We've been having a bit of chilly weather lately. A chilly day can be a good time to stay indoors and watch a classic movie, like the Titanic.
Someone argued that what really sank that 45,000-ton ship was a three-ounce key. In the lookout tower was a lock box containing binoculars. Unfortunately, someone forgot to leave the key with the lookout. They couldn't use the binoculars to look for icebergs.
Now, think of the Word of God just proclaimed. Binoculars can be understood, in a sense, as the eyes of our faith through which we can see beyond appearances, i.e., the awesome reality of God in our lives.
The Word of God first carries us back to a man named Jonah. And when you hear the word “Jonah,” what do you think of? Three days in the belly of a whale; or bad luck.
But in fact, the Book of Jonah is a short story with a simple message: God embraces everyone.
God orders Jonah to go to Assyria (what we know today as Iraq) to preach to the Ninevites. Jonah is shocked. The Ninevites aren’t Jews; they’re Gentiles. Jonah flees from God. But God catches up with him, and Jonah preaches God’s repentance to the Ninevites.
Then the Ninevites shock Jonah. With new eyes of faith they recognize the awesome presence of God in their lives and they repent.
Paul, in his letter to the Christian community at Corinth in Greece challenges us to focus on the things of God.
We can focus so much on accumulating things in this world that we forget our purpose in life. But with the eyes of faith, we believe that we will pass, like Jesus before us, into a new, transformative, heavenly reality. Focus on the things of God, here and now.
In the Gospel, the disciples at the Sea of Galilee follow Jesus with the eyes of faith. They see in him more than just appearances.
Like the binoculars, our faith can help us see all of God’s beauty around us, and into the distance. And yes, our faith can help us avoid the icebergs of life.
Faith, a gift from God, empowers us to relate to God. This faith attempts to answer the fundamental questions of human life: who am I? Where is my life going? What ultimately matters?
And the content of our faith is expressed in belief statements such as the 4th century Nicene Creed we profess in this Sunday liturgy.
We say: I believe in one God, despite many folks who question the existence of God in the face of such overwhelming evils as disease, hunger, senseless violence and war.
Yes, we say, God is almighty, maker of heaven and earth. Someone completely other, completely beyond ourselves, who created everything.
And yes, we believe in one lord, Jesus Christ, who came down from heaven for us. This planet cries out for a healer, a reconciler.
And this Jesus who for our sake was crucified, and rose again is our healer, our reconciler, our pledge of a life beyond this earthly life.
And yes, we believe in the Holy Spirit, the lord, the giver of life. The power of the Spirit is within us and enables us to do good for others.
We believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic community where Jesus Christ in all his fulness dwells. And as we conclude the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Thursday, January 25, Christians everywhere acknowledge one Lord, one faith and one baptism and look toward the resurrection and the eternal life to come.
The Nicene Creed underscores the essential content of our faith; what we believe truly matters.
May our faith be the binoculars, to use an analogy, through which we see beyond immediate appearances, to the reality and beauty of God all around us. And may we always remember we are co-creators with God in building up a society of justice, truth, peace and love as well as stewards or guardians of God’s creation tending to God's beauty all around us. AMEN.
