Sermon for Sunday, April 26, 2009

I John 3:1-3

Rev. Christopher Fazel

"Sons and Daughters of God"

Last Sunday I attended the monthly event at the Islamic Center of Minnesota in Fridley called Muslim/Christian Dialogue.  This month’s topic addressed that tension that exists in both Christianity and Islam that we might call the “Predestination/Free Will Paradox.”  Simply stated we might ask, “If God has preordained everything (as certain passages in scripture suggest), then how can we ever exercise free will (a gift from God that other places in scripture insist we have)? 

            The two primary presenters were Theology professor Terry Nichols and Dialogue founder Owais Bayunus.  Both did a marvelous job at providing the historical and scriptural context of this paradox.  The comments of my good friend Adil Ozdemir were particularly exquisite, I thought.  But what made this event extra special for me was the presence of church and Youth Group member Lauren Cains.   Lauren had decided to come along, and she asked a question that provided the energy and focus for some of our best moments of discussion.  She asked, “If everything is preordained, then why are we told to pray for things, such as the healing of a sick friend?”  Now, isn’t that a good question?  Everyone else thought so too, and they were eager to offer comment.  At times, I was reminded of that story of the boy Jesus in the temple, discussing the deep questions with the learned rabbis of Jerusalem.  Some days it’s just great to be alive.

            Right after church today, our Youth Group is taking another trip to the Islamic Center to meet with a counterpart Islamic Youth Group led by Tamim Saidi – a young man that Sharon and I have known for almost ten years.  The intention is to learn about one another’s faith tradition and to build bridges of respect, trust and good will. 

            Now, we have spent several weeks preparing for this meeting.  We’ve read passages from the Qu’ran; we’ve studied the nature of oracular material, of which the Qu’ran is an example, and we’ve explored questions that we have for them, and questions that they might have for us.  And one of the central issues that concern Christian/Muslim relations is the question, “Is Jesus the Son of God?”  Now, this is important because Islam is a monotheistic religion along with Judaism and Christianity.  But to Muslims (and Jews, by the way) the declaration that Jesus is the Son of God sounds like we’re worshipping two gods.  So the question before us must be, “What did it mean to the writers of the New Testament to declare that Jesus was the Son of God,” keeping in mind that the New Testament writers were monotheistic Jews!

            Now, in a short sermon Sunday, we cannot possibly address this question in depth.  What I really want to do is to take it up in an adult-ed class next fall.  But for today, let me just offer a kind of syllabus of main points that might be included in such a class.  First, Jesus does not call himself the Son of God.  He calls himself the Son of Man.  That observation, of course, merely begs the question, “What did he mean by that?”  To find out, we would have to survey the use of that term in our own Bible and in the writings that were current in Jesus’ day – most especially the Book of Enoch, which was, as we might say, a “best seller” in first century Judea. 

            Nevertheless, the Apostle Paul, the writer of Hebrews and the gospel and letters of John all do refer to Jesus as the Son of God.  Therefore, we would have to explore what such a term would have meant to first century Jews, which might be very different from what it came to mean to fourth century Greco-Romans who wrote the Nicene Creed.

            And finally, we have to observe that Jesus is not alone in receiving the honor of being called a son or daughter of God.  Romans 8:14: “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”  Second Corinthians 6:18: “And I will be your father, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”  And, of course, from our reading today, First John 3: “See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are.” 

            We must explore what it means for us to be called Sons and Daughters of God.  In other words, we must seek deeply into the existential questions, “Who am I; where do I come from; why am I here; where am I going; and how do I get there.”  You see one question leads to another, and it is in the pursuit of these questions and in the application of the answers as we find them, that we grow in grace and understanding.   May God bless us in the journey – today and onward.  Amen.  Let us pray.

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