6th Sunday of Easter/Ascension
John 14: 23-29
"Preparing for Departure"
’Grandma and Grandpa stood with the two boys as they watched Mom and Dad board a TWA jet which would fly them for a vacation to the British Isles. The boys searched the small plane windows and finally found their parents who were waving a fond farewell. They watched as the plane began to taxi to the runway. They watched as the plane began its take off. They saw the huge streams of smoke flowing from the jet engines. They saw that majestic silver bird soar into the sky. They gazed into the gray blue sky as the jet climbed and slowly flew out of sight. They stood watching when they couldn’t see anymore. Then they turned and began the walk back to the car for their return ride home and the joy and excitement of having Grandma and Grandpa with them for awhile."
Our text for this Sunday alludes to the great event which takes place this coming Thursday, May 17th. Yes, the Ascension of our Lord. In today’s gospel Jesus is preparing the disciples for the day he will no longer be with them,the day they will be on their own to carry out His mission on this earth. Jesus prepares this disciples for this day because he is counting on them to tell others about the love of God the Father for His children through the life of Christ Jesus. Jesus is not only preparing them for His journey, his ascent into heaven, but as well as their journey out into the world as they will proclaim the coming of God’s kingdom through Jesus.
"There is an old legend which Says when Jesus had ascended into heaven, the angel Gabriel asked him, "Lord what plans have you made for carrying on your ministry in the world? How will people learn of what you have done for them?" Jesus responded, "I left that to Peter, James and John, Martha and Mary. They are to tell their friends and their friends will tell other friends until the whole world has hear the good news."
Gabriel then asked,"What if Peter is so busy with his nets and Martha so full of her housework and the friends so preoccupied that they all forget to tell their friends? Don’t you think you should make some other plans?" Jesus answered, "I have made no other plan. I am counting on My Children to spread my name and my love."
How did Jesus prepare his disciples for his journey, his I ascent into heaven and then their journey to the corners of the world with the story of his love, mercy and forgiveness?
There are a few verses in our gospel text that- sheds s some light on that preparation. We begin with the verse which says: "But the Counselor, 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."
Jesus is telling the disciples that God will send the Spirit which will bring to their remembrance all that He had taught them. For part of their preparation for his ; gurney; - h, s ascent into heaven and their journey out into the world is to find strength, fin-7 expression,. fin wisdom through the words of Christ, through His means of grace, through baptism and communion. It is through the word, the remembrance of all that Christ had taught them that they will be empowered for their mission.
Through that word they would fin’ also the command to love one another, to uphold one another in faith, an] through those relationships each would find strength, each would be able to fulfill Christ’s plan. Not only would they have each other, but at the same time, the Holy Spirit would come and blending with their spirit, the Holy Spirit would empower them in their task and in their service. Their task was, to spread the message of the risen Christ and this was to be done in words and in deeds.
The same kind Of preparation is available for us. Through the word, through the sacraments , through our worship together, through our sharing the faith together, we are empowered by God’s Holy Spirit given us in Baptism to fulfill His mission in this world You and I are the Peters the James and the Johns, the Marys and the Marthas, we ore the ones Jesus is counting on this day to tell the unchurched, the lonely, the outcast, the ill, the disabled about the Christ who wants to be with them and redeem them.
"A mother was busy cleaning the house one morning, when the phone rang. She answered and the person at the other end seemed surprised as she asked, "Is this St. Paul’s Lutheran."
"No sad’ the busy mother,`"no, I think you have the wrong number."
"Well, said the lady on the other end, "I was calling just to talk to someone a minute.
No thought the busy mother, I don’t have time for this.
The lady continued saying: "I live alone and am confined to a wheel chair. My children live in another state, and sometimes I get so lonely I just can’t stand it. I ’m not able to get to church. Could you just talk to me a little while. ! "
The busy mother felt a sudden warm feeling inside, an embarrassed feeling. There was a long moment of silence as she looked quickly at her work and thought it wasn’t that dirty, nor that messy and she did have planned some tennis for the afternoon, so returning to the phone she said, "I am glad you got the wrong number. I would very much like to become acquainted with you. Please give me your name and address and I will be there within the hour with the makings for lunch and then we con get to know each other."
The woman was filled with joy as she excitedly gave the busy mother her name and address an, sat anxiously waiting for her new visitor."
Not only in our preparation are we promised the Spirit who will’ bring to our remembrance God’s means of grace his word and the sacraments, along with that Jesus promises his peace as it says in our text, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid."
Jesus is preparing the disciples for their journey as He extends His peace upon them. A peace which says that even in the midst of troubles, even in the brokenness of life, even in the turmoil of this chaotic, world even in the sorrow of death, even in the pain of broken relationships, even in the normal process of growing older, in all of this there is a sense of peace.
A peace which says everything need not be made right, but a certain calm which comes and says there is a comfort, a sense of courage, a serenity which allows Christ to be in control.
Maybe the following will help explain what I mean by God’s peace "In some hospitals they are using a new method to calm the newborns as they lie in their beds. It seems that if one baby cries, all of them begin to cry. So the hospital installed a tape recorder and speakers in the nursery and began to play a recording of a mother’s heats beat as it would sound to the baby. After listening to these sounds for a few moments, the crying is stilled and the babies seem happy as a feeling of security is spread over that nursery."
In the same way, Christ’s peace is spread over our lives and even though we still have problems, even though we still live in brokenness, there is a security over our lives which says no matter what, Jesus is with me and somehow with him by my side, this too shall pass.
From Pastor Clinton Meininger’s book SPRINGS OF LIVING WATER ’’I never saw a time so dark.....the sun was was hid all day ......My mind was dark and dull also, I could not even pray ......And God seemed so remote and far, Somehow I could not feel..... ..That He could care one little bit....or me, come woe or ........weal
Depressed I wandered by the dump.....And there there was was spread....A tiny, little violet...Lift ’ up it pretty head.... Mid trash and weeds and old tin cans...It grew its dogged way,,To me it was a smile from heav’n....To cheer me up that day.....This little speak called ’human life’.......Was precious as could be;......He careth for the bird flow’r...And He will care for me. . . . . . .The little flower growing alone. . This truth shared joyfully.......I felt anew that God did care ....And watched unfailingly." ’
The last preparation our text speaks of is the assurance of a heavenly home, a place with Jesus as he prepares our rooms. Jesus says "You heard me say to you, ’I go away and I will come to you. "if you loved me you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I." Jesus is reminding the disciples again of the promise, the assurance that when their pilgrimage on this earth is ended, they will live with Him for eternity.
Jesus says we rejoice because of this hope. Life is filled with hope not as MacBeth say" "life’s but a walking shadow; a poor player..That struts and frets his hour upon the stage...And then is heard no more;....it is a tale. . ...told by an idiot;...full of sound and fury signifying nothing...."
Our lives because of Christ more than nothing. They are filled with Christ’s resurrecting power. There is the taste of heaven now and a full taste of heaven when death comes. Our lives are filled with God’s word, his means of grace, his peace, and the power to love Him and our neighbor. That is a full life and when that kind of life is ended, then the rejoicing can begin because we have the assurance of the Holy Spirit that we will be living eternity with the rooms prepared for us by Jesus. As John saw in his vision, our rest, our rooms will be prepared by Christ and they will be in Christ. He will be the light, the power of that heavenly home .
Surely in this we are not suggesting that sorrow has no place in the death of a loved one because it does. But at the end of sorrows, at the end of our tears, at the end of the pain of separation, there must be something. And that something for us in Christ is the resurrection.
Life is more that sound and fury s signifying nothing. Life is filled with Christ and then life ends in Christ and in hope of the eternity.
The following illustrates the resurrection at the end of the tears, at the end of the pain, at the end of the sorrow.
A Pastor and his wife stood in terror as the doctor told them their 13-month old baby had died unexpectedly.
The parents hugger, embraced, cried on each other’s shoulder. They returned home, cried more as each friend and relative came to offer support .
Finally it came time to prepare the funeral service. The pastor told the presiding pastor, "I want this service to be a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The hymns were many familiar Easter hymns. The scriptures included the reality of death as they showed the power of Christ to overcome death. The pastor began his sermon reliving the circumstances of the child’s death, the pain, the heartbreak. Then He spoke of the promise that God’s peace would be present in all circumstances, and ended with Christ’s promise of a heavenly home.
The congregation ended the service with the hymn: "Now let the Vault of Heaven Resound," and as the casket was carried from the church to the adjacent cemetery, the organ played with as much sound and triumphant as it could muster, the triumphant melody of the Hallelujah chorus from Handel’s "Messiah". "
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you, not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
amen
