A Homecoming
Feast of Pentecost - May 27th
John 14:23-31
† In the Name of Christ †
Rejoice – for grace and peace are yours, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ!
The joy of a homecoming!
As the convoy made it’s way up the grade, the call would go out. People would stop their negotiating business deals, they would cease their important phone calls, and run outside. Traffic would stop – and pull over, their drivers and passengers would gather together with the people leaving businesses, and stores, and restaurants. The local radio station – would have it’s owner describing the homecoming welcome – broadcast from his pick-up truck.
It was a homecoming. The Marines and Sailors of 1/7 were back, after their first tour through Iraq. Our guys were home! This was truly special for some that were close to us. for Sue would soon greet her husband Dennis, a master sergeant with a hug that would crush his ribs. The nurse from our doctor’s office, was in tears, as her husband, a WO(2) returned home with his armored recon unit. Becka’s Brian would be back as well. All else was forgotten, as they said some 40,000 people lined the road from Morongo Valley, to the base in 29 Palms. They were the first troops back! The emotions of the day were high, our men and women were home! The scene would be replayed over and over again since then, and though the crowds may be somewhat less, but the feeling is the same, as the white busses, and humvees, and armored personnel carriers travelled at 20 miles an hour through the 4 towns of the basin. I can’t remember the date – but I can remember where I was standing, and the faces of the guys, as they finally could relax – safe at home.
Homecomings are awesome things – so awesome! On this memorial day, it seems right, to use the homecoming of the faithful marines and sailors to illustrate the joy of an even more incredible homecoming – the homecoming that we see pictured in Brianna’s confirmation as well. The homecoming of God, to His live with His people. Listen again to Jesus words, from our Gospel reading,
“"If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him!”
That is the promise, that Breeana realizes, the very reason that she is being confirmed this day. It is the day we celebrate a homecoming for her, really for all of us, for today we celebrate that God has come, and made His home here, right here. It is a day of rejoicing for our little sister in the faith, and for ourselves as well. There is nothing quite like seeing someone realize that God is with them, for it reminds us – that it is true for us as well. So Rejoice – and continue to rejoice! So that this rejoicing my continue throughout her life, and ours, I have a few pieces of advice…
The first piece of advice, is foundational – from it flows every other piece.
Keep His word!
Jesus says those that love him, keep his word, the word that is not just His, but the Father’s. Often, when we hear this, we diminish the word, re-translating it in our minds to simply “obeying” His word. But it is so much more than, it is best translated as guard, to value these words – for they are precious.
Perhaps the best way to picture this, is to compare the words to a person’s first love, or perhaps, the letters from the soldier at war. The words of such letters are more than read, they are burned into our lives. When we think of the letters, we see the words on the paper, and imagine the hand, even as it composes them. The word’s are burned into our hearts, even as our minds process them.
In the same way, as we hear, as we spend time in the word of God, it does that and more. It gives us life, taking us from spiritual death to abundant life., it strengthens our faith, so that we go from trusting only in that which has failed to trusting in a God who has never failed, it assures us of love beyond any we have or could experience, in a world where love is reduced to an emotion, just slightly above lust, or being an acquaintance.
Keep His word, it promises that which is more valuable than anything you could compare to it. For those who keep it, have the homecoming, God living with them! The rest of this sermon will share some of the promises, as to why His word is so valuable.
Know the Spirit’s at work in you
As we continue through our passage today – we see the first reason to treasure God’s word, revealed to us in Christ. We see it in verse 26, “26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
In our reading from Acts, we see the very first confirmation service. The Holy Spirit confirms the faith of the apostles in Jesus, and a miracle attests to it. Very dramatic, very cool, and for all, a bit frightening! What is going to happen next is dramatic, for from that early church service, people from all over the world would soon know, and be given the faith which we confess! The God the Father created, that Jesus Christ, the son of God has redeemed us, and that the Spirit leads us, and purifies us, and our life.
In his writings about this passage, an early Lutheran Theologian describes how the Spirit actually works in our lives. Martin Chemnitz wrote,.” Not only does He sustain and preserve their substances, but through the Word and Holy Spirit He converts, regenerates, vivifies, renews, preserves, and governs the saints by His Spirit, bestowing gifts upon them, kindling light, wisdom, justice, and happiness and sanctifying them by arousing new desires in them
The Holy Spirit does all this, by reminding us of what Jesus has already taught, already promised in all the scriptures. From Genesis to Revelation, the Holy Spirit brings us back to our Lord’s love, and the grace, that forgiveness and life that He gives to us! By the way, the elders and I agree – how the Holy Spirit is involved in our lives is something we need to understand with greater clarity – so our new Adult Sunday School class – starting next week – is “The Holy Spirit – alive in us”!
We should keep His word, that we know the Holy Spirit is working within us!
Know Peace – let not your heart be troubled
a. Quote of Isaiah 13:6-8
The next reason that we should treasure the words of Jesus, the very words given to Him by the Father, for us, is that Jesus has told us, that even as He left the disciples, He left them in his peace. He gave them His peace, not like the world gives, with a price, He left it for them, to dwell in, to rejoice in, and the Spirit maintains reminds us it is ours.
But it is peace that surely passes our understanding. For Jesus assures them, that this peace will allow them to live as He described – with hearts untroubled, and neither should they be afraid.
I used to wonder about the placement of that phrase there, for it seems a bit out of place – doesn’t it? Until I realized that it was a quote of an Old Testament passage- specifically Isaiah 13:6-8.
6 Wail, for the day of the LORD is near; as destruction from the Almighty it will come! 7Therefore all hands will be feeble, and every human heart will melt. 8They will be dismayed:pangs and agony will seize them;
In giving His peace to His disciples, Jesus is telling them, and the Holy Spirit tells us, not to live in fear of the wrath of God. It is for those who are not His people, who do not love Him, nor heed His words. That is not our fate, for they are God’s people! That is you, Breanna, and all those, who like you trust in Jesus, for what He has done.
We have been saved from God’s wrath against satan, against sin which has so perverted and attempted to destroy, which so dominated our life, before the Holy Spirit called us and Christ made things right between us and the Father. The only way to restore that relationship – is through, and because of Christ’s death, and resurrection. That is ours, that is what the Holy Spirit continues to show us!
His Homecoming – guarantees our final homecoming
We continue to treasure God’s word, because it tells us, of Jesus’ ascension – the very thing we celebrated last week. Jesus mentions it again here…
28 You heard me say to you, ’I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I!
The thought here, may sound confusing at first, rejoicing at Jesus’ living? Sure, for as we saw last week – he goes to prepare for us a place – and sends to us the Holy Sprit, to confirm that we are His people. He goes to reign, and to work on our behalf – at the very throne of the Father! God again pour out His grace, on us, even as He did at Pentecost.
Know Christ’s death – God’s desire – not Satan’s work
Our passage ends today, with an odd comment, 30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, 31 but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father.
This perhaps, is the ultimate message we must take with us, that we must treasure. It wasn’t Satan that sent Jesus to the cross. It wasn’t the Jews or the Romans, ultimately. God the Father wanted Him to go, to save us. He wanted Jesus body to be the ultimate sacrifice for our sin. To give us eternity, as His people.
He did.
Treasure His word, for those who do, live with God. Treasure the word that tells you of the Holy Spirit’s work, that instead of receiving His wrath, He gives us peace; that our homecoming is guaranteed, because He is at the right hand of the Father. Treasure the word, that tells you – it was for love, that Christ died, to save us.
And rejoice! For this day, we celebrate God making us His people, and giving us the peace that passes all understanding!
Amen?
Amen!
