Where are you from?

I have a friend named Chip. We met in college and were roommates for 2 years before he decided he wanted a dorm room with a view of the Pacific and transferred to Point Loma. He's a lifelong member of the Church of the Nazarene. Lifelong "nazzies" (not to be confused with Nazis) like Chip and I are able to play this game at church gatherings that is very similar to "The 6 Degrees of Separation of Kevin Bacon." Perhaps you've heard of this phenomenon? The idea behind "6 Degrees" is that any actor can be linked to Kevin Bacon in 6 movie connections or less. For instance: Sean Connery was in Entrapment with Maury Chaykin, who was in Where the Truth Lies with (drum roll please) Kevin Bacon. That would be a score of 2. Anything higher than 4 is very rare. What Kevin Bacon lacks in quality he makes up for quantity. (To waste endless hours click on this link: http://oracleofbacon.org/)

Chip and I played "Nazarene 6 Degrees." We theorized that between the 2 of us we could link ourselves to everyone at General Assembly in 6 degrees or less. We tested this theory at this sacred gathering of Nazarenes in San Antonio (1997). We had nothing better to do while our parents were in meetings deciding the fate of our church. As we met people, we began many conversations wanting to know where someone was from. (Knowing a person's hometown, home church and home district is essential.) They would say, for instance, "Colorado." And we would say, "Do you know Natalie from Arvada?" They would say, "I think I went to church camp with her back in the day." And we would say, "Her cousin goes to Trevecca with us."

And there you have it. We connected with that person in 3 degrees. That's basically how our week went. I know it's sad, but we're Nazarene and that's how we roll.

We place a premium upon a person's hometown. Where you hail from reveals a lot about your identity. Whether we realize it or not we make judgments about a person based upon where they were raised or where they have spent significant amounts of time. People in Seattle love coffee. Folks in Texas wear boots. Friends in Nashville all play an instrument and sing on the weekends. Californians are disturbed by the emissions of my car. Whether we realize it or not, we assume a lot about a person based upon their hometown or where they live or how they talk.

This has been going on for quite some time. This is what those who were unsure of Jesus' claims of Messiah said in today's Ashes to Fire Gospel reading:

"But we know where this man is from; when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from." (John 7:27)

Everyone knew that the Messiah would not come from Galilee. Saviors don't hail from little blue-collar towns like Nazareth.

As someone who is pretty adept at "6 Degrees", I wonder if I would have connected all the dots and believed that Jesus really was the Messiah…the Son of God…the Savior of the world. As I read myself into John's story, I have to be honest with myself. I would have missed it. I would have allowed my preconceptions to get in the way of what God wanted to do in the world.

In response to these people, Jesus clarifies that where you are from isn't nearly as important as who you are from:

Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, "Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own authority, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him, but I know him because I am from him and he sent me." (John 7:28-29)

I am challenged by this scripture to know more intimately the one who sent Jesus. I'm tired of trying to know him by connecting the dots myself. Fortunately, I do know this guy from Nazareth.