Sermon 9th May 2021 – 6th Sunday of Easter
Text:
John 15:9-15 - Family Privileges
Blood
is thicker than water:
It
doesn’t matter what you know – it’s who you know that matters.
These
and other sayings highlight the reality that there are privileges that are
often granted to family members.
Sometimes
that’s a positive thing, especially when it’s continuing a family business.
But
sometimes it’s not such a positive thing when it excludes people – a job for
the boys.
When
favouritism means that someone is not chosen because of some form of bias.
In
today’s first reading this was one of the first and biggest challenges to face
the new church – the followers of Jesus.
That
this group of Jewish followers of Jesus who had been waiting for so long for
God to send his promised King were now being asked to allow these foreigners
in.
This
Jewish clan had been waiting for hundreds and hundreds of years for God to
fulfil his promise to send a new King to sit on David’s throne.
Their
ancestors had been through hell:
400
years in hard slavery in Egypt.
They
had fought battle after battle losing thousands upon thousands of gallant men
defending their homeland Israel.
Their
ancestors had been sent into exile in foreign lands mistreated the Babylonians,
Assyrians and Philistines.
And
now these outsiders – these “Johnny come lately” known as Gentiles, think they
can just be Baptised and receive the Holy Spirit like that!!
What
this encounter shows to us is that our mission is always to look for inclusions
into our faith community rather than exclusions.
And
sadly, sometimes, in order to protect our faith we have made people feel
excluded rather than included – like outsiders rather than insiders.
Some
of you can probably remember when it was incredibly exclusive to break into our
Lutheran church.
When
a Lutheran married a Roman Catholic – that was frowned up and some were
disowned not just by the church but by family members.
When
a Lutheran married someone from “the other Synod”.
Some
of you may not be familiar with those exclusions – because the Lutheran Church
evolved from a dispute between Martin Luther, previously a Catholic Monk and
the Pope.
And
as a result there had been an air or suspicion of anything too catholic in the
church.
And
it’s only been in recent times when the Lutheran Church has come out and
rescinded its previous statement of the Pope being the Antichrist.
And
prior to 1966 the Lutheran Church was divided between 2 Synods and the hostility
was rather fierce.
In
our first reading today we see that challenge in the faces of Peter and his
companions.
They
have been invited to the house of Cornelius – a Gentile – a Roman Centurion –
from the same Roman community that sentenced Jesus to death by crucifixion.
And
while they are there they see something unbelievable happen.
They
see the Holy Spirit of God given to Cornelius and his people.
And
not just given – but “poured” out onto them.
And
they were astonished that the Holy Spirit was given “even to Gentiles” and they
began to speak in tongues and praise THEIR God.
And
now Peter wants them to be baptised.
But
hang on – what do they know about Jesus – what do they believe?
Shouldn’t
we examine them first?
This
is mind blowing – are we letting just anyone in?
What
next – who will we let in next?
Maybe
we should let that person arresting Christians, burning down their churches and
approving the killing of Christians –
what’s his name? Saul?
Well,
imagine how Ananias felt when God appeared to Ananias and told him exactly
that.
“Lord,”
Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he
has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority
from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.” But the Lord said
to Ananias, “Go!
Sometimes
we need to do a check on ourselves to see if we have become an exclusive
organisation rather than inclusive community.
We
might be horrified to feel someone felt they didn’t feel welcomed when they
visited our church.
We
should be looking for ways to include rather than exclude.
That
was Jesus’ mission as he looked to include the outsiders.
When
the law commanded the death of the woman caught in adultery, Jesus freed her by
the very same commandments that were being used to put her to death.
He
didn’t deny that the commandment of Moses justified her death but called on her
accusers to examine their own lives first and the one without sin could still
cast the first stone.
Or
Zacchaeus – the very behaviours that excluded him from friendship of his people
– the theft and dishonesty – Jesus was able to overturn by including him rather
than excluding him –
Zacchaeus
said: Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I
have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the
amount." Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house,
because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.
Again
John’s focus is on love – but not just any type of love but a love that is
generated by and from our inclusion into the family of God through Jesus
Christ.
He
says – everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God and
everyone who loves the parent loves the child.
By
this example John is saying that if we love God then we will love what comes
from God.
If
we love the parent we will love the child.
And
as we confess God as the creator of all people then we love all people.
And
this is no ordinary love.
When
we show the love of God then John says that we can change the world.
We
live in a world that sadly is not a great example of love.
We
only have to look at the way people have been treated during this pandemic with
border bans not just internationally but even among our own states.
Now
I can understand why we have travel bans but the way they are done there is
this instant reaction to cut off and protect ourselves first rather than reach
out and help.
But
look how John speaks about the love of God and the power that exists in it:
Whatever
is born of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that conquers the
world, our faith. Who is it that conquers the world but the one who believes
that Jesus is the Son of God?
Can
you imagine a world where we were not divided by anything?
Can
you imagine if our first response was like the Good Samaritan who stopped to
help a person from a race of people who had excluded while his own people
crossed over to the other side of the road to avoid helping?
Jesus
said – go and do likewise.
Or
think of the Samaritan woman at the well.
She
was astonished that Jesus, a Jewish leader would talk to her – a woman and a
Samaritan.
And
what does she do in response – she goes and tells her entire community who then
come out to see Jesus and believe.
This
is what Jesus asks of us who know all about God’s love;
That
you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to
lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
What
a beautiful image we have of our relationship with Jesus that we are his
friends.
That
even though it was his own people who cried out for his death, he could put
that aside and still call them his friend.
I
do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the
master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to
you everything that I have heard from my Father.
Can
you imagine a world where we treated one another in the same way – as our
friend?
That’s
what Jesus asks of us.
But
he does that because he knows how much joy that brings not only to the world
but also to us:
Jesus
said: I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that
your joy may be complete.
Compare
the person who has anger and resentment in their heart and a person who has
love and joy in their heart.
That’s
what God offers you – to know his love and experience complete and fullness of
joy.
Yes
there are benefits to belonging to a family and we belong to the most
privileged family of all – the family of God with the greatest benefits one can
imagine – eternal life in heaven.
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