April 27, 2008 Sermon
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Easter 6 - A
April 27, 2008 Allan Conkling
The account in the First Lesson (Acts 17:22) has been called one of the most accomplished pieces of literature in the New Testament. Only days before his arrival in Athens, Paul had been smuggled out of Thessalonica in the dead of night. There Christians were being dragged before the Roman authorities, charging them with claiming that there was a king other than Caesar: Jesus. Usually Paul would go to Jewish centers and begin sharing about Christ with anyone who would listen. He would share how for him Christ was the fulfillment of ancient Scripture. Now however, Paul found himself among Gentiles and philosophers in the center of philosophy. Quoting Hebrew Scripture would do him no good. It had no authority for this audience. So Paul turned instead to religious practices/beliefs evident in the altars of the city and cites the philosophical tradition of his audience. Paul focused on the spiritual quest common in every culture and religion and attempted to show how this understanding of God has addressed their situation. The concern here was to make Christ alive and relevant for his hearers.
Thousands of years later and half a world away we are still trying to make the Gospel appealing to those around us. Most times we do that by tried and true methods: Inviting someone to come to church, bring their kids to Sunday school. We invite people to come and see; to be a part of a spiritual family; and to deepen their spiritual lives through worship and prayer and fellowship.
These days however the world has become smaller. Even in a city like San Angelo that says it is mostly "Christian", there are many times where we come in contact with people whose beliefs and traditions different, but are no less noble or true than ours. No longer are our next door neighbors assumed to be just Baptist or Methodist. Nowadays they might as easily be Muslim or Buddhist, or Hindu, or practice meditation. Some find spirituality on-line. Fewer and fewer people go to church or support organized religion, and the Bible even for the most dedicated Christian is a mystery at best, or even negative. In short, the God of "in here" can if we are not sensitive be out of touch with the reality "out there."
How often does God seem silent and unknowable? How the heck do you talk about something you can't even see? Moreover if God does exist, why is there so much suffering and war and hatred? Does God care about those things?
The task and the challenge to our church--and all churches today is to discover a balance between the traditional, historic, comfortable expressions of faith, with the need to be relevant and present to a world searching for meaning and direction. This is a special urgency in our world today. We don't know the workings of the Almighty...which in the end is a good thing since if we knew the mind of God that wouldn't be much of a god at all! Still, as the writer of First Peter says, we must
"Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you."
Last week's Gospel lesson from John ended with the promise from Jesus that, "If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it." (John 14:14). By contrast, his week's passage opens (v. 15) with the same if-then structure, but the weight of responsibility has shifted from the speaker (Jesus) to the hearers (the disciples): "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." Promise gives way to exhortation. Yet behind the exhortation is another promise. The disciples will be able to keep Jesus' commandments because Jesus will ask God to send the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth (exhorter, comforter, helper, advocate, counselor) to be with them always. Even while Jesus is telling his disciples that he is leaving them, he is promising that he will not leave them alone. He is both leaving them and coming to them.
This is not spiritual double talk! As crazy as this world gets,
"We have an advocate with the Father..."
Hear then the Good News spoken to seekers of every age: Christ is alive! He will remain with us. He loves us. He will not leave us "orphaned." This is the firm faith upon which we put our trust. This is the message of hope we share with others in word, deed, and welcome and inclusion.
We all struggle with the trauma of Jesus' absence, the trauma of the world's hopelessness, the trauma of grief. Yet God as the Unseen Other (totally beyond) and utterly Emmanuel (with us), calls us to keep Christ's commands, follow God's will, and cooperate with the movement of the Holy Spirit in living out Christ's love in the world.
I have quoted many times the words of Herbert O'Driscoll:
"God always has the last word. But the last word in the vocabulary of God is trust not betrayal; hope not despair; life not death."
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Revised: 05/05/08