First Reading Acts 6:1-9, 7:2, 51-60
1Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. 2And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. 3Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. 4But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 5And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. 6These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them. 7And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith. 8And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. 9Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen.
2a And Stephen said: 51“You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. 52Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, 53you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.” 54Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. 55But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” 57But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. 58Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
Psalm Psalm 146
1Hallelujah! Praise the Lord, O my soul! I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. 2Put not your trust in rulers, nor in any child of earth, for there is no help in them. 3When they breathe their last, they return to earth, and in that day their thoughts perish. 4Happy are they who have the God of Jacob for their help! whose hope is in the Lord their God; 5Who made heaven and earth, the seas, and all that is in them; who keeps his promise forever; 6Who gives justice to those who are oppressed, and food to those who hunger. 7The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind; the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; 8The Lord loves the righteous; the Lord cares for the stranger; he sustains the orphan and widow, but frustrates the way of the wicked.9The Lord shall reign forever, your God, O Zion, throughout all generations. Hallelujah!
Second Reading 1 Peter 2:2-10
2Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation — 3if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. 4As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” 7So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” 8and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. 9But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Gospel John 14:1-14
1{Jesus said,} “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4And you know the way to where I am going.” 5Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” 8Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10Do 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 authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves. 12Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. 13Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.”
Enough Equals Happiness
Grace, mercy and peace to you this Lord’s Day from God our heavenly Father and from Jesus Christ, the One in whom true happiness is found.
Since today is the day that has been set aside to honor the moms among us, happy Mother’s Day. I for one am very fortunate to have not only a good mother, but also a mother-in-law who is wonderful as well. I’ll even go so far as to say that one aspect of being happy is to be privileged to have or have had a good mother. So today we salute those women who have loved us and poured their lives into ours.
In the early 1800’s, a small group of miners claimed to have come across a large amount of gold, silver and jewels somewhere north of Santa Fe, New Mexico. They hid their wealth and swore each other to secrecy. And, for the most part they kept their secret. But one of the adventures, a man named Thomas Beale, wrote 3 letters detailing the contents of the treasure and pinpointing the exact location of the hidden spoils. The only catch was that Beale wrote these letters in code.
Eventually, all the members of the group died, including Thomas Beale. And guess what? No one has ever been able to crack the code in all three of Thomas Beale’s letters, and since none of the other adventures divulged their secret, this treasure remains hidden somewhere in Bedford County, Virginia. Now if anyone is interested in getting up a search party to find all that wealth, I promise to support you by praying for you as long as you promise to tithe 10% of whatever you find. Hidden treasure, secrets, these are the things that dreams are made of and we normally equate finding these hidden treasures with happiness.
I grew up in Arizona and from my youth have heard the stories of the Lost Dutchman’s mine. History is filled with stories of pirates and buried treasures or of groups of people like the Templars who fled under persecution and hid priceless artifacts and treasure, leaving behind cryptic clues, curses, and booby-trapped hiding places. One of these legends has become a popular TV show.
The Curse of Oak Island is a reality television multi-season series that chronicles the efforts of an eclectic team of treasure hunters searching for legendary treasure on the infamous Oak Island, on the South Atlantic shore of Nova Scotia, Canada. It’s an American television production that first premiered in Canada on the History network on January 5, 2014. The show features what’s known as the Oak Island mystery, showing efforts to search for historical artifacts and treasure. Millions are currently being spent in search of this hidden treasure and the show features the clues that the team unearths each season.
Some of us probably envy these treasure hunters and would like to join the hunt. On the other hand, others of us may think these treasure hunters are crazy for spending their time, energy and money chasing a dream. Most treasure hunters get a reputation for being kind of kooky—that is until they find the treasure, and then we change our mind.
These stories of treasure hunters make me think of how many of us spend our lives searching for happiness. We oftentimes will organize our lives around searching for and maximizing our happiness. And we all define happiness differently. At least the folks searching for actual treasure have maps, cryptic documentation or a set of clues to follow. All we have to follow in our everyday search are our own ideas about happiness. To some people, happiness means having the perfect family life, or an enviable career, or a big bank account, or a list of accomplishments, or the respect of others. Interestingly, the criteria for each individual seems to be different.
So here’s my question: has anyone found the secret to happiness in this life? Which one of us has cracked the code? And if we were to be honest—most of us end up being exhausted by the hunt. The truth is, many people find themselves deeply unhappy and don’t know why. They simply don’t know what they’re missing, and they can’t seem to find the answer. This, of course, brings us to our gospel passage for today.
John chapters 13-19 all take place on the last night of Jesus’ life before His arrest and crucifixion. Jesus tells His disciples that He will be betrayed, and that He will be going away. This understandably confuses and upsets the disciples: They simply don’t understand. So, Jesus tells them that He is going back to the Father to prepare a place for them and that He will return, so that they will all be together again.
In fact, Jesus won’t just show them the way to His Father’s house; Jesus declares that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life, and that no one comes to the Father except through Him. Philip seems to catch this glimmer of hope, and he insists, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” “Enough”– Enough is the hidden treasure that all humanity is seeking. But it’s also one of those words that’s subjective. What exactly is the quantity of enough?
Do we ever have enough money? Can we possibly ever have enough love in our lives? The question I’m often asked is, do you have enough tools? The answer of course is yes; that is until they come out with a new tool. What about recognition, accolades? Do we ever say thank you enough for what God has done? When we use the word enough, it seems that it’s a momentary quantity, only to be readjusted at a later date. There is one word however, that does come close to quantifying the word enough.
The Hebrew word “Shalom” is usually translated as “peace” by Gentiles. But it embodies this state of tranquility that comes from peace, fulfillment and completeness—in other words, enough. One of the greatest gifts on earth is shalom, enough. Several years ago there was a newspaper cartoon that showed two fields separated by a fence. Each field was the same size, and each had plenty of lush green grass. In each field there was a mule whose head stuck through the wire, eating grass from the pasture on the other side, even though it was hard to reach. In the process of reaching the grass on the other side, the mules’ heads became caught in the fence. They panicked and brayed uncontrollably at being unable to free themselves. The cartoonist wisely described the situation with one word: “Discontent.”
So much of human history has been driven by discontent. It’s been driven by the quest for more—more money, more security, more power. And this whole treasure hunt that consumes our lives is really a form of idolatry. It’s a way of seeking happiness and significance and security in our desires and achievements, not in God’s plans and God’s provisions. If it were possible for us to find happiness and significance this way, then why haven’t we? Why doesn’t anyone have enough?
There’s one question at the heart of every human being that drives our search for enough. The question is, “Does God exist?” Because if there is a God, then all of our meaning and purpose and identity and destiny flow from the character of God. Philip tapped into this desire and this is what he said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” The question is, how many of us agree with Philip?
So let’s assume for a moment that there is no God. If there is no God, then we’re nothing more than a random collection of cells. Our identity and worth come from how we define yourself, or how society defines or values us. If we, for example, decide that right-handed people are superior to all others, then you’re right. If a majority of people around you decide that right-handed people are inferior, then they’re right too. But as a random collection of cells, we’re required to make up our own meaning or purpose for our life. Otherwise, our life is just a random series of meaningless events that may or may not meet your criteria for happiness.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a Swiss philosopher and author who followed this line of thinking. In his book Émile, he wrote that a man’s own feelings are the source of all truth and values. A quote from his book reads, “. . . in the depths of my heart, traced by nature in characters which nothing can efface, I need only consult myself with regard to what I wish to do; what I feel to be good is good, what I feel to be bad is bad.” Could this be the way to find happiness—depend entirely on our own feelings? How did the popular mantra go, “If it feels good, do it?”
Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer agreed with this view. He based his sense of morality on his own feelings. During police interrogations after his arrest and confession, he commented, “If it all happens naturalistically, what’s the need for a God? Can’t I set my own rules? Who owns me? I own myself.” So if we remove God from the equation of the universe, then human beings have no inherent identity or worth, our life has no inherent meaning or purpose, and our values of right or wrong have no actual foundation to support them.
So how do people usually respond to a meaningless universe? By seeking control. By seeking to be first or best in everything. By grasping after anything that will give them identity, purpose or meaning in the moment. And we call that happiness. However, if there is a God, and God is the source of true meaning and purpose and identity, then what is God like? Author Philip Yancey tells of driving through rural Georgia in the 1960s. He saw a roadside stand that read, “Jesus is the answer.” Beneath this slogan, someone had written, “So, what’s the question?” Remember Philip’s implied question, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us”?
The good news is, Jesus is the answer to both of these implied questions, “Does God exist?” and “What is God like?” Jesus answers Philip, “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.” In Jesus, we see a God who understands us.
God has tried to communicate with us and have a relationship with us from the beginning of creation. Through actions, promises and prophets, God tried to reach out and bring us back to His original plan for us. And when none of that worked, God came in human form, in the Incarnation, in the life of Jesus. He grew up in a poor family. He worked hard for His daily bread. He lived under an oppressive Roman government. That’s why Jesus knew what was in His disciples’ hearts. That’s why, just hours before His own arrest, Jesus was comforting them. He understood their situation.
Back in 1988, the eyes of our country were upon Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. Gallaudet is the nation’s only institution of higher education that is dedicated to deaf and hard-of-hearing students. In all of its history, Gallaudet University had been led by presidents who could hear. In 1988, however, the student body protested the perceived disrespect in the appointment of yet another president who was not deaf like his students. And the administration listened. They removed the new president and replaced her with Dr. Irving King Jordan, the first deaf president of Gallaudet University.
Immediately after Dr. Jordan was appointed as the new president, he met with the Chairman of the Board of Trustees and the Student Body President to discuss the future of the university. When they came out of that meeting, the President of the Student Body turned to the new President of the University and said with tears in his eyes, “There was no interpreter.” Think about that for a moment. “There was no interpreter.” The students of Gallaudet finally had a president who understood their struggle. They had a leader who spoke their language. So it is with us.
In Jesus, we see a God who understands us. In Jesus, we see a God who speaks our language. In Jesus, we see a God who has a walked in our shoes.In Jesus, we see a God who has a plan for us. Jesus begins this Bible passage by saying, “My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”
To better help us comprehend Jesus’ statement, we need to understand a little more about ancient Middle Eastern culture to get what Jesus is saying. In Jesus’ day, extended families often lived together in the same house. When a young couple was betrothed to be married, the bridegroom would go back to his father’s house and build on some extra rooms for his new bride. Once the building project was complete, he would come to claim his bride and take her back to his newly expanded house. The wedding would take place only after the bridegroom had completed the building project and prepared a new home for his bride.
When Jesus says that He is going to His Father’s house to prepare a place for us, He’s talking like a bridegroom to His beloved. He’s making a promise to return for us and bring us to our new home—eternal life with God. Only He can make this promise because He is, as He told the disciples, the only way to God. Ginger Sprouse, a business owner in Nassau Bay, Texas, drove by the same homeless man on her way to work every day.
The man, Victor Hubbard, paced up and down the sidewalk and occasionally spoke to passers-by. One day, Ginger gave in to her curiosity and stopped to talk to Victor. She discovered that he struggled with mental illness. He paced back and forth on this particular stretch of road because he was waiting for his mother. Victor believed that she was coming back to get him, and so he waited. For three years, he had been waiting for her return. Ginger, touched by Victor’s story, began stopping by to visit with Victor.
When the weather turned cold, she and her husband invited Victor to stay with them. Ginger even started a GoFundMe page to raise money for Victor. Soon, he had food and clothing and a few other necessities. But he still didn’t have the one thing he needed: a home. So, after much discussion, Ginger Sprouse and her husband invited Victor to live with them. Ginger said, “We kind of had to make that decision. Is he really a part of our family? Do we really mean it when we say that he’s going to be in our lives for the rest of it, if that’s where he wants to be? And we said, ‘Yes, he is.’”
Jesus didn’t have to make a decision about us. From the beginning of Creation, God had a plan to make us a part of His family. God planned for us to be a part of His life forever. That’s why God came in the form of Jesus to show us who He really is. He came to show us how much He loves us. And God came to show us that He has always had a plan for us—to prepare a place for us in His eternal home, and to bring us back to be with Him someday. And the way to this place of eternal life with God is through accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
“Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough.” In Jesus we have the definition of enough. Jesus not only is enough, He’s all we need. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life, and anytime we want to come to the Father, or want to know the Father all we have to do is look to Jesus. Not only is Jesus enough, He’s also our Shalom, our perfect peace. And we can rest in His promise: He is preparing a place for us and He will come again so that we can be with Him and the Father forever. So, what more do we need? Jesus is “Enough.”
Amen
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