On this Sixth Sunday of Easter our
gospel lesson continues in John's Farewell Discourse. Why, we may
ask, in this Easter season when we spend 40 days with the resurrected
Christ, are we hearing pre-resurrection stories and not
post-resurrection stories? I think the answer is that, like the
disciples before us, we also need to be prepared to be on our own.
Last week Jesus told us that he was
going to prepare a place for us in his Father's house. After that
departure we are told that he and the Father will give us another
Advocate. This is the Holy Spirit who, like Jesus before, is unable
to be received by the world. This is the gift given to us by Jesus
and the Father to ensure that we will not be abandoned and orphaned.
I want to focus on two things one of my
commentaries brought up: the first is the focus of, “you,” and
the second is the subject of, “witness.”
Throughout the Farewell Discourse Jesus
uses the word, “you.” I go to prepare a place for you; you know
the way; I will do whatever you ask in my name; if you love me, you
will keep the commandments; because I live, you will live; and
others.
The authors of this commentary point
out that this is a plural, or corporate, you; not an individual you.
Why is this important?
This is important because we are
reminded that Jesus is talking to the body of believers and that the
gift of the Holy Spirit is a gift for the body of believers. Neither
Jesus nor the Holy Spirit are private possessions of any one
individual. Yes, we may be called individually each by name to
Christ. Yes, we may each receive a particular gift from the Holy
Spirit. But those callings and those gifts are always made in the
context of community.
When Jesus says, “I will do whatever
you ask in my name,” we need to understand both
that this is not an individual wish granting, and
we need to ensure that what we ask for aligns with the will of God.
This would explain why the prayer of Janis Joplin (O Lord, won't you
buy me a Mercedes-Benz) isn't a valid prayer, as well as why we need
to constantly measure our values and mission against God's will.
Two good examples are a person who
says, “I believe God wants me to do X.” Done properly, this is
checked out by the community to help discern God's call. Or our
kitchen project. Are we doing it because we want something shiny to
keep up with other churches? Or are we doing it as a measure of good
stewardship and giving us the ability to more effectively feed
people?
What we do will be supported by Christ
if we do it corporately with kingdom values.
The second part of this is witness. I
spoke about being a witness briefly to the kids last week, and I'll
elaborate on that here. Going back to my commentary, it says that
this Spirit is a gift to all disciples, witnessing to the life of
Christ.
What does it mean to be a witness? One
meaning is to have seen something. We witness a car accident. We
witness a great performance. We witness the sacrament of baptism
being administered. We witness how Christ is active and present in
our midst.
Another meaning is to be the person who
testifies to what has been seen.
We are all witnesses in the first sense
of the word. We have all seen the face of Christ in this place, as
well as the workings of the Holy Spirit. We see the face of Christ
in the people who are fed at the Community Cafe. We see the face of
Christ in our visitors, showing hospitality and welcoming all. We
are also the face of Christ to those people when we do those things.
The Holy Spirit is present here when we
love each other and respect the dignity of every human being. The
Holy Spirit is present here when we correctly balance our internal
desires with external needs. And when we see these things we are
witnesses to the presence of God.
But we could all probably do better at
being that second type of witness – the witness that testifies to
what you have seen. This isn't necessarily about going door-to-door
with little episcopal tracts. It isn't about standing on the street
corner with a big, floppy Book of Common Prayer . . . I mean, Bible.
This is about looking for opportunities to testify to the faith.
Say grace at meals with company. Tell
people about our involvement with Micah's Backpack, Bester School,
Community Cafe, Mayfest, and others. Know why you are here and don't
be ashamed to be that witness. As our Presiding Bishop reminded us,
we pray for that opportunity every Sunday: “And now, Father, send
us out . . . as faithful witnesses of Christ our Lord.”
So here we are on this Sixth Sunday of
Easter. The Feast of the Ascension and Jesus' departure is imminent.
Shortly we will be on our own, trying to live the best we can into
the words of Christ.
Let us remember that the gift of the
Holy Spirit was given to this community. Let us continually work to
align our life together and the goals we set with the will of God.
Let us always reflect kingdom values.
Let us remember that we witnesses the
presence and workings of the Holy Spirit in this place. Let us be
witnesses of Christ's presence to the world around us.
We are a community of Christ and we
have much work to do.
Amen.
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