Prov 9:1-6
Eph 5:15-20
John 6:51-58
Bishop Untener's Homily
The Planet "Methuselah"
You've all heard of the discovery of the new planet Methuselah, right? [Only a few raised their hand.]
Well, I've got some data here that will help you. It's not a planet within our solar system. As a matter of fact, it is quite distant - 5,600 light years away. Keep in mind... light travels at a speed of 186,000 miles per second. That means that, when I snap my fingers, in just that second, light would go around the world 7 ½ times. That is fast. Consider this: The light that began coming toward us from Methuselah at the birth of Christ would not yet be half way here. It would still have about 3,600 years to go - at 186,000 miles per second!
They have also calculated that Methuselah is quite old (that's why they gave it this name). As best they can tell, it is about 13 billion years old, which is only about one billion years after the origin of the universe.
Now, you may well ask: What's this got to do with anything?
Well, it helps us realize the size of this universe, and the vastness of time... which helps us to realize the impossible-to-calculate greatness of God. For it is God who created all this, and it is God who sustains it. It helps us not to take God for granted.
But there is more to it than the greatness of God in terms of space and time. God is not simply an extra-large and powerful being. God is utterly beyond any category we understand... beyond anything we can imagine. For example, we speak of God as "personal," but God is beyond the category of "person". We speak of God as "powerful," but God is beyond any category of "power" we know. We speak of God as "loving," but God is beyond - greater than, better than - any kind of love that we know. And on and on, with every category.
God Crossed the Impossible Gap
We speak of the "mysteries of our faith" - truths that we can partially understand, but can't fully grasp. Well, the greatest mystery of our faith is that God, who is totally "other," totally beyond all the categories we know... could be totally "intimate" with human beings and with creation. The gap, the difference is too great. It's uncross-able. It would be like you or me relating personally to a piece of paper. It can't be done. The difference is too great. We can't have a personal relationship with a piece of paper.
But the gap between us and God is a zillion times greater. But God crossed it. God did.
“And the angel said to Mary in reply, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you... Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.” (Lk 1:35)
And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” (Jn 1:14)
In the section of John's Gospel from which today's passage is taken, Jesus speaks five times of having "come down from heaven." We're used to hearing that, but stop and think for a moment. Here is this human being, born of Mary, who has "come down from heaven." When we actually think about this, we begin to realize what a phenomenal thing it is for God to come down from heaven and become one of us.
Some Gap-Crossing of our Own
Maybe that's why God figures that we can cross a few gaps in our lives. We're not talking about the colossal, un-crossable gap between God and human beings. We're talking about the small gaps between human beings. We're talking about the small gaps between creatures who are all on the same level, members of one human family. We're talking about gaps that we ourselves have created. God, who crossed the great gap, figures that we can cross the small gaps.
Maybe that's why Jesus talked so much about forgiveness... 70 times 7 if necessary.
Maybe that's why Jesus talked about loving our neighbor... and about the question, "who is my neighbor?”
Maybe that's why Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God."
Maybe that's why Paul said, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Gal 3:28)
God crossed the great gap. One would think that we could handle the small ones.
I always remember the written survey passed out to the people in a parish some years ago. It had many questions, but the last two were: "What do you like most about the parish?" Then, "What do you like least about the parish."
One parishioner answered the first, "What do you like most about the parish, "About half the parishioners." Then, "What do you like least about the parish?": "The other half."
The gaps, the divisions exist everywhere - in families, in extended families, in parishes, in the workplace, in villages, cities, and countries.
If we all look around right here in Frankenmuth - over a thousand people from just about every state in the union, people from other countries, people of just about every nationality - we realize that the gaps can be crossed. We have sung together, prayed together. We will give one another the sign of peace. We will come forward to receive together the Bread of Life.
It's a beautiful sight to see. It's the fulfillment of what Jesus said: "Peace I leave with you; peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you."
If God can cross the great, un-crossable gap and become one of us, we can do the rest - cross the gaps in our families, parishes, cities... And if we do, it will have an effect. We may not live to see it, but we can say we were part of bringing about that great day when, not only families and parishes and cities... but the whole world will be at peace.
Originally given on August 10, 2003