“I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” John 10, verse 10
This is Jesus’ Mission Statement. When Jesus looks upon humankind in our time and place, do you think he has a sense of satisfaction over the accomplishment of his mission? Or do you think he looks upon us, pulling his hair out, and saying, “No, no,no!!! That’s not what I meant. You have mastered abundance, but you forgot about life!!” I am afraid that a good portion of the time, the second might be more likely.
The dictionary definition of abundance is “more than enough.” Our culture sends lots of messages that “more than enough” is the key to happiness. But the recipe doesn’t work so well. Sometimes, we apply the adage, “If some is good, more is better” to things which are of and by themselves healthy, but the totality is far from life-giving. The totality of the health club and the book club and getting out to see this event or that gathering can lead to more rushing than living. More rushing than living may be the theme of the 21st Century. All of the things we are rushing from and to may be very good things (including things at church!), but midst all the rushing, it can be hard to find life.
And then there are all the cases in which more is downright unhealthy: If 2000 calories are good, then 4000 must be better, right? Actually, no. If one drink feels good, won’t two or three or four feel better? Actually, no. If shopping, or gambling, or you fill in the blank makes me feel better, won’t more and more and more be better yet? Actually, no.
Do you remember the fast food ad in which the resolute older woman asked, “Where’s the beef?” The question for our times is, “Where’s the life?” Midst all the plenty, where is the life? Where is the abundant life Jesus promised? “I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture.” “Pasture” is a wonderful image for abundant life: A place of peace, where needs are met, and the future can be anticipated with eagerness. “Whoever enters by me… will … find pasture.”
As I was thinking anew about how to enter life “by Jesus,” about how to imitate Jesus, something incredibly basic occurred to me about the example Jesus gives us. Jesus did not try to accomplish absolutely everything one could think of in his one lifetime. Seriously, look at the facts. Jesus skipped marriage and child-rearing altogether!! From our perspective, lots needed doing that he made no attempt to do. He lived under a cruel, oppressive government. His cousin’s head was cut off for the simple reason that he offended the wife of the puppet king. Slavery, involuntary conscription, and any number of other extreme social ills, including the complete subjugation of women, were rampant. But, as best we know, he didn’t organize or attend one meeting seeking to directly change any of this. Is that because he approved? Of course not. We know otherwise. He always chose to associate with those who were the outcasts and victims of the social order. But he was able to maintain focus upon the particular mission of his one human life: to heal, that humankind might know God’s compassion; to teach, that disciples might proliferate that compassion; and to willingly die and defeat death for us, that it need never govern our choices. This last mission made compassion possible for Jesus’ disciples. It freed us from the fear of death and all its ugly stepchildren: anger, resentment and jealousy.
Sticking to his mission did not always make Jesus’ outward life look like a peaceful pasture. But he had a pasture on the inside, perfectly described in today’s lesson from First Peter. He could receive abuse without returning it. He could suffer without threatening to proliferate suffering. Do you know what might be a good description for that condition? We could call it “abundant life.”
So how do we enter into more of that abundant life? Perhaps we can each progress in imitating Jesus’ capacity to focus upon missions for which we are particularly called and equipped. One of my great joys in the role I play here at Trinity is that I often get to look into the eyes of someone who is doing this. When someone finds a mode of service for which they truly feel called and equipped, it turns their eyes into a kind of window through which you can see that inner pasture. I love to look into the faces of folks volunteering to help with funeral receptions. They feel called and equipped to provide a service that extends compassion to grieving families in a very meaningful way. I love to look into the faces of busy ushers, checking to make sure all is in order before a service. They feel called and equipped to provide a service that enhances worship for all of us. I love to look into the faces of our choir members right after their anthem. Their eyes are windows into an inner pasture that is watered by the knowledge that their gifts have been put to use in a beautiful way. All these folks have found a focus that brings life.
It can be very tricky to discern what mission we are called and equipped to address. One of the wonderful gifts a community of faith can offer is help with that task. Small groups are a wonderful place to interact with people who can get to know us and reflect back things we may not have appreciated. Sometimes others see gifts in us that we would not identify on our own. We have a taskforce right now working to provide a new system of small groups available to all. If this could help you find focus, I encourage you to watch for announcements in about six weeks.
As the days and weeks and months go by, I pray that Jesus will look upon our activities here at Trinity, recall his Mission Statement—I came that they might have life, and have it abundantly—and be moved to say to himself, “It’s working… it’s working!”