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In August a few years ago, I saw a great commercial. A father was happily walking through the aisles of an office supply store while his grumpy children ran after him. As he skipped, he filled the shopping cart with school supplies: binders and pencils, erasers and pens, paper. In the background, a familiar refrain rang out: “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” Back-to-school season is just around the corner.
Times have changed. While I get just as excited as the dad on TV when my kids start school, I don’t have to make the same decisions about school supplies as the man in the commercials. The days of having to hunt for paper and pencils are over. I didn’t search the flyers for coupons for compasses. I didn’t come across a single ruler or calculator. I just wrote a check to the PTA and the supplies were delivered to our house.
But there are still choices to be made. Students must make decisions in school, academics, socially, and other areas. Adults face decisions about budgets and obligations, about balancing work, family, and leisure. The church itself offers a range of opportunities for learning and enrichment, for worship and service. And before we make such decisions, we would do well to hear the call of the gospel.
This final reading from the Bread of Life discourse places Jesus’ disciples at a crossroads. This was an uphill battle for Jesus’ original audience, as well as for the lectionary preachers. The previous selection highlighted the angry reaction of the people. Now it gets more personal. Jesus’ own disciples complain, “This teaching is hard; who can accept it?” They must decide whether to follow, and so must we.
It is not easy. Choosing God and everything that God offers is not a commitment for an hour or a day, but for a lifetime. When parents bring their child to be baptized, when a confirmation candidate makes her promise before God and her family, when someone joins the church – I remind them that faith will not be easy. Jesus tells people that in order to believe in him, to trust him, they must “abide” in him, they must remain. It is a difficult path. Many lose their way.
The Gospel of John is clear: “Many of Jesus’ disciples turned away and stopped following him.” Even people who had originally decided to become disciples changed their minds. This shows that choosing God is not something we can just make once. We have to do it every day, throughout our lives. We have to stick with it.
Anything worthwhile requires persistence. An alcoholic in rehab can’t have just one drink. In marriage, a couple vows to stay together “through good times and bad, through riches and poverty, through sickness and health.” School graduates who get into college must continue studying to keep their scholarships. Athletes train hard, often year-round, to stay in the game.
And no matter what our goals are, no matter how sincerely we keep our promises to ourselves or others, most of us will make a mistake. Sometimes that mistake is irreparable. But when it comes to faith, the wrong choice is not the end of the story. Not according to this Gospel reading.
As Jesus looks at his disciples, he admits that ultimately it is not our choice to follow him and live a life of faith. He says, “No one can come to me unless the Father gives him the right to do so.” Our choice for God is replaced by God’s choice for us. Peter puts it clearly, “Lord, to whom shall we go?” There is no other choice.
In The Love of God and Suffering, Simone Weil argues that humanity was once capable of turning away from God, but the crucifixion of Jesus changes everything: “But we are nailed to the spot and can only turn our gaze.” We can choose to look up at Jesus or look away—to accept or reject the challenge and promise of the cross and what Peter calls the “words of eternal life” that always call to us.
What would our lives be like if we claimed that promise? What if we chose to abide in Jesus? What if we were no longer afraid of difficult teachings? Would we associate with different people? Would we spend our time differently? Would we spend our money differently? Would we treat a spouse, child, neighbor, teammate, or classmate with more dignity and decency? Could we see ourselves differently?
Autumn could be the most wonderful season for children and adults. We have the choice.
