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Sermon for Sunday 28 May 2017

FIRST READING Acts 1:12-26

12Then {the disciples} returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. 13And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. 14All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. 15In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (the company of persons was in all about 120) and said, 16“Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. 17For he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.” 18(Now this man acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness, and falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out. 19And it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their own language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) 20“For it is written in the Book of Psalms, ‘May his camp become desolate, and let there be no one to dwell in it’; and ‘Let another take his office.’ 21So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us — one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.” 23And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias. 24And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen 25to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” 26And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

 

PSALM Psalm 68:1-10

1Let God arise, and let his enemies be scattered; let those who hate him flee before him. 2Let them vanish like smoke when the wind drives it away; as the wax melts at the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God. 3But let the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; let them also be merry and joyful. 4Sing to God, sing praises to his Name; exalt him who rides upon the heavens; YAHWEH is his name, rejoice before him! 5Father of orphans, defender of widows, God in his holy habitation! 6God gives the solitary a home and brings forth prisoners into freedom; but the rebels shall live in dry places. 7O God, when you went forth before your people, when you marched through the wilderness, 8The earth shook, and the skies poured down rain, at the presence of God, the God of Sinai, at the presence of God, the God of Israel. 9You sent a gracious rain, O God, upon your inheritance; you refreshed the land when it was weary. 10Your people found their home in it; in your goodness, O God, you have made provision for the poor.

 

SECOND READING 1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11

12Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 14If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. 15But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. 16Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. 17For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18And “If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” 19Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good. 56Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

 

GOSPEL John 17:1-11

1When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 2since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 5And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed. 6“I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. 8For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. 9I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. 10All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. 11And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.”

 

JESUS’ PRAYER THE PAUSE IN THE BATTLE

In 1936, near the beginning of the Spanish Civil War, one of the horrible centers of fighting was the Alcázar fortress near Toledo. Interestingly, every day in the middle of the horrendous fighting, the battle would stop, twice as a matter of fact, in order to allow a blind beggar to tap his way on the street between the firing lines. One can only imagine how welcome those few minutes were to the men on both sides. They probably hoped that the blind man would walk more slowly in order to give them a few more seconds of peace. Then the reprieve would end and the slaughter would once again engulf the two armies who were struggling to overcome each other. In our gospel reading for this morning, we find Jesus in a similar critical moment.
Jesus is in the middle of a few hours of relief between His antagonists’ struggling to arrest Him and their final success —apprehending Him at night and dragging Him to trial and death. Today’s text is the pause before Jesus’ arrest, trial, and crucifixion. Immediately before our text in chapter 13, Jesus shares His last meal with His disciples, washing their feet and teaching them from His humble example. Then in chapters 14 through 16, He continues teaching. Finally, here in chapter 17, He offers His prayer in His last few minutes of peace. However, this break in the fury ends too quickly. And soon, under the cover of darkness, the soldiers and police, led by Judas, will arrest Jesus there in the Garden of Gethsemane. From there, the events of that fateful night will continue downward to His crucifixion.
In this short interval before He’s whisked off to suffer and die, Jesus prays at the end of His public influence. One thing we need to acknowledge is that our prayers get more honest, the closer we come to danger, and by doing so we can understand how to evaluate Jesus’ prayer. He prays here for what He cares about most. In His prayer, we listen to His most important concerns.
I heard of an agnostic who was very interested in peace and justice. One day, hoping that the Christian church would have something to say about achieving a world of justice and peace, he attended worship. It was a congregation, however, whose manner of prayer was to say “just” in every sentence. He reported, “They prayed, ‘O Lord just help us… just give us… just protect us… just be merciful to us.’ I realized that instead of ‘justice’ all they cared about was ‘just us.’” In this portion of His prayer, Jesus prays just for His disciples; but, beyond where we read today in verse 20, Jesus expands His prayer to include all who will believe because of them. It’s a huge prayer for Jesus and a big assignment for us. Our faith isn’t merely about us, but about our reaching others with Jesus’ love, compassion, and healing.
As we live for Jesus our lives aren’t perfect. As we pray, our prayers aren’t perfect and others can misunderstand our prayers. If the truth be told, on the scale of what’s necessary, we often, even in our religious life, focus on what ranks second or third (or even tenth or eleventh). Our life with God at times can be like a runaway NASCAR race. The dominate car out front seems untouchable and soon it’s so far ahead that he’s out of sight. Several of the drivers are slow and soon are several laps down. The only race that we seem to find interesting is between that small group of cars mid-pack. Before long we find we’re focused on those four or five in the middle and we almost forget who’s the best in the whole race. The church can be like that, as we major in minors. We settle for the pretty good instead of the best. Jesus’ prayer forces us to refocus on what is and who is of supreme importance.
In the short time Jesus has left in His earthly life, He doesn’t teach us directly any longer. Instead, He lets us listen in as He prays and allows us to be affected by it. Shakespeare’s contemporary Ben Johnson said, “Language most shows the man: speak that I may see thee.” When Jesus speaks to God, we perceive who He really is. We see His self-understanding and His intensions. We view His determination and His pain.
He’s about to be betrayed, beaten and abused severely and then crucified; yet He prays for us. If it were me in that situation, I’d probably be praying for myself. Jesus, instead, prays for His followers. Maybe this is what Stephan was thinking about as he was being stoned. We’ve all known that people pray for us. Sometimes, although those prayers for us certainly reach God, they don’t seem to have an affect on us. Maybe those past prayers for us have bounced off our soul, like a fire hose only splattering water against a brick wall. Or we’ve actively shielded ourselves from those prayers, batting them away like playing tennis. Sometimes it’s a while before even Jesus’ prayers truly get through to us.
The seventeenth-century scientist and philosopher Blaise Pascal still amazes those who study him. He had mastered Latin and Greek by the time he was twelve. He devised a way to measure an angled cross-section of a cone, invented the world’s first calculating machine, investigated the dynamics of liquids, experimented with the barometer, and developed a theory of probability, all before dying at age 39. Historians approach Pascal from different perspectives, but they all consider him to be a genius.
We humans can sometimes use our intelligence to keep God at arm’s length. Pascal at one time believed in God, but later wandered away from his devotion until he drifted into despair. Then one night, he read this prayer of Jesus in John 17, and he seemed surrounded by God’s embracing love. He experienced God’s presence for two hours. His life was totally changed there within God’s presence and Jesus’ prayer for him. He redirected his genius toward defending the Christian faith and commending to others Jesus as the very character of God on earth. As with Blaise Pascal, Jesus’ prayer and God’s presence don’t meet on the page of the Bible. They join in our lives each and every day.
When a friend of mine’s youngest daughter was in college, he said he was surfing the channels one night, and came across her college basketball team on TV. As he watched, the camera panned over the fans, he searched the stands, and there was Lydia, jumping, waving, and yelling her throat out. He knew she always carried her cell phone with her, so he phoned and when she answered he said, “Hey Lyd, I just saw you on TV at the basketball game.”
“No you didn’t” she said. “Yes I did, the father replied, I’m positive I just saw you screaming like a fiend. You’re sitting in the stands in the gym right now.” “No, I’m not,” came the reply. I’m confused. “I’m sure that you —” Laughing, she said, “The game was last night. It’s a rebroadcast.” When you read Jesus’ prayer, it’s not history. It’s not even a believable rebroadcast. Jesus prays for us right now. Jesus prays, “Now they know that everything you have given me is from you” (v. 7).
If we don’t have any access to the living God now, if we have no sense or experience of God today, why study the Bible about Jesus way back then? Our experience with Jesus — like that of Blaise Pascal — can be that of God’s very presence right now. If not, our life with Jesus can be like that daily pause in the Spanish Civil War in 1936 — that necessary time and space needed for bare survival. Our meeting Jesus, in His prayer, is more than a chance to gasp in the middle of a too fast, too confusing, or too dangerous life. Jesus, in prayer, offers to give us a whole new pattern for living.
E.L. Doctorow set his novel of the American Civil War in General Sherman’s “march to the sea.” It’s titled The March. In it, Doctorow portrays, in fictional form, not only real events that happened in the Civil War, but things that happen in our lives. The Union forces set fire to the cotton in Columbia, South Carolina, and the sparks from the cotton spread and begin to ignite the city. The flames leap from one neighborhood to the next and now a convent school is in danger of burning. The Abbess Sister Ann Marie comes, leading the 25-30 children out of the fire. The Union soldiers posted to guard them have no choice but to follow.
Sister Ann Marie commands the children not to cry, to look only at the ground as they walk, and to trust God to protect them. They follow her out through the danger, and right there is a tiny spot of order in the center of chaos, a group of believers walking by faith if not by sight. That’s much the way Jesus leads us in this world, even if all we see is the back of His legs in the smoke. No matter what we must go through, Jesus bids us, “Follow me.” Our faith in Jesus grants us new and certain direction when everything around us seems to be falling apart. Jesus even leads us toward a world of peace and justice, teaching us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. And the best way for us to appropriate God’s mercy in our lives is to pray.
Jesus, while facing the dangers ahead, prays for His followers. Not only will He be arraigned, found guilty, and executed, but in His trial Jesus will be questioned about His disciples. Jesus prayed for His chosen, before they too were in danger. And He prays for each of us as well, before we’re in danger, and God’s presence answers Jesus’ prayer for us right now — sometimes with chaos encircling us, but always with a leader who guides us through everything, even a world that’s burning down around us.
Here, in this moment, in whatever circumstances we suffer, in whatever dangers that ambush us from the outside or surprise us from the inside, now, no matter what race we’re in and seem to be losing or what manner of civil war rages inside of us demanding that we give our attention, energy and loyalty to something that is less than eternal, now — when we really need it — Jesus prays for us.
We can become distracted by the many things around us: the rising cost of living or the falling value of houses. We can be preoccupied by the things about us: losing our youth or losing our faculties, losing our confidence or losing our reputation. However, what we really need to remember is, that no matter what we find ourselves facing, focus on the fact that Jesus prays for us. He prays that the Father will protect us in God’s name.
Our culture has slowly changed how parents name their children. Nowadays, parents will come up a name for their child, hoping no one else has thought of it. Even former generations gave names that only vaguely generated sentiment by naming their child after a family member or of a favorite friend. So, it’s hard for us from our culture and experience to understand the significance of names in the Bible.
In the biblical world names often expressed something about the person or at least carried the parents’ hope for their child. Names in the Bible were like names among Shoshoni warriors in the 17 and 1800s. They had meaning, and they changed. So, doing historical research about Shoshoni warriors is confusing. At different times in their lives they’d receive a different name because they’d fought well in battle or perhaps stole a good herd of horses. The name changed because it announced something of the man’s character or achievement.
Jesus demonstrates God’s character and power (meaning God’s name) when, instead of praying for Himself, He chooses to pray for those He loves. In doing so, He reveals God’s true nature. And Jesus does it now. As we read the Bible and hear Jesus’ prayer, it’s not a rebroadcast or a rerun. It’s not the repetition of someone else’s experience or even a memory of our own past relationship with God. It’s meeting God, right here in the gauntlet we walk through called life, now when we’re desperate for faith but frightened to lose control of ourselves, here where conflicts rage within us and we long for that gentle pause that God provides those who entrust themselves to Jesus.
We’ll never get all we want from God in this life. Jesus, however, makes sure we get everything we need. He protects us in God’s name, the name Jesus prays in verse 11 that God has given to Him. Jesus bears God’s name. We realize that God’s name, God’s personality, God’s character and deepest nature are most clearly seen in the One who prays for us and in whose name we pray: Jesus.
Let us pray, Lord Jesus, thank you that you’ve reached into our lives with your compassion. We praise you that, for no merit of our own, you love us, forgive us, and invite us to follow you through life and eternity. Help us to spread your word to others, to pray for others as you have prayed for us, and to give our lives in your service to our neighbors. Help us to concentrate only on you, no matter what we face. Help us to look at your heels as we follow you through life’s fires and trust that, when the flames are highest and hottest, they also can carry within them the very presence of God. As you prayed to the heavenly Father, so do we, offering our prayer in your holy name.
Amen.

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