May 24, 2009 Sermon
This page is offered for those unable to attend the service or who would like more time to study the message.
Easter 7 - B
May 24, 2006 Allan Conkling
For ten very uncertain days, from the Day of the Ascension until the day of Pentecost the followers of Jesus held their collective breath. They were in that place called "the meantime." Behind them was Easter, and the appearances of the Resurrected Christ. Ahead lay the uncertain pathway of life without their leader. If only he were still with them. Doubtless the disciples would ask themselves, "What in the world is going to happen now?"
What they did in those moments following the Ascension is the subject of the First Reading. They kept on moving, one day at a time, one step at a time. By casting lots they chose Matthias to fill the position vacated by Judas. Daily responsibilities took up their time. Some went their separate ways, but most stayed in Jerusalem, waiting. Jesus had had promised them that,
"Whenever two or three are gathered together in my name, I am in the midst of them."
But in the meantime they waited and wondered.
Thousands of years have passed since those early days, but not much has changed. Oh sure we are more sophisticated; we have other issues before us which are far more pressing. Still there is not a person in this room who has not at some point felt them self to be in same boat. In times of confusion or difficulty we still find ourselves asking, "What in the world is going to happen now?" Even the best and most dedicated Christian has to admit, if they are honest, that faith, which can seem so rock-solid one moment can in an instant be shaken by illness, death of a loved one, the loss of a job, a sudden move, or an unexpected downturn. In times like these, even for the most fervent believer, God can seem as far away as the Jerusalem countryside. So what are we to do?
The Gospel reading for today is actually a small part of a very long chapter of John's gospel, called the High Priestly Prayer. It is a farewell speech that reads like a valedictory address. It shares the same literary style of other farewell speeches of antiquity: Most notably the Greek Tragedies (think of the soliloquy of Socrates or plays by Aeschylus or Sophocles). This passage bears the unmistakable imprint of a community struggling with its own identity, living "in the meantime". Facing persecution, martyrdom, being fed to the lions in the Roman amphitheater, believers asked themselves, "What in the world is going to happen now?"
Early Christians found in these words a message of assurance, comfort, and guidance. A promise of gods victory over the forces of evil. God may seem to be distant at times--but God is never absent. Christ's promise is that we never walk alone.
"Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one."
This same divine protection and blessed assurance is promised to us today: God is never far from us. As the old saying goes:
If God seems far away, look who moved.
Three things come to me in reading at this passage. First, that in Jesus’ eyes we are nothing less than a gift from God:
"They were yours, and you (God) gave them to me..."
Second, Christ seeks joy for us, even while acknowledging that life is full of challenges, rejections, and setbacks. Third, Jesus prays that his followers be made holy and sent into the world as witnesses to God’s holy truth.
As Christians we believe is that there is a God who loves us and cares for us, even in our moments of deepest trouble. This God meets us as we kneel in prayer, in fellowship with others, and in the bread and the wine of the Eucharist. You and I are God's people, beloved of God who have been given a promise of hope and reconciliation, which in turn we are called to share with others.
When voices around us speak the language of emptiness, sorrow and injustice, the voice of the God proclaims life, fullness, equality, hope and joy. Christ conquers the powers of darkness, and what Good News that is in any age.
We would all love to lead charmed lives and never worry; never have to question, "What in the world is going to happen now?" But we know the answer is not found in escape. We live "in the meantime" between that which has been and that which is yet to come. Life has no easy answers in this meantime. But in the meantime, God is just a prayer away.
Copyright © 2003 Emmanuel Episcopal Church. All rights reserved.
Revised: 06/07/09