Sermon on John 17:1-11

Pastor Jennifer Garcia

Today is the Sunday when we remember Jesus’ ascension, and our focus seems to be oriented upward:

Our first reading from Acts tells the story of the ascension: Jesus is carried up into the clouds to the shock and dismay of his disciples.

And then our Gospel reading from John takes us back to the night before Jesus died. He looks up to heaven and prays for his disciples.

Both readings seem to be pointing up.

It gives us the classic impression that God is sitting up on a cloud somewhere in the sky looking down on us, maybe with a big white beard and an impressive throne.

That can make God seem distant, disconnected, and unconcerned.

The story of the ascension can make it seem like Jesus is abandoning the disciples, leaving them to fend for themselves in a world devoid of God’s presence, where a detached God looks down from above.

It must have felt so scary to have Jesus rise from the dead only to leave them again less than two months later.

The heavenly messengers who remained behind simply asked, “Why do you stand looking up toward heaven?” As if they should know what to do next. As if their world hadn’t just crumbled…again.

What were they supposed to do now?

As usual, Jesus’ words were cryptic at best. They had tried to ask if Jesus was going to fulfill their understanding of the messiah: a warrior king like David who would kick out the occupying Roman Empire.But Jesus deflects the question and starts talking about a Holy Spirit and being Jesus’ witnesses and the ends of the earth. And then, before they have a chance to ask any clarifying questions, he floats away into the sky. What gives, Jesus?

Their rabbi and friend had left them again. They were on their own. What were they supposed to do on this planet that Jesus didn’t seem to want anything to do with anymore?

His disciples are left to pick up the pieces and figure out how to spend their remaining time on earth.

If our focus is upward, as our stories today seem to suggest, how are we supposed to approach our lives here on earth?

It’s been 2,000 years, and Jesus has not yet “come in the way [they] saw him go into heaven,” as the heavenly messengers put it.

It’s tempting to keep our gaze upward—to focus on Jesus’ promised return and the hope of eternal life with God when we die.

But, have you ever tried to walk whilelooking up? Have you hiked and been so captivated by the treesstretching their branches to the clouds that you didn’t look where your feet were going?

It’s a good way to twist your ankle or end up flat on your face. (Not that I would know about that.)

When we focus too much on heaven, we lose our footing in the world we’re in.

On the other hand, I’ve also been guilty of looking at my feet too much. Last year at our women’s retreat at Luther Glen Farm, a few of us walked the labyrinth after dark. We were focused on our feet and the little pools of light our flashlights made. We didn’t see too much else until we reached the center of the labyrinth, turned our flashlights off, and looked up. We couldn’t see the magnificence of the stars until we stopped looking at our feet.

When we focus too much on being cautious in the here and now, sometimes we miss the glories God surrounds us with.

And sometimes, whether I’m looking up or down or straight ahead, when I approach the world with a critical eye, all I notice are the flaws, the annoyances, the irritating way the person at the table next to me is chewing, or the unbelievable thing that other person posted on the internet.

And then, I miss the sweetness of someone’s smile, the sound of a toddler’s laughter, the pretty leaf on the sidewalk.

It’s easy to get fixated on things like the future, our comfort and caution, or whatever we find wrong with the world and miss out on what’s going on right now, getting out of our comfort zones, or appreciating the world around us.

It’s interesting to notice that when Jesus prayed for his disciples the night before his death, he prayed for their eternal life, which he defines as knowing God and himself, he prayed for their protection, and he prayed for their unity.

Jesus doesn’t define eternal life as something that starts after we die, but instead says, “this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” That knowing is now—that relationship with God is now. It’s not keeping our gaze at the heavens but being in relationship with the God who created the universe and called it “good.” When we’re in relationship with someone, what’s important to them becomes important to us, if only on their behalf.

And the world is important to God—from calling creation “good” to becoming human in Jesus to repair the relationship between the world and God to sending the disciples out to the ends of the earth in our story from Acts today, our God is not disconnected or unconcerned with our world.

Our reward for following Jesus is not eternal life after we die, but relationship with God in this world now.

Jesus sends his disciples to tell his story to the whole world. And the heavenly messengers asked the bewildered disciples, “Why do you stand looking up toward heaven?” The disciples weren’t supposed to stand around waiting for Jesus to come back; they had work to do—a world to engage with!

So, despite the seeming upward focus of our stories today, we shouldn’t fix our gaze on the hereafter.

We also have work to do: nurturing this world our God made for us, caring for some animals or plants, sharing the ways we see God working in the world, loving our neighbors (human and otherwise), and making earth a little more as it is in heaven.

But that’s not to say we should never look up. One of Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is “begin with the end in mind.” If we remember that God’s love will win in the end, the hardships and heaviness of this world become a little more manageable.Picturing the abundance of the Reign of God gives us hope and helps us move in the right direction in the here and now.

And that helps us approach the world with compassion instead of criticism. It helps us love our neighbors, whether we like them or not.

When Jesus prayed for his disciples the night before he died, these are the things he asked for:eternal life, protection, and unity.

Again, he defines eternal life as a relationship with God and himself, which isn’t about waiting until we die. We can gaze at the world around us, which God loves.

And with God’s protection, we can boldly move our eyes off the pool of light by our feet and look up at the stars. We can begin our work in this world with the end in mind: that evil and death do not have the last word and that God’s love will never fail.

And by God’s grace, we can approach the world with love that flows from God. We Christians throughout the centuries have bickered with each other and divided, instead of being united as Jesus prayed for. But being dedicated to the love of this world while remembering that God’s love wins can help us love even our most difficult neighbor.

So, with our eyes fixed neither on the heavens above nor locked on our feet, but with love for God, the world, and our neighbor in our hearts, let us follow in Jesus’ example and pray. God be with you; [And also with you]

Gracious God,

You are not distant from us on a cloud far away but present everywhere in this world that you created and love. Help us love this world as you do. Help us work for its welfare and the welfare of each and every one of our neighbors, human and otherwise. Please give us the eternal life that is knowing you right now. Protect us so that we may live boldly on behalf of our neighbors. Help us approach the world with unity, compassion, and love.

In your name we pray, Amen.

Legally Paul

Pr. Jasmine Waring

May 14, 2023

Twelve Angry Men, A Few Good Men, To Kill A Mockingbird, Legally Blonde…these are some of the most famous courtroom films in our history. These films are filled with drama, forensic sleuthing, and persuasive rhetoric. We like them because if you have ever served jury duty, you know that courtrooms are actually not that dramatic or exciting. Our reading in Acts today is set in ancient Athens, the birthplace of the Western judicial system. The Areopagus, which means “the rock of Ares,” the Greek god of war, was the center for temples, cultural facilities, and the high court. Paul was at the Areopagus for reasons biblical scholars are unsure of. He could be on trial speaking to the court, or this could have been an impromptu speech he gave. Whatever the circumstances that led him there, Paul had some interesting things to say. First off, he insults them when he began his speech saying they were “extremely spiritual in every way.” The word spiritual or religious is actually better translated as superstitious, which is very dismissive. Not only that, he “mansplains” their own beliefs by confidently explaining to them the “unknown god” they worship is actually the God of Israel. They’re so ignorant, they don’t even know who they worship! This passage of scripture has been used as a model for evangelism and mission work, which has led to violently erasing indigenous cultures and religion through colonialism. It’s one thing to see our own conceptions of God in other religions and appreciating them, it is another thing to erase and rewrite other religion’s theology by elevating our own as a universal truth. As much as we can appreciate the Apostle Paul’s writings and his courage to be imprisoned for the sake of the Gospel, we are not followers of Paul, we are followers of Jesus. However, we can still learn something beautiful about the Kingdom of God in his words today. Paul critiques the use of idols, and talks about a God who cannot be contained in a temple or statue. This unknown god is the one who created the universe, so no one can say that God was created by human hands. We are all children of God. Although we are all different from each other, we are all marked with Divine DNA which unites us. The point Paul was trying to make was that God is not found in silver, gold, or stone. God is found in humanity! God is not found in riches or in what we produce, God is found in the flesh and bone of our neighbor, and ourselves. When we treat others as anything less than divine, Paul says we are being ignorant. To the ears of the Greek philosophers of that day, ignorance was offensive, almost like a sin. Their whole philosophy was about wisdom and enlightenment. So Paul said they need to repent, which leads to treating people with reverence and dignity. Then Paul brings in Jesus, without mentioning his name until the very end. He describes him as the One who will judge people by the standard of justice. Standing in the Areopagus, where murder trails were conducted, Paul tells of the One who was lynched by an angry mob, given a sham trail, and was executed as an enemy of the State. This is the one who sets the bar for justice. What a powerful and subversive grace-filled image of what justice looks like in the kingdom of God! The good news is, Christ’s standard of judgement is not based in coercive power and domination, its is coming from the experience of the marginalized. We can trust that he will be fair and set things right because he knows what it feel like to experience injustice. Continuing with our court room drama theme, in our Gospel reading today Jesus promises us an Advocate, which is the Holy Spirit. An advocate, or paraclete, is often used as one who is called upon to help in a court of law. Paraclete also means helper or comforter, or to come alongside someone. This is the Spirit of the word and wisdom of God, who guides us. It is with the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit we are reminded and drawn into Jesus’ call to love God and love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Keeping his commandments is remembering each other’s divinity. Christ’s desire is for us to abide in him, as he abides in us through the Holy Spirit and with the Creator. More importantly, he wants us (humanity) to be one as he and the Creator are one. It is in this divine dance with the Triune God and humanity we “live, and move, and have our being.” Sometimes we will miss our step, or find it hard to dance with our enemy. When we see each other as divine, worthy of love, and as siblings born from the same source—not being color blind or erasing our differences— we enter into this divine dance, where there is justice for all. I don’t recall any movies that have dancing in the courtroom…maybe in the Legally Blonde musical. But there is a quote from To Kill a Mockingbird that captures what it means to be abiding in God and with our neighbor. Atticus Finch, a lawyer, had this to say to his daughter. “If you just learn a single trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.” It is with empathy, we can stay connected to each other and overcome that which separates us. We remember that God is found within all children of God…and all means all! So may you remember that God is not found in riches or what we produce, but is found in the flesh and bone of your neighbor, your enemy, and within your own body. May you feel at ease knowing that justice does not come from a place of coercion or domination, but from the risen Christ, who experienced injustice and will one day set things right. May you call upon your Advocate, the Holy Spirit when you need help loving your neighbor. And may you live and move and have your being in the love of God, the grace of Christ, and the wisdom of the Holy Spirit.+ Amen.

First Lutheran Church

May 7, 2023 + The Fifth Sunday in Easter

John 14:1-14 +[Jesus said to the disciples:] “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. 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? 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. And you know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” 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’? 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. 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. 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. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.”

Sermon

“The Way”

Pastor Greg Ronning

“Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”  I always appreciate “Doubting Thomas.”  He keeps everything real.  Especially in John’s Gospel.  In the midst of the philosophical double speak, wandering run on sentences, quizzical riddles and deep esoteric mystery, he just blurts out the question we all want, but are afraid, to ask.  In today’s Gospel Jesus is talking about “dwelling places” in “my father’s house.”  He’s talking about coming and going, back and forth, preparing, embarking, and landing, “you know what I mean,” and Thomas is like, “No, I have no idea what you are talking about, I don’t know where you are going!”  Jesus pauses and responds, “I am The Way.”

Life is hard, and we don’t always know “the way.”  As much as we long to find that place where we can dwell, that place where we can find meaning and peace, that place where we faith replaces fear, that place where love and grace abide, that place that Jesus has prepared for us; finding our way to that place is not easy.  I did a search on my phone, and “dwelling place with God,” came up with zero results.  “GPS” was not going to help me.  I tried the “Old School” method, and once again “dwelling place with God” was not on the index, but a somewhat similar result was listed as “N–15.”  (How many of you remember that way of finding a place on a map?)  As much as I want to find that place, as much as I want to go to that place, it’s just not that easy to find.  And so, I find myself standing in the shoes of Thomas, asking the question, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”  And Jesus pauses, nods in my direction and reminds me, “You know the way, - I am The Way.” 

“The Way.”Before members of the early church took on the name “Christians,” they were known as members of “The Way.”The first recorded use of the term “Christians” is found in the book of Acts.  In Chapter 11 we read, “… and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.” (Acts 11:25-26).  The term “Christian” was used primarily to distinguish this new sect in Judaism as one that believed that Jesus was the Messiah.But once again, in the beginning, before Antioch, they were known as members of “The Way.”  This description of the followers of Jesus can be found in the Ninth Chapter of the Book of Acts, “Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest  and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to ‘The Way,’ men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.” (Acts 9:1-2)

Let’s take a minute to contrast these two very different descriptors.  The root word of “Christian” is “Christ.” Once again, this refers to our fundamental understanding that Jesus is the Messiah.  Jesus is the Christ.  We believe in Jesus Christ.  The New Testament Greek word translated as “way” is “hodos.”  It is the common Greek word for “street,” “road,” “path,” or “way.”  It’s also a word used to represent or convey a “journey.”  Do you notice the difference between these words?

“Christian” is a more static word, it best describes our core belief, our doctrine, the tenets of our faith.  It points to Jesus - the life and the teachings of Jesus, as the source and understanding of our faith.  It strikes me as more of a “head” word.  “The Way” is a more dynamic word.  It is literally where “the rubber meets the road.”“The Way” invites, even demands, - movement and action.  You are not static when you are on “the way,” you are not “standing still” when you are on “the road,” you are not fixed in one place when you are on a “journey.”“Christian” describes our identity, but “The Way” better describes the nature of our faith, the marks of our faith, what our faith looks like, how it moves, how it is manifest, how it feels, what it does.  “The Way” is a “body” word.

We seldom, if ever, currently refer to our faith as “The Way.”We ceased using that word a long time ago.  And perhaps, losing the essence of that word, that is why we don’t know where Christ has been and is going, that is why we don’t know where that “dwelling place,”that place prepared for us,is located.  Too often we have relegated Christianity into a destination and not an adventure.  Too often we have made it solely about the afterlife reward of “heaven.” But what if it was also about finding “heaven on earth,” here and now, “thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

Perhaps if we “loosened up” on the idea of being a “Christian,” and engaged “The Way,” if we moved out of our heads and into our bodies,we would discover those things we desperately desire; that place where meaning and peace come together in our vocation, that place where our relationships with each other thrive, that place where faith, hope, grace and love abide – all in real time!

I suppose that brings us back to the same question with which we began, “How can we know the way?” Thankfully, unlike Thomas, we get to reflect on Christ’s answer, “I am The Way,” knowing the context of the whole story. 

We know that today's appointed Gospel is part of Jesus' “Farewell Address” to his disciples, his last words to them before he is to be arrested, put on trial, condemned, and put to death.  The road that Jesus has been on for some time, the road to Bethany and the raising of Lazarus, and then off to the Ephraim Wilderness for some time in prayer and solitude, was always leading to Jerusalem.So it is that we know that “the way” is “the way of the cross.”

I'd like to share with you some words that Lutheran pastor Dan Erlander wrote in his book, "Baptized We Live."  A book subtitled,"Lutheranism: A Way of Life.”  He writes, "It is here on the cross that God meets us."  “In the abyss of despair, in the deepest darkness God comes.  In the painful reality of our mortality, our ultimate lowliness, our weakness, God encounters us.  This understanding does not deny God's presence in our joyful happy moments.  Of course, God's there.  God is everywhere.  Also, this understanding does not mean that we must be emotionally depressed to be found by God. Rather God meets us most profoundly at the point of our deepest reality - our honest confrontation with weakness, pain, solitude, and death.”

Everyone knows that life is not easy.  The roads we find ourselves on, the roads we choose, and the roads that choose us, - can be extremely difficult to traverse.Yet it is on the road, on the way, that Christ has prepared a place to dwell with us.  And that place is on the cross, the shared space of God and humanity, the dwelling placewhere God can be held and where God holds humanity.  And in this intersection between God and humanity, heaven and earth, our wounds are cared for, and we are invited to care for each other, to serve the wounded among us, to live out our calling, to find our joy expressed in the service of those in need.  The cross is the place that God has prepared for us.

Jesus’ ministry began with a walk down a road.  It began with a journey that took him from the comforts of his home in Nazareth into the Wilderness via a radical encounter with John the Baptist.  The next road took him to Galilee where he came upon some fishermen.  Jesus stopped and invited them to join him, “Come follow me.”  They left their nets behind and together they continued down the road.  And for the next few years they traveled from place to place, village to village, back and forth across borders.  And along the way they shared the good news, they brought hope to the hopeless, healing to the sick, food to the hungry, and with each step along the way the kingdom of God came closer and closer.  The ministry of Jesus was shaped by traveling down roads, the highways that led from point A to point B, the streets where people worked and loved, the roads that led to dead ends, and even venturing down the path less traveled to the very edges of life.

And Jesus continues to walk down the road even today.  Just as he appeared to the disciples on the road to Emmaus, he walks along side of us, ready to break the bread of hospitality that reveals his presence.  And that is the invitation this morning, to walk alongside Jesus, to be on “The Way,” to be in that “dwelling place along the way,” sharing the good news with all those we encounter, especially those in need. 

Experts remind us that as we grow older it’s important to keep moving.  Once you stop moving, you stop moving!So it is with the faith!  May the encouragement of faith keep us on “the way,” on the road to the cross, deep into the place where God and humanity dwell together, sharing brokenness and healing, in that place where our greatest joys serve to meet the world’s greatest needs, the place God has prepared for us.  Amen.