This is my sermon from Sunday, May 29, as best as I can remember it...
Todays readings have many familiar phrases in the them. In 1 Peter, the author speaks of being able to give an accounting for the hope that is in us. I find that phrase to be very important as we live our lives in the midst of people who do not believe in God at all. And if that hope is so important, from where does if come? What is this joy that triumphs over sadness and despair? The other two readings for today inform that very question and shed some light into how to live into that hope.
In Acts 17, we find Paul at the Areopagus in Athens. He is a very diplomatic evangelist. He spends time getting to know the beliefs and practices of the people before addressing them. He compliments them on their obvious religious practices. He does not put them down or hold them in disdain. Instead, Paul finds a common starting place: the Athenians have an altar to an “unknown” God. Those Athenians wanted to make sure they had covered all the bases. Paul lets them know that this unknown God does indeed want to be known. And, from there, he tells them about the God who created the universe, who has spoken through the prophets, and who is revealed in the person of Jesus. God is one who wants to be known and has revealed himself to humankind throughout the history of the world. God wants them to know of his mercy, love and forgiveness. And God has revealed these qualities of God’s own character through a special revelation.
We have experienced that unique revelation of God in the person of Jesus. That very same Jesus who is offering his farewell discourse to his disciples in the Gospel reading today. This farewell holds many elements that would be included in any good-by: instructions, comfort, final words of love. But, as is typical with John, his writing tends to go in circles instead of in a nice linear fashion. He writes that if you love Jesus you will obey his commandments. Then, he writes, those who obey his commandments, love him. He writes also that we need to abide in Jesus, as Jesus abides in us, and as Jesus abides in the Father, so we too abide in the Father. It is in these circles of thought that we are to catch a glimpse of God. It is as if John wants us to approach God sideways, through the cracks in our tangible reality.
One of the best illustrations that I can think of for this, is from C. S. Lewis. C.S. Lewis was a powerful theologian of the 20th century. We call him Anglican, even though he did not affiliate himself with any particular denomination. He wrote on many theological topics, including this idea of coming to God sideways, or through unexpected ways. CS Lewis created a world called Narnia, which is a world that four children fall into through the back of a wardrobe. This Narnia became the place for those children to discover God and hear from him, through the character of Aslan the Lion. In this place, they heard God whisper their name, and see how the power of God can turn a frozen tundra into a green paradise. They learn how to recognize the things of God even when they return to their own world. The Chronicles of Narnia provide a beautiful metaphor of how our approach to God is not always logical or straightforward. Sometimes we just find ourselves in God’s presence and our own world never is the same.
In todays Gospel, Jesus promises his disciples, and by extension, us, that we will never be orphans. The first image that might come to us is Little Orphan Annie or some other child that is without parents. But, anyone of us who has lost both parents, either as a child or as an adult, is an orphan. As the years pass, we cannot remember everything about that person. For children who grow up without their parents, they might remember a touch, or a face or a lingering scent. They don’t remember the details. Nor do we, after someone who we love is gone, remember all the details. We don’t remember they way they sounded when they spoke or their favorite movie or how they walked. We forget, even as much as we would desire to remember, because by remembering we keep them close to us and alive in our hearts. Jesus was saying to his friends, I will not leave your bereft. You will not forget the words I have spoken to you, or the things you have seen, or the new revelations of God that you now hold in your heart. You will not forget all the important things about me and the amazing things that you have seen and been witness to.
Jesus does this by promising that he will send to them the Spirit of Truth, to be a guide for them. And because of this they will not be orphans. Which, actually, on the surface, makes absolutely no sense. Why would a Spirit of Truth keep anyone from feeling like an orphan?
Well, let me tell you. Truth here comes from the Greek word aletheia. The first part “a”, simply means “not”. Not - letheia. Letheia refers to the river Lethe in Greek mythology. This is the river from which the dead would drink to forget they were dead. They would become oblivious to their true state. Instead of oblivion and forgetfulness, we have disclosure. When we are filled with Spirit of Aletheia, we are reminded of the very presence of God in our lives. Our inmost being is reawakened with the promises of God and our spirits are made alive. We are no longer the dead walking around oblivious to our own reality. The things that we cannot see are confirmed in us. Moments of God’s grace and power are nudged out of our subconscious. We remember the things that we know are true about God. We remember that we are not orphans, but beloved children. No longer are we those who walk in darkness. Paul speaks of those who grope for God. It is only in the dark that we blindly grope. When we stand in the light, we can see and grasp that which is in front of us.
I see this happening in prayer, when we are open to listen to the spirit of God. We may never see the effects of our prayers, but our faith is encouraged and our spirits rejoice. I find this to be true in studying scripture as well. We often treat the Bible just like any other book. We open it and start to read. Many who approach the Bible this way, remain frustrated. If we, instead, invite the Spirit of Alethia to help illumine and open the words of Scripture for us, the experience is very different. We expect to find God in the words of the Scripture, I have found God through the reading of scripture as the Spirit speaks to my heart.
This coming week, we have the opportunity to participate in the life of the Spirit. Be open to the moving of the Spirit in your own life. You may feel far from God. You may feel that your life has no joy. If that is so, invite the Spirit to remind you once again of your first love for God. This is the hope for which we may need to give account: remember that God calls each of us by name, that we are all loved as God’s children and that we have an anchor in heaven. Remember, also, you will never be alone.