Speaker: Pastor Stephen “Tig” Intagliata
Bible Passages: Mark 8:34-36, John 6:66-69, Hebrews 12:1-3
Summary: This is part 1 in a 3-part sermon series “What is an Anabaptist Christian?” based on the booklet of the same name by Palmer Becker. Jesus is the center of our faith means that 1) Jesus is to be followed in daily life, 2) the Bible is interpreted from a Christ-centered point of view, and 3) Jesus is our final authority.
One of my most vivid memories from Mennonite conventions is when former president Jimmy Carter spoke at the convention in Atlanta in 2003. He challenged us to make our goal to become more Christlike in the way we live our lives. He used the phrase “little Christs”. “Become like little Christs”, he said.
Today we’ll be talking about making Jesus the center of our faith, and as I thought about it, the whole purpose of making Jesus the center of our faith is so that we become more like Jesus, that we imitate him, and become “little Christs”.
This morning we’re beginning a 3-part series on the question “What is an Anabaptist Christian?” using the booklet by Palmer Becker as our guide.
The Anabaptists were a renewal group during the reformation period, and the Mennonites grew out of the Anabaptist movement. When you first hear the word “Anabaptist” you might think “anti-Baptist”, i.e. against baptism.
But actually, “Anabaptist” stands for re-baptizer, because they chose to be rebaptized as adults after they having been baptized as infants in the state church at the time, and which was also the view of Martin Luther and many other reformers.
To the Anabaptists, adult baptism was the sign that salvation and transformation had taken place in a person’s life.
What are the “sacred” core values of Anabaptist Christians? They are:
- Jesus is the center of our faith. (believing)
- Community is the center of our lives. (belonging)
- Reconciliation is the center of our work. (behaving) –Palmer Becker
Today we’re going to look at the first one, then next week Community, and the third Sunday, Reconciliation.
Before Becker gets into talking about our core values, he acknowledges that there are many things that we Mennonite Anabaptists can learn from other faith traditions.
Here are just a few examples of ways that I learned from and challenged by other faith traditions:
Catholic Church- contemplative spirituality, i.e. silence and solitude, mystery.
Catholic Liberation Theology – solidarity with poor and emphasis on social justice, freedom from slavery/oppression, as Jesus mentions in his sermon at the beginning of his ministry in Luke 4.
Pentecostals—emphasis on the Holy Spirit, sincere devotion and commitment to God and their faith community.
Evangelicals–emphasis on the authority of scripture and sharing faith with others, in words as well as deeds.
Muslims—devotion to regular prayer
Ultimately, we must need to return to Jesus, the author and founder of our faith, to find the basis for what it means to be a Christian in our time.
Becker breaks down Jesus as the center of our faith into three dimensions:
First is Jesus is to be followed in daily life.
Many Christians emphasize: Christ’s death
Many Christians focus primarily on the holiness of God and the need for personal salvation. They emphasize “Christ came to die” and focus less on the life, teachings and empowering Spirit of Jesus.
Christianity is primarily forgiveness.
For example, the Apostle’s Creed talks about Jesus’ death and resurrection but says little about the example he set on how to live life here on this earth.
Also, Martin Luther’s 95 theses emphasized salvation by grace alone.
In contrast, Anabaptist Christians emphasize: Christ’s life
Anabaptist Christians affirm the holiness and forgiving grace of God, but emphasize that “Jesus came to live.” His death resulted in part from the way he lived. Jesus as Risen Lord empowers us to follow him in life.
Christianity is primarily discipleship.
One quote we have heard before that’s a classic in the Mennonite faith is from Hans Denck:
“No one can truly know Christ unless they follow after him in daily life,
And no one can follow Christ in daily life unless they truly know him.”
Obeying Jesus and knowing him go hand in hand. We saw this when we talked about the Praying with the Anabaptists book, how their close relationship with Jesus and their deep prayer life empowered them to be faithful to Jesus, even when they faced persecution.
“Following Jesus entirely transforms what it means to live the good life. Following a person cannot be reduced to following a set of rules…The Way is a person. The Way is Jesus”. –Scot McKnight and Tommy Preson Phillips, Invisible Jesus
The Jesus Way is a way of loving others with the heart of a servant, and reaching out to those who are in need, and treating others as you would want to be treated.
In Skye Jethani’s book, What if Jesus was Serious, he talks about the difference between the Silver Rule and the Golden Rule. The Silver Rule is the idea that you do no harm to other people, but the Golden Rule takes the initiative to seek out helping people in need.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus commanded, “Whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them.”
This is more than a call to avoid harm or injury; it is a command to active love.
As Dallas Willard notes, “The Golden Rule is devoted to the good in the lives of those around us, and this reaches far beyond the mere absence of harm.”
Now Palmer Becker says that the second dimension of Jesus being the center of our faith has to do with how the Bible is interpreted, from a Christ-centered point of view.
Many Christians emphasize: A ‘flat’ Bible
They see the scriptures rather than Jesus, as their final authority. Guidance for daily living comes from various scriptures that seem to fit the situation. All decisions do not need to coincide with the teachings and Spirit of Jesus. The Old Testament has the same authority as the teachings of Jesus.
In contrast, Anabaptist Christians emphasize: A ‘Christ-centered’ Bible
Anabaptists affirm that while all Scripture is inspired, Jesus is the fullest revelation of God and the final authority for decision-making. Jesus fulfills the Old Testament, and is the norm for both personal and social ethics.
A good example of this is in the Sermon on the Mount, when Jesus said ‘you have heard that it was said’, quoting an Old Testament Law, like love your neighbor and hate your enemy, ‘but I say to you’, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
Jesus is saying he’s fulfilling the law, reinterpreting it according to the values of kingdom. I appreciate how Becker points out the importance of holding the written word and the Spirit of Jesus in creative tension. We discern in community through guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Lastly, the third dimension of Jesus being the center of our faith has to do with our relationship with the government, and Jesus being accepted not just as Savior but also as Lord.
Many Christians emphasize: Government as final authority
They believe that since government leaders are ordained of God, they must be obeyed even if their demands are contrary to the teachings of Jesus or the dictates of conscience.
In contrast, Anabaptist Christians emphasize: Jesus as the final authority.
Anabaptists recognize that government is ordained of God to preserve life and maintain order in a secular world. However, the demands of government shall not overrule the Lordship of Jesus.
Becker says: Where there is a conflict between the ways of Jesus and the ways of Caesar, we say with the early disciples, “We must obey God rather than any human authority.” (Acts 5:29)
In this political season, we’ve heard the phrase “Jesus is King”, sometimes by people who would be called Christian Nationalists because they want the United States to become more of a ‘Christian nation’.
A man named Taylor Brown said it this way:
“It’s important to remember that for Christian Nationalists the phrase “Jesus is King” is not actually about the Lordship of Jesus, who achieved victory via the cross. Rather, it’s a dogwhistle for enforced Christendom, a fusion of church and state that eschews Christlikeness.”
I feel that a more Christlike approach to political power can be found in the words of Benjamin Cremer, a former pastor who I follow on social media”
“If our Christianity makes tyrants feel safe and supported and makes the poor, the marginalized, the immigrant, and the oppressed feel unsafe and rejected, we are following someone other than Jesus.”
In the past decade or so, we’re seen a whole lot of people in younger generations become turned off from church and left the church, many who grew up in the church, but who have become disillusioned with church and with Christianity and are wondering about their own faith as a result.
One word we sometimes use to describe these folks is that they’re deconstructing their faith. This week I read this fascinating book called Invisible Jesus: A Book About Leaving the Church and Looking for Christ.
It’s by Scot McKnight and Tommy Preson Phillips, and one of their main points is that these deconstructors aren’t leaving because they’re turning away from Jesus, but rather, they feel like Jesus has all but disappeared in the church.
Jesus is not talked about much, and when he is, he’s being distorted—he’s described as “too weak” or they try to paint him as warrior who would use violence to establish his kingdom on earth, to fit this Christian Nationalism mindset that goes along with a particular political agenda.
The deconstruction happening in so many young people has been fueled by things like the role Christians played in the attack on Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, an anti-science approach, the lack of love and hatred shown to LGBTQ+ persons,
and a patriarchal system where men are valued more than women, in the church and in the home.
Many people who are leaving the church are also disillusioned by church leaders who have not only been immoral and abusive of their authority, but who have also covered it up with denial, and blaming and silencing victims of abuse.
The authors of the book say that many who are deconstructing aren’t walking out the church doors to enter a life of sin. Rather, they actually are looking for a more Jesus-centered faith where Jesus is the center.
They’re kind of like Peter in our scripture who said “Where else shall we go? You, Jesus, have the words of eternal life.”
Deconstructors are looking to reconstruct a faith that is less black-and-white and more nuanced and complex, centered not on rigid rules but the way of Jesus which is based on love.
The authors point out three aspects of this way that people are looking for.
An inclusive way- they don’t like “insider-outsider” language that is exclusive; they perceive that racism and prejudice are behind much of the exclusion that is happening in the church and society. They want a church where everyone is welcome at the table.
- A truthful way– they believe that Jesus embodies truth, and want a church that has the courage to call out misinformation and conspiracy theories. They believe in a truth that starts with questions, and is open to critical thinking, other people’s viewpoints, and the humility to change your mind on something.
- A personal way- they want to reconstruct a faith where Jesus is real and human, not dehumanized, or spiritualized, or just an abstract idea.
Friends, our Anabaptist emphasis on putting and keeping Jesus at the center of our faith is something that people on the outside are looking for, it’s good news in a society where Jesus is either being distorted or diminished.
I want to close with a couple of quotes. The first is from Invisible Jesus:
“If Jesus is the Way, then all that is required is to follow him. He walked the road ahead of both the committed and the curious. He offered them a life lived in wisdom and humility. He showed them how to love their enemies, how to be led by the Holy Spirit, and how to shun the power (might) of the world for God’s power (which is displayed in weakness).”
And a quote by one of my faith heroes, Henri Nouwen:
“Jesus’ self emptying and humiliation are not a step away from his true nature. His becoming as we are and dying on a cross is not a temporary interruption of his divine existence. Rather, in the emptied and humbled Christ we encounter God, we see God who God really is.”
Prayer: God, We confess that we too often focus on other things and other people in this world that clamor for our attention and allegiance. Lord Jesus, give us the courage and clarity to put you in the center of our lives and our church and to keep you there.
Give us eyes to look for you on the margins, walking with, eating with, seeking justice with the voiceless and powerless in society. Give us your compassion to hurt with those who have been hurt by the church, give us ears to listen to the questions and the doubts and the fears and the loneliness of those outside the church, and help us make space for them in our lives and in our community of faith. Amen.
