IT’S ALL QUITE SIMPLE

A group of us usually gather at a local restaurant after the early Sunday Eucharist. A few weeks ago I was seated next to our Senior Warden who proceeded to tell me a joke she had just shared with our Rector. Let me share it with you even if you have already heard it because it made me think about what it means to be a Christian. Here goes:

Forrest Gump is standing at the Pearly Gates waiting to get in. St. Peter tells him he has to answer three questions in order to get in. The first question: How many days of the week begin with “T”? Forrest’s response: “Two – today and tomorrow?” St. Peter reluctantly agreed. Second question: How many seconds in a year? Forrest’s response: “Twelve – January second, February second…” Not the answer he was expecting but another reluctant agreement from St. Peter. Third and final question: What is God’s first name? Answer: “Andy.” St. Peter was at a loss to understand. Forrest broke out into song to explain: “Andy walks with me. Andy talks with me…” St. Peter opened the gates to Forrest.

Okay, corny joke and a long way to get to my point. Forrest’s answers were so simple even if the second question needed a computer and the last one could only be answered by “God only knows.” But the simple truth, as Forrest would probably tell us, is that living out our faith and understanding what it means to live out our faith is not rocket science. It’s simple – and is the whole message of the entire Bible summed up in one sentence: love God above all else and love your neighbor as you love yourself.

That doesn’t mean it is easy, as we have all learned through daily living. We inherently know what we are to do, how we are to live, as followers of Jesus. And we strive to live that life each and every day. And each and every day we fail to one degree or another. No one of us is perfect nor does God expect us to be perfect. What God expects of us and we should expect of ourselves is to be as good as we can.

I recently looked over the catalogue from my seminary to see what the theologians were studying these days. They are getting a great education just as I believe I had. But all those years studying scripture, moral theology, the sacraments and even canon law and everything I learned and those seminarians are learning today boils down to that one sentence, no more and no less.

And when they and I stand in the pulpit to proclaim the Gospel message, everything we say boils down to that message. If it is something else, if the words are contrary to that message, Jesus’ message, then we are failing to do what we have been ordained to do. And when we, priest and people, live contrary to that message, we fail to live out what we have proclaimed by our baptism that we are commissioned to do. But when we do, as we have learned when we do, we find life and we find life in its abundance. Isn’t that why we keep trying to live it as best we can even as we fail every day?