FIRST READING Acts 16:16–34
16 One day, as we were going to the place of prayer, we met a slave-girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners a great deal of money by fortune-telling. 17 While she followed Paul and us, she would cry out, “These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation.” 18 She kept doing this for many days. But Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour. 19 But when her owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities. 20 When they had brought them before the magistrates, they said, “These men are disturbing our city; they are Jews 21 and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to adopt or observe.” 22 The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates had them stripped of their clothing and ordered them to be beaten with rods. 23 After they had given them a severe flogging, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to keep them securely. 24 Following these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. 27 When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted in a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” 29 The jailer called for lights, and rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them outside and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 They answered, “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 At the same hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptized without delay. 34 He brought them up into the house and set food before them; and he and his entire household rejoiced that he had become a believer in God.
PSALM Psalm 97
1 The LORD reigns; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of the isles be glad.
2 Clouds and darkness surround the LORD, righteousness and justice are the foundations of God’s throne.
3 Fire goes before the LORD, burning up enemies on every side.
4 Lightnings light up the world; the earth sees and trembles.
5 The mountains melt like wax before the Lord of all the earth.
6 The heavens declare your righteousness, O LORD, and all the peoples see your glory.
7 Confounded be all who worship carved images and delight in false gods! Bow down before the LORD, all you gods.
8 Zion hears and is glad, and the cities of Judah rejoice, because of your judgments, O LORD.
9 For you are the LORD, most high over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.
10 You who love the LORD, hate evil! God guards the lives of the saints and rescues them from the hand of the wicked.
11 Light dawns for the righteous, and joy for the honest of heart.
12 Rejoice in the LORD, you righteous, and give thanks to God’s holy name.
SECOND READING Revelation 22:12–14, 16–17, 20–21
12 See, I am coming soon; my reward is with me, to repay according to everyone’s work. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” 14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates. 16 It is I, Jesus, who sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” 17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let everyone who hears say, “Come.” And let everyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift.” 20 The one who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! 21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.
GOSPEL John 17:20–26
20 I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 24 Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. 25 Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. 26 I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”
A Strange New Math
Today is an interesting Sunday. If you weren’t already aware of it, today not only do we honor and celebrate our mother’s and care givers, but it’s also the Sunday after the Ascension. Thursday is the actual day we observed Jesus’ return to the Father. What’s interesting is that these two observances only happen on the same Sunday once every 15 years or so. So with Mother’s Day in mind, I thought you might enjoy the list of seven things a husband shouldn’t get his wife for Mother’s day.
Although the only person a man usually shops for is his wife, the whole experience can be a stressful one. Many a man has felt the cold shoulder, based on a poor gift decision. As a veteran of these wars, I’m still not sure what to buy my wife each year, but I’ll pass on this list of what not to buy her:
1. Don’t buy anything that plugs in.
2. Don’t buy clothing that involves sizes. The chances are one in 7000 that you’ll get her size right, which means, your wife will be offended the other 6999 times.
3. Avoid all things useful. That new silver polish advertised to save hundreds of hours is not going to win you any brownie points.
4. Don’t buy anything that involves weight loss or self-improvement. She’ll perceive a six-month membership to a gym as a suggestion that’s she’s overweight.
5. Don’t buy jewelry. The jewelry your wife wants, you can’t afford. And the jewelry you can afford, she doesn’t want.
6. Don’t fall into the traditional trap of buying her frilly underwear. Your idea of the kind your wife should wear and what she actually wears are light years apart.
7. Finally, don’t spend too much. The question she’ll ask is, “How do you think we’re going to afford that?” Conversely, don’t spend too little. She might not say anything, but she’ll think, “Is that all I’m worth?” My comment to all this, is good luck!
Now while you ponder those tidbits of wisdom, I’d like to trouble you with a mathematical question that might seem a bit less taxing. It’s a simple math formula that I’m sure anyone here, with the most basic of math skills, can answer. What is 1 + 1 + 1? How many said 3? I hate to burst your bubble, but based on the formula found in our reading from John, the answer is one. It’s a strange formula that I think in reality is a wonderful mystery. It’s a mystery that’s worthy of us taking the time this morning to contemplate. On the surface it might seem like a strange math, but it’s God’s math, and it would be good for us to consider it today. By the way, this odd formula shouldn’t seem strange to you, this isn’t the first time most of us have encountered God’s unique math. Anyone who’s been married, or even been to a wedding, has heard the Genesis/Matthew passage, “and the two shall become one. In other words, in God’s math book, 1 + 1 can also equal 1. But for today were looking at another unusual mathematical formula; 1 + 1 + 1 = one.
This odd formula comes from the gospel reading for today. For the past several weeks during this Easter season, our gospel readings have come from the section of John’s gospel known as the Final Discourse of Jesus. This last speech, if you will, that Jesus makes to His disciples, concludes with these verses from the 17th chapter. It’s really a prayer between Jesus and our Heavenly Father and has often been called the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus. In a sense, it’s Jesus’ last will and testament, His parting shot, His final effort to teach, to exhort, to encourage and to empower His disciples before He ascends to the Father. But let me back to the math part.
Listen to Jesus’ prayer; “I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” It’s simple really, according to Jesus’ prayer request, 1 + 1 + 1 = One. Maybe the best way to understand this would be to break this equation down into its different parts.
Start with the first two parts of the equation: 1 + 1. Remember Jesus’ words: “You, Father, are in me and I am in you” and later He comments as He prays to His Father, “We are one.” 1 + 1 — the Father and the Son are united. They’re united in every way. They’re united in will, in power, in loving intent for humankind, in commitment to salvation, and in a mercy that endures forever. That’s what Jesus is stating in His prayer. Jesus came that we might know God — His will, His intent, His love, His grace, His forgiveness, His power and His peace. Want to know what God’s like? Simply look at Jesus. It truly is a case of “like Father, like Son” carried to the ultimate. To see and know the One, is to see and know the other. In God’s strange new math, 1 + 1 truly does equal one. Consider for a moment the vertical dimension of the cross.
God has reached down to this earth in His Son. He poured Himself out and became a Man. 1 + 1 became One, because “God so loved the world …”. But there’s more to this mystery. There’s another integer for us to consider. Jesus also said: I pray “that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one.” And who are the “they”? Thanks be to God, that’s you and me. Using the image of the cross again, now picture that horizontal beam.
Imagine it growing and growing and extending its arms. Watch how those arms grow and stretch and bend until they curve in upon themselves and form this huge circle that includes all of us, as well as our friends across the street, and over across the state, on over in Tennessee, and Virginia, and England, and Asia; all around the globe. They continue on encompassing the whole of humanity. There really is no magic to God’s math – because of His love and mercy, we are one in God!
The only reason this becomes complicated is because our self-centeredness is offended by the thought of being lost in the oneness of others. We’ve been inundated with the 20th century philosophy of “I-ness,” so that the concept of 1 + 1 + 1 equaling One, is somehow foreign to our sense of personhood. We somehow feel that it violates our individuality. But it’s God’s math, not reasoned calculus. It’s God’s math, not pop psychology. It’s God’s math, and it works.
It works because of the heretofore unmentioned, third divine partner linked to the first two — namely, the Holy Spirit. The Spirit accomplishes what God has ordained. The Spirit completes the work of God in Christ by calling us together, enlightening us with his Word, filling us with power through the sacraments, sending us out to gather others in His name and around the table with us. By His power, we are one — not by our own initiatives, not by our own creativities, not by our own inventions. We are God’s, claimed in the waters of baptism, joined together in His body, the Church, and empowered for living as a community of faith — through His Spirit. And this has four broad and far-reaching implications for us as a people and as a church.
First, the fact that God’s strange math works, that 1 +1 + 1 = One, means that we are stronger together than we are apart. Consider that for a moment. We are stronger together than we are apart. Our ones equal one — a whole. The gifts that God has given each of us individually, are to be joined together to benefit the whole. We are to be a living organism, a body, that works together in ways we cannot work apart. This means we need to share our gifts with one another. In fact, in the New Testament, whenever gifts are mentioned, they’re always mentioned in the light and context of the community. Only as God’s gifts build up this community of faith are they being used as they were intended to be used. Read Paul’s words in Corinthians or Colossians, you’ll see what I mean. The second implication for God’s strange math comes from the text itself.
Why are we all to be one? Jesus answers: “So that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” God’s purpose is fulfilled in that math. Our oneness is a witness to the world of who Jesus is. People look to us to understand Jesus, because we claim to be His body. And further, the only way the world will know about His love for them is through us. We are the arms of the cross outstretched and growing, every time we join hands with others in love. Joined to Christ in baptism, we’re joined with one another in His body, and we have the responsibility to reach out to others in that love and forgiveness and grace we have come to know and experience in this place. Maybe the question we need to ask is, how well we do that? Or perhaps, how often?
When was the last time we invited someone to worship with us? I’m like to think that it’s the best invitation we can ever offer someone and I truly believe it — for where else in this world do you hear about a love so great that it keeps on accepting us each and every time we come, no matter where we’ve been or what we’ve done? Where else in this world do we find acceptance and peace that’s not earned? Where else in this world do we hear good news that can literally change peoples’ lives? So why, then, are we so reluctant to make that simple invitation? Be an inviter — it may change someone’s life. The story of the Christian faith is filled with such lives. Yours and mine included.
The third implication of the truth of God’s math, has to do with our stance in the world. To believe, to really believe, that we’re joined to Christ and to one another and can find wholeness and oneness in that union, puts us in direct opposition to the preaching of the world around us. I found a poignant example of that in a mail advertisement that came across my desk recently. It was titled “The Black Book of Executive Politics” and was written anonymously by “Z.” This is actually what the advertisement said about this book. Written by a world-class corporate infighter who prefers to remain anonymous, this priceless volume contains 43 street-smart hints, tips, short-cuts, ploys, strategies and approaches for surviving — and making it big in the company political arena … People call company politics a “game.” But it’s a game you have to play, like it or not, if you want to survive and succeed.
Listen to the contents of this book that’s going to put me at the top of the corporate ladder: Why style — rather than performance – this is the key factor in determining who makes the boardroom. When teamwork isn’t the answer. How to make points with the boss without being obviously on-the-make. How to learn needed inside information without being unethical. And it goes on and on. The letter inside the ad states: “I’m talking about truly Machiavellian stuff here. I know it all sounds a bit paranoid. But there are times when a little paranoia can give you the backside protection you need.
You’ll get the latest and most diabolical thinking on these political skills.” And then he ends with two seemingly contradictory thoughts. First, he plants the seed about the opposition: “How many people in your company are sending away for their copies of the Black Book?” And then he said, that if I act right away, I’ll get a free copy of “Creating a Loyal Staff.” A loyal staff? After I’ve learned that you want me to beat up my counterparts in the corporate arena and I’m not sure who’s reading the same Black Book I am? Give me a break. But there it is. I wonder what this anonymous author “Z” would have to say about God’s math? Finally, something needs to be said about what this text doesn’t mean.
I’ve heard a lot of well-meaning people use this text on oneness as a pitch for a global church of some sort. There’s no question that Christ’s prayer calls for oneness, but it’s hard to imagine that Jesus, in His last moments, was making a pitch for one international church or one world-wide mission board, or one universal hymnal. Those may be important human dreams, but Jesus was more concerned in the unity of spirit that would be about the Father’s business. And what is that business? To a world of sinful people, we have a word of forgiveness. To a world that can’t distinguish between right and wrong, we have truth in our proclamations. To a world that practices war, we announce a peace that goes beyond human understanding or engineering. What is the Father’s business? It’s about love and grace and justice that are more than words and slogans.
In closing I’d like to share a story about what happens when the math doesn’t work — when we don’t allow it to work. It’s reported that Mahatma Gandhi, in his younger days, was impressed with Christianity. One Sunday in South Africa he went to a church, planning to ask the minister afterwards for instructions in the faith. But as he entered the building the ushers refused to seat him. “Why don’t you visit the colored peoples’ church?” he was asked. Gandhi never became a Christian. “If Christians also have differences, I might as well remain a Hindu,” he explained.
Yes, we have differences — but in God’s strange math 1 + 1 + 1 = One. For those who believe that, their eyes look upon their neighbor in a whole new way. For those who believe that, their arms cannot help but reach out to join those who know the same math. For all who believe, God touches and blesses and makes them one with Him and with one another. But we can’t keep this wonderful formula to ourselves. We need to share this Good News with those around us and invite others to join us in celebrating our oneness with God.
Amen.