Listen to Readings and Sermon

Easter 6

The Good News Written

Revelation 21.10-14

And in the spirit I was carried away to a great, high mountain and shown the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God.

It has the glory of God and a radiance like a very rare jewel…

It has a great, high wall with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates are inscribed the names of the twelve tribes of the Israelites; on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates.

And the wall of the city has twelve foundations, and on them are the twelve names of the twelve apostles.

John 14.26-27

The Advocate, the holy Spirit, whom the Eternal will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.

The Good News Proclaimed

Preached by the Reverend Robert L. Griffin at the Sunshine Cathedral on Sunday, May 9, 2010.

The Advocate, the holy Spirit, whom the Eternal will send in my name, will teach you everything,
and remind you of all that I have said to you.
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
I do not give to you as the world gives.
Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. (John 14.26-27)

If you could look into a crystal ball and could see into tomorrow, what would you do differently today?  If you could look into tomorrow, and knew you were going to receive a job promotion or a pay raise, what would you do differently today?  Conversely, if you could look into a crystal ball and see that you were going to be let go from your job after 5, 10, or 29 years, what would you do differently today?

If you looked into the infamous crystal ball and saw that you were going to win the lottery, what would you do differently, today? If you knew that you were going to become incapacitated or even incarcerated tomorrow, what would you do differently, today?

In our short gospel reading today, it would appear that we have picked up in the middle of someone’s conversation, probably wishing they had a crystal ball and to some degree even thinking, “maybe I should have done things differently, today.”

The conversation that we have dropped in on is Jesus chatting with friends in a room now commonly known as the Upper Room.  The Last Supper Room is a second-story room in Jerusalem where Jesus shared the Last Supper with his disciples.

This story begins with Jesus preparing for the gathering; Jesus has washed Peter’s and his disciples’ feet, a sign of hospitality. The betrayer of Jesus is dismissed during the meal. Jesus begins his farewell discourse by saying, “do not let your hearts be troubled.” Now, that statement my friends, should have been a red flag to somebody, all is not well.

Jesus, the radical!
Jesus, the challenger of the norm!
Jesus, the one who threw people out of the temple!
Jesus, the one who turned over the money tables! Jesus, the one who had upset the status quo!
Jesus, the one who had talked about bringing in a new kind of kingdom, an anti-kingdom, a kin-dom!
Jesus, the peasant, talked about taking the social, political, and religious outcast with him to a Reality where there is room for everyone, and not just for people of privilege or power.

Yes, when John’s Jesus said, “do not let your hearts be troubled” somebody should have said “wait a minute! Jesus, you can’t keep talking and acting out like this; it is going to get you and us in whole lot of trouble with the Roman Empire and our own religious leaders.”

Somehow, though, Jesus wasn’t too concerned about causing more trouble.  Jesus believed within himself that his actions and behavior were what was needed to bring about a new reality in and for his day.

But who knows, had Jesus had a crystal ball maybe he would have changed his mind, and done things a little differently.  Because what was to come next was the authorities arresting him, Peter denying him, the Sanhedrin accusing him, the Roman Governor sentencing him, and the military flogging him.

Finally, the political system executed him. But Jesus had no way of knowing that things would unfold in just that way!

So, what does Jesus do? He begins to prepare his folks for tomorrow, because on some level Jesus probably did know that the unknown future was filled with potential danger. One doesn’t stand up to the Empire and not expect some sort of retribution!  Jesus might not have known how tomorrow would look, but he did know he had taken risks, and he knew that choices have consequences.

Jesus knew on some level that the very lives his message had touched, healed, and liberated could all crumble tomorrow and they could be without direction, meaning and hope.  His follower would contemplate why they had left their homes, jobs, and family to follow him. Was it all for nothing?

Jesus knew that he had become too much for the powers that be. He had challenged convention, tradition, bigotry, and authoritarianism. And people heard him, and they responded to him. They came to life in response to his message. They found hope and dignity in the midst of the most difficult of circumstances. Oh yes, Jesus had become way too much.

Jesus may not have known how it would all unfold, but he knew that the worst had probably not occurred. He had to prepare his disciples…he had to encourage them, because courage might soon be needed. And if the worst happened, he wouldn’t be around to give them hope, so he needed to give them hope and comfort now…hope and comfort and courage that they could remember and that they could hold onto in the turbulent times.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.  Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.

Anticipating that their hearts would be filled with uncertainty, fear and doubt, Jesus reminded them to trust their faith because it could see them through; faith, trusting our own goodness will see us through as well.

A living faith isn’t as much about what we say about Jesus as it is about embracing and living out the progressive, positive, practical message that Jesus taught.

Faith isn’t about hoping that Jesus will somehow fix all our problems in this life or even in the next; faith is trusting that a life devoted to justice, inclusion, hope, and love, the kind of life Jesus lived and that we can live as well, will leave us peaceful and unafraid.

Rather than claiming to believe certain things about Jesus, we are challenged to do the harder work of following Jesus and embracing his wise and courageous example so that we can face our unknown tomorrows with peace and without being too afraid.

Jesus didn’t say behind every cloud there is a silver lining, the sun will come out tomorrow, it could have been worse, or everything happens for a reason.
Jesus says, “I know that life is sometimes difficult and even unfair, but even when I am no longer with you, you still are strong and capable and innately good.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not let them be afraid, have faith in yourself, trust in your goodness, goodness which the difficulties of life can never take away.”

When we are troubled in our spirit over the loss of health, possessions, security, or relationships, Jesus says your faith can get you through. Be at peace; don’t let your fears win. Do not let your hearts be troubled.

When Jesus says, “do not be afraid,” his friends must have remembered when he called Lazarus forth from his tomb. Even in the face of loss, trust your goodness. Let not your hearts be troubled.

Jesus’ friends must have thought of the time he encountered the woman at the well. Even when your past is filled with pain, trust your goodness. Let not your hearts be troubled.

Jesus’ friends may have recalled when a woman with a hemorrhaging condition touched his garment and suddenly was empowered. Even when things have been difficult for a long time, healing is still possible. Let not your hearts be troubled.

The message for us isn’t that bad things don’t happen, or even that every problem will be fixed to our satisfaction. The message is that there is reason to hope, that difficulties don’t diminish our innate goodness, and we can have faith in our goodness and in the ultimate goodness of life, come what may! Don’t be afraid. Don’t give in to worry. Don’t let yourself be hopeless. Have peace. Do not let your hearts be troubled!

In response to the challenges of life, let us recall this story about Jesus and then affirm, “I will not let my heart be troubled and I will not be afraid. I am filled with peace and I trust in the goodness that I Am.”

Just like Jesus and the disciples, we don’t know what is going to happen to us tomorrow. But also like Jesus, we can refuse to let the unknown steal our hope, our joy, or our peace.  Jesus says to us today, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” Amen.

The Good News Affirmed

Today, I decide to live differently.

I will live with more joy!

I will love with more love!

I will live in peace!

I trust in the goodness that I Am!

Audio readings and sermon (http://sunshinecathedral.org/sermons/audio/20100509_2.mp3)