In the beginning,
God invited us to come, eat, and sup;
To dare to know Him,
To the end, and drink of His cup.[1]

Fifty years ago an encyclopedia salesman stopped by a nearby church, daring to sell a full volume set. Those were desperate times that required desperate measures. He shows up on a Sunday, greets the head usher at the door and asks to talk to whoever is in charge. The usher says, “Not me; I only hand out the bulletins. Let me take you to the Treasurer.” The salesman then asks the Treasurer if they are in charge. The Treasurer replies, “Not me, I just pay the bills.” Let me take you to the Jr. Warden. The salesman then asks the Jr. Warden if they are in charge. The Jr. Warden replies, “Not me; I just help take care of the building. Let me take you to the Sr. Warden.” The salesman then asks the Sr. Warden if they are in charge.”Not me; I only meet with leaders and hear complaints. Let me take you to the Priest.” The salesman then asks the Priest if they are in charge. The priest says, “Not me; I only preach, teach and visit the sick.”
By this time the salesman is quite frustrated and wonders aloud, “Well, who IS in charge around here anyway?” That’s when the Priest points to the little sweet lady putting the chalice on the altar. “She is. NOTHING happens around here until we get our first cup.”

Not to be confused with the power of coffee, in the beginning, was the power of the cup that Christ poured into the world. We dare not forget this. It is how we move and have our being.

In the beginning, forty-two years ago, January 1, 1983, when the Internet made its first official migration of the ARPANET to the TCP/IP network, so much came into being. It marked the beginning of the age of computers and most importantly, Information. This is why so many people go to college to get IT, or “Information Technology” degrees. It put a lot of encyclopedia salesmen out of business too. In our modern age, when we want to know the answer, who’s in charge, all we have to do is pull out that little device. Nothing happens around here until we turn to it, perhaps over a cup of coffee first thing in the morning.

The 1st century Roman poet, named Horace urged people to challenge authority and gave the famous quote, “Dare to know.”[2] There is little doubt he would have enjoyed reading a good full set volume of encyclopedias, but certainly would have passed them by if he could get his hands on a smart phone. In the days before Jesus was born, all they had were scrolls. Most people couldn’t read so they went to temple, to get their fill of God’s Word. No encyclopedias and certainly no cell phones, but people still were networking and wanting to learn more through the power of knowledge, of substance.

In the 16th century, Philip Melanchthon, Martin Luther’s spokesperson, would quote Horace’s line, “Dare to know” and with a new invention, the printing press, Bibles were being printed in the native tongue. Knowledge was no longer in a select set of hands of the Roman church. Interpretations were being shared at a rapid rate.

Later, in the 18th century, the german philosopher, Immanual Kant expounded the need for enlightenment and influenced the morality of our national independence. To “Dare to know” could also mean, “To think for oneself.” It was a philosophy that revolted against absolute monarchy, promoted a constitutional government, progress, tolerance, liberalism and a social justice for all. This germinated those to be courageous and victorious in the American Revolution.

One could say that our nation came into being around this substantial premise and value of being enlightened as it represents freedom. But beware, it also can lead to a loss of identity, a corrupted government, lack of progress, intolerance and nothing close to justice. Opposite of daring to know, is the free will that is unleashed that “knows to dare”. It runs in the opposite direction towards self-centeredness and identification in contempt to being centered around God, around His Son, Jesus. One should never abdicate, should never dare to know enough about God, to displace Him. Yet that is happening every day. People still want to know, “Who’s in charge?”

Sending people further and further away from the authority of God is what Jesus cautioned his disciples and what John the Evangelist meant in his saying, “All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being.” [3] The importance on substance, the nature of God and specifically God’s “Word” is at the very center of human understanding. Nothing can move or have its being without God. The relationship of our substance, is shared within that invitation to come, eat and drink. Such a chalice, is far more valuable than a cup of coffee to start our ‘beginning.’

Over time we have abdicated our source of truth. Taking a look at our collegiate centers of education, each has their own motto, mostly in latin. Those mottos emphasize seeking truth, wisdom, virtue and righteousness by turning towards the light from above; being still and knowing that the omniscient is our guide. Where today do these centers of education espouse the same on their vast network?

Many of us turn to the Church because it is a place where we dare to know, to think for ourselves and to reason with one another. But most unfortunately, even the church knows how to dare God, sometimes mocking Him, His creation, and running the opposite direction. That is true today for most mainline churches who struggle with a simple statement such as, “Keep Christ in Christmas”. Is this mainly because they do not have Christ within themselves? Daring to know is one thing, but knowing to dare the Almighty, is another.

As the culture continues to press upon us to buy an old volume of an outdated resource, or to scrap it in exchange for the latest advancement, it continues to look once more for the One in charge. Where do we direct people today? Where do they find God worshiped and adored? From greeting to teaching, preaching and visiting the sick, to meetings and hearing complaints, to looking after the property, to pay the bills and even in making the coffee, what is it that binds us together? It is in God’s invitation. It is in His Word and Sacrament. God’s Word was in the beginning. It was with God and was God intended to live in God's people. It is the essential, all powerful essence of God to which we live by the love of Christ. An Enlightenment may dare us to know, to question, but without subjection to God’s invitation, His authority, is foolishness.

St. Paul wrote, “Once faith has come, we are no longer subject to [any other ruler].” [4] God does not care whether we learn through a cell phone, encyclopedia or a scroll. What matters is that we begin each day seeking his presence in our lives to give us life and to act upon that within the network of His human creation, to which He so loves.

In the beginning of each day, you are dared to know the power of God’s Word, how life is given through Jesus, His Son, and appreciate the value of our relationships to which God moves within.

Know that you can dare God, in the beginning,
But by the end, you must decide if you still want to drink from the cup,
And dare to know, who’s in charge.

[1] The Rev. Jon Roberts
[2] “Sapere aude”
[3] John 1:1-18
[4] Galatians 3:23-25