Sermon May 17, 2020 (Covid 19) On line Service #8

Sermon  May 17, 2020 (Covid 19) On line Service #8

In our Gospel lesson last week, that is, John 14:1-14, we heard Jesus speak to His disciples concerning His relationship with His Father.  You will recall that, in that passage, Philip asks to see the Father and Jesus replies by saying, Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father and He goes on to say that The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. ¹¹ Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. 

Now, although we stopped our reading last week at verse 14, the truth is, we only heard part of Jesus’ discourse on the night when he shared his last meal with his disciples and humbly washed their feet.  And, so it is that, this week we continue with the story and hear the “second half,” so-to-speak, of what Jesus said to his chosen followers on that fateful night.  Again, last week Jesus spoke of his relationship with His Father.  And now, in today’s Gospel reading, Jesus words speak directly to His relationship to His disciples.  They are words, not only of comfort and assurance but also words to prepare them in mind and spirit for his impending death; his impending departure from them.  Yes, in a little while they will see him no more but Jesus assures them that they will not be forgotten by Him; they will not orphaned and alone.

In this time of isolation during the Covid 19 crisis, are not all of us feeling somewhat orphaned and alone?  Oh, we may not be orphaned in the sense of not knowing who are parents are, but do we not feel a keen sense of absence in our lives these days? – that is, being unable to interact with those people we typically see and share our lives with; people we enjoy visiting and whose company we enjoy; people we long to be with – and cannot.

And, in this time of Covid 19, are we not also feeling a sense of being orphaned by the routines of our lives that have suddenly, seemingly overnight, been drastically changed or completely overturned?  And, in the midst of this turmoil and upheaval many of us may well feel a sense of alienation, and even abandonment, from our place of work, our school, friends and community.  There are just so many normal things we cannot do right now – or do in the normal way.  And, what is more, if this disruption in our everyday life was not enough, I am sure that many of us had planned events and outings that we were looking forward to, perhaps for months or even years, that are now cancelled, radically altered or  simply lost to us.

Certainly all this is true for me and my family.  Like many people, we had planned a trip to Europe this year and it was a great disappointment to us when this opportunity suddenly evaporated.  But my immediate family was not the only one to experience a recent setback.  Just this past week, the Centreville church in this charge took the sad step of officially cancelling their 175 Anniversary plans. We were just putting the details together when the crisis hit.

And so, with all of this in mind, do not the words of Jesus in our Gospel lesson today  appear particularly germane to our present time and circumstances?  What good news it is to hear that, despite all outward appearances, Jesus’ assurance that He will not leave us desolate; He will not leave us orphaned nor will He abandon us.  Instead Jesus give us words of assurance and comfort:  God in Christ will, by His Spirit, uphold, sustain and guide us; we will be held in our heavenly Parent’s gentle, secure, loving and caring embrace.  What is more, although our world may be turned upside down; our plans and expectations drastically altered, God’s agenda; His plans for us and for the redeeming of this world remain intact and will be fulfilled even in the face of death itself!  Thanks be to God!

In the meantime, God has indeed not left us desolate.  He has blessed us with His Spirit which is alive and is ever active in our world today.  Now, the Holy Spirit has been called the shy member of the Trinity. Indeed, if you think about the art in our churches or if you picture moments from Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, the Holy Spirit may simply be portrayed as a dove, whereas images of the incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, and teachings of Jesus present Him in concrete human form. 

The Holy Spirit may present as the least visible and most etherial member of the Trinity, but is it not also the most discernable in our daily life and experiences?    Craig Koester professor at Luther Seminary Saint Paul, Minn. Puts the matter this way.  He states:  Here is the conundrum: Why would anyone believe that authentic life comes from a Jesus who was crucified under Pontius Pilate, a Jesus whom they cannot see? The honest answer is that no one would believe it--apart from the work of the Spirit. For it is the Spirit who makes the presence of the living Jesus and his Father known.

Coming to faith is comparable (analogous) to falling in love. One cannot fall in love in the abstract. Love comes through an encounter with another person. The same is true of faith. If faith is a relationship with the living Christ and the living God who sent Him, then faith can only come through an encounter with them. And the Spirit is the one who makes this presence known.

When I was preparing this sermon, I came across a story which illustrates this point.  Hannah did not grow up hearing the Christian story. But when she became an adult, she accepted a friend’s invitation to spend time with members of her friend’s church.  She loved the people there, but Hannah found the gospel message just plain weird.  At Bible studies she was simply astonished at what she was hearing – Jesus walking on water, rising from the dead, and ascending into heaven.   “Do you really believe all this?” she would ask. Later she would tell her friend that what we believed sounded crazy. Yet she kept telling herself, “they seem like sensible people who are able to hold down jobs.

Then one day a member of our community challenged her, “don’t wait until all your questions have been answered,” she said. Just ask yourself whether you can trust Jesus. Hannah went home and she describes how she was sitting on the floor in her front room when suddenly she knew it was all true. And, in that moment she became a Christian. What happened as she sat on her living room floor? The Holy Spirit came on her and spoke to her heart. There was no shining light or audible voice but the Holy Spirit came to give her faith in Jesus.  Surely, this is what Jesus meant when in John chapter 3:3 he says ”I tell you the truth no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” & in today’s reading. You keep my commandments  17 ¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— ¹⁷ the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 

We all know what it is like to have to say good bye to someone dear to us, someone we have loved and have depended upon.  In our gospel lesson today, Jesus is packing His suitcase, so to speak; He is preparing to leave our sight, but in no way is he abandoning us or leaving us desolate.  God sent us His Spirit that he might be ever near us, never leaving us, guiding us in His truth while advocating for us before the Father.

God’s Spirit of truth will enable us to distinguish His values of justice, mercy and peace. The Holy Spirit, unrestrained by ethnicity, gender, class and sexuality, guides us to places beyond the physical and supernatural limitations imposed by the limits of our being.

The guidance and wisdom of the Holy Spirit, is ever present with us as we walk through this journey of life. This same spirit would not allow for the exclusion of a woman who was a Samaritan from the blessings of the Kingdom, as He would not exclude anyone right now for needed care and treatment for the virus. As the Spirit will not allow for the exclusion of any among us today.

The Easter message is that life rather than death has the final word, and this is crucial for faith. John's gospel, teaches us that faith is a relationship with a living being. For there to be authentic faith in Jesus, people must be able to relate to the living Jesus--a Jesus who is not absent but very present. The shy member of the Trinity is the presence of God that is closest to us; that is ever near to us in and through all the changes scenes of life.

Resources:

Samuel Cruz Working Preacher

Associate Professor of Church and Society
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York
New York, N.Y.

Craig R. Koester – Working Preacher

Professor and Asher O. and Carrie Nasby Chair of New Testament
Luther Seminary
Saint Paul, Minn.