It’s good to be here tonight and especially on this occasion.

Acclaimed Swiss theologian, Hans Bendelfaser opens one of his books with this question: “What is specifically Christian about Christianity?”

Now to those of us in the church this may seem like a somewhat puzzling question. After all, don’t we know the answer? It’s the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus, the forgiveness of our sins and life eternal in heaven.

But upon reflection, I suggest that it is still a very good question for us to consider. Especially in a day when we Christians often disagree with each other - to say nothing of the confusion that abounds in our culture about what we believe and what we do.

What is specifically Christian about Christianity?

I also think it’s a good question to ask at an ordination service. Chris is ordained to what? And to ask in a church like Bethany that seeks to be a blessing to the world, to the city, and to one another. What kind of a blessing?

I was tempted tonight to take a few minutes right now and to pause and give you a chance to reflect on how you might answer that question. The diary reminded me that I’m only supposed to speak for 45 minutes, so we’re not going to do that.

How would you begin? How would you begin to answer that question?

Well, tonight I want us to take a look at at least one way, at one particular moment. And I think Jesus answered the question for us. Before I turn to our text, please pray with me.

Gracious Lord God, we have come together tonight to bow before You to worship You, to thank You for coming to be with us humbly but with great power to change your world. As we now open your word, teach us through your holy spirit, we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

You remember the setting of the scriptures that Barbara read tonight. It was Thursday night of what we now call Holy Week. Jesus knew that in just a few hours he would be leaving the disciples. He would be betrayed. He would be arrested. He would be crucified the next day. He called all of the disciples together for one last meal, one last extended conversation, one last chance to explain to them who he was and what he had come to do.

Just a few weeks earlier the disciples were all but convinced that Jesus was the Messiah, the anointed one sent by the Father to come and bring finally the kingdom of heaven down to earth. They had seen the miracles. Scores, perhaps hundreds of them. Healings. Exorcisms. They had watched as Jesus had calmed the seas, how he’d walked on water. They marveled at the way he took just a few fish and loaves and fed 5000 people. They stood in awe as Jesus cried while raising his friend Lazarus from the dead. They had also been deeply impressed by the authoritative way in which he taught. How he revered the Hebrew scriptures. How he deeply respected the temple as a house of prayer – so much so that when it was violated by the money changers, in a fit of indignation he kicked them out. They had been deeply impressed by Jesus. He must be the Messiah.

But then he began to talk about leaving them. About suffering. And about dying. And so as the disciples gathered on this Thursday evening for a meal and then conversation, at least most of them were probably as confused as they’d ever been before about Jesus’ identity and his mission.

Jesus began the evening not with words of explanation at all. As Barbara read tonight, he began with an action that once again caught them off guard. In the middle of the meal, he got up and put a towel around his waist. He went over and took a pitcher of water, poured it in a bowl and began to wash their feet; a very common act in the ancient Middle East but never done by the leader.

In a portion of scripture that we didn’t read, he came to Peter and Peter wouldn’t let him do it. But in typical fashion Jesus rebuked Peter and told him that unless he allowed him to wash his feet, Peter could have no part of him. After he had washed all the disciples’ feet, Jesus sat down again and he said, “Do you understand what I’ve been doing?. Yes, I’m your Lord. Yes, I’m your Teacher. But I’ve served you now and I want you to serve one another.”

A little bit later in conversation, he would put it this way. “I’m going now, but I’m leaving you with a new commandment – to love one another as I’ve loved you – to love each other.”

Now, in some ways of course, this was not a new commandment. And perhaps the disciples themselves were wondering why Jesus used that language. After all they’d been hearing all the time in their ancient Hebrew context that we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. And it’s also common knowledge in many of the Middle Eastern cultures that love was important.

But Jesus had something far more radical in mind; something really new in mind when he was speaking to them on this last occasion. It wasn’t until almost nearly the end of the evening that he finally explained, “There is no greater love than this, that a friend lays down his life for another friend.”

What Jesus had in mind was not loving your neighbor as yourself, but loving your neighbor by denying yourself. Sacrificial love. And that was a new concept in Hebrew culture and in Middle Eastern culture.

But Jesus didn’t stop there. Undoubtedly knowing that the disciples were not capable of this kind of love, he began to talk about the coming of the Holy Spirit. And he said, “You know, it’s really a good thing that I’m going to leave (which of course even more confused the disciples), because when I go the Father is going to send a new Counselor, a new Advocate – the Holy Spirit of truth. And this new Advocate is not going to just be with you. But in what is perhaps the greatest miracle and mystery of our faith, this Holy Spirit of Almighty God is going to be in you, transforming you."

You remember the story of Nicodemus in John 3...how this very conscientious Pharisee who sort of had been sitting in the sidelines and watching Jesus doing miracles, and wondering who he was, and knowing that he really can’t step outside of his role and ask. He comes to Jesus at night and wants to know all about this. And feeling his way maybe into being a follower. You’ll remember what Jesus said to him. “You’ll never understand, Nicodemus. You’ll never be able to be one of us until you become born again. Now you’re born of the flesh. You’re born of water. You must be born from above. You must be born of the Spirit.”

And now Jesus is returning to this theme with the disciples. And explaining it further.

Scholars tell us at this point in the evening, Jesus might have been right outside the Upper Room, walking his way to the garden where he was to pray. We get to chapter 15 and that wonderful image that Barbara did read about, the image of the vine and the branches.

And it may have been that Jesus walked over to one of these vines and said, “Here. This is what I’m trying to say to you about the Holy Spriit. I am the vine. You are the branches. And through the Holy Spirit – through the mystery of how our heavenly Father works – you can be connected to me in just the same way as this branch is connected to the vine. And all that I have in the Father can be yours. But you’ve got to stay connected. If you’re not you will wither and die. You will not bear fruit." And at the back of his mind he’s thinking, "There’s no way that you’re going to know how to love. But if you stay connected to me. If you seek to obey me. Remain open to the Holy Spirit.”

And now came perhaps the shocker of all for the disciples. “You’ll not only do the things that I’ve done. All those miracles that have attracted you. But whatever this means, you’ll do even greater things.”

And so on this very critical night, Jesus wanted to leave with his disciples the clearest message that he could about who he was. He spoke to them first about a new commandment. Secondly, about a new birth. A re-birth. And thirdly, about a new power.

1. A new commandment to love sacrificially.
2. A new birth that would radically transform them into people who were capable of loving.
3. And a new power that could love in ways the world had not yet seen.

Perhaps these three marks of a follower of Jesus is what is specifically Christian about Christianity. We know that these were the marks of the early Church, that secular as well as believing historians say turned the world upside-down in the 1st century. We know that they were the marks of Peter after Pentecost, of the Apostle Paul as he became the great missionary teacher in the Church. But our question tonight – your question, Chris – is what about the church today? Are these still the marks of the church? Are these still the marks of Bethany?

And at the risk of grossly over-simplifying what is truly a complex reality, I’d like to suggest that when we look at the worldwide church today, we do see evidence of the new commandment, and we do see evidence of the new birth, and we do see evidence of the new power. But then tragically all too often we don’t see them working together as they did at the time of Christ in that 1st century Church.

It seems to me that what we do see is a group of people who claim the name of Christ who have embraced the commandment to love sacrificially. And we see another group of those who claim the name of Christ who have embraced the new birth, being born again and developing a new personal relationship to Jesus. And we see yet another group proclaim the name of Christ, who embrace the new power.

Now it’s not as if there isn’t some overlap between these. And moments of cooperation and working together. But I wonder, and I ask you if you don’t think this is true, and as you observe your world. It seems to me that the overwhelming reality is these three groups spend more of their time debating with each other, arguing with each other, perhaps even judging each other, than they do about seeking cooperation. Sort of like those disciples who kept arguing about who was the greatest in the kingdom. Who has the more accurate view of the Christian faith? The lovers? The born-againers? The charismatics?

But what I want to say to you and say to my son, say particularly to Bethany (because in some ways I know I’m preaching to the choir tonight, but sometimes the choir gets deaf and you need to hear it over again), that we know it doesn’t have to be that way in our world. These do not have to be three competing … for favor with God the Father. These three marks can work again together for the good of the kingdom.

Let me introduce you to Zach and his experience – the fullness of the Gospel – instead of the narrowness of divisive, mere religion, which is sometimes what I think the world sees when it looks at Christendom today.

Just a few years ago, Zach was a leader of the Aryan brotherhood up here in north Skagit county. For 17 years, he’d been intravenous drug user. And this particular day he was in jail for beating up on a rival gang member. One day the warden walks down through the hall and says, “Bible study. Bible study.” Zach has nothing better to do so he decides, “Heck, I’ll go.” Actually, it was probably not “Heck, I’ll go.” My son’s here. I can’t say anything else.

But he decides to go. And as he walks into the room he sees on the other side of the room Faviano, the leader of the rival gang. And he thinks to himself, “Gee, I may have to have a fight right here in the room.” But Faviano is out on drugs in the corner. Looks like he’s sleeping. So Zach just plops on down on the floor.

It just so happens on this particular Bible study day, the text is on one of the healing stories of Jesus. And as the pastor – a Presbyterian pastor by the name of Bob - begins to read the text and raise some issues, Zach just yells out, “Hey, do you really believe that happens?” And Bob says, “Well, what do you think?” Good Presbyterian answer. And Zach says – and to this day Zach doesn’t know why he said this – "I think you ought to pray for Faviano. His liver is shrinking. He’s been using drugs. He’s addicted. And I think you ought to pray for me, too." So rather apprehensively but not without some faith, Pastor Bob prays that Faviano will be healed, and that Zach will be healed. And they were. Right then and until this day.

I’m sitting across a table in Burlington listening to Zach tell me the story. He’s 6’5”. He’s still 260 pounds, covered with tattoos. Still a skinhead. He’s sitting with his girlfriend.

He explains to me that when that happened to him, he decided to come to a lot of Bible studies. He learned from Pastor Bob that this God that he always thought hated him and was against him, never gave him a break in life, actually loved him – had sacrificed for him on the cross and had called him to the highest calling there is. And that is the sacrifice and love for other people.

Zach became a Christian. He got out of jail eventually. Began to work in this ministry that was led by Pastor Bob. We were meeting for lunch that day for him to tell me about his sense of calling - how he believed that God had called to him to help (to care for and to love) the very people that he used to fight.

And just about the time when I was thinking this whole story is too good to be true, he says, “You know, Bruce. This is hard to do, though.” And at that moment his girlfriend reaches over – she’s a new Christian as well – reaches over, puts her hand on his arm and says, “Zach, you just need to remember what Jesus did for you and know that He can help you learn how to love.”

It is special, as I said, for me to be here tonight. And especially to preach at my son’s ordination. To preach on the passage that is his favorite in the Scriptures.

But it’s also special for me to be at Bethany because it was at Bethany that I first learned as pastor. (See, Dan, pastors do learn some things, don’t they?) That indeed, that story is not just a fairytale, a coincidence.

[Doubt talking:]

If they really check the healings weren’t real.

And of course, they’re talking nicely now about the Christian faith and how God is going to do these things, but they’re young Christians.

Wait until they face the complexity of the world. They’ll realize too that Jesus died for our sins, and boy we believe that, but on this side of heaven not much is really going to change. Maturity is really getting used to being as good as we can be, trusting in God’s grace, and waiting for the kingdom to come after we die.

When I came to Bethany, I saw that that wasn’t true. And so, part of what I want to do tonight is to thank you for the influence of this congregation on my life. And also to encourage you to remain faithful to the fullness of the Gospel in a world that will laugh, criticize, but be deeply moved when they see the Holy Spirit work.

Amen.