Sermon for Easter 7C-RCL 2016
Jesus prayed for his disciples, and then he said. "I
ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe
in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me
and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you
have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they
may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become
completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved
them even as you have loved me. Father, I desire that those also, whom you have
given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me
because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
"Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I
know you; and these know that you have sent me. I made your name known to them,
and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be
in them, and I in them."
Today is the
last Sunday of Easter. On Thursday the
church remembered the Ascension. That
feast where Jesus stops walking with the disciples on the post resurrection
journey and goes back to the Father.
Next week we will remember the gift that Jesus promised his disciples
would be with us after he left – the Holy Spirit the feast of Pentecost – so
remember wear red next Sunday!
This Gospel
reading feels a bit out of place for the last Sunday of Easter. It takes place in John’s gospel not as part
of the post crucifixion – post resurrection Jesus but it – like the gospel
lesson last week – is part of what is called the farewell discourse. These are the last words Jesus says before
walking across the Kidron Valley with his disciples to the Garden of Olives to
be arrested. This takes place at the end
of the last supper. After Jesus has told his disciples – again – that he is going
to die.
And here we
have the disciples overhearing Jesus pray.
He is not going off to pray – like we hear in so many of the gospels – but
he is praying for the disciples to
hear. It is a prayer that would be
imprinted onto their hearts considering that it comes just before the
arrest. And Jesus is not praying for his
safety. No he prays for the
disciples. It is like a mother’s prayer
for the safety of her children.
And it is
even more remarkable than that. Jesus is
praying for us! Did you hear that? Let me repeat it. Jesus said “"I ask
not only on behalf of these, but also on
behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may
all be one.” Jesus is praying for all of
us. This is not just some story from
2000 plus years ago where we have to work to try and find a place to
enter. NO! We are in this story explicitly because Jesus
prays specifically for us!
That is why
we are here. Because someone loved each
of us enough to tell us about God’s love.
Someone you know or something someone did is why we are all here. We are all descendants of the knowledge of
the disciples. We are here because
someone loves us.
That is why I
came to the church. I came because
someone showed that Love that does not ask for anything in return. I come because of a neighbor we had growing
up. He was a retired Episcopal Priest
and would stop by the house on Sundays after church and after mid-week services
to see how everything was going. I also
played with his grandkids.
He stopped to
chat – and see if everything was OK probably because we were also taking care
of my cousins so there where nine kids living in a 3 bedroom one bath
house. He had a large family so he knew
what it was like. Today we would probably
call it a welfare check! Something about
him made me want to – at the age of 8 or so – attend the church he
attended. He never asked about taking us
to church that I remember. He just
stopped by out of love.
Once I got to
church I found others who shared this strange love – a love that doesn’t care
about who I was. A love that came from
the matriarch of the church – who people said did not like children but who
nonetheless took me under her wing.
Why are you
here? Is it because someone invited to
St. Matthew’s? Is it because you were
dragged to church as a child – and even after the rebellious years you came
back? Or perhaps you are here because a
parent dragged you out of bed on this fine Sunday morning to attend
church. No matter which group you belong
to hopefully Jesus’ prayer for you will be imprinted on your heart for your
whole life – a prayer that says you are loved.
Loved like a parent loves.
When we are
doing church right – and hopefully that is the majority of time – we are doing
it with this prayer of Jesus imprinted on our hearts. We are here to show the world that Jesus is
still praying for all of us. That Jesus
and God love us as children of God – not as servants but as children.
It is hard to
see this at times. Especially with the
heated rhetoric that has dominated our news during this primary season. We hear candidates for president who would
demonize people and build walls to keep people out. When we hear candidates demean each other and
point out any character fault as if it was a fatal flaw. It is hard when the buildings here get broken
into week after week. It is in these
moments that we have trouble seeing any love in this world. It is in these moments that we have trouble
practicing love towards those who seem unlovable.
It is at
moments when the world and our lives seem unlovable that we need to remember
this Gospel story. This gospel story
took place at the very time that Jesus should be praying for his own
safety. This gospel story happens when a
prayer to love one another is crazy.
Jesus is about to walk into a trap.
A trap that he helped set up by his ministry of Love and respect. A ministry that talked about the kingdom of
God being like a crazy shepherd who goes after the one missing and lost
sheep. A kingdom that is like a crazy
housekeeper who – having lost a coin cleans the house until she finds it and
then throws a party that costs more that the coin is worth.
It is at the
moment before his arrest that Jesus prays for us. Prays that we would be able to love one
another like he loves us. That we will
be like the crazy house keeper and throw a party because we found the lost
coin.
When we are
in a bad place we need to remember that Jesus – as he was nearing his final
time walking this earth in human form – prayed for our safety. He not only prayed for the safety of his
beloved disciples 2000 plus years ago but Jesus continues to pray for our
safety too.
The promise
of the resurrection is that Jesus kept his promise of Love. The promise of resurrection is that the
prayer continues. Even when we least
expect or deserve it. Jesus is praying
that we will get it. That we will see
the love in this world. And that we – as
heirs of the disciples will continue to spread that love in the face of a world
that all to frequently just does not get it.
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