These illustrations are based on John 17:20-26 and Luke 24:44-53
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A Strange, New Math - John 17:20-26
We have a wonderful mystery to contemplate this morning, and it is summarized in a strange formula. It's not really all that complicated, but it is worthy of reflection for it has implications for our lives together. Here is the formula, an equation, really: 1 + 1 + 1 = One.
Rather strange math, isn't it? Well, it's God's math, so let's see how it works.
That strange formula really comes from the gospel text for today. For the past several weeks during this Easter season, our gospel readings have come from that section of John's gospel known as the Final Discourse of Jesus. This last speech, if you will, that Jesus makes to his disciples concludes with these verses from the 17th chapter. It is really a prayer of Jesus to his Father in heaven and has often been called the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus. In a sense, it is Jesus' last will and testament, his parting shot, his last effort to teach, to exhort, to encourage, to empower his disciples.
Now for the math part. Listen to Jesus' words: "I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me." Did you hear it? 1 + 1 + 1 = One. It's not too difficult, once we understand the parts of the equation. Let's unravel the mystery slowly…
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Living Between the Times - John 17:20-26
On the church’s calendar, today is called the “Seventh Sunday of Easter.” Actually it is not a particularly familiar holy day. It is simply the Sunday that comes between the Ascension of our Lord and Pentecost, the birthday of Christ’s church.
In other words, today is one of those “between the times Sunday.” It falls between Jesus leaving his followers by ascending into heaven and the coming of the Holy Spirit. Rather than rendering the day insignificant, I think that is what makes it stand out. Today is a “between the times” Sunday and we are a “between the times” people. By that I mean we live between hearing the announcement of the angels, “Peace on earth and good will to all” and actually experiencing that Shalom of God. We live between praying “your kingdom come” and actually realizing “your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).
Today’s lectionary gospel reading underscores our “between the times” status. In chapter 17 of John’s gospel, our Lord offered the beautiful and powerful prayer for the unity of his followers. In verse 21 the master got to the heart of the issue when he prayed that all who follow him may be as one. “As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”
Notice that demonstrating the oneness of the followers of Christ is to be our way of showing the world that Jesus is Lord. Obviously, the church of Jesus Christ has fallen significantly short of realizing Jesus’ unity prayer. When we drive the streets of any community we can see how differences of race, national origin, history, creeds, politics, personal opinion, and styles of worship have splintered Christ’s universal church.
My practice in lectionary preaching is to search the internet to see how others handle the topic of the week. It came as no particular surprise that many ministers preaching on Jesus’ prayer for the unity of all believers included lists of those they thought needed to be excluded for various reasons. At least some Christians do not set a priority to overcome our differences and live in unity with peace, justice, and harmony. Perhaps when they say “let us agree to disagree,” they mean “let us agree to disagree until the Lord shows you that I am right.”
Yet what happens in the church simpy reflects what goes on in wider society...
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Human Porcupines
The German philosopher Schopenhauer compared the human race to a bunch of porcupines huddling together on a cold winter’s night. He said, "The colder it gets outside, the more we huddle together for warmth; but the closer we get to one another, the more we hurt one another with our sharp quills. And in the lonely night of earth’s winter eventually we begin to drift apart and wander out on our own and freeze to death in our loneliness."
As humans we have been created with the need for companionship. I am always fascinated how Adam, when He enjoyed sinless fellowship with His Creator, still had a desire for one of his own kind (Gen. 2:20). God has created institutions such as marriage and family and church to meet these needs for human intimacy and belonging….
Jesus was well aware of our need for intimate human companionship, and He was also well aware of the challenges and "sharp quills" we face in the process. So in His final prayer to the Father, just hours before He would be suspended on the cross, Jesus prayed for the unity of His church. Second only to the concern for His glory was this longing that His disciples would be united. He knew how much supernatural help we as sinners need in this area. He also knew how an ununified church would fail to bring Him the glory He so much desires.
Randy Smith, Jesus Prays for His Church
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Futility
A myriad of men are born; they labor and sweat and struggle;...they squabble and scold and fight; they scramble for little mean advantages over each other; age creeps upon them; infirmities follow; ...those they love are taken from them, and the joy of life is turned to aching grief. It (the release) comes at last--the only un-poisoned gift earth ever had for them--and they vanish from a world where they were of no consequence,...a world which will lament them a day and forget them forever.
Mark Twain shortly before his death.
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God and Creation Are Always One
There's a story told of respected astronomers at the Vatican Observatory who presented the church with evidence of another planet having the characteristics of our own, possibly to the extent of supporting sentient life. Two schools of thought emerged: the first advised the immediate dispatch of missionaries to bring the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ to those aliens, presumed to be very much like us. The second school advised against an expedition. Jesus came to us at the right time and place, they argued, and he will go to them when the time is appropriate, too. The astronomers allowed the debate to rage for a while before advising that the light from the new planet had taken so long to reach us that our cousin planet had actually ceased to exist several millions of years ago.
If God is immutable, however, can nothing ever change? We know that to be patently untrue. Theologians have a lot to say on these subjects and I suppose the most straightforward answer is that God and creation are always "one" no matter what part of creation we are looking at, or the era we are considering.
Anthony Jewiss
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A Prayer for the Future
If we assume that Jesus did envision some kind of future for his followers and if he really did have hope that the Father would glorify him despite the dark events soon to descend upon him, then it makes sense that Jesus would pray for the future wellbeing of his disciples and any latter-day people who became associated with them on account of the witness of those same disciples. In this sense, Jesus in the upper room on that particular night was not unlike a father praying to God for the future safety and flourishing of his own children and grandchildren. Far from an unlikely thing to do, it’s actually a very natural thing for a person of love to do regarding those whom he held dear. What parent, upon first laying eyes on a newborn child, does not immediately feel welling up within him or her far-reaching desires for this child to grow and be well and to flourish far into the future, including into the years beyond the life of the parent.
Scott Hoezee, Comments and Observations
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Humor: Church Unity
The wrong way to achieve unity in the church is to try and appeal to everyone. The church humor magazine "The Door" facetiously announced these newly formed churches seeking to do just that:
Potluck Assembly
Little Bit O'Bible Church
Church of the Big P.A.
The Short-Term Pastor Center
Theology-Free Church
The Inaccurate Heart of Mary Catholic Church
Seldom United Church
Bill Gates' Memorial Geek Orthodox
New Wife Fellowship
Church of the Perpetual Building Program
Comfortable Pew Family Center
Clean Bathroom Bible Temple
Better Than the Rest Believer's Fellowship
Legalist Bondage Assembly
The Church Where the Pastor's Family Runs Everything
The Two-Or-More-But-Sometimes-Less-Depending-On-Who-Shows-Up Bible Church
Feelgood Fellowship
Twist-and-Shout Revival Center
John Green, "Newly Formed Churches," The Door, March-April 2000, p. 15.
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All the Parts Constitute a Whole
Saliere, an old man, described for a priest his reaction years earlier upon examining the score for an oboe concerto by Mozart. It made no sense to him. He couldn't see how the music fit together. Then he saw the oboe part "way up above," with a clarinet part taking over. He was awed by its brilliance. All the parts constituted a stunning whole that deeply impacted the man before it was ever even played. So goes a scene from the movie "Amadeus."
God has so arranged individuals in the body of Christ so that they constitute a oneness that impacts the world. This oneness is dependent on God's enabling each of us to know him. God enables us to know him so that we may be united in a manner that testifies to the world regarding Christ.
Scott Grant, Unity That Testifies
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The Universality of the Golden Rule
Despairing of the possibility of ever bringing about religious unity through doctrinal, philosophical or theological dialogue, a great many people have latched onto the Golden Rule as the ultimate expression of their faith. It is provocative and inspiring to discover the remarkable universality of this ethical principle. In Hinduism it is stated like this: "Those gifted with intelligence should always treat others as they themselves wish to be treated." The Shinto version is: "The suffering of others is my suffering; the good of others is my good." In Buddhism it is: "A person can minister to friends and familiars by ... treating them as he treats himself." Taoists say: "Regard your neighbor's gain as your own gain and regard your neighbor's loss as your own loss." In Islam: "None of you is a believer until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself." For Sikhs it is: "As thou deemest thyself so deem others. Then shalt thou become a partner in heaven." In Confucianism and Zoroastrianism the rule is stated in the same way as in the New Testament except that it is couched in negative terms: "Do not unto others what you would not they should do unto you." The Jewish equivalent in Leviticus 19:18 is "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
Carl L. Jech, Channeling Grace, CSS Publishing Company
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Humor: Are You a Believer?
Max Lucado, tells the following story with wit and style,
Some time ago I came upon a fellow on a trip who was carrying a Bible.
"Are you a believer?" I asked him.
"Yes," he said excitedly.
I've learned you can't be too careful.
"Virgin birth?" I asked.
"I accept it."
"Deity of Jesus?"
"No doubt."
"Death of Christ on the cross?"
"He died for all people."
Could it be that I was face to face with a Christian? Perhaps. Nonetheless, I continued my checklist.
"Status of man."
"Sinner in need of grace."
"Definition of grace."
"God doing for man what man can't do."
"Return of Christ?"
"Imminent."
"Bible?"
"Inspired."
"The Church?"
"The Body of Christ."
I started getting excited. "Conservative or liberal?"
He was getting interested too. "Conservative."
My heart began to beat faster.
"Heritage?"
"Southern Congregationalist Holy Son of God Dispensationalist Triune Convention."
That was mine!
"Branch?"
"Pre-millennial, post-trib, non-charismatic, King James, one-cup communion."
My eyes misted. I had only one other question.
"Is your pulpit wooden or fiberglass?"
"Fiberglass," he responded.
I withdrew my hand and stiffened my neck. "Heretic!" I said and walked away.
Max Lucado, A Gentle Thunder, p. 139-140
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ADDITIONAL ILLUSTRATIONS NOT IN OUR EMAIL
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Sermon Opener - Fingerprints and Lovemarks - John 17:20-26 by Leonard Sweet
Fingerprints are nothing new. The delicate swirls, ridges, and patterns that lie at the tips of our fingers have long been recognized as a form of personal identification.
The ancients might not have realized the extreme uniqueness of every person's fingerprints. But as far back as the reign of the Babylonian King Hammurapi (1792-1750 BCE), convicts were fingerprinted. In China as early as 246 BCE, fingerprints were used to "sign" legal contracts. In 1788 a German anatomist, Johann Christoph Andreas Mayer, proved and published that fingerprints are unique to each individual. The idea caught on so fast that by the mid-nineteenth century, data banks of fingerprints were being collected all over the world for identification purposes.
Any CSI buffs here? You know micro-processors race and run at breakneck speed through millions of fingerprints in order to catch the bad guys or exonerate the good guys.
Science has revealed other ways we are unique and singular. Our DNA is our own. Each cell of our body is genetically coded just for us. High tech gadgetry has made it possible for us now to open sealed doors just by looking at them. Okay, more accurately just by looking through a retinal scanner, because the shape, diameter, and surface bumps of your baby blues (or browns, or greens) is completely unique to you.
Oh, if you happen to have an x-ray of your skull lying around, check out the shape of your nasal sinuses. Those too are unrepeated in any other person.
God made us in so many ways wholly and totally different from one another. Yet as Jesus offers up to the Father his own personal "Lord's Prayer," he closes by praying for "oneness" among all those who follow him as his disciples. Does this mean that Jesus prays for us all to be the same? To be a body of "beige believers"? Is this a call for "cloned Christians"? A franchise faith? A lemming life? A monotone mission? Is every follower of Jesus expected to keep the same pace, have the same stride, move to the same rhythm?
Read again. When Jesus prayed for "oneness" he was not just looking around the Passover table at twelve individuals — none of whom were learned scholars or Torah experts, by the way. Yes, Jesus was praying for those who had followed him for the past three years. But he was also praying for the next generation and the next. Jesus was also praying for those who would come to faith because of the words and witness of those first twelve. And Jesus was praying for the generation after that one . . . and for the generation after that one . . . and for all future generations . . . until the end of time…
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We Serve a BIG God
Even despite our North American fascination with big things — big churches, big-name celebrity preachers, big programs, etc.— we seldom reflect enough on how enormously big the plan of salvation is as it comes to its cosmos-shattering climax in Christ Jesus the Lord. In fact, most of the time when we read or preach on John 17, we focus in on the plea for unity and use that (obviously ardent) desire of Jesus as a club with which to beat ourselves up for the church’s glaring lack of unity today across our amazingly varied denominational landscape. And lamenting our lack of unity is a perfectly legitimate response to John 17 as is a call to become as united as we can as brothers and sisters in Christ.
But what we may miss in our focus on that part of this passage is the amazing message that:
First, through Jesus no less than the fullness of God was in the world (and something of that fullness remains in the world through US when we abide in Christ by the Spirit)
Second, Jesus’ presence in this world was clearly the culmination of a plan that spanned cosmic history;
Third, therefore, we serve one BIG God who has big plans that go far beyond any one era of church history and that transcend (thanks be to God) even whatever brokenness and disunity we may (unhappily) experience for now.
Scott Hoezee, Comments and Observations
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Circuit Breakers
In March, 1984 there was a malfunction at the Pacific Gas and Electric Company in Northern California. It triggered a chain reaction of events that darkened the lights for millions of people in six Western states. The blackout occurred at rush hour which caused hundreds of traffic jams in all the major cities. The trouble originated in Round Mountain, California substation, about one hundred miles south of the Oregon border. A circuit breaker tripped and circuits all over the West automatically shut down to protect themselves.
One little circuit breaker, tripped in a remote rural area, hundreds of miles away changed the lives of millions of people. How dramatically that breakdown symbolizes the interdependence of our country’s power, transportation and even food production systems. We are one people in more ways than we think. What affects one, can affect all.
The unity of the church is no different. The good one person does makes the task easier for us all. On the other hand, one bad example can set back the entire church. God’s people, wherever they live on earth, are linked into a grid of community interdependence from which we can never escape. The more we are one, the more we will be an effective church in the world.
Keith Wagner, In a Different World
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Reaping a Whirlwind
We have sown a wind of secularism, modernism, and shifting moral values. As a direct result, we are now reaping a whirlwind of immorality, sexually transmitted disease, corruption, and violent crime. The only hope that exists for our individual, national, spiritual and institutional recovery is to return to the spiritual values that originally formed the foundation of North American national life--the teaching of Jesus Christ, as found in the Word of God.
Grant R. Jeffrey, Jesus – The Great Debate, p. 267.
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Relationships: The Key to Survival
When we think of threats we usually think of terrorism, disease or lack of employment. But, Jesus says our greatest threat is divisiveness or disunity. Without "oneness" we will perish or become "worldly." In other words he reminds his followers to maintain a relationship with God, with Christ and with one another. Relationships are the key to survival. Just as those with addictions need a support group, people of faith need to stay connected to the church.
Keith Wagner, In a Different World
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He Has Given Us the Glory
The church and the gospel it proclaims are never some local phenomenon. Despite our denominational fractures and the lack of formal unity we may have across the face of the Church today, the fact is that in every hamlet where a tiny congregation gathers in the name of the risen Christ, in every soaring cathedral where hundreds gather, in every megachurch that packs in people by the thousands, and in every house church in nations where official church gatherings are banned—in and through and across it all something quite amazing is happening: the revelation of a mystery of divine love that dates back to well before the creation of the world and that will continue on and on into a future in which at some point this same God is going to say “Behold, I make all things new.”
Let’s let no one convince us that the church is mostly about bake sales and vacation Bible schools and senior citizen bus trips and silly committee meetings. “I have given them the glory you gave me” Jesus prayed. THAT is a message worth savoring again and again and even forevermore.
Scott Hoezee, Comments and Observations
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The Essence of the Church is Mission
A book I have read (and recommend) is: Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America, edited by Darrell L. Guder (Eerdmans, 1998).
This book offers a new paradigm of the church -- which is actually an old paradigm:
...it has taken us decades to realize that mission is not just a program of the church. It defines the church as God's sent people. Either we are defined by mission, or we reduce the scope of the gospel and the mandate of the church. Thus our challenge today is to move from church with mission to missional church. [p. 6]
"Mission" is not something the church does, a part of its total program. No, the church's essence is missional, for the calling and sending action of God forms its identity. Mission is founded on the mission of God in the world, rather than the church's effort to extend itself. [p. 82]
Perhaps it would be more useful to talk about the Church acting or witnessing as one rather than being one. Our primary purpose for existing, the primary content of Jesus' prayer, is that we, as one body, are effective in our witness to the world. Jesus prays for the success of our witness. The prayer for unity is not so much about our fellowship with one another, but about evangelism -- our witness to the world.
Brian Stoffregen, Exegetical Notes
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Working Courageously Together
A number of years ago local newspaper carried a report about an eight-year-old Chicago boy named Terrance who was fretting because his mother couldn’t pay the family’s bills. He explained: "I ran away from home once so my mommy would have one less (child) to worry about." He sounded like a sensitive, courageous youngster—but hungry, nonetheless. His family’s plight, as we know, is shared by many others at many locations throughout this prosperous land.
What can we do to improve the quality of Terrance’s life and that of people like him? We simply must come together—with our big shoulders and our wide embrace! We must work together courageously and creatively to solve our common problems! But, to unite this community in the face of serious social, economic and political problems means that we must take down the racial and ethnic fences which separate people from one another.
In response to a neighbor who annually repeated the axiom "Good fences make good neighbors," the poet Robert Frost retorted:
Something there is that doesn’t love a wall.
Before I built a wall, I’d ask to know
What I was walling in or walling out,
And to whom I was like to give offense.
Something there is that doesn’t love a wall
That wants it down.
Joseph Cardinal Bernardin, Archbishop of Chicago, Jesus: Servant and Lord
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One True God
Paul Tillich said in the 1960’s our god is our ultimate concern. Whatever gains our ultimate attention becomes our god. We have problems with idolatry in the 21st century too.
Like Martha in the Bible, we are troubled and concerned over many things. We are concerned about work, family, marriage, health, life. Every concern is tyrannical. It wants to own our whole heart, our whole mind. It wants our infinite attention, our unconditional devotion. I saw a bumper sticker stating “Soccer Rules.” In Brentwood, Tennessee, they are right. In many families that is true. We develop all kinds of gods.
Maybe it’s time to pledge our allegiance to the one, true, living, everlasting, God and set our feet to walking in God’s ways. We believe in one God.
J. Howard Olds, Faith Breaks: Thoughts on Making It a Good Day, CSS Publishing Company, Inc.
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Relationship with Christ
There is a relationship which makes life complete. Without that relationship, there is a void, a vacuum in life. Many people, even those who are well-known, can attest to that void.
For example, H.G. Wells, famous historian and philosopher, said at age 61: "I have no peace. All life is at the end of the tether." The poet Byron said, "My days are in yellow leaf, the flowers and fruits of life are gone, the worm and the canker, and the grief are mine alone." The literary genius Thoreau said, "Most men live lives of quiet desperation."
Ralph Barton, one of the top cartoonists of the nations, left this note pinned to his pillow before taking his own life: "I have had few difficulties, many friends, great successes; I have gone from wife to wife, from house to house, visited great countries of the world, but I am fed up with inventing devices to fill up twenty-four hours of the day."
Morning Glory, May 29, 1993
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The Church as Orchestra
It might appear that the prayer about unity of disciples has not been answered, even the opposite seems true. Too frequent conflicts disrupt the harmony that is according to God's Will. Think of the church being like an orchestra - every instrument playing its part well, but keeping in time and harmony with the other instruments. Disunity also reigns when one church claiming superiority over others. The church too often has been reduced to a human organization which attains its identity and meaning by distinguishing itself from other churches.
(I recently heard a description of a South American country - the growth of the church there is so great that by the end of the century there will be 50% Christians, and 48% Catholics". But is that to say that Catholics aren't, or can't be considered Christians?)
For some, it seems, the enemy is no longer Satan and the forces of evil, but other churches which we think have unacceptable doctrinal statements. We too easily adopt the market strategy of trying to gain an edge by our superiority. "Join our church because we do it better, we're the New Testament church; we have the Spirit, you don't." All these attitudes cause disunity in the Body of Christ.
Neil Chadwick, Jesus Prays
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Many Jesuses
We are being presented today with many different Jesuses. There is the Jesus of Jesus Christ Superstar (how I wonder who you are!), and the Jesus of Godspell, and various other presentations -- the Jesus of the Mormons, the Jesus of the cults, the Jesus of humanism. It is no wonder that people are confused sometimes as to which is the real one. You want to ask, "Will the real Jesus please stand up?" That real Jesus is the Jesus presented by the apostolic writers. They knew him. They were chosen by him to be eyewitnesses who would convey to us the Jesus who really is. It is so important that we grasp this great fact. There is only one historic Jesus, and any deviation from the Jesus of the apostles is an impostor.
Ray C. Stedman, One Body
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The Ever Peering Eye
There was a story I once heard of a small New England town which had a tall steeple in the middle of it. The stranger to town noticed that the steeple was boarded up with plywood. He finally had to ask why. A local told him that the steeple had a stained glass window which depicted the eye of God. You know, like the one on the dollar bill, one eye, signifying the all knowing, always watching God. It turned out the village folk did not like that eye. It made them nervous, it watching them everyday, all day, 24/7. And so the church finally agreed to board it up.
Oneness is scary stuff.
Greg Rickel
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We Meet in Committees
Bishop William Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury, once said, "We meet in committees and construct our schemes of union; in face of the hideous fact of Christian divisions we are driven to this; but how paltry are our efforts compared with the call of God! The way to the union of Christendom does not lie through committee rooms, although there are tasks to be done there, it lies through personal union with the Lord so deep and real as to be comparable with his union with the Father...."
Quoted from a sermon by the Rev. Emmet Jarret in Selected Sermons, May 11, 1986. Parish Supplies, New York.
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Through You He Will Live Again
Ben Kingsley starred as the main character in the motion picture, Gandhi. He spent months preparing for the role, visiting the various Indian locales Gandhi had frequented. He even learned to spin cotton thread on a wooden wheel while holding conversations as Gandhi did. The physical resemblance between Gandhi and Kingsley was almost startling. After filming a scene in a village south of Delhi, Kingsley stepped out of a car, and an elderly peasant knelt to touch his feet. Embarrassed, Kingsley explained that he was merely an actor playing Gandhi. "We know," replied the villager, "but through you he will surely live again."
Let me ask you, "Does the Son of God live again through us?
You see, that's also part of Jesus' prayer for us. That the world will see Christ in us; through our unity and through our love.
Billy D. Strayhorn, One in Christ
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A Powerful Prayer
Pastor Joe Wright of Kansas was asked to lead the Kansas State Senate in prayer. They were expecting the usual formal prayer to open the session but that is not what happened. The pastor used the moment as a confessional and prophetic opportunity. As he prayed there were some senators who got up and walked out. When Paul Harvey (a national known radio news and editorialist) got a hold of the prayer and read it on his program he got more requests for copies of it than any other thing he had ever done.
Here's what Rev. Wright the prayed:
"Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask Your forgiveness and to seek Your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, "Woe to those who call evil good," but that's exactly what we have done. We have lost our
spiritual equilibrium and inverted our values. We confess that:
We have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it pluralism.
We have worshipped other gods and called it multi-culturalism.
We have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle.
We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.
We have neglected the needy and called it self-preservation.
We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.
We have killed our unborn and called it a choice.
We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.
We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem.
We have abused power and called it political savvy.
We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition.
We have polluted the airwaves with profanity and called it freedom of expression.
We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.
Search us, O God, and know our hearts today; try us and see if there be some wicked way in us; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent here by the people of Kansas, and who have been ordained by You, to govern this great state. Grant them Your wisdom to rule and may their decisions direct us to the center of Your will....Amen."
Brett Blair, www.SermonIllustrations.com
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Humor: Denominational Unity
There's a story which many of you have heard and it is a fitting introduction for our text. A group of new arrivals in heaven met Saint Peter at the Pearly Gates. He began to show them around, pointing out areas of interest and filling them in on the rules of the kingdom. There were many "oohs" and "aahs" from the crowd, and they were obviously enjoying themselves immensely. Suddenly Saint Peter stopped a short distance from a massive building which was miles-wide, long and high, and without doors or windows. "While we pass this building," he said, "you must walk quietly and utter not so much as a sound." So the entourage tiptoed obediently past the monolith without a word.
Once they were past, however, an inquisitive soul inquired, "Why did we have to be so quiet when we passed that building?"
Saint Peter responded, "God put the (name a denomination here) in there; they think they're the only ones up here."
It isn't just (name a denomination here) who think they are the only ones who have got this God business right. There are other denominations who also give the impression of exclusiveness and project the feeling that it is only natural that the blessings of God should fall upon them. They are probably just as amazed as we are to see that it "rains on the just and the unjust alike (Matthew 5:45)."
I suppose that is not strange, since we have been brought up on a diet of theological ingredients which are not only palatable for us but have come highly recommended by God; at least that's what our clergy tell us. So we are suspect of those who indulge in denominational dishes of a different sort.
It is important to realize, however, that God's doctrinal tastes are not so narrow. According to Jesus, all who love the name of the Lord are welcomed. Notice, that while he wants us all to be one with him and the Father, he doesn't suggest that our unity is dependent upon our ability to develop a theological recipe which all Christians everywhere could find tasty enough so that we all can feast together as one gigantic universal church.
John Braaten, The Greatest Wonder of All, CSS Publishing Company, Inc.
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What Jesus Called Glory
Most of us are like Tony Campolo. Tony says that some years ago when his children were in their preteen years, he took them with him on a speaking engagement. When they drove into the parking lot adjoining the auditorium where, in just a few minutes, Tony was to speak, there were only three cars parked there.
"Dad!" exclaimed his son Bart, who at that point of his life was somewhat impressed with Tony's role as a public speaker, "Nobody's come to hear you! And you're so famous!"
"Come on, Bart," responded his sister Lisa, who, Tony says, has always been the realist in the family, "if Dad is so famous, where are all the people?"
"Knock it off, Lisa," Bart answered back. "It's pretty tough being famous when nobody knows who you are."
That's where most of us are. "It's pretty tough being famous when nobody knows who you are." Jesus didn't promise that everybody would know our name. He just promised us glory. Evidently, what Jesus called glory was not what the world calls glory. And, maybe that's just as well.
King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com
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Members of a Family
The genius of God's plan is obvious. If we recognize that we are all members of the same family, if we acknowledge that God desires to hold us in a single peace then, ideally, we will stop fighting with each other and destroying one another and instead begin standing with one another and working together to bring people to Christ and to become an answer to prayer for those who cry out to God for help.
However, if your family is like my family, your day-today operation is not marked with constant good will and cooperation. Parents can disagree with each other, or the children, or the youngsters with each other. There are so many possibilities for dissension - goals will vary, opinions often differ and wills may clash. I think the reason for the popularity of the television cartoon "The Simpsons" is that it lays bare some of the battles which are fought in the arenas of many homes. Apparently there is some comfort in knowing that others experience problems similar to one's own. But if love is at the heart of our relationships, and forgiveness is liberally applied, there is still a family unity and loyalty which acts like a glue – unity holds family members together even when they are apart and loyalty brings them together again at times of crisis or joyful celebration.
The church as the family of God has characteristics similar to other family units but with infinitely more possibilities for disagreement and dissension. It is no wonder then that Paul saw the primary task of the church as one of reconciliation: "All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. So we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us" (2 Corinthians 5:18-20).
John Braaten, The Greatest Wonder of All, CSS Publishing Co.
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Humor: Attractiveness of Integrity
Some years back I asked the late Lloyd George Patterson, then church historian at Episcopal Divinity School, how he accounted for the endurance of the early church, when so many of the tools of communication that we associate with growth either did not exist or could not be used in a hostile environment - they couldn't even have church buildings, let alone clever PR programs. He responded by saying that the early Christian communities were characterized by unusual integrity, and some people were attracted to that.
David B. Rivers, The Living Church
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Diabolical Political Skills
To believe, to really believe, that we are joined to Christ and to one another and can find wholeness and oneness in that union, puts us in direct opposition to the preaching of the world around us. In a mail advertisement there was a book titled "The Black Book of Executive Politics" and was written anonymous author. This is actually what the advertisement said about this book. Written by a world-class corporate infighter who prefers to remain anonymous, this priceless volume contains 87 street-smart hints, tips, short-cuts, ploys, strategies and approaches for surviving -- and making it big in the company political arena ... People call company politics a "game." But it's a game you have to play, like it or not, if you want to survive and succeed. Listen to the contents of this book that is going to put me at the top of the corporate ladder: Why style -- rather than performance -- is the key factor in determining who makes the boardroom. When teamwork isn't the answer. How to make points with the boss without being obviously on-the-make. How to learn needed inside information without being unethical. And it goes on and on. The letter inside the ad states: "I'm talking about truly Machiavellian stuff here. I know it all sounds a bit paranoid. But there are times when a little paranoia can give you the backside protection you need. You'll get the latest and most diabolical thinking on these political skills." And then he ends with two seemingly contradictory thoughts. First, he plants the seed about the opposition: "How many people in your company are sending away for their copies of the Black Book?" And then he said that if I act right away, I'll get a free copy of "Creating a Loyal Staff." A loyal staff?
Let’s see. First, I’m supposed to learn to beat them up in the corporate arena. Secondly, I am to be paranoid that my colleagues might read the book before I do and so have the scheming edge on me, so I had better get the book quickly. Then I’m to read the free book “Creating A Loyal Staff.” Give me a break.
Glenn E. Ludwig, Walking To, Walking With, CSS Publishing, Adapted
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Drawn to God
Theodore H. White, Pulitzer Prizewinning expert on American politics, coined a new word recently. Someone asked him about the effect of television on politicians. White answered, "Politicians remind me of a certain variety of plant - the kind that grow under porches and other places where the sun doesn't penetrate. Botanists call these plants heliotropes, meaning that as they grow, they bend in the direction of the sun. Well, politicians today are what I call ‘Videotropic.’ As they grow, they follow the camera because that's where the votes are."
If I might build on that analogy, you and I are here because we are ‘Theotropic’ - that is, we are drawn irresistibly in the direction of God. In God is our help and our strength. We gather here each Lord's day to acknowledge that He is our hope and the foundation of our lives.
King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com
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Fastened to That Which Would Not Sink
During a frightful storm in the Georgian Bay of Canada years ago, a ship was wrecked. Many perished. The mate, with six strong men and one timid girl, escaped in a boat, but the waves were high and the craft turned over and over until, one by one the strong men lost their hold and disappeared beneath the angry billows.
The mate, however, lashed the girl to the boat, and thus she drifted to the shore where she was found, safe and unharmed. When the stalwart men went down with shrieks of despair, she alone was saved. She didn't escape by her skill or wisdom. She escaped because she was fastened firmly to that which would not sink.
Here in this house of worship we fasten ourselves firmly to that which will not sink. We find it in our unity with one another, but even more so, in our unity with God.
King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com
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All Shall Be Well
It was Julian of Norwich who wrote those inspired words that 'all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.' They are words that are particularly poignant tonight because they sum up the transformation in the followers of Jesus that we celebrate on Ascension Day, for on this day strange, as it may seem we celebrate Christ's leaving his disciples.
But his leaving them is not a somber occasion. It is full of joy and hope and reminds us how their lives had changed, of how they had come to trust in God's ultimate purpose for them and believe that all will indeed be well because Christ will always be with them.
Matthew Peat, All Will Be Well
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The Joy of Living New Life Is Beginning
The feast of the Ascension reminds us of two facts: one is the resurrection means we are deprived of the physical presence of Jesus as he was known in history to his disciples; the other fact is the Holy Spirit, which is the Spirit of Christ, is able to make him known and present to far greater numbers at the same time than would be possible in human form. So the disciples are being told, we are being told, while this is the end of one significant experience, it is the beginning of another one. The historical Jesus is no longer present; the cosmic Christ has received all authority and will be with us until the close of time. (Matthew 28: 18-20) Our Easter celebration is coming to an end; the joy of living the new life in Christ is still just beginning.
Kendall K McCabe and Michael L. Sherer, Path of the Phoenix, CSS Publishing Company
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Heavenly Orientation
When men were still traveling to the moon there was an astronaut, named David Scott, who looked up into the heavens at the planet he was from. As he stepped outside his spacecraft, on to the moon's surface, he said, "I can look straight up and see the earth." At the same time, millions of Americans heard these words on their radios and TV's and could look straight up to see the moon. From the moon above, you could look "up" and see the earth below. And from the earth below, you could look "up" and see the moon above.
We look up to heaven from wherever we are. On the Ascension of Christ, the disciples looked as they saw their Savior being lifted up. They looked up. In fact, all of creation looked up.
Brent Porterfield, www.Sermons.com
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The Glory of God
"The Glory of God is the human being fully alive;" writes the 2nd Century Saint Irenaeus, "the life of a human being is the vision of God." Ascension marks the next to last moment in the Jesus narrative which begins each year in Advent with a pregnancy and grows into the story of a ministry that shows the glory of being fully human. Jesus’ life encompasses wholeness and healing, suffering and death. It addresses our delight in earth’s gifts and wonders and our very real and daily fear of "being limited by time and by the body." Jesus lives in the world without the complication of complaint. He has nothing to prove but the reality that God is love. So Jesus lives and Jesus dies and Jesus’ body descends into the dead, is reborn as bread and wine in the Eucharist, and as a full and nourished body in the resurrection. Easter teaches us again and again (for it takes many tellings for us to learn this) that what we call death is in fact a transformation, is in fact a birth. But even that is not the full story.
Carol Luther
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Ascension Day: Power Unleashed on Earth
Ascension Day is not really about the power of Jesus vanishing into heaven. It's about having that power unleashed into all the earth. While on earth, Jesus affected those right around him. After he ascended, this powerful presence was unleashed on the whole globe, the whole cosmos. One theologian (Walter Wink) once noted that killing Jesus was like trying to destroy a dandelion seed-head by blowing on it (Yancey, The Jesus I Never Knew, 226). Christ was the light of the world all right, but "now that light, as if hitting a prism, would fracture and shoot out in a human spectrum of waves and colors" (Yancey, 228). There is "no place that we can go to flee from his presence" (Psalm 139), nowhere we can go to separate ourselves from God's love (Rom. 8).
John D. Witvliet, Beyond the Blank Blue Sky