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SERMONS

The Third Sunday after Pentecost
June 24, 2001

By David Christian

Once upon a time, in a far-off country, there lived a man. This man lived in a large, beautiful house in a village at the base of a tall mountain. He was quite wealthy and his life was filled with beautiful things. He was well-liked and respected, a leader in the village. Yet he was not satisfied. Something seemed to be missing.

High above him towered the mountain. Away up toward its peak, well above the snow line, on a clear, sunny day you could catch a glint of gold. One day he heard of an ancient legend. The legend claimed that there, high on the mountain, was a golden place. In that place, was the source of all meaning. There your deepest desire could be met.

But the way was hard and dangerous. There were no stories of anyone who had been to the golden place and returned. Indeed there were no stories of anyone who had even attempted the journey.

The man thought long about the story. Every day he would go out to look up at the mountain, hoping to catch a glimpse of the golden place. Finally, one day, he came to a decision. The stories, he decided, were true.

“There,” he said at last, “is the answer to my longing. There I can find fulfillment and meaning and peace.”

He began to tell everyone he knew about the golden place. He would speak about how wonderful it was; about how it could satisfy that deep desire that nothing else could satisfy.

Others began to believe in the golden place as well. Finally, a group decided to attempt the climb. They invited all who desired the golden place to climb with them. After several weeks their preparations were completed. Early one morning they set off.

But the man was not with them. There were too many things tying him to the village: his home, his possessions, his friends, his position in the village. So he stayed behind.

The climbers never returned. The man grew older. Eventually he died, there in his beautiful home, surrounded by his lovely belongings and his friends. There he died, still unsatisfied, still longing for something more, still speaking of the golden place.

Today’s gospel finds Jesus and his disciples alone. Jesus asks them what the crowds are saying about him; who do people say that he is? “John the Baptist, Elijah, one of the ancient prophets,” they answer.

Then he asks them the question. “But you, who do you say that I am?”

It is Peter who gets it right, Peter who first falls upon the truth. “You are the Messiah,” he says. “You are the holy one of God. You are God’s anointed one, the one who will bring us freedom.”

We are here today because we recognize the truth of that claim. Most, if not all of us, I am sure, would answer with Peter that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, God’s Savior, the Lord. We would claim that that truth is very important, indeed the most important thing in our lives.

Perhaps, with characteristic Episcopal reticence, we would be a little embarrassed to talk about it much. We wouldn’t want to make others uncomfortable; or to be uncomfortable ourselves. But we recognize that truth, and we acknowledge it.

Jesus is the Messiah, the Lord.

But how many of us are willing to go the next step? For Jesus doesn’t stop there. After ordering his disciples to keep quiet, Jesus goes on to say, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”

It is not enough to acknowledge that Jesus is Lord. It is not enough to give intellectual assent to a proposition.

If we would enter into relationship with Jesus… If we would discover the joy and meaning that such a relationship brings… If we would find the new life of Christ… then we must follow.

We must be ready and willing to put down—to lay aside—to deny—anything that would stand in our way.

What keeps you from following Jesus? What holds you back? What do you need to deny?

It’s not enough to stand at the bottom of the mountain and tell others how wonderful it must be at the top.

You’ve got to make the journey.

Start climbing now.

David Christian

The Chapel of the Cross
Madison, Mississippi

Luke 9:18-24