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April 27,
2008; The 6th Sunday of Easter Sharing
Grace
"those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them." To love Jesus is to be in a relationship with him. It is impossible to be in relationship with God and not love God - because God's love brings us close and transforms our lives. The disciples knew that love. They spent everyday with Jesus learning from him and following in his steps. The movement that developed around Jesus continued to grow as he taught the people through his words and his actions; Jesus spoke about love and forgiveness; Jesus healed many and gave hope to all. The people knew him, and that made all the difference in their lives. The portion of the gospel read today contains part of what is know as the Farwell Discourse. Jesus is preparing his followers for his departure. He is explaining the difference a relationship with him makes for their lives, and Jesus is clear that his death will not sever his bond with them. And yet, then as now, it can be difficult to understand how we can have a relationship with someone we cannot see or touch. Still Jesus promises not to leave the disciples orphaned. The disciples will not be alone but will have another advocate - One to support them in their relationship with God, the Spirit. In two weeks we will celebrate Pentecost, the birth of the church and the coming of the Holy Spirit. The next Sunday is Trinity Sunday. Both Pentecost and Trinity Sunday will give us ample opportunity to consider the nature of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. For today, we are invited to consider how it is that we know Jesus when we cannot see him and how it is that we communicate our faith to others. What is this faith into which we bring Timmy and Tony today? Their baptisms are both an act of faith and a gift of faith. God has given us the gift of Baptism by which we are united with God through Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. Timmy and Tony will be sealed by the Holy Spirit in Baptism and marked as Christ's own forever. It is an act of faith that brings us here today and this day begins a life of faith for the boys. It is our joy to welcome babies, young children and adults into the fellowship of the church, the body of Christ, because we know that it is here where people find and deepen their relationship with God. Finding relationship with God and growing in that relationship brings love, joy, and peace into our lives and lives of those we know. How do we know God and communicate that faith to others? These have been
the questions that have driven Christians since the start of the faith. In
the reading from Acts, we hear the apostle Paul attempting to communicate his
faith the people of Paul starts by acknowledging that the Athenians are religious: "I know how extremely religious you are." Paul does not berate them or tell them that they are going to hell because of their lack of faith in God. Have any of you ever been told that you were going to hell by a Christian? Doesn't really make you want to listen to the person, does it? Paul respects the people with whom he is speaking by acknowledging that they have beliefs to which they are devoted. We know people who are also devoted to aspects of life - with religious attitude - we say someone does something, "religiously." Paul does not discount the beliefs that the people hold. But he knows that he has a word of grace to communicate that will make a huge difference in their lives. The Athenians were very religious, but they did not believe in the one God. They did not know Jesus Christ. Neither did they did worship the God of the Hebrew people. They worshiped statues, gold creations of imagination, many idols that could not love them back or change their lives. But the one true God was already with them. Paul knew that God was already involved in their lives, and he tried to use what they already understood to explain his faith in Jesus Christ. There are many people who need to hear a word of grace in their lives. They may be unaware of a truly life-giving Christian message. As Paul did in his time, we can respect the devotion that people have to many good things in life, and yet also know that we have a word of grace for them. Our love for God, God's love for us, drives us to reach other to others in love. If you have known me for any length of time, you know that am devoted to who we are as a Christian community. Our church is an oasis of love, a beacon of hope to others. When we leave this place and we make a difference in peoples lives by the way we live, by what we do, and what we say. This is the way of life that Timmy and Tony join today. We promise to support them, and one of the ways we will do that is by
showing them what it means to be a Christian. Like Paul, we know that we have
good news to share, and, like Paul, we know the setting in which we are
called to voice God's word of grace. If you wonder how to share the Good News
or worry that you might offend others, fear not. As |
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