The lectionary points us to two marvelous passages of scripture this morning. First from the Gospel of St. John comes the question of Jesus to the twelve disciples. “Do you also wish to go away?”  Peter replies, “Lord to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Second, the words of St. Paul to the Ephesians, “Be strong in the Lord…put on the whole armor of God.”

Let us pray:
Gracious God, turn our hearts to you this morning. Open your word to our minds and hearts and our wills to your word, that in hearing we might come to trust and believe, that we might follow Jesus more faithfully and live differently each day of this week. In the spirit of Jesus we pray.  Amen

Earlier this year I read Pat Conroy’s new book, My Losing Season, which made a brief appearance on the bestseller list.  Conroy is the author of Beach Music and The Prince of Tides.  In My Losing Season he tells of playing basketball as point guard and captain of the Citadel Bulldogs.  It is Conroy’s contention that we often learn more from our losses that we do from our victories, from our failures than we do from our accomplishments.  He writes, “Loss is a fierce, uncompromising teacher…”

It reminds me of a bit of verse I have known for years.

Pat Conroy had an abusive father who was a master at demeaning, attacking and undermining his son.  He did it verbally and emotionally as well as physically.  Conroy was tested further by his basketball coach Mel Thompson.  Although Thompson was not physically abusive, his harsh words and loathing attitude beat down Conroy and his teammates.  Over and over again he was told by his coach, “You’re just mediocre,” screaming at him during a game, “Conroy, don’t shoot.”

Conroy was however, sustained by an English Professor who befriended him and helped him discover his potential. Colonel John Doyle became what Conroy calls, “a friend of his mind.”

Think of those people who have in our lives been “friends of our minds” and have helped us to mend our lives. Let us give thanks for the healing balm of friendship they have given us and continue to offer. This may be something akin to the relationship between Jesus and Peter. They had become friends of the mind, friends of the heart, friends of the spirit. A gradual, growing relationship, exactly the way I suspect most of us have grown in our relationship with Jesus.  The way we have come to know God.

So we find them this morning, these two friends in this moment of crisis in Jesus’ ministry, which St. John tells us about.Jesus has spoken of the need for people to eat his flesh and drink his blood, and how difficult it would be for anyone who wanted to follow him. St. John writes, “Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him.”

Notice that John wants you to know that these were disciples who walked away from Jesus that day.  These were not the folks we see on Christmas and Easter.  These were not people who drop by on a Sunday on the way to brunch.  These are the church school teachers, deacons and trustees.  I spoke with a pastor a couple of Sunday evenings ago.  The Church Treasurer and the Chair of the Church Council resigned at the same time.1

It hurts. When these folks start leaving we get a little anxious. People want to bring in consultants and have some focus groups.  Jesus calls the twelve together and asks them straight out, “Do you also wish to go away?”

How do you suppose he asked the question?  Was he angry?  Was it a challenge?  “Do you also wish to go away?”  Was he discouraged?  Perplexed?  Did his voice break?  Did he have a tear in his eye as he watched the others walk away?  What do you think?  It is humbling to ask.

Is it a stretch to imagine Jesus asking us that question today?  Do you also wish to go away? Have you ever felt like saying, “Yes!”?  Sometimes I have felt like saying, “Yes, this is all too hard for me.”  Someone has written of the “hard commands of Jesus”.  Do you also wish to go away?

Peter, this friend of the mind and the heart and the spirit, steps forward to reply.  His response is interesting.  He doesn’t exactly say yes, but neither does he quite say no.  Peter does what we native Cape Codders are often accused of doing.  He answers Jesus’ questions with a question.  This is something Peter and we Cape Cod folk learned from Jesus, who was fond of responding to a question with a question.

Peter says, “To whom can we go?  You have the words of eternal life.”  Peter goes on to say, “We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”  Underline the words “we have come to believe”.  It was a process, a faith journey for Peter and the others, a journey of faith to be sure, but also one of trust and friendship where they came to know Jesus as a friend of their mind and heart and spirit.  And out of all of this they come to say, “You have the words of eternal life.  We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”

This is the journey I have been on all of my life, as I know many of you have been.  It has its ups and downs, its valleys and peaks, its zigs and zags.  But through the grace and patience of God we come to the place where we too can say, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.  We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.

It is true that along the road we travel we often learn more from our losses than our gains.  I wonder what Jesus and his disciples learned that day about commitment, friendship and trust, and the cost and joy of discipleship.  It has often been true that I walked a mile with happiness and she chatted all the way, but left me none the wiser for all she had to say.  I walked a mile with sorrow and not a word said she, but Oh, the things I learned from her, when sorrow walked with me.

Following Jesus is never easy.  Being a friend of Jesus can be very difficult.  No one knew this more than the Apostle Paul.  He writes to the Ephesians in words that sound violently unattractive to some today. “Put on the whole armor of God so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”  The folks in the church at Ephesus saw the armor, the helmets, swords and shields of the Romans, everyday.  Paul tells those early Christians to prepare for battle, but this time it is a spiritual struggle and it is about finding the courage to witness to the good news of the gospel in an alien world.

“Take up the whole armor of God,” Paul says, “fasten the belt of truth around your waist and put on the breastplate of righteousness.  As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the Gospel of Peace.  With all these take the shield of faith, take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit which is the word of God.

There is an unforgettable picture in the Hebrew scriptures when the shepherd David is to do battle with the giant Goliath.  King Saul loans David his armor.  But it is so heavy he cannot move.  That incident has always served as a reminder to me that I cannot borrow someone else’s armor or faith, I must fashion my own.
St. Paul might tell us what pieces we need to be fully equipped, but at last they must be of our own making - the maturing and claiming our own faith.

A parishioner moved into a new home and asked me if I would come and bless her house and cast out whatever evil spirits might be lurking about.  She wanted to invite friends and have a service of prayer.  We could never find a mutually convenient date, so one day she called and said, “Forget about it.  It is OK.  I had some friends over and led the service myself.”  A few weeks later she went into the garage.  A tire fell from where it was stored and broke her arm.  I asked, “Did you bless the garage?”  “No, I forgot about the garage.”
You and I have real work to do out in the world this week for God and for Jesus Christ.  Put on the whole armor of God; the belt of trust, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes for your feet which will make your ready to proclaim the Gospel of Peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the spirit which is the Word of God.  Take every piece.

And most of all, Paul reminds you, “Pray in the Spirit at all time…”
Do you also wish to go away?
To whom can we go?  You have the words of eternal life.  We have come to believe and know that you are the
Holy One of God.
“Don’t go way,” Paul says.  Put on your armor.  Get into the struggle.  Join the winning side.
And to God be the glory in the spirit of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen

1. Thanks to John Ortberg, Christian Century, August 9, 2003, for several insights into the tests.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power.  Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.  Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness.  As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace.  With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication.  To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints.  Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains.  Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak.

“Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.  Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me.  This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died.  But the one who eats this bread will live forever.”  He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum.

When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?. . .”
Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him. Jesus asked the twelve, “Do you also wish to go away?”  Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom can we go?  You have the words of eternal life.  We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”