Osoyoos-Oliver United – Rev Greg Wooley
It may go without saying, but the place we live plays a significant role
in our understanding of God and Spirit and the meaning of life.
I first experienced this in my early 20s, when for two years I was given
the great opportunity to serve two rural pastoral charges east of Regina as a lay
preacher. That taught this city boy quite
a bit about what it was like to have one’s life and livelihood shaped by the
cycle of seedtime and harvest. A summer
in the Philippines opened our eyes and hearts to the realities of the global
south. Serving Churches in the big,
multicultural city of Calgary and in the town of Canmore, once shaped coal mining
but now an Olympic venue shaped by recreation and retirees, my faith and life were,
again, shaped by my surroundings. And while we’ve been in the south Okanagan
less than two months, it hasn’t taken long to learn the close relationship here
between extreme climate events, the yield of vine and orchard, and people’s mental
and spiritual health.
This impact of WHERE something happens is also true when we read the
Bible. As I mentioned on my first Sunday in this pulpit, Shannon and I were
blessed in the spring of 2018 to spend time in the land of the Holy One,
walking the footsteps of Jesus. One of
the things I brought home from that pilgrimage is a new attentiveness to WHERE a
Biblical story takes place. Place names
which I previously thought were just throw-away details to help us track the
travels of Jesus or Paul or even Moses are often keys to understanding what was
said and done in that place.
Such a place is Caesarea Philippi, in northeast Israel by the Golan
Heights, a national park now known by its traditional name, Banias. The villages near here, we are told, is the
setting for today’s gospel reading.
The first thing one notices here, is how beautiful it is. Not far from the heights of Mount Hermon, one
finds here stunning waterfalls, and the headwaters of the Jordan River. This was one of the places that inspired the
Psalmist to proclaim the glory of God’s handiwork, and the Jewish people weren’t
the only ones drawn here. There were no
fewer than seven religious sites at Caesarea Philippi, at least five of which
would have been present in some form in the days of Jesus. Here, there is a grotto of the god Pan (from
whom the name Banias/Panias is derived) where gifts were brought to appease
divine anger. There was a series of
niches hewn into the rock face, containing sculptures of Pan’s consort, Echo,
and his father, Hermes, and this was a place of sacrifice – even human
sacrifice. At the court of the goddess Nemesis,
violent events like wrestling, boxing, gladiator battles, and throwing
prisoners to the lions, were considered part of sacred practice. There was a temple of Zeus, king of the Gods
and god of justice and to appease the Romans, a large temple of the emperor Augustus.
As we stood at Caesarea Philippi and imagined the days of Jesus, with
these wildly varied religious sites side by side, each one attracting throngs
of devotees, a modern-day parallel came clear: this was a religious theme
park! This was less like going to
Jerusalem or Mount Sinai, and more like going to Anaheim or Orlando or Vegas. This was a big, busy, loud, garish place,
lively and cruel, peasants side by side with Roman centurions. I have no idea
if there were T-shirts declaring, “what happens in Caesarea Philippi stays in
Caesarea Philippi” but archeological work does continue!
And this was the place, in the villages of this region, that
Jesus stood and asked his disciples this question: “Who do you say that I am?”
Just ponder that for a moment with me. Not far from the sights and sounds of gladiators
and sacrifices and hucksters, Jesus wondered aloud what people-in-general thought
of his ministry in contrast to these loud, showy things, and, in essence asks his
followers, “do you put your trust in
these things, or in me?” Amidst the jostling and the noise, Jesus invites
them to go deep into the holy truth within.
In contrast to the selfish side-deals being made all around him, Jesus presented
a transformative way that would liberate the oppressed, a way founded in God’s
profound love for the world, and then he pushed them to name where their
allegiance would lie.
When I imagine a 2024 version of Jesus at Caesarea Philippi, I need to
state clearly that I don’t interpret Jesus pitting other religions against “his”
religion. This is not Jesus’
wagging a finger at our Sikh and Indigenous neighbours in favour of what he was
offering, not at all. What I do perceive
him doing, standing amidst the clamour and the glitter and the gore, is challenging
people of faith to choose something else – something focused on the needs of
others, with a hard road ahead. In the
spirit of full disclosure, he warns his followers that his path, God’s path of life-affirming,
dignity-uplifting love will be difficult, and their actions will not be
well-received by the powerful people. Yet
even then, before the backdrop of all these testosterone-laden showy options,
he asks for their hearts – and ours.
While the story of Jesus at Caesarea Philippi had its confrontational
elements – like the sharp rebuke of Peter when he simply will not believe that
the path of Jesus would ever lead to the cross – the question Jesus posed to the
disciples at Caesarea Philippi, a question he asks the people of Osoyoos-Oliver
United today, has a huge element of invitation to it.
·
To even field the question “Who do you say that I am?”
assumes relationship. He asks his
followers to name what others are saying about him but what matters is the
answer of his friends. He knows we are
connected, and invites us to lean into that connection.
·
The personal nature of the question “Who do you say that
I am?” respects that each of us will bring our own context and wisdom
and experience as we determine how our lives will intersect with the loving,
justice-seeking path of Jesus. For some,
the theological points about the holiness of Jesus and his promises of life
beyond life will be of great importance and for others, connecting to His agenda
to love God and neighbour with everything we can muster here on earth is the
key; wherever you land, you are invited on the journey.
·
And “Who do
you say that I am?” is not a
one-and-done question. As people of faith, we keep learning
and growing, we absorb the hurts and challenges of life as well as being lifted
by its joys, and we hear Christ’s question to us over and over again. There
will be times when we feel pretty solid in our efforts to love God and love our
neighbours, and there will be other times when things get all jangled and all
we can do is keep trusting, keep learning, keep loving. Sometimes Jesus asks this question, not to
force a decision, but to reassure us that he is still there, still supportive,
still connected.
Standing by a place whose beauty had elicited this exciting and entertaining
religious carnival, Jesus asks his disciples – there and then, and here and now
- to find a “fit” for his eternal, universal love. And with that choice he promises to equip us
for a life that engages the needs of our neighbours and serves them with love. In
our gathered life as a congregation, in our friendships and our family units,
in the quiet space of our hearts where we spend time with the Divine, we hear
his question, first asked at Caesarea Philippi, now asked to each of us and all
of us in this time and place. May our
unfolding, active answers to Christ’s questions draw us closer to God, closer
to the needs of the world, and shape our lives with love. Amen.
References cited:
Burton,
Judd H. Religion, Society, and Sacred Space at Banias: A Religious History of
Banias/Caesarea Philippi, 21 BC-AD 1635. (PhD dissertation). Lubbock, Texas, ©
2010, Judd H. Burton. Accessed at https://biblewalks.com/Files/BURTON-DISSERTATION.pdf
Theoi: Zeus. http://www.theoi.com/Cult/ZeusCult.html
United Church of Canada. https://www.united-church.ca/community-faith/welcome-united-church-canada/interfaith-relations
© 2024 Rev Greg Wooley, Osoyoos-Oliver United Church Pastoral Charge.
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