Pentecost IX 6.8.06

Christ Church

Morningside

Skin Deep

As you well know there has been a great deal of comment and criticism about the so-called ‘reality TV’ shows that seem to fill up so much of the programming time on the major channels these days. Programmes such as Big Brother, Love Island, The Nanny, Wife Swap and a seemingly endless supply of shows all about buying or remodelling houses. I call them so-called reality TV because (in my humble opinion) they portray anything but reality – many of these programmes have more in common with the old-time circus side shows of bearded ladies, midget men and two headed cats. But, as I said, that’s just my opinion.

Anyway, I think that this genre – if one can grace them with this epithet – has entered new territory (or perhaps that’s what they would like to think) with one of its more recent incarnations called “Looking Good Naked”. The whole idea of this programme is to take someone ‘ordinary’ off the street and to let a fashion/image expert/guru loose on the ‘volunteer’ for a few days. After the victim has undergone various treatments/regimes the climax of the show is when they are asked if they feel good enough about themselves to agree to photographed in the buff – hence the title - ‘Looking Good Naked’.

You will be pleased to know that your rector has made a conscious decision not to watch this show – I just happen to know about it because I read the reviews about the programme in the newspaper. Call it clerical censorship, if you will! So what is the connection between ‘Looking Good Naked’ and the Christian Gospel? You might well ask! Let me explain…

The theme of the readings today is transfiguration, The Transfiguration of Jesus, seeing things as they really are not as they might appear at first glance.

All three readings describe a vision; a vision of God; a vision of reality; a vision of things as they really are. First in Daniel we are presented with a vision of the throne of God – the Almighty in glory and the glory of the angels. 2 Peter and St. Luke describe the vision that Peter, John and James were given of the Transfigured Jesus – when they were led up a mountain and experienced Jesus not as a teacher or a miracle worker, not even as a prophet or indeed a man – certainly nothing they expected - but as he was/is in his eternal glory and love – Jesus appeared “dazzling white,” talking with prophets of old, they even heard the voice of God.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I have often wondered what I personally would have made of Jesus had I lived in those days and seen and heard him for myself. Would I have instantly recognized Jesus as the eternal Son of God, the Christ, the Saviour or would I have been like most people at the time and been rather more sceptical – trying to fit Jesus into my preconceived notions of what a ‘holy man’ should be. “Who do people say that I am?” Jesus asked the disciples. To which came the reply, “some say Elijah or one of the prophets of old. Others say that John the Baptist has come back from the dead.” (Luke 9:18 & 19) What would my reply have been if I had been there, unaided by 20 centuries of Christian faith and witness? I wonder…

Certainly the disciples and followers of Jesus, the religious and political authorities, everyone it seemed had a difficult time working out just who or what Jesus was:

“Who is this that even the wind and waves obey him?” (Luke 8:25)

‘By what authority do you do and say these things?’ (Matt. 14:53-58)

“It is by Beelzebub, prince of demons, that he does these things…”

(Mk. 3:22)

“Are you the King of the Jews?” (John 18:33)

No one seemed to be quite sure and indeed it took the Church over 300 years (at the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D.) to come to even a shaky consensus as to how to describe Jesus.

But why? Why was/is Jesus so difficult to pin down? Why is it so hard to figure out exactly who he was/is? There are at least two reasons:

First, we are always in danger of creating God in our own image. We always need to be aware that what we see and experience of God is sometimes what we want to see and experience. What we know and hear are sometimes the things that we want to know and hear. That it is all too easy to project our own desires, needs, wants, anger, frustrations or inadequacies onto God rather than listening and being attentive to who God really is.

Secondly, despite proverbial warnings such as: ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’, ‘Appearances can be deceptive’, ‘Looks are only skin deep’ and so forth, we do actually, tend to base our ideas and assumptions about people on their appearance, how they present themselves, on how they look.

In fact, it seems that we have exalted this ‘intuitive’ way of doing and being in our society to a philosophy indeed to a way of life. Sociologists, philosophers and other people who study these things tell us that in our post-modern, post-secular culture truth, value and reality are validated not by reference to external authority; tradition, the law, politicians, the clergy etc. but by one’s own, personal experience. To put it into my own very crude terms if you want to check something out you don’t ask someone to tell you if it’s true or real or good, you simply experience it for yourself and then go with you own gut feeling.

And this is more dangerous than it might seem. Its individualism at it’s most extreme. Often people are allowed, encouraged or even forced to be judge and jury all by themselves. Just click on the internet and make up your own mind, where the ‘facts’ are based on outward appearances or the most cursory of knowledge. And although many wouldn’t admit to it, for an increasing number of people all of this feels ever more chaotic and anarchic. No wonder fundamentalism in all its forms is on the rise beckoning the convert with its certainties and absolutes.

Conclusions? Links with the Transfiguration of Jesus?

Two things come to mind:

· You can’t put Jesus in a box – or beware of creating God in your own image

I was delighted that some of you joined me at the South Edinburgh Mosque a few weeks ago for a debate about the person of Jesus. The event was titled ‘Beyond the Da Vinci Code’ – Muslim and Christian responses to the Jesus controversies. Sparked by Dan Brown’s book we considered some of the issues that he raises – in particular the question ‘who really was/is Jesus?’ Is he a prophet, is he a teacher, a good man or something more, even the Son of God…?

I was reminded that evening of two things:

1/. That while Muslims revere Jesus as a great prophet and teacher they, unlike Christians, do not believe that he is the Divine Son of God. It struck me yet again that calling Jesus the Son of God is a big claim for Christians to make.

2/. Muslims ground their faith in the revealed Word of God as found in the Koran. They believe that The Koran was directly revealed by God to the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him), and therefore is the literal word of God. As such, it forms the basis for all Islamic belief, theology and behaviour.

Christians, on the other hand, base their beliefs not so much on a sacred text but on a sacred person. Christianity is grounded not on a book but upon a human being, not on the words of God but on the Word of God made flesh – Jesus.

And Jesus is always more than one expects – ask Peter, James and John! Jesus can’t be dissected or parsed as one would a sacred text or doctrine. He won’t fit into a box – ours or anyone else’s – he will not be conformed to our preconceived images or ideas. And so:

It’s not about understanding Jesus but knowing Jesus.

It’s not about figuring out who Jesus is but about having a relationship with Jesus.

It’s about relationship. Christianity is about relationship

· Things/people are often not as they appear (back to Looking Good Naked)

This is both wisdom and warning to a society that is so driven by image and intuition. Here is the dilemma:

If things and people are often not as they appear

And if we are told/asked/made to form our opinions on the basis of personal experience and intuition alone

How do we know what is really real, how can we know what is truly true, and how do we discern what has lasting value?

Here is where it helps to be an Episcopalian!

Episcopalians have always prided themselves on not getting bogged down with too much doctrine or Church Law.

Unlike the Roman Catholic Church we don’t have a great body of teaching – the Catechism – that can tell us exactly what the mind of the Church is from the meaning of Holy Baptism, the essence of prayer to the exact nature of heaven and hell.

And unlike many Protestant and Reformed Churches the Episcopal Church – the Anglican Communion – has generally rejected the need for new confessions of faith.

Lutherans – Augsburg Confession

Presbyterians – the Westminster Confession

By contrast, Episcopalians (at least since the early 1600’s) have traditionally based their Christian life and beliefs on three things:

1/. Scripture – the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments – tells us about God/Jesus/Holy Spirit etc.

2/. Tradition – the practice and experience of Christians down the ages

3/. Reason – Common sense – the application of our God-given intelligence

Not a bad set of guides to lead a person through the minefields of modern ethics, politics, economics, environmentalism as well as plain old theology!

But here is the twist (let me finish with this) – and here we come to perhaps what is most challenging, certainly what is most counter-cultural just at the moment:

· Faith is not simply a personal thing

· Our relationship with God is not simply a private affair

· Our life as Christians is not just a ‘me and Jesus’ experience

All that we are, can be and want to be is and has to be grounded, rooted, nourished, and stimulated in and by community. Why?

We don’t know enough by ourselves (despite access to the internet!)
We need the encouragement and correction of others
We are called to support and help others in their life of faith (and often mature ourselves because of it)
Because Christianity is about relationship – with God, with other people and with creation – and hence the two most important foundations of the Christian faith: the doctrine of the Trinity, and the great Commandment, ‘love God and love your neighbour as yourself…’
Because (as the Transfiguration shows us) You can’t put Jesus in a box – we should beware of creating God in your own image - things/people are often not as they appear – which means that we constantly need to check our own perceptions against those of others

Simon Justice

6th August 2006

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