The Seventh Sunday after Easter --- 28 May 2017

Acts 1:6-14

6 So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?" 7 He replied, "It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." 9 When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. 11 They said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven." 12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day's journey away. 13 When they had entered the city, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying, Peter, and John, and James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14 All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers. 

John 17:1-11

1 After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4 I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. 5 So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed. 6 "I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; 8 for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. 9 I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. 11 And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. 

…and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

·       We have just passed the festival of the Ascension. It’s one that is not celebrated in each and every church, even the churches of the same denomination. It isn’t celebrated within this congregation, for example.

·       I imagine the reason for this could be simply one of not comprehending a non-Sunday worship celebration. It is a work day, after all. Oddly enough, the festival is actually a civic holiday in a number of places in the world.

·       Because we are between festivals, we could feel somewhat “suspended” in our worship. We’ve seen Jesus depart from this world and we await the celebration of the entrance of the Holy Spirit into the Church.

·       There are some things left to say. Ascension does not mean we are left alone. In fact, since the Ascension is linked to Pentecost, we are less alone than ever.

·       Jesus has a body. (Not HAD, but HAS. The Ascension means he is somewhere.) That’s what the Incarnation is all about. Although his body was changed forever in the Resurrection (as the Gospel accounts of the Resurrection tell us), it is still a body and is limited as to where the body can be at any one time. We however, and all of Jesus disciples, are left here. Jesus’ works are in our hands now.

·       If that worries you, remember this: Luke tells us in Acts that the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples at Pentecost. The Holy Spirit is not limited in a bodily way and can be anywhere and everywhere. The Spirit carries the presence of Jesus to us as well as the presence of the Father, with all the grace and creative power we could imagine. Yes, Jesus’ works are in our hands, but not our hands alone.

·       Is it possible that the starting point of the Gospel is the Resurrection? We see that Matthew and Luke start with Jesus’ birth and the preparation for it. Mark starts with Jesus’ Baptism. John goes back to the creation of the cosmos and Jesus’ role there. But for us, does the Gospel conclude or begin with the Resurrection? Would our discipleship be different if we believed the words of Jesus, that you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

·       The disciples who were present for both the Ascension and the Pentecost event came to believe this. When Jesus was crucified, the men all ran and hid. (The women didn’t; the culture of the time discounted them, a mistake we shouldn’t make today.) Even at Jesus’ Ascension, they didn’t fully understand what was going on. Soon after, they were ready and eager to be Jesus’ witnesses and to carry the Gospel anywhere, even at the cost of their lives.

·       In the passage from John’s Gospel we heard today, Jesus prays that the Father might protect his disciples, referring to those as table with him, but this can be extended to ourselves as well. We are part of Jesus’ prayer and we are then part of the narrative and the story of the Church’s ministry to the world.

·       The Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ, is not ended; our lives as disciples are the continuation of it, just as they are the continuation of the ministry of Jesus. The Spirit will let that Good News die, no matter what else may happen. We are Jesus’ hands and feet and voice in the world that the Father loves.

…and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

The Fifth Sunday of Easter ----- 14 May 2017

[Last Sunday, I took a vacation day for Sunday and Pr. John Boehmer supplied for me. This Sunday, I'm back and we celebrated three Baptisms, all in the same extended family!]

John 14:1-14

1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And you know the way to the place where I am going." 5 Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" 6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him." 8 Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied." 9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, "Show us the Father'? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. 12 Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it. 

Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, "Show us the Father'?

·       Who here understands the concept of “Division of Labour”? It can mean “everybody does their part”, and it can also mean specialization. Some cook, some repair, some do the books – all depending on their individual talents and gifts. That’s how human organizations work. There is little more troubling than being thrown into a situation you are unsuited for and don’t have the skills for. It is instantly “sink or swim.”

·       This applies to human life, but not to God. Now, there are some Christians to apply the concept of Division of Labour to God. They say God the Father creates, Jesus, God the Son redeems, and the God, the Holy Spirit inspires and sustains. Some even divided history up into what some call “dispensations” or even “modes”, each interpreting the Scripture in a certain way. (I could be a bit off in this; it is more complex than I could explain in the time we have here, and I’m not sure I could.)

·       I suppose this is a really good way to do things… if you’re forming a corporation or a limited liability partnership. It doesn’t seem to work in understanding God.

·       We want to understand God. As humans, we are uneasy with things we can’t explain, even to ourselves. This is why Philip said to Jesus "Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied." Who of us wouldn’t?

·       Jesus answer is definitive and possibly confusing: Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. To see Jesus is to see the Father; they are that united, even though Jesus does not say that he is the Father.

·       If seeing Jesus is to see the Father, we might ask what we see in Jesus.

·       In Jesus, we see one who is willing to be like us and stand in the middle of ordinary life with a blessing. His birth was like ours, even with all the special circumstances that the Gospels tell us surrounded his birth. He lived a life surprising like the lives of those around him. The death he endured was one that could be said was reserved for enemies of the state that considered itself almighty. This what the Father is like.

·       Jesus preached good news to the poor and took their part, even to living as a poor person without property and status that we know of. His message gave hope to the poor, direction to the lost, forgiveness to sinners, and an ear to those unheard. That is what the Father is like.

·       Jesus was willing to give up all honour, all glory, all power, and even all life in order to show the love of God to all those to whom he was sent to proclaim his message. This willingness is what the Father is like.

·       Jesus is quite clear in his answer to Philip, that to see him is to see the Father: Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. When we, who have not seen Jesus with our own eyes, hear his words, we are hearing the words the Father has given him. The Psalmist says in Psalm 119:105 - “Your word is a lamp to guide me and a light for my path” The creation story in Genesis tells us that God’s word is powerful and it alone is enough to create.

·       Today we have heard God’s Word and seen that Word used in tandem with water, a simple element of the earth, to grant new and eternal life in the Baptisms we’ve all witnessed. Even to this day, God’s Word makes things happen.

·       In Jesus, the Father showed Himself to be willing to be poor, humble, and part of the creation He loves. New hope is proclaimed and love is spoken and lived out. That is just as true today as it was when Philip asked Jesus to be shown the Father.

·       Even today, Jesus says to us Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.

[I also added the following quote from N.T.Wright]

If you want to know who God is, look at Jesus. If you want to know what it means to be human, look at Jesus. If you want to know what to know what love is, look at Jesus. If you want to know what grief is, look at Jesus. And keep looking until you’re no longer a spectator but part of his grand story.

The Third Sunday of Easter ---- 30 April 2017

Luke 24:13-35

13 Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14 and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15 While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, 16 but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17 And he said to them, "What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?" They stood still, looking sad. 18 Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, "Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?" 19 He asked them, "What things?" They replied, "The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. 21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. 22 Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, 23 and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. 24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him." 25 Then he said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! 26 Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?" 27 Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures. 28 As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. 29 But they urged him strongly, saying, "Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over." So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. 32 They said to each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?" 33 That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. 34 They were saying, "The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!" 35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread. 

Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread. 

·       Last week, we heard the Gospel story about “Believing Thomas.” I always take some comfort from that story. If one of the twelve could have his doubts after having walked so far and so long with Jesus and still was accepted by Jesus, well, the same would hold for me!

·       We also heard John’s words about why he wrote his Gospel: …these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name. It’s a wonderful thing to know that what was written was written for us.

·       The same holds true with our story from Luke today.

·       The story unfolds first in disappointment and sadness, with two disciples walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus, a walk of some 7 miles/11 kilometres. Jesus approaches and joins them, unrecognized.

·       They’re surprised when he tells them he doesn’t know what is going on, yet he explains the scriptures to them and tells them how it applies to the person they had hoped would be the Messiah.

·       As evening fell, the two invited their unknown companion into the house for supper. It appears that the roads were not safe for a traveller at night, so inviting this person in was good manners and an assurance of safety.

·       We all know what happened at supper. When this stranger blessed and broke the bread, they knew who he was. With that, he vanishes.

·       The two race back to Jerusalem to find the community there in a joyous uproar over the resurrection of the Lord. The two from Emmaus add their experience of how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread. 

·       Here Luke is doing what John had done in his words on the resurrection appearances. Here, in relating the experience on the road to Emmaus, Luke is writing to all those who would follow Jesus but were unable to see him with their own eyes. Luke is writing to us.

·       Think about it a moment. Is there anything around us that looks anything like the Emmaus experience? What does the experience consist of?

·       Disciples gather and hospitality is offered, the Scriptures are opened and explained, the bread is broken, and Jesus is known to be with the assembled disciples. Then they go out and tell the good news of the Risen Christ.

·       One group of Christian teachers would say that the experience of the disciples on the road to Emmaus was unique and peculiarly their own.

·       Another group holds that the experience of the disciples there is the experience we all have or can have. In a number of ways, the outline I spoke of a moment ago is the outline of the service of the Lord’s Supper – Gathering, Studying the Scripture, Breaking the bread, Going out to share the good news or to be the good news. It is the way that the church, gathered in worship, experiences the presence of the Risen Christ. I doesn’t matter where that gathering is; when disciples gather, the Gospel proclaimed, the bread broken, and the cup shared, Jesus Christ is present.

·       What happens next? Luke tells of Jesus appearing to all the disciples in Jerusalem and giving them the mission of proclaiming repentance, forgiveness, and faith to all nations.

·       What happens next for us? Same thing! This is still our mission and our message today. It doesn’t change and the world still needs it. Christ is with us on our mission and that makes the biggest difference.