Easter 6 C-RCL 2016
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Jesus said to Judas (not Iscariot), "Those who love me
will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and
make our home with them. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and
the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me.
"I have said these things to you while I am still with
you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name,
will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace
I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world
gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. You
heard me say to you, `I am going away, and I am coming to you.' If you loved
me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is
greater than I. And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it
does occur, you may believe."
Alleluia! Christ is Risen!
Today’s
gospel for the sixth Sunday of Easter is, in many ways the prologue – or
perhaps foreshadowing is the better word for the Gospel we heard on the second
Sunday of Easter when Jesus appeared to the disciples in the locked room and
said “Peace be with you” and then breathed the holy spirit into them. Gave them that wonderful and scary gift of
the Advocate – the Holy Spirit. That
wonderful and wild member of our triune God that will take us places where we
never thought we would go!
Today’s
reading is from what is referred to as the farewell discourse. It takes place the night before Jesus is
handed over to suffering and death. This
takes place when the disciples are not filled with peace but filled with other
emotions. Emotions I can only
imagine. Jesus has told them that he is
going to die. They are afraid, sad,
scared, anxious, worried. Take any
antonym for peace and those are the emotions that were likely in that room. They are worried that soon they will be
orphaned by their leader. That Jesus is
going.
And Jesus is
trying to explain to them that not only is he going but that his going is a
good thing for them. Jesus is going to
the Father and with the Father Jesus is preparing a place for all of us. Jesus is trying to reassure them that there
will be peace. That God is not
abandoning them but instead sending the Advocate – the Holy Spirit – the
companion. That will be with them
always. And will lead them and us into
truth.
In short
Jesus is telling the disciples – and us – that resurrection means
companionship. A companionship that will
be with us at all times if we only follow his commandments. For John this means that Jesus is promising
that the kingdom of God is here. The
word made flesh – the incarnate Jesus is ushering in Gods Kingdom of Peace and
companionship with all of us. For John
the kingdom of God is both here and not yet here.
The peace
that Jesus offers us is not of this world.
Indeed it is a promise that is extremely counter-cultural for us. We are told over and over again that this
world is a scary place. That we should
build walls to keep the other out. That
our only hope is to isolate ourselves.
We need to worry about who might be in a public bathroom with us – I
mean really? That is what this world is
coming to for so many. A world of
demonization and scare tactics.
This is not
what Jesus calls us to do. Jesus calls
us – filled with that scary thing called the Holy Spirit to usher into this
world God’s peaceable kingdom. Our world
is hungering for that peace.
When I walk
to work I say "good morning" to everyone I pass – or at least try
to! And you might be surprised by the
reactions I get. When I pass someone who
is gathering up all of their possessions after spending the night on a hard
concrete sidewalk they are surprised that I greet them and do not ignore
them. I wonder how often they are
ignored – or worse. It is not infrequent
that the return is not only Good morning but also God Bless.
I am being
blessed by people who our society wants to go away. I am being blessed when I am able to see God
in the young person – who for whatever reason – has been left with nothing but
a bedroll and a hard concrete bed . I am
being blessed when I can open my eyes – and with the help of he Holy Spirit hear
Jesus word to Love God, Love Neighbor.
We are
blessed when we can open our hearts and hands and ears and listen for the Holy
Spirit in our lives and in the lives of those we meet. God is not calling us to isolation and
despair. God is calling us to
peace. God’s peace is more than just a
cessation of hostility!
Another
preacher I follow said “But Jesus gives differently than the world. Jesus gives
freely, with no expectation of return, only the hope that, transformed by this
peace, we might pass it on, giving others the gift we have received.” [1]
Peace freely
given with no expectation of return.
That is not how our world seems to
operate. When the world offers peace
there is an expectation of something in return.
When peace treaties are brokered usually one side – the losing side – has
to promise to give up something - land, there ability to have self rule - in return for peace.
When society
offers someone a shelter bed it is at a price.
Usually no animals. Single
cots. With expectations about behavior
that many of us of more well-to-do means would not stand. No privacy.
No personal space and the constant fear that the little they have will
be taken. And everything happens on the
shelters time schedule. For sure it is
essential to offer shelter space. St.
Matthew’s offered shelter space inside the sanctuary for 80 to 100 every night
for part of lent. St. Matthew’s –as a
shelter – seemed to offer more than shelter. It offered peace.
On Maundy
Thursday at St. Matthew’s we offered foot washing and fresh socks to our guests
– and thank you to all of you who provided socks for that ministry. We also offered an agape meal – which I admit
was perhaps not as tempting as the beef stroganoff meal Sacramento Steps
forward provided. But we offered as part
of that meal a Eucharist. As I was
getting ready for the Agape meal and transitioning from washing feet to making
Eucharist around a table I saw a young man standing at the back of the church.
I walked up
to him and greeted him. And he looked at
me and said. “For some reason when I
walked into this church the first time – as part of winter sanctuary – I
cried. There is something about being in
this space.” I said that perhaps it was
the years of prayer that have soaked into the walls that offers a different
kind of space. A space of peace and
closeness to God. He just nodded. And then joined us – with some uncertainty
that he was really welcomed – in our Agape Meal and Eucharist.
I see that
kind of welcome here all the time as well.
Every Wednesday when we do the service there are people invited to the
table that I don’t think get invited very often. Perhaps tolerated but not welcomed. To see people who are hurting and homeless
standing side by side with members of our Altar Guild receiving communion is a
vision where I see the Holy Spirit at work.
To see a homeless young man stand holding hands with others waiting for
and receiving anointing and laying on of hands for healing is a powerful
statement of the Holy Spirit.
To see the
Altar Guild insist on serving those who show up for the hot meal – not in a
buffet line but as if they were in their own dining rooms is a miracle. I don’t think many of our guests get served
like that very often. But our ladies
insist that these people be served. And
I tell you the Holy Spirit is frequently seen in our Parish Hall as we welcome
people who are turned away from so many places – and worse who are ignored and
not treated with the dignity that God’s creation should be treated.
We are called
to listen to the Holy Spirit – our constant companion – to offer a different
kind of peace than the brokered kind of peace our world offers. A peace where we acknowledge the Holy Spirit
in each other. A peace that is more than
peace but include companionship and the promise that God is always with
us. Even – and perhaps especially – when
we least expect it.
We are called
as the crazy Jesus People we are to open our hearts to see the good in
creation. We are called to open our
hearts and let the Holy Spirit – Jesus’ promise – into our hearts and into our
lives. And when we do that we will both
offer that Peace of God to the other but will equally receive that peace.
Alleluia! Christ is Risen!
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