youalonehavegotthewordsofeternallife jn 6, 68

7/27/2019 YouAloneHaveGotTheWordsOfEternalLife Jn 6, 68

1/8

21th Sunday of the Year 26 Aug 2012

Dr Lutz Ackermann (Christ Church, Polokwane)

Only you have the words that give eternal life

(Jn 6:68)

Good Morning, Christ Church Cathedral!

As I was preparing this sermon I was thinking of the very

first time I preached in this church. It was some time in

2004, and it was on the prophet Ezekiels vision of the

valley of dry bones that come to life. In dramatic words theprophet describes the dryness of death, of dead bones; and

then, as an effect of his prophecy, they grow into human

bodies and eventually come back to life. With a word from

God, the prophet comments all this, and I quote:

So prophesy to my people Israel and tell them that

I, the Sovereign LORD, am going to open their

graves. I am going to take them out and bring themback to the land of Israel. When I open the graves

where my people are buried and bring them out,

they will know that I am the LORD. I will put my

breath in them, bring them back to life, and let

them live in their own land. Then they will know

that I am the LORD. I have promised that I would

do this---and I will. I, the LORD, have spoken."(Eze 37:12-14)

Now here I stand again, preaching again about the life-

giving word of God. Of a God, who speaks to us so we can

live. "Lord, Simon Peter says to Jesus, Lord to whom

would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. Let

us pray.

2011 DR LUTZ ACKERMANN CHRIST CHURCH, POLOKWANE


2/8

[Lord help us to listen to your word. Speak to us so we may

hear and live. Amen]

As I am reflecting on the words of the Gospel reading this

morning, I would like to speak about three things: aboutwords. About words that can give life. And about words that

give eternal life.

So, lets begin by talking about words. Now I cant give a

long lecture on the nature of words and language, anything

from Plato to Wittgenstein; firstly I am not qualified to do

that; and secondly, I need to preach, not to lecture.But having said that, I would simply like to state: Words are

important. Young people know that. On Facebook or

Twitter, or whatsApp, what is it that we post? Mostly words.

Ok, we also may post pictures or videos. But even there,

words can give meaning and interpretation [WoG pic].

So let me just list a few things about words.

Firstly, words are powerful. We know that. One wrong

word can break a person, a career, a relationship. Words

have power, and the words of those in power have got even

more power. After the terrible events at the Lonmin mines,

people were closely listening to what the president would

say. In a situation like this, words can be helpful or

unhelpful; but in any case, powerful.

Secondly, words are strange. Isnt it strange that that

what is in this glass, you call it meetse, others call it

water, I call it Wasser, the ancient Romans used to call

it aqua and scientists call it H-2-O (which is a special

kind of word, a formula). All different words for the same

thing. [even in a single language: synonyms]



3/8

But it gets worse: not only can one thing correspond to

multiple words; also one word can correspond to multiple

things or meanings. (L-E-A-D: verb or noun?

Pronounciation). Words are strange, because they can meanso many different things (they need a context).

Thirdly, words can create and reflect relationship.

Whether I feel accepted or rejected by others can depend on

the words they say and the ones they dont say. A love

letter tries to capture my feelings for another human being

in words. The words I use to greet someone, when I enter a

room reflect in some way, how I relate to the people I meet.

Fourthly, words shape and form memory. Ok, there

are of course other ways how memory is shaped and

formed: pictures, scenes, smells and sounds may all be

attached to certain memories. But I think it is words that

can be most pregnant with memories of the past. Take a

word like Sharpeville. Its not just the name of a township,

somewhere between Vanderbijlpark and Vereeniging; its a

whole history; it conjures up emotions, it captures

memories of the past (same with 9/11).

Fifthly, words can require a response. When I ask a

question, I am soliciting a response. When an army officer

gives an order he wants to hear and see a response. When

a customer formulate a request, she expects some response.In German, for word we say Wort, for response we say

Antwort. Often, when we start using words, we cannot

remain neutral. We declare ourselves, on this or on that

issue.

Sixthly, words are not things. Lets go back to the word

water. If I am somewhere in the desert, dying from thirst,



4/8

I can think the word water, I can write it in the sand,

repeat it to myself, shout it at the top of my voice. All his

will not change a thing. Invariably I will die. Only the actual

thing, the water itself can save me and it would do so,even if I didnt have a word for it. And yet, mere words can

create hope. So the word water in the desert cannot feed

my body but my spirit: to carry on, not to give up. Where

words do not correspond to tangible realities, we call them

empty.

---

But now, lets get back to our text: to the words of the gospel

writer giving us the words of Simon Peter about the words

of Jesus, who is the Christ. You, he says to him, have

words that give eternal life.

Life-giving words. Now, life is one of the key topics of the

fourth gospel. Let me briefly remind you of some of the

ways this gospel speaks about life.

It affirms The Word was the source of life (1:4)

And also Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life

(3:36, 6:47)

It has Jesus speak about life-giving-water (ch 4, also

7:38)

In John, Jesus calls himself the bread of life, the

resurrection and the life and also the way, the truth

and the life



5/8

In Jn 10:10 Jesus says The thief comes only in order

to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come in order that you

might have life---life in all its fullness.

Just in chapter 6 alone, there are 12 verses that speak about

life! So when Simon Peter starts talking about words that

give life he is summarizing one of the main points that

Jesus is about in this gospel: life.

---

Now, how can words bring or give or lead to life?

We saw that words can be powerful. In the first pages of the

bible, the beginning of life is connected to the words spoken

by God: Let there be. And there was. It is the image of a

powerful ruler, who just has to say a word and things

happen. And Jesus, in the fourth gospel is presented to us

in the same way [Cana, 2:5; healings 4:50, 5:8; non-

condemnation 8:11; raising the dead 11:43.]Like words, that are characterzed by a variety of meaning,

so life needs variety. George Orwells famous novel 1984

gives us a world that is ruled by big brother, the dictator

whos reign stifles the free unfolding of life. It makes it one-

dimensional and narrow, and interestingly it does so by

redefining language, by taking control of words. The words

of Jesus are given to us, as an inspiration, not to close ourminds, but to open them, so we can live.

We also noted that words can create or destroy relationship.

Life-giving words are such words that do not only speak to

me as an individual; they are words that help building

relationships and thus help building community. It is

interesting that as Jesus addresses the Twelve (would you



6/8

also like to leave?, he asks them), Peter becomes the

spokesperson and he speaks about we. Lord, to whom

would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. And

nowwe believe and know that you are the Holy One whohas come from God. The word of Jesus has transformed its

listeners into a community: we.

How else can words be life-giving?

Words, we said earlier, also establish and create memory.

As creatures of memory, as human beings we have a life

that does not consist of the moment only. It also consists ofthe past. My life that is not only who I am today but also

how I got there (with all the names and memories and

stories attached to that). [CV, Biography]. So words unfold

their life-giving power in making accessible to us our life

not only at a single instance but over a period of time

through our memories of the past and hopes for the future.

Furthermore, words insofar as they beg for a response arerelated to life. If I spoke words to a piece of rock, expecting

a response, I would be very silly. If I call my dog, there will

be a response: he will jump up and come to me. That is

exactly why I say the stone is dead, the dog is alive. In some

sense the dignity of life lies in the fact that we can listen and

respond: to ourselves, to others and to God.

And finally, just as there can be empty words there can be

empty lives. If words are not backed up by deeds and facts

and realities, we call them empty. When lives are not in

tune with reality, we call them empty. But where words

and lives show a correspondence to reality, they will be full

and rich.



7/8

---

Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give

eternal life. And now we believe and know that you are the

Holy One who has come from God.

So Jesus is someone who has words.

And he is someone, who has words that give life.

And: he is the one who has words that give eternallife.

So, while we are coming to the end of this sermon, here is

yet another dimension to discover. From the beginning ofcreation, life itself is closely linked to words. Words, spoken

by humans and words spoken by God. But beyond this

natural order, words from God can lift our life to a higher

level; they can lead us, as it were, to a life of new, special

quality: eternal life. The life of faith. As we believe and put

our trust in Jesus, we are invited to experience this: new

life, divine life, if you will. It is that life, which alreadyEzekiel announced to the dry bones:

I will put my breath in them, bring them back to

life, and let them live in their own land. Then they

will know that I am the LORD. I have promised that

I would do this---and I will. I, the LORD, have

spoken."

---

Lord God our Father, you have spoken to us through the

living word, your son Jesus Christ. You interpret our

confused lives by your clarifying word; our dead lives by

your life-giving word; our isolated lives by your community-

creating word; our forgetful lives by your memory-creating



8/8

word; our weak lives by your powerful word; our limited

lives by your limitless word; and our unimaginative lives by

your transformative word. Lord Jesus, help us to hear you

and with Peter to confess And now we believe and knowthat you are the Holy One who has come from God." May

this faith and this knowledge transform us on the way of

becoming the people you have called us to be.

Amen.


youalonehavegotthewordsofeternallife jn 6, 68

Documents