"Crystal Commission"

Unless you’ve been out of the country or living in a cave, you probably know that four days from today, Indiana Jones will whip-crack his way back onto the silver screen and into our imaginations with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. In this fourth installment of the film series, Harrison Ford reprises his beloved role as the unassuming archaeology-professor-meets-world-adventurer with the boyish grin.

It’s hard to believe that Raiders of the Lost Ark was released in June of 1981 and that it’s been 19 years since Indy’s last movie, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. That movie was a huge hit, and even after such a gap in time, most of us can still recall the adventurous anthem that scores all the films.

In his newest adventure, a gray-haired Indiana is again in search of a pseudo-religious relic, this time one of the fabled Crystal Skulls. Do a Web search on the term crystal skulls and you will find plenty of sites chronicling the history and power of these pure quartz, human-sized heads. You’ll note that some skull Web sites also inform you of extraterrestrials, UFOs and the paranormal.

If you find a copy of a book called The Bible Code, you’ll "discover" that the authors allege that the Skulls are chronicled in the Torah — if you skip the right combination of letters ... and read upside down ... on a Thursday ... with three marbles in your left pocket.

But apparently the mystique of these skulls is intriguing enough to provide a suitable backdrop for an Indiana adventure. Even though George Lucas was slated by Paramount Pictures to make five Indiana Jones movies, he stopped the series after three, claiming that he could not find a story with a strong enough plot to warrant another adventure. So apparently these skulls do have some power; they resurrected Indiana Jones from the dead!

There are up to 13 of these legendary skulls, which supposedly come from ancient civilizations such as the Mayans and Aztecs. And there is no way to scientifically date these skulls. Crystal is inorganic and cannot be gauged through carbon dating, which is just as well because I think the carbon dating process is flawed anyway. Some skull fanatics believe these objects are up to 100,000 years old or are the product of ancient extraterrestrial cultures.

Those who have held the skulls, cite their legendary psychic powers — healing and happiness, dreams and visions or even malady and misfortune. But if you think the idea of power-conferring quartz heads is odd, remember some of the new-age accessories people don for their promised powers; copper bracelets to heal joint pain. Magnetic jewelry to relieve stress, regulate blood pressure and increase energy and stamina. Crystal charms, worn on necklaces believed to keep away evil spirits, align a person’s "energies" or aid in healing and meditation.

Sometimes this kind of thing even creeps into the church. You’ve probably seen off-center television ministries selling miracle towels or holy water that supposedly confer blessings. Skulls or crystals or magnets or towels — people believe that that stuff can confer power upon those in come in contact with it. And naturally, most of us scoff at the concept.

We scoff at that stuff the way most of the world scoffs at the claims of Christianity. Let’s face it. Many of the claims of our faith do sound a little far-fetched: An eternal God was born to a virgin mother, healed the sick and raised the dead, was killed and came back to life three days later. During his final moments, he spoke words to his followers that would forever change the world, and then he floated away to return to his eternal state. Maybe to the person who was not brought up in the church, it does sound more like science fiction than reality.

That’s why, in presenting the gospel and making disciples, as Jesus instructs us to do in this text, we cannot tell nonbelievers that their beliefs about the supernatural are irrational and unscientific, but ours are not. If we believe in miracles, if we believe in the supra-natural, then we cannot question the faith claims of nonbelievers whose belief structure is similar to our own. Jesus must be presented in an engaging fashion – just as the writers of Scripture did. Then the Holy Spirit can work and transform their understanding and attitude.

And while Christians don’t believe that new age stuff, skulls, crystals, magnets or towels can confer power on people, we wholeheartedly believe that the living Christ did. Some of his last words were perhaps the most powerful ever spoken, transferring the authority of the King of Kings to his followers.

Webster tells us that the definition of power is "the capability of producing an effect, whether physical or moral."

When Jesus spoke the words that we call the Great Commission, the world was forever altered. Jesus told his followers that were gathered on the mountain in Galilee; "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." The argument can be made that those simple words possess the great "capability of producing an effect." A Crystal Commission of sorts.

So why are these words so powerful? Why should we be encouraged by these words to spread the Gospel? I’ll tell you why. The commission has power because of the Commissioner. When the disciples arrived at the mount, they came to Christ as we all so often do — with a mixed bag of worship and uncertainty (vv. 16-17). Jesus confirms the one and calms the other by claiming his authority over everything (v. 18). Only the one who came from heaven and is returning to heaven has the ability to translate the power of God into earthly power.

Imagine a Fortune 500 company. If a guy who sorts the mail in the basement tells someone in middle management to pull the trigger on a multimillion dollar deal, everyone gathers at the water cooler and has a good laugh. Bit if the CEO of the company flies into town and walks in with the same order, the deal gets done yesterday.

It all comes down to authority — the power of the person.

Jesus’ commission to the 11 — and therefore to the church — has power because all authority in the universe is His. If Jesus told the 11 to expand the kingdom by planting palm trees and watering camels, we’d all be in the oasis hospitality business. But that’s not what Jesus told the apostles to do. We’ll get to that in a minute.

People today want to know that what they’re doing is linked to some kind of ultimate meaning. They want to live lives of relevance. Don’t we all feel that way? The commission has power because it’s purpose-driven. Over the last decade, a huge new business and personal consulting sector has emerged — personal coaching. Somewhere between therapist, mentor, parent, friend and a consultant lies the personal coach. And coaching has exploded in popularity due in part to the coach’s ability to bring one sorely lacking element into people’s lives: intentionality.

A coach assists people with the simple yet elusive concept of living with purpose — developing and living around life goals. The elusive nature of purpose is probably a lot of the reason why Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven Life camped out on The New York Times’ best-seller list for over three years!

As for the disciples, common fishermen turned fishers of men found power when they learned what their purpose was. The Great Commission stands as marching orders for the kingdom, a purpose for the people.

The love Christ has for us didn’t stop with his joining us as one of us in our evil world. Luther explained why Christ came and said it in as an engaging way as anyone could have. "Christ came to become, on the cross, in the sight of His Father, the greatest thief, murderer, adulterer, robber, desecrator, blasphemer, etc. there has ever been anywhere in the world. He bears the sins of Paul, the former blasphemer, persecutor, and assaulter; of Peter, who denied Christ; of David, who was an adulterer and murderer, and who caused the Gentiles to blaspheme the name of the Lord. In short, he has and bears all the sins of all men in his body – not in the sense that he has committed them, but in the sense that he took these sins, committed by us, upon His own body, in order to make satisfaction for them with His own blood."

As witnessing believers encounter bitter and broken sinners who maybe even blame God for the evil in their lives, they can point out that, even though God is not to blame, He has paid the price for that evil and suffered under its impact. In the face of trauma and tragedy, when it seems like we are the victims of evils outside ourselves or outside our control, life can still be meaningful since God in Christ Jesus has shared and experienced our confrontation with those same troubles. Make no mistake, satan leads Jesus’ disciples, he leads each of us on a stormy course. But it is possible to leave his grasp.

Finally, Jesus said, Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." That promise might have seemed empty to the confused disciples when Jesus ascended to heaven shortly after making it. But for them and for us, Pentecost gave it the full meaning that Christ intended. As post-Pentecost believers, we possess the indwelling presence of the Comforter Jesus promised.

And with that indwelling presence comes salvation, redemption, resurrection on the Last Day, adoption, reconciliation, forgiveness, and restoration, and the peace that passes all understanding. It makes a great movie to talk about crystal skulls and the mysterious power they exert.

But even more powerful is the Gospel. The Gospel enables us to bear crosses, not to avoid them. Jesus bestows peace in the midst of troubles, not in such a way that those troubles vanish, but in a way that we can cope with them.

Jesus commanded and commissioned us to witness to his love and to tell repentant sinners that their sins are forgiven through faith in Christ. We search for the lost sheep of this world because God has found us and we can’t hold back our delight and joy at this Good News. The kingdom of the Commission is expanding, and we’re invited to help create the adventure.

May we all continue to bear witness to the light, in then name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.