May 14 2017 Sermon
John 14:1-14
‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. 2In 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? 3And 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. 4And you know the way to the place where I am going.’ 5Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’ 6Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7If 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.’ 9Jesus 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”? 10Do 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. 11Believe 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. 12Very 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. 13I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.
This is the word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God, amen.
Like our lectionary text last week, many of you may recognize selections from this morning’s gospel reading from a Service of Death and Resurrection. It is often one of the preferred preaching texts for a funeral that points to the promise of eternal life in the presence of Almighty God.
On the night in which Jesus gave himself up, he got up from the table, grabbed a towel and a wash basin in order to begin one of his last acts of love for his disciples. He went around the table washing the feet of each of the twelve disciples. Of course, Simon Peter objects at Jesus’ choice of acting as if he were a household servant but then asks Jesus to wash his entire body so as to be included in the promises of God.
After he washed the feet of the disciples, he returned to the table and began to explain what he did for them and to them. He then predicts his betrayal by Judas Iscariot and Simon Peter, who will deny him three times before the cock crows at morning light. Amidst this prediction of betrayal, he imparts a commandment that might guide the life of the disciples once Jesus is gone. “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
The movement from dinner to the washing of the disciples’ feet to the explanation of the actions and predictions of betrayal marks the start of Jesus’ Farewell Discourse. It is among that body of text near the end of John’s gospel that we find this morning’s gospel reading. The disciples are beginning to anticipate Jesus’ departure insofar as they can make sense of the impending trial, crucifixion, and empty Easter tomb. To assuage the disciples’ worry and impending grief, Jesus explains where he will be and how he will continue to relate to them after he is gone. A bit later in the Farewell Discourse, Jesus promises that the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, will come upon them empowering them for continued ministry.
Thomas hears this discourse as if Jesus is planning an itinerary and the destination has not yet been made known to the twelve. He makes inquiry as if Jesus is speaking plainly. Where are you going? What’s the quickest and easiest way for us to get there to meet you? Jesus responds that Thomas knows exactly where Jesus is headed or at least he should know where Jesus is headed and how to follow. Thomas, Philip, indeed all twelve of the disciples have been looking at way posts for quite some time pointing them toward an abiding relationship with God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They’ve already seen the sign posts in Jesus’ ministry but seem unsatisfied or unaware of what the signposts were pointing toward.
Jesus the Christ will return to an abiding relationship with God the Father and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. And as Jesus indicates, this relational presence among the Godhead is a dwelling place to which we are invited as well. Jesus shows us what it is like to have the fullness of a relationship with God Almighty so that we might go and do likewise for others. In other words, the life of faith, saved, redeemed, converted (or whatever word you prefer) is living in relationship with God in the here and now because you’ve seen a bit of God already in Jesus Christ.
Reverend Doctor Allen Hunt recalls a journey in which he introduced his girlfriend to his grandmother as a way of helping us see how Jesus leads us into an abiding relationship with the Everlasting God.
It’s a wonderful feeling to have a place prepared just for you, isn’t it? I was dating Anita, and I had begun to realize that this was it. She was the one for me. So on our first Thanksgiving together, I decided to take her to meet my grandmother, the one who had loved me unconditionally. I kind of surprised my parents that I would take Anita to meet grandmother before she met my parents, but that was where I loved to spend Thanksgiving. So we drove the eight hours to that little town of about 500 or 1,000 on the Ohio River where she had lived her whole life to the house where she had been for over 50 years. And when we arrived, it was clear that she had prepared a place for us, just for us. When we pulled up, the door opened and a tiny little 95-pound woman hugged and kissed Anita, whom she had never met before. It was clear that my grandmother had made up her mind to love my Anita before she ever met her. As we entered the tiny, little four-room house, I could smell supper from the kitchen. The table was set. Everything that I like was on the table. She had prepared it just for me.
Minutes later my mom’s cousin (her only other living relative) and her husband arrived. Surprise! We hadn’t known they were coming either. They had driven four hours just to be with us and to meet Anita. Grandmother had done everything imaginable to prepare a place for us. The house was ready, the table was set, dinner was prepared, friends were invited, her countenance was set and waiting for our arrival, she stood at the door and waited, looking for us to come. She had prepared a place for us [that a relationship might grow]. That, my friends, is a terrific feeling. (http://day1.org/1028-gods_promises_for_you_i_prepare_a_place_for_you)
If you get Jesus, understand his relationships, the way he moves toward the fringes of the circle and away from the power center, the way he sets the table, or you seek to follow his way of invoking God’s vision of the world, then you’re closing in on God the Eternal Parent as well. Jesus says, ‘If you know me, you will know my Father also.’
Then Philip says it. At least this time it wasn’t Simon Peter saying something obtuse making clear that he doesn’t understand what is at stake. Philip insists, ‘Jesus, show us God the Father.’ This is one of those moments in the gospels where I can envision Jesus wanting to bury his head in the palms of his hands frustrated because his disciples don’t understand that when they see his ministry they see God. John’s gospel is packed full of miraculous signs that point to Jesus’ abiding relationship with God the Father and yet the disciples can’t see that. Perhaps we can do better.
You’ve seen miracles. You’ve seen lives utterly transformed. You’ve heard stories of forgiveness and reconciliation. You’ve tasted God’s justice. When you look at Jesus’ ministry as the gospels proclaim it and witness the ministry of the church, you’re glimpsing if but for a moment, the presence of God in the world. The way Jesus treads through the community points past himself to the Everlasting God. And here is where the stakes rise in the Farewell Discourse. You, who believe in God in Jesus Christ will continue the healing, redemptive, and transformative ministry that began in the incarnation.
How do we live faithfully abiding in the love of God for the world, doing the good works that Christ has promised and envisioned for us? The incarnation has ended and yet Jesus abides in relationship with God the Everlasting Parent, inviting us to do the same. He even promises that those who will in his wake empowered and enlivened by the Holy Spirit will go on to do greater things.
This week as I made preparations for Tuesday night meetings, I was captured by a few questions about our life together. Where do we hope to be in ministry one year from now? What do we feel called to accomplish in ministry by the end of 2017? Where do we need to follow the spirit of God and the boldness of the gospel in our life together? I don’t have answers for these questions but I believe we’ll answer them together.
I understand that it is easy to let fear, grief, and frustration thwart the movement of the church into the world. But the vision of Jesus Christ is that the church continues his redemptive ministry, great in scope, impact, and love. That vision is why I love dreamers especially when they’re paired with pragmatists. Making dreams happen for Gods vision in the community.
I told a friend this past week that the gospel is a bold declaration and we as a church can act accordingly. We should imagine ourselves doing the greater works Jesus envisions. Church of the Resurrection in Kansas City sees itself doing life giving ministry at least for the next 100 years. COR as they are affectionately called is the largest UMC in North America. In a recent multi year visioning campaign, they committed to providing 10,000 low income students with school supplies and mentoring for the next 20 years. They feel called to invite others to experience Gods grace in baptism: 50,000 baptisms over the next 100 years. They feel called to share leadership resources with over 10,000 United Methodist churches that are currently facing decline in membership. In mission, they will donate over 10 million pounds of food, 100,000 pints of blood, and 4.5 million weekend food backpacks for inner city children. Over $5 billion will be given away for missional endeavors around the world-60x the cost of a new sanctuary.
Sure, they’re a large church with a great capacity for ministry. Any church, any size, should be captivated by a readiness and eagerness to give itself away for the sake of its neighbors. Then and only then, when a church is sacrificial for love of its neighbors will the world see and believe the great promises of God in Jesus Christ.
Amen.