Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Jesus’ Final Priestly Prayer: Mission and Unity Andrew’s Chapel Campus, Jackson FUMC – June 1, 2014

In our technological word; we like data; we like to be able to google something and find all there is to know on the subject. We find it odd if a person or business does not have a web presence of some kind whether it be a web page or a social media account and heaven forbid if they do not have an e-mail address.  Just as an aside; I cannot imagine doing a sermon without the Internet and its wealth of resources and I share my sermons on the Internet; just check out my blog.  However, our Gospel passage from John this morning  existed orally long before it was written down on papyrus.  It is more like the person or business who is operating below the technological radar.  This passage of scripture requires faith and a willingness to be a Christ-follower.  For the writer of John 17; the facts about a historical Jesus or the actual events do not matter.  The writer is referring us back to the Prologue John where it is written, “In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God and the Word was God.”  Christ is the Word or as expressed by Dr. Alexander Shaia; “the Way of Love”, has existed since the beginning and will continue to be forever. The Word or as expressed by Dr. Alexander Shaia;  author of This text points us to eternal life through Christ and being one in Christ; the path of love.  While it is the path of love, it is also a path of suffering.  As the commentary for Preaching God’s Justice says, “These tensions show that the Christian life is neither absent of pain nor comfortable.”
Jesus has eaten his last meal and washed his disciples’ feet in the Upper Room.  This prayer is a part of his final discourse before he is arrested and crucified.  It is not only part of the final discourse but it is his final priestly prayer before being nailed to the cross.   Jesus begins by acknowledging that the time has come and prays for himself.  However, Jesus is not asking for circumstances to be changed but for God; the Father, to be honored and be known to all of Jesus’ followers.  In the second part of the prayer, Jesus is praying for his followers.  He demonstrates his love by asking the Father to protect them and to unite them as one. 
Two major  principles for us in this passage:
(1) Following Jesus’ example of  praying for our mission as Christ-followers both individually and corporately to be fulfilled – not for things to be made simple or less painful but for God to be glorified  and all to  be led to experience  eternal life not in the future but now meaning  that
“And this is the really real life across all time – that The Source of All is the deepest truth of the cosmos, and Jesus the Christ (the full teaching of The Way of Love) teaches us that matter and spirit, death and life, light and dark, time and eternity, earth and heaven and all people are One as The Source of All and The Way are One.” –  © Dr. Alexander Shaia, Heart and Mind: The Four Gospel Journey for Transformation

(2) Unity – we are to be One not a group of individuals but One – but what does unity look like, it  does not mean agreeing on every single doctrinal point or every single interpretation of scripture;  but it does mean loving each other as Christ followers.  We often are very good at building houses together or feeding the hungry or handing out clothing but what about how we treat people outside of those service opportunities?  I remember one Sunday as teenager when our family had to leave church immediately following the last hymn so we sat in the very last row; while some people arrived after us and said it was their pew and then proceeded sit down in front of us and act miffed during the entire service.  Alternatively, perhaps we are nice to be people when we see them at church and then act as if we do not know then outside of the church. This is not unity either.  Compassion is to be practiced both inside and outside of the Christian community.
Practicing compassion is refraining from judgment or advice giving  or trying to figure why this happening to that person before you decide to help but rather being present and letting them know Christ is with them and that suffering is a part of living.  Sometimes it is the direct result of sin or consequences of sin, however; it is not our job to point out other people’s sin but to care for them. Compassion is also not criticizing or making fun of other Christians with whom we disagree.   We hurt Christ’s mission more by our own infighting within the local church and within the universal church. Because we as Christians are composed of so many different groups; most of the time the world sees conflict and not love. 
Believing that we are under the Father’s protection means we have no need to fear or to understand all of life. Christ is asking us to accept whatever comes our way and to work with all those who follow Christ as well as those who do not. This is a tall order, which is why we cannot be Christians by ourselves because in our sufferings, our doubts, our joys and our celebrations we need community.  So where do we begin?  Jesus’ prayer this morning offers for us an example of humility and obedience second to none.  It also emphasizes how trust is key in all relationships.  Jesus trusted the Father; the Father protects us and as we will hear next Sunday; the Father gave us the Holy Spirit as our advocate.  Regardless of our knowledge or lack of knowledge of why God has done or not done certain things in the world; the Bible provides us with a picture of God who since the beginning of time has desired relationship with us.  Now have we always thought that God got it right or did we always respond to God appropriately probably not but again the past is not important.  What is important is us trusting in God.  We show God our trust by being honest with Him.  We cannot experience the redemption and love of Christ unless we tell God that we are scared; angry, fearful, excited or remorseful etc.  Trust is the first step in identifying with the Way of Love.; from there we can seek to glorify God and to become united with other Christ Followers as one.
So does trusting Jesus ensure that I will be happy probably not because even our modern psychologists have stated that  If anything, pure happiness is linked to not helping others in need. “ which is contrary to Jesus’ teaching.
After surviving the Holocaust; the famed Austrian psychiatrist and neurologist, Victor Frankl wrote a book entitled; Man’s Search for Meaning that was published in 1959; and in it he writes ,
“This uniqueness and singleness which distinguishes each individual and gives a meaning to his existence has a bearing on creative work as much as it does on human love. When the impossibility of replacing a person is realized, it allows the responsibility, which a man has for his existence and its continuance to appear in all its magnitude. A man who becomes conscious of the responsibility he bears toward a human being who affectionately waits for him, or to an unfinished work, will never be able to throw away his life. He knows the "why" for his existence, and will be able to bear almost any "how."
In another words, when we know our purpose then we can endure any kind of suffering.  Jesus knew his purpose and desires us to find our purpose in Him.   Even in our great technological age; a group of psychological scientists have just finished a study that will be published later this year in the Journal of Positive Psychology concluding that “Meaning is not only about transcending the self, but also about transcending the present moment”.   They go on to say that “While happiness is an emotion felt in the here and now, it ultimately fades away, just as all emotions do; positive affect and feelings of pleasure are fleeting. The amount of time people report feeling good or bad correlates with happiness but not at all with meaning.  “
Atlantic Monthly, further quotes this study in their article, “There is more to life than happiness”, by stating that: “Meaning, on the other hand, is enduring. It connects the past to the present to the future. "Thinking beyond the present moment, into the past or future, was a sign of the relatively meaningful but unhappy life," the researchers write. "Happiness is not generally found in contemplating the past or future." That is, people who thought more about the present were happier, but people who spent more time thinking about the future or about past struggles and sufferings felt more meaning in their lives, though they were less happy. “
So how we do carry out Christ’s mission and discover meaning in our lives?
(1) Identifying with Jesus as the Way of Love -    the website Living Space says –“To know the Father and Jesus is to have as full as possible an understanding of Jesus’ message and to have assimilated it into one’s whole life. It is not just a knowledge of recognition but a mutual identification of vision and values.  Further  As the Jerusalem Bible states: “In biblical language, ‘knowledge’ is not merely the conclusion of an intellectual process but the fruit of an ‘experience’, a personal contact.  When it matures, it is love.” (Jerusalem Bible, loc. cit.)”
(2) Commit to praying – follow Jesus’ example – praying for ourselves(to glorify God in all things and that our hearts and minds may be united in one purpose) so that we can pray for and be in unity with other Christ followers. 
(3) Commit to being a part of a faith community not just in name or by occupying a pew but by  being immersed in it by praying, serving and fellowshipping with other Christ followers.   Find others in your own church and beyond to encourage and share in your spiritual growth and service-(Facebook and Twitter are great ways to connect with other people; I have friends now from around the world who pray for me and we share in each other’s lives as Christ-followers some of them I don’t even know what church they go  to or what there theology is; we simply share and support each  other as Christians).
(4) As a Christ follower take responsibility for your own personal growth through regular study of scripture and spiritual reading; be willing to share your journey and help equip others.
(5) Serve and reflect Christ’s love in the world, which is sorely needed, as at least a quarter of Americans do not have a strong sense of what makes their lives meaningful according to Atlantic Monthly.
This is where our focus needs to be.  Jesus is not concerned with what happened in the past or what might happen but what we are doing together in this moment to be united together as One in Him that the world sees his love from us.
 I close now with a prayer from Michelle Francl-Donnay’s Homily written for this Sunday and published in the book,  Naked. And you Clothed me. “May we have ears to hear the poor. May we have eyes to see the root of injustice.  May we have the courage to bear the crosses placed upon us. May we have the will and the strength to take up the crosses that are not ours.  And may we ever bear with joy and hope the weight of glory.” ©2013 Clear Faith Publishing, Homilists for the Homeless series
  In the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit Amen.



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