Reverend Ref +

SERMON
EASTER 7B

My sermon last week talked about the Farwell Discourse and that Jesus was preparing both the disciples and us for his departure. The past several lessons have been preparing us for his ascension and the time when we are left in charge of this mission. It is up to us to pray and discern where we are headed. We have become the leaders of this thing called Christianity.

But when people get involved, there will be problems. Different ideas and egos clash, and one person's conviction is another person's heresy. This is one aspect of the prayer that Jesus prays before he is taken away.

He prays for our protection that we may be one, as he and the Father are one, and as the Trinity is one. He prays that we may not be divided. And divided, remember, does not mean differences of opinion. We can differ about gays, women clergy, immigration or the president, and that's okay. Difference of opinion does not constitute division.

Division occurs when we promote those smaller issues to the level of indispensable tenets. Division occurs when we allow our differences to become litmus tests for our tightly defined righteousness. We are all at different stages in our journey, and by adding our own requirements that only really serve as barriers, we are dividing God's kingdom and we are no longer one. Striving for unity is important; but unity is not religion cloned.

There's something else embedded in this prayer for protection, and that is Jesus' statement that we don't belong here; if you think about it, that is an amazing statement. Jesus is not of this world -- one God, part of the Trinity, eternal, coming down from heaven for our salvation.

Now Jesus is saying that his disciples, those in the past, those of us gathered here today and all those who confess him as Lord and Savior, are not of this world; just as he is not of this world. We live here, but we don't belong here. That statement should give us comfort that we who profess Jesus as Lord and Savior are accepted as we are.

And that knowledge should help us when we face a troubled and uncertain world. Jesus did not ask to take us out of the world, but he asked for our protection from the evil one. Protection from the one who tells us we don't have enough people to be successful. From the one who makes us doubt our misison. From the one who tells us that purity is more important than love. From the one who says that comfort means it's okay to do nothing.

We are not of this world, and we can take comfort in that. We are not of this world, but we are on a mission in this world. Our misison, remember, is to invite, include, inform, proclaim and rejoice. We can't do everything. We may not have the means to compete with the church down the street, but we are not here to compete. If we see other churches as competition, then we have become divided and we lose.

But there is something that we can do well, and our mission of inviting, including, informing, proclaiming and rejoicing will infuse what we do, and allow us to work towards unity.

I'll be honest, I don't know what that something is; that one thing that we can do well and build from. But I do know that, like a Michelangelo sculpture where the form just needs to be let loose, there is something hiding just beneath the surface that we need to work to let loose. It will take work. It will take effort. It will take money. It will take faith.

Both churches are open 24/7, and that's a good start. Christ Church has the labyrinth. St. Paul's is holding Tuesday night services for people who can't make Sunday. Both parishes can do food really well; I think of funerals and the VC Winterfest. Christ Church as a large parish hall that can house a variety of events and activities.

It's up to us; we are in charge now that Jesus has ascended. We have been given all the preparation we need. We have been chosen by God to be leaders in the church. We are protected and guided by the Holy Spirit, and we should be unified in our efforts at living out the Gospel.

What we can't be, however, is afraid. We can't be afraid that we don't have enough money; but neither can we think that money will come from some magical source. We can't be afraid that we don't have enough people in the pews; but we can't be afraid to invite others to join us.

And more than anything else, we can't be afraid to make these parishes a priority in our lives. Jesus chose us to be the leaders of this thing called Christianity. He chose us to further God's kingdom on earth. He trusts us to respect our differences and yet remain unified. He trusts us enough to leave.

The question is, do we trust ourselves as much as Jesus trusts us?