“Then Jesus took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’" Luke 22:19
“So what?” is perhaps the most powerful question in the world. This question constantly rolls around in my mind as I prepare sermons, teach, and speak with folks both within and without the Church. I have to be prepared for the “so what” question because it can be fairly asked of every assertion I (and any other believer) make regarding Jesus Christ and the Gospel.
As Christians, however, we are rarely prepared to answer this question. That’s not because we lack information. Far from it! As a society and as individuals we are awash in data, information and statistics. But how do I make sense of it all? And what does any of it have to do with me?
One of my favorite Lutheran thinkers is Søren Kierkegaard, a Danish philosopher and theologian who died in 1855. Near the end of his life he got into a lot of trouble with the Danish state church because in his view they were taking their faith for granted. One born in Denmark at that time automatically became a member of the Lutheran state church. One could go through life with the official title of “Christian” or “Lutheran” on a piece of paper and yet live a life devoid of any evidence of Christ’s influence. This lack of vibrant faith and the absence of the ability to ask the Church and Jesus “So what?” did not arise because Danish Christians were short of, devotional books, church buildings or pastors. There was plenty of information about the truth to go around. Rather, the problem, as identified by Kierkegaard, was that no one took the time to think through those thoughts in relation to their own lives. It was just more information.
Here in the United States we do not live in a “State Church” society. No one is forced to be a Christian or a Lutheran. Yet in many ways we are in the same situation as the Danes of Kierkegaard’s time. Christianity has become a cultural institution rather than something in which we invest ourselves. For many, baptism is a rite of passage, like a birthday party, and communion is something we do because “that’s the way we’ve always done it.” A Christian faith that simply “goes through the motions” is a faith that has lost the skill of asking, “So what?”
What is the remedy? Do we need more instruction, additional books or a ten-week course? None of those things are bad, but we do not lack information. We lack the ability to see ourselves as an integral part of Christ’s story. The answer for the brief question “So what?” is an equally brief two-word reply: “For You.” You have the opportunity to hear these two words every time you take communion. As I distribute the bread, I say “This is the body of Christ, given FOR YOU.” As you receive the wine, a lay server says, “This is the blood of Christ, shed FOR YOU.” I hope you are especially hearing the “for you” part, because I try to stress it. Indeed, as Luther wrote in his Small Catechism, the only requirement to receive communion worthily is to believe that the bread and wine are given and shed for you. You really DO matter to Christ.
So as you consider your faith, do not be afraid to boldly ask, “So what?” because asking that question is an essential part of taking Christ’s call to discipleship seriously. But be prepared for an answer that is as mysterious, profound and remarkable as it is brief: Christ truly did all of this…FOR YOU. It genuinely is that real, that personal and that wonderful. Thanks be to God!
Pastor Scott
Posted on
Fri, January 27, 2012
by Rev. Scott Schul