May 14th

The Love Child of Jesus

1 John 4:7-12
John 15:1-8



So, how many people here today have read the book, “The Da Vinci Code?” What do you think? Exciting? Disturbing? Blasphemous? All the above? To be sure, this book has generated no small amount of controversy. Folks have killed a few trees writing responses to this book with titles such as “Da Vinci Decoded,” “The Truth Behind the Da Vinci Code,” “Secrets of the Code,” “Truth and Fiction in the Da Vinci Code,” “Breaking the Da Vinci Code,” “Exploring the Da Vinci Code,” and “Cracking Da Vinci’s Code.” Churches are all over the Da Vinci Code, as well. There is even one church in Corpus that is advertising a series on the Da Vinci Code entitled, “The Da Vinci Code: Fact or Fiction?”

One of the funniest—and saddest--responses to this book came from my own sister—God bless her heart. I was visiting her sometime ago, and during that visit, we watched a short news story about the Da Vinci Code. I asked my sister what she thought about the book, and full of righteous indignation she replied, “It’s blasphemous!” “Really? I replied. “What parts?” Then came the priceless reply, “Oh, I’ve never read it. I’ve heard enough about it to just know that it is!” I won’t tell you where the conversation went from there.

But, regardless of what you think about the book, hang on! The movie version of “The Da Vinci Code” is due out this Friday, May 19th. Briefly, the story is centered around a murder and religious symbology expert, Robert Langdon. Langdon becomes tangled up in a murder investigation of a historian at the Louvre in Paris, because the murdered historian left behind clues in the form of a cryptic code that leads to several more codes and puzzles. As it turns out, this trail of clues leads all the way back to the life and times of Jesus Christ.

Unfortunately, Langdon winds up being a suspect in the murder case and must run from the law. So, while on the run, he searches for both the real killer and the ancient secret the historian was trying to protect. The story line includes a very close inspection of Da Vinci’s painting, “The Last Supper.” Now in the painting, at the right hand of Jesus, there is a clean-shaven, feminine-looking figure who everyone has always assumed was the youthful disciple, John. But the book---and movie—present another possibility. Could it be that the person in the painting is actually Mary Magdalene, the follower of Jesus who would also be the first person to see the risen Christ? And where is the Holy Grail—the cup thought to be used at the Last Supper? It is missing from the painting.

All this speculation leads to the big secret that the doomed historian was trying so hard to protect. That secret? Jesus was not the celibate, single man that most Christians assume he was. No. Jesus and Mary Magadalene had a child, beginning a bloodline that continues to this day! And the Holy Grail was not the cup Jesus used at the Last Supper. Mary Magdalene was the Holy Grail—the vessel that carried the child of Jesus! OK. So that little bit of information is probably enough to ruffle a few feathers. Is there a possible explanation for these assertions?

Well, actually there is. Feminine portrayals of men were pretty common in Da Vinci’s time period. So it is entirely plausible that the figure next to Jesus in Da Vinci’s painting is indeed John. And the missing cup? Da Vinci based his painting on the gospel of John, and John’s story of the Last Supper doesn’t include a cup. So, it follows that there would be no cup in Da Vinci’s painting.

So, is everyone breathing just a little easier, now? I think one of the best reviews I read about the “Da Vinci Code” puts it all in perspective by pointing out that what author Dan Brown has done is take some historical truth, mix it some speculation, and a lot of imagination. The result is a faced-paced, fascinating best seller that you will find in the fiction—repeat fiction—section of your favorite bookstores.

But some of you may be shocked to hear that Jesus did have a love child. That’s right! In fact, Jesus had many love children. For example, Don Holder is a love child of Jesus! Jean-Marie Clark and Linda Hull are love children of Jesus! Tom Thrower is a love child of Jesus! Each one of us here is a love child of Jesus Christ! For you see, to be connected to Jesus Christ has nothing to do with the question of Jesus’ celibacy—or lack thereof. Our connection with Jesus Christ relates to our being healthy, productive branches on the Jesus Vine. So, what does it mean to be a healthy, productive branch of the Jesus Vine?

Well, before I get into that subject, please note that I said our connection with Jesus Christ relates to our being a healthy, productive branch on the Jesus Vine. I don’t think I have to tell anyone here that there is a lot of production going on in the world today. The question is, “How much of that production is actually healthy?”

Take governments, for instance. Governments pass legislation that financially benefits the wealthiest members of society, while reducing funding for HIV/AIDS and other types of social services. The most powerful nations on the planet are reluctant to take a firm stand on the genocide occurring in parts of Africa, but they are more than willing to invest billions of dollars in a pre-emptive war in an oil rich country like Iraq.

And where is the church in all this social upheaval? Well, we have our own “production issues,” folks. Many churches today seem to be more interested in fighting over trivial, political matters, and attracting the “right” type of people who will keep the structure financially profitable and culturally cool, while the homeless and hungry are literally sleeping on their doorsteps!

OK. So if these are examples of unhealthy production, what do we need to be healthy, productive branches on the Jesus Vine? Well, everything I am about to say can probably fit under one umbrella, and that umbrella is called an attitude check, folks.

First, it is important for us to realize that, as Christians, the source of our strength and growth is Jesus Christ. It is Jesus Christ who keeps us from being destroyed by the storms of life. Jesus Christ is the One who offers us “living water” when we are spiritually dry. We are nourished by the teachings of Jesus Christ when we wander away into dangerous territory. It is Jesus that forgives us when we sin, and it is Jesus who breathes new life into us when we feel spiritually dead. It is this rootedness in Jesus that allows us to be productive. For without this source of nourishment, we become broken, dried out, fallen, and spiritually dead. So, tell me, who is the source of our spiritual strength and growth?

Once we realize the source of our strength, it is important for us to stay connected to that source of strength, because as our passage tells us this morning, apart from Christ we can do nothing. We stay connected through real fellowship—not just social hour but real fellowship—in a Christ-centered community of faith that is focused on serving God, building community, and offering hope to all who enter its doors. We stay connected through study of the Scriptures, honest and open dialogue with one another, and through serving Christ by serving others!

Staying connected means keeping together. While we all need time alone for rest, reflection, rejuvenation, and prayer, for the most part, Christianity is a community-based faith. Sure, there may be some folks whose spiritual gifts cause them to stand out from time to time in the community, and yes, we are all gifted in different ways. But, that diversity of gifts is to be used for the benefit of the whole community, to promote unity and health. In other words, our gifts are meant to promote service to others, not servitude to our egos.

And the really great news here is anybody can serve. Quoting Martin Luther King: “Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”

Once we tap into the Source of our strength, get connected and stay connected with a healthy community of faith, chances are we will eventually start producing some fabulous spiritual fruit! And once we start producing that fruit, we are called to continue producing that fruit until the day when we transition from this life to the next and hear the words, “Well done thou good and faithful servant.” And as impossible as this challenge may seem sometimes, remember that it is through Jesus Christ—the True Vine—that we can do all things.

So, get connected and stay connected to Jesus Christ. Get connected and stay connected to a healthy community of faith. Get productive and remain productive. Focus on fruitfulness, and graceful, loving service. Call it “The Christ Code.”

And unlike the Da Vinci Code, there is nothing fictional about it. Amen?

God bless you and amen.