Pentecost 10 Year B

John 6:35, 41-51

I had a professor in college who would often talk about “Holy Uncertainty.” He would say that the most sacred place we could be was in the state of searching. When we become certain of our faith, it is then, at that point, that our faith begins to die. But as long as we were uncertain, we kept on searching. And as long as we were searching, we would be continually challenged and delighted by the wonders God had in store for us. When we became sure of our faith, we stop asking questions, we stop looking, we turn our heads away from what we see; opting to protect our “sure thing” at the cost of any new insight.
When we are certain of something, that certainty colors our whole world. If we are certain that a country is evil, everything that country does is then seen, by us, as being evil. If we believe someone is manipulative, then every action the person does is seen as manipulative. And if we believe someone is loving, then that person’s actions will be viewed through the lens of love. Usually, our view of a person or situation has more to say about us than it does about that person or situation. Holy Uncertainty helps us to travel though life with our eyes wide open. We can see the world for what it is, not what we think it is.
Certainty is a big part of the problem in the gospel reading for this morning. The people thought they had Jesus all figured out. They were certain of who he was. "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, `I have come down from heaven'?" The people had Jesus nicely pigeonholed. They were certain of who this man was. But now he was telling everyone that he was the Bread of Life! He was equating himself with God. Jesus was publicly proclaiming blasphemy and was pretty much making a nuisance of himself. Some of the people may have even considered he to be an embarrassment.
The people had Jesus plopped into a category. They were sure of their assumptions. And so when Jesus started to say things that were contrary to their assumptions, it got them upset. Instead of welcoming the new information, they actively fought to disregard it. It was easier for the people to disregard the information instead of moving into the area of Holy Uncertainty and learning from Jesus teaching.
How do we fight to disregard the voice of Jesus in our lives? Are se so sure of our faith that instead of having a vibrant, living faith, we end up with a cold, dead faith? Do we stop looking for the face of Christ in the world because we know exactly where in our community and in our world, we should find Jesus?
This is a very easy habit to get into. It is so much easier to have our concept of Jesus nailed down. It makes Jesus predictable. But it does not open us up to Holy Uncertainty. When we think we know a situation, we don’t have to spend a lot of time and energy learning new things. However, when we don’t learn new things, our life becomes flat and lifeless. When we think we have it all figured out, we miss the subtle, and not so subtle, nuances.
A simple example of people missing out on something because they believe the4y are certain of what is going on has been happening at work. We have a promotion called a “Treat Receipt” going on. With this receipt, the person can get a drink at about 50% off. I have asked people if they were familiar with the receipt, and often, the answer I get is “I’m not collecting those.” That answer let me know that the person had no idea what I was talking about and was already certain of what was happening. When someone told me, “I’m not collecting those,” I replied, “The correct answer would be, “No, I’m not.” So I told the person about the receipt and the person was excited about getting a treat in the afternoon. Her certainty could have cost her an afternoon smoothie.
Granted, this is just a small example, but it makes you wonder: How many of life’s simple pleasures do we miss just because we assume we already know what is happening. How many friends have we never met? How much beauty have we just passed over? How many gifts have remained unopened just because we assume we already know what is in the box?
When I look at all the troubles that are currently befalling the Anglican Communion, what I see is a bunch of people who think they have Jesus all figured out. They are certain of Jesus and are certain of what they think Jesus would do. Since they are certain of what Jesus would do, they are not open to any new revelation of the Spirit. Just like the people in the gospel reading, people today seem to be sure of their faith and so are not interested in opening themselves up to the uncertainty of a new teaching. They seem to fight against something that might change their life. It is easy to talk about maintaining Holy Uncertainty, but the problems we see with the Anglican Communion show us just how difficult it can be to enact it in our lives.
So how could moving from our place of certainty into Holy Uncertainty help us as a congregation? What are those things that we are so certain about that could actually be prevent us for experiencing the delights of life? What are those things that we are so certain about that could be preventing others from experiencing the delights that can be found in being part of the community of St. Swithin’s In The Swamp? In what ways are we shying away from those things that we may feel are unsafe? In what ways are we missing out on God’s gifts for our lives?
I think this is important for us to consider. This congregation has had its ups and its down during its history; but it is still here! And because we are still here, I take that to mean that God still has plans for us. Maybe God is asking us to trust in the Spirit and move from certainty into Holy Uncertainty. Maybe God is asking us to move beyond the usual and venture out into the unusual. We don’t know. But I do believe that if we start going to wrong way, God will steer us into the direction we need to move. But just like the people of the gospel, we need to realize that Jesus will often surprise us with the uncertain.
What we believe we know may not necessarily be the truth. Jesus did reach out to the respectable people, but he also seemed to make a special effort to reach out to those who were uncertain. Jesus reached out to the prostitutes and tax collectors. He touched the lepers, even risking becoming ritually unclean. He earned the wrath of the “respectable” people by reaching out to those who were not quite respectable.
Even the disciples were not necessarily the most respectable. They were not the elite of society; they were more likely the workers. They were the unexpected people. But these “Uncertain” people are the people that Jesus called and the people that Jesus around the table. These are the people for whom Jesus is the “Bread of Life.” Really, these uncertain people are us.
Christ would have been better off going with the tried and true, the certain; but that is not what Christ does. Christ uses us! As uncertain as we are. And Christ calls us to move beyond the tried and true. Christ calls us to move beyond our assumptions and find those surprises in life. Christ calls us to reach out, beyond the dead faith of certainty and live life in the wonder of “Holy Uncertainty.”