SERMON
May 26, 2016
Peter Steinbrenner
White Bible
One summer, when I was 12 years old, my father drove my family to the
county fair in Southwest Washington State. He did this every year. To me,
this was a huge fair. It took all day to visit every booth and every animal. I
always loved going to the fair. And I especially liked the animals, the fruit
and vegetable displays, and most importantly the food.
Being 12 years old, I visited several exhibits by myself and I soon learned
that you could get cool things for free at the fair. Often, all you had to do
was give them your name and tell them where you lived.
This year, I was given something special. I was given this white Bible. It
was my first Bible and it quickly became very important to me. I especially
liked its pictures.
However, about a couple of weeks after visiting the fair, my parents
received a phone call and were told that I had signed up for a 12-week
course, taught by the Seventh Day Adventist Church. They were told that
two ladies would be visiting me every Sunday Afternoon. I told my parents
that there must have been a mistake. However, my dad pointed out that
nothing in life is free, and since I took the bible, I would take the course. I
was soon to learn all about the final book in the New Testament – The
Revelation to John.
So, for 12 weeks, these two woman drove 3 miles up a gravel road every
Sunday afternoon to spend 2 hours with me – a 12-year-old boy, whom they
had never met. And I dutifully listened to what they said, and I did my best
to understand.
Revelation
In the Book of Revelation, John received several visions. As a 12-year-old,
these visions were quite graphic, sometimes disturbing, yet thrilling. And in the end, God’s adversaries are defeated.
Our reading today begins with John experiencing his final vision where he
sees the city of Jerusalem. Here, John sees Jerusalem as a brilliantly
beautiful city filled with the presence of God. A place full of light and where darkness does not exist. There will be no more night, for the Lord God will be their light.
The angel shows him the river of the water of life, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb, through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit. The leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.
The climax of this lesson is verse 4, “They will see his face”, meaning God.
This is provocative, since the Old Testament makes it clear that no human
can see God’s face and live. But this is the New Testament. The one that
begins with the Gospel of our Lord Jesus. The world has changed. It is by
God’s grace that humanity reaches its intended goal, which is to dwell in
God’s presence.
Gospel
Our Gospel lesson for today comes from John, Chapter 14. This chapter
describes the final night that Jesus stays with his disciples and he knows he
will be leaving them soon. He wants them to be comforted. He wants to
assure them they will not be left alone. And he knows they have many
questions and concerns.
The chapter begins with Thomas who says to Jesus, “We do not know
where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus replies, “I am the
way, the truth and the life.”
Then Philip says to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” And Jesus replies, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me, has seen the Father.” He goes on to say “Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these…”
Finally, in our lesson today, Judas (not Iscariot), asks Jesus, “How is it that
you will reveal yourself to us and not to the world? Jesus replies, “Those
who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will
come to them and make our home with them.”
So, he patiently answers their questions and their concerns. And then he
says to them, “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. You heard me say to you, `I am going away, and I am
coming to you.”
Throughout the disciples Journey with Jesus, he has been their teacher,
their guide, and their servant. He showed them how to love others, even
when they were very different, or even others who wanted to cause him
harm. He commanded them to love others as themselves. He taught them
to serve especially the needy, the destitute and others who were in trouble.
He showed them that they have gifts, and that they should use them. But to
me his most powerful teaching was that of forgiveness. While on the cross,
he did not say “Lord, give me justice!” Instead, he implored his father to
forgive them. Forgiveness is not Justice; it is much more. Forgiveness can
dramatically change us as individuals and can also change the world around us.
And now, as Jesus leaves his disciples, he wants them to know they are not
alone. In our Gospel lesson today, Jesus says to them, “the Advocate, the
Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in his name, will teach you
everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. The Holy Spirit will bring them gifts, be their guide and help them use their gifts to continue his work and to spread his message throughout the world.
Jesus wants the same for all of us. Love, servanthood and forgiveness are
the cornerstones of his ministry. His message to us is it to spread his Good
News and to use our gifts to continue his work throughout our communities and the world. We are not alone. He has given us the Holy Spirit to be our guide and our strength as we do his work.
Those two elderly women, who 43 years ago spent their Sunday afternoons
sharing their faith with a young boy, were clearly answering Gods Call.
And they were not alone.
Amen.