that is based on God's gift of grace in Baptism. In other words we get a free, new passport. Jesus essentially is saying, "Okay, you have been given a new passport. You're going to be living now in a foreign land. It might even be a hostile culture. I am going to ask the Holy God to protect you (v. 11) as you live as my citizens in this land."
I don't know about you but that brings up a lot of questions and practical problems. How do we survive as "foreigners?" How are we going to cope? And how can we make this work?
One option is we can embrace our foreignness, our identity. Some have chosen to do that (Jesus People; Amish etc.) But by doing so the response of the world around us is not easy! If you have done any traveling at all, you know that the local people can always --- always --- spot a foreigner. They look different, smell different, talk different, dress different and think different. I have had numerous experiences walking into a location around this world and it was clear that I was not from there!
I remember observing such an event when we were traveling in China. On this our third trip to China, we were part of a tour group and in our group was a woman who had some weight issues. She was obese. But in China this was so unusual meaning that as we walked around not only did we get attention as foreigners, but it was compounded by her size such so that people would take pictures of this American woman because of her foreignness and her size.
If we are a foreigner, we are going to stick out and stand out. There's no hiding and it is not easy…, for example, that woman finally stopped going with us on some of the excursions because she got tired of all the pictures and stares.
The question, for us, is not --- "Would they know us as Christians by our size?" Rather, this means, to keep working with the metaphor, that if Jesus says we're foreigners in this world, that the world should recognize us as total foreigners. We think differently. Our values are different. Our approach to life is radically different and sometimes contrary to this world.
And that it is not easy and full of practical controversies, for example we as a congregation have embraced that all people are created by God, but as many of you know that is not embraced by all Christians. One of the arguments of some Christians not embrace all people including LGBT because their argument is that LGBT is a "choice" and is "of this world;" think of the extreme version of that in the infamous Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas.
Regardless of the challenges Jesus prays, let this designation inform how we think and act. Perhaps this is why Jesus prays that we survive by seeking God's protection. Thankfully Jesus prays for this several times. Jesus asks the "Holy Father" to "protect them." Jesus says that he himself has "protected" and "guarded" the disciples. Again in verse 15, he says in this prayer to the Father, "I ask you to protect them."
Why would Jesus pray this for safety --- because living in a "foreign" land, with Christ like values and identity is not safe? From what do you suppose Jesus felt the disciples needed protection? It's possible he feared for their physical safety --- think of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. And Jesus certainly was aware of his own fate at this point; and elsewhere he alludes to Peter's manner of death.
This leads to a 2nd view on this prayer. Did Jesus fear, as some Christians later suggested in the early church, Jesus prayed for our protection from the attractions of the world itself with all its temptations? For example, in 1 John 2:15 dated to at least 100 or so years after the death of Jesus, the advice of that author is "Do not love the world or anything in the world." The author goes on to identify things we might love: "the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, and the pride in riches" and says that these things do not come "from the Father but from the world."
For example, what does this mean for Keile and Keenau as they begin their life as confirmed Christians. What does this mean for us? Well how about be students of the Bible, or how about observe good boundaries or how to pray?
A third way we can think of Jesus prayer comes from my experience as a pastor in Japan of an international church --- Jesus prayer includes a prayer that we hang out with a community of other foreigners, i.e. people from our own country.
For example, go to any major cosmopolitan, international city in the world, and you'll discover that there's a strong international community including here in San Antonio with German, Turkish, Japanese, and Mexican community. The point is that, if you're a Norwegian living in Singapore, at some point you are going to look for other Norwegians in Singapore. It will help you to survive in this hot and humid city that's perched smack on the equator. Being with other Norwegians will make life a little more bearable.
So you do some nosing around. You discover that there's a Norwegian Business Association (Singapore)! You find the official "Norway in Singapore" website (www.norway.org.sg/)! Similarly, Jesus pray for togetherness in this world, so we, too, will seek the security of a community of other God-followers. "So that they may be one," Jesus says (v. 11, NIV). Not that we all need to think as one, but as foreigners in a foreign land we can address and support each other.
And lastly, what else do we see in this prayer besides being counter cultural, resist temptation, and the importance of fellowship for Keili and Keenau and for ourselves? A fourth aspect is that attitude is important. Jesus prayed that his disciples would experience joy: "so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves." In other words, have you ever traveled with a group on a tour? I have been on several as well as a group leader and it's not long before we learn about each other --- the person who's always late; the person who's going to talk your ear off; the person who knows everything, even more than the tour guide.
The most difficult for me is that there is always a "complainer." This is the person who doesn't like the food; doesn't like the bed; doesn't like the hotel. And when that happens what pops into my head; "Why did you even sign up for this trip anyway?" Jesus knows all about this that's why Jesus prays for an attitude adjustment that comes from the Holy Spirit.
We could go on. In summary, we have overhead a prayer from Jesus. And like hundreds of U.S. citizens do every three months, we are about surrendering our passports. The difference being is that we struggle to do it daily as we arise in in our baptized faith. Nor have we left for Russia, for France or for South America. We have opted for God's world. We've broken up with this country and we have fallen in love with another country.
I am proud to bear an identity, a relationship with God. I embrace that status, and seek God's protection, and I have chances to align myself with a tour group of fellow citizens. I am always at work on my attitude. Keili and Keenau, welcome to this group. At baptism you were handed your passport now it's time to get on the bus with the rest of us. All though you may not like us or may want to get on a different bus, remember this, not matter what bus you chose, you will not be alone, there will always be fellow travelers and remember is Jesus is praying for us. Amen.
