“The Importance of Asking the Right Question” by the Rev. Dr. Don Wahlig, May 26, 2024, Year B / Trinity – Isaiah 6:1-8 and Psalm 29 • Romans 8:12-17 • John 3:1-17

THEME:  Ask who, what, where, how and why to determine to become more faithful disciples of Jesus Christ.

It is very good to have all of you here this morning, and especially our three honored guests from the Church of Scotland, the Rev. Dr. Allan McCafferty and the Rev. Dr. Iain May and his wife, the very revered Ann May.  We are blessed to have the three of you with us. Like you, I am very much looking forward to graduation this coming Friday and receiving our doctoral degrees at Pittsburgh Seminary.  Allan and Iain, you know what that means, right? From now on, no matter where we are, and wherever we go, there will always be a doctor in the house.  That reminds me of a conversation that Beth and I had this past week about my doctorate. Beth has been remarkably patient. Ann, I’m sure you can relate. Beth has sacrificed an awful lot these past 3 years as I have been focused on my DMin work.

So, I reminded her that there is an upside for her, too. “I said, “Honey, after almost 32 years of marriage, you have finally realized your lifelong ambition. You are now married to a doctor.” All kidding aside, the 18 members of our DMin cohort have been on an extraordinary journey together. We have become more deeply grounded in our common Reformed heritage.  We have walked with the giants of Reformed Theology, beginning with the 16^th century Protestant pioneers, Martin Luther and John Calvin, and Karl Barth, the theological giant of the 20th century.

We have grown in our understanding of the profound implications of God’s incarnation in Jesus of Nazareth. We have struggled with the disconnect between Christ’s call to be a unified church and the sheer difficulty of reconciling our Presbyterian form of government with those denominations governed by bishops. And from the very first class in January 2021, taken on Zoom because of COVID restrictions, we have wrestled with contemporary scholars doing cutting edge research on what it means for us to be a faithful church serving Jesus Christ. Along the way, something wonderful happened to us. The 9 Scots and 9 Americans began as two distinct clergy clans, separated by an ocean and, as George Bernard Shaw once quipped, a common language.

Then, slowly but surely, over a wee dram or two, we discovered the joy of our common Reformed heritage and the common triumphs and tribulations of our respective ministries.  The friendships we formed have enriched not only our ministries, but our lives.  Long may they continue. And I suspect they will. The highlight, and the capstone of our DMin program, has been the original research that each of us conducted for our final project. That process began a year and a half ago with one seemingly straightforward exercise. What is the question that I most want to answer?

It sounds like a simple task. I assure you it is not. It took months and multiple iterations to finally arrive at the right question. The reason we had to put that much time and effort into it is this. Only by asking the right question can we arrive at important truth. And that is exactly what is happening in this dialogue between Nicodemus and Jesus.

First of all, let’s remember that Nicodemus is an expert. He is a Pharisee, a teacher of the Jewish law. He and his fellow Pharisees are responsible for making sure that the people apply the law correctly in their daily living. When Jesus began challenging the Pharisees’ understanding of the law, they dismissed him and began plotting to get rid of him. But not all of them. One of them, Nicodemus, comes to Jesus under the cover of darkness. He is curious about Jesus. He begins by stating his own knowledge. “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.”

But then Jesus responds in a way that completely up-ends what Nicodemus thinks he knows, and leaves him utterly confused.  Nicodemus has said something that is true, but he does not realize the full significance of it. He assumes that Jesus is a teacher, a rabbi, just like himself. But the conversation that follows about the need to be born from above reveals that Jesus’ true identity is far more than that. This is one of the great themes of the Gospel of John. The question that runs throughout this gospel is “What is Jesus’ true identity? And who do people say he is?  It begins in the very first chapter. “He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him.  He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him.”  

“But, to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.” Jesus is asking Nicodemus to realize that he, Jesus, is nothing less than God with us. In Jesus, God has entered into the world as flesh so that what is flesh might receive God’s Spirit and live eternally in his constant presence. But in the Gospel of John this revelation is almost never immediate. It will take time, but eventually, Nicodemus will get there. Later he defends Jesus to his fellow Pharisees. He even helps to bury Jesus after his crucifixion. His understanding starts by asking the right question: How can anyone be born again after having grown old?

For Nicodemus, just like for Allan, Iain and me and the rest of our DMin colleagues, understanding truth only comes from asking the right question. What about the rest of us? As you and I consider Jesus, what are the right questions for us to ask? We can look to Mark Twain for guidance. He famously wrote, “The two most important days of your life are the day you are born, and the day you find out why.”  What he is getting at is the need to determine our purpose. 

Rick Warren, the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Southern California, has had a lot to say about that. He has written several books on the importance of locating and living into our purpose. He said, “Knowing your purpose gives your life meaning, simplicity, focus and motivation.  It also prepares you for eternity.” This question of purpose was the essence of the question that I asked in my doctoral research. As Christians in the workplace, what is our purpose – our Christian vocation, our calling? How can we better live into it? I will be forever grateful to the 12 folks who participated in that first Faith and Work small group last fall. You helped me to answer that question. What we learned together was to ask the five classic questions of faithful discipleship: who, what, where, how, and why.

First, who are we? The answer:  We are Christ’s disciples and his witnesses wherever we are – at work, at home, and anywhere and everywhere else we go.

Second, what did Christ do for us? He gave his life so that we might have life – real life, life lived in God’s constant presence.  Christ’s life and ministry is the model for our witness. 

Third, where have we been placed? Whatever it is that we do to occupy our days, God has called us there to that specific occupation and to that specific place. We are not there by accident or coincidence. It is our vocation. And every vocation is holy in God’s eyes. Just because Iain, Allan and I wear a collar on Sundays does not mean that our vocations are any more holy than yours.

Fourth, how are we made? God has given each of us specific talents and abilities, specific interests and passions. We all have different gifts, and they are all essential to God’s purpose. They are all meant to be used together to build up the community of which we find ourselves a part.

Finally, why are we there? We are there to serve Christ by serving the needs of others. That is our purpose. By doing this we become signs that point to the Kingdom of God. 

Friends, these are the who, what, where, how, and why of following Jesus. Prayerfully and reflectively asking and answering these 5 questions for ourselves is the beginning of faithful discipleship.  They are important no matter what we do, or where we do it: at work, at church, volunteering, home-making, being a student, being a parent or grandparent. 

So, friends, when you go home today, why not take a moment to remind yourself of the who, what, where, how and why of your vocation as Christ’s disciple.  Whether you are 8 or 88, if you have not asked yourself these questions seriously before, or if you have not done this for a long time, now is the time to do it.  You do not need a doctoral degree to arrive at the answers.

May it be so.