Year B Seventh Sunday of Pascha (Easter) 20 May 2012
Acts 1: 15-17, 21-26 Psalm 1 1 John 5: 9-13 John 17: 6-19
I’ve just looked at this week’s readings and though it is late, I need to write about them.....
I’ve just had a facebook conversation with my niece and I may have well been speaking double Dutch. “Hello there brick wall!!”
It seems very fitting to realize the message for this week. In short, the readings for this week are about passing on the Good News of Jesus Christ.
John 17:13-18 “ “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.”
In this passage from John we read Jesus prayer for us. He prays so that we may have the full measure of his joy within us.
It is a natural tendency to work hard and do hard things to try and feel that we are close to God, but a life that is burnt out, bitter with effort and sad is not what Jesus wants for us. It is, however, understandable.
The passage continues to explain that Jesus has given us the “word” and the world has hated us because we are not of the world. When you live in a world that hates you, you do become somewhat disheartened. In our humanity, most of us will compromise to try and become accepted. This is when ministers get caught out for affairs, or parishioners become involved in cliques and set up their own subset of community which allows and disallows people, to the detriment of the Christian message. We need to pray and not judge, because these things happen because we are human and hurting and desiring acceptance.
Continuing with the prayer of Jesus we find that he prays that we will be kept safe from the evil one. The “fruit” of this evil one is the kinds of things I have just described. For the sake of our human fallible condition Jesus went through a sanctification.... His death on the cross, so that we can be also “made clean and holy”.
One of the interesting things that Jesus prays is that we not be taken out of the world. Be sure that Jesus wants us to be filled with joy, but he does not pray to take us from the world that hates us. Why?
There are two reasons: One is for the same reason that Jesus was sent into the world, to bring people into a relationship with God. The other is to be “sanctified”.
Every now and then the question is pondered in everyone, “What is the purpose of my life?” Well, there it is! How are you going with your purpose in life?
“Sanctified” is a word not often heard outside of religious circles and even within those circles, it is little understood. The online dictionary gives the following definitions:
1. To set apart for sacred use; consecrate.
2. To make holy; purify.
3. To give religious sanction to, as with an oath or vow.
4. To give social or moral sanction to.
5. To make productive of holiness or spiritual blessing.
The word of God is truth and, according to Jesus, we are sanctified by the truth. With this in mind we understand the Psalm:
Psalm 1:1-3 “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season”
Once again there are two ways that the word of the Lord sanctifies us. When we are familiar and well acquainted with the word of God we become acquainted with truth – which cleanses us from untruth. But also the “Word” of God, Jesus, sanctifies us, because in all our efforts we fall short.
It is most, most important to know the Good News that our sins are washed away because they are covered by the atoning sacrifice of Jesus.
Although we are sanctified by Jesus, what action on our part enables us to be sanctified?
How does it all work? Most of us feel that we have to “do” stuff or act in some specific way to “become holy”. I recently listened to an amazing message that was recorded in 1957, given by Major Ian Thomas, which explains this perfectly.
He explained that we are all subject to a law – gravity. This is much like our humanity which pulls us down and keeps us from freedom in our relationship with God. Jesus sacrifice sets us free from our sin, but we need to accept Jesus, believe in him, have faith in God and, if you like, get on board with him.
Major Ian Thomas explained that to have faith in Jesus and “get on board” with him, is like getting into an aeroplane. The law of aerodynamics sets us free from the law of gravity. Faith in Jesus sets us free from the law of sin – Faith in the word of God sanctifies us – cleanses us from unholiness.
Another point that Major Ian Thomas made was that if you cease to be in the aeroplane and jump out, gravity takes effect !!! The moral to the story being that we need to remain connected to Christ.
1 John 5:11-13 “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”
If we are “on board” with Jesus we have life!... eternal life!! But if we are not on board we do not have life.
This brings me back to my conversation with my niece. She has informed us that she isn’t a Christian and doesn’t believe in all that stuff. Now, let me explain that this is a family who go to church weekly and religion is very much part of the ancestral and national culture, as both parents are Maltese, and I read that 98% of Malta is Catholic and very devout.
My niece has also had 11 years of Catholic school education. What has gone wrong?
Have you ever known people who have a passion for something that they’ve never done? For example, there are people who are interested in aeroplanes and study all about anything to do with them. They know all the different kinds and what the various features are, but they’ve never been in one.
Many people have called it the 18inches journey. Apparently that is the approximate distance from your head to your heart. Many people study, or slightly dabble in theology – the study of God, but not as many actually put their whole life in His hands.
This is what we are called to do, put our WHOLE life in God’s hands – get “on board”. No need to get all our theology in line when you have a personal relationship with the real deal. The thing we often forget is that Jesus rose from the dead. He walked and talked and ate. He ascended into heaven – but he didn’t die again – He is alive still and can and does communicate with his people.
Our first reading from acts tells about the choosing of an apostle to take the place of Judas. It is explained that this needed to be someone who had been with them and was witness to all that happened from the baptism of John right through to the resurrection and ascension. Where are the apostles today? An apostle is a first hand witness of Jesus. Not just someone who retells the story. People who dabble in theology and then just retell the story with their own personal spin do great damage!!!
In the year 2012 we need people who have experienced and known Jesus first hand, to be His witnesses. And the Good News is that we can have these apostles and may even be called to be one ourselves. Each of us has the potential to be an apostle of Christ – a first hand witness, but first we have to know Jesus first hand. We do this by having complete faith in him and placing our whole life in his hands. His will is to be in first hand relationships with us. What is your will?
