No Stopping point
The following is the sermon preached on Sunday, May 6, 2007
Preacher: Herb Palmer
Faith Lutheran Church, Bellaire, Texas
The Fifth Sunday in Easter
May 6, 2007
Biblical Texts: Acts 11:1-18; Revelation 21:1-6; John 13:31-35
Title: No Stopping Point
There is new deck outside the front door at Gordon Elementary School. Gordon is just down the street on Avenue B. The plan for the deck was in the mind of the principal, Ms. Epps, for quite some time. Pat Rosenberg and Ms Epps met. Relationships were built. Then there was a drawing for what the deck could look like. Our Social ministry leaders took action. Some other people got the money together. Patrick Scales ordered the supplies and got the volunteers organized. People gave time last weekend and yesterday and the project is now finished. I am very proud of the work these folks did.
There is a lot of satisfaction with completing a project. Most of us can measure our lives by the things we finished, failed to finish, never got started, or we hope to get to at some time.
We are reminded of the words of Jesus from the cross about his work. He said: It is finished. Jesus was enduring an unbelievable amount of suffering at the time. There had to be an incredible peace, however, to know that he had fulfilled his purpose, he had accomplished his work, the time had come and he could finally say, it is finished. He had finished the work of salvation.
With Salvation accomplished God has a vision for the world. You know what a vision is: it is the “hoped for” outcome. It is to see what will be and then to live toward it. A glimpse of God’s vision was given to John and passed on to us in the Revelation of John. It is the vision of a new heaven and a new earth. God and humanity will live together; and the very presence of God will remove sorrow, pain, and death; and as a gift, the fountain of life will nourish all people.
Jesus told us, his followers, that we are among those who live out the hope of God’s vision for the world. Yet, we hope for what we do yet see. This vision, this hoped for future, of God is not yet visible to us. There is still pain, suffering, tears and death. There is still division among people; nations are far from seeing themselves as one. Christ’s work for salvation is complete; but his work in us is not.
Until it is fully completed Jesus leaves with us a commandment. Jesus gave this commandment just a few hours before his own death. It is after dinner in the upper room. Judas, the disciple who is to betray Jesus, has just left the room.
These last three years with his disciples have been a terrific adventure. Jesus knew that he is about to leave them. He knows they will get discouraged. They will wonder what now? They will question whether it was all worth it. For a time they would think that they were part of a project that was started and they will question whether it will ever be completed.
Knowing what was next for them Jesus makes it clear to them that this is not the time for any of them to call it quits. They must keep on. The last years haven’t been only an adventure. This time they had together was to teach them how to orient their life. Jesus gives them the guiding principle of all that has happened, which will be their guiding principle for anything they will face together. If they follow that guiding principle they will hit the target or at least be close to what is at the heart of what Jesus said and did.
Jesus gives them just one commandment. He brings it all down to this: Love one another. This is the example he gives: “Just as I have loved you”, he said, “you also should love one another.”
That is the commandment he gives to the church. With love as our number one priority we are given an endless opportunity to live it. The Church is formed around this commandment so that we will witness to what life looks like when the commandment to love is lived out.
The first followers as well as followers today: face ups and downs; face challenges that we never dreamed we would face; we are confronted by danger, fear, hatred, and even death. We live in a love-less world, and although the answer to the question is obvious… we will ask why should we keep trying… why should we continue and never seem to make any progress?
The church too often gets mixed up in all kinds of issues, get sidetracked, get confused; but when the church trusts that God’s work in us is to keep us focused on this one thing, the church will be able to manage through just about anything.
Notice how that was true in the story from Acts…You can almost hear the other church leaders saying: Peter, what were you thinking?! What he did was totally outside their tradition. They actually asked him: What will other people think about us because you did this?!
Then, Peter tells them this most unusual story that he was in a trance, and he had a vision. Three men came and he went with them. I don’t think that we would even get a handful of people this morning who would buy such a story if these events related to something of our own time. Peter went on to say what he believed: If this is what God wants, who am I to resist God’s work?
What happened changed the course of history. A sect of the Jewish faith, those known as the Christ followers, was opened to all. They believed that God was at work on behalf of the people who were considered the most on the outside. In a gesture of love, the church also welcomed and included those who were on the outside.
Jesus is teaching us to ask this: “What will it mean for us to love one another and then to do it?” He isn’t asking us to solve world problems. He isn’t asking us to save the world. He is asking us to wrestle with the command to love, as he has loved us, and then to act.
Earlier I mentioned the construction of a deck at Gordon Elementary School. We see the activity that happened, but what took place was really answering the question: What will it mean for us to love and to do it? The decision to build the deck, the decision to take the time to build it, the finished product was a loving thing to do. In the whole scheme of things in a complex world, it seems to be just a small thing… but was it?
Whose life was changed because love was expressed in sweat? Whose relationship with God was deepened because new relationships were formed while laying boards into place? Whose perspective about life has been changed from cynicism to hope because people showed love? Whose perspective is that people don’t care about one another is now challenged, because here is the witness of people who do care?
We might not be able to fully answer those questions today, but I am convinced that God will not let the effort be for nothing. God uses everything that happens, when done in love because of Christ, for the fulfillment of God’s vision.
The question for people of faith is always, how will I live out the command of Christ to love? Never stop asking that question. The issues will be tough – how to love won’t always be clear – but when we trust that love is the command – God will show us what to do with it.
So keep loving one another even when it doesn’t seem to help.
Keep loving one another when evil seems to be stronger then love.
Keep loving one another, even when death seems to be winning over life.
Your love for one another will witness to the world that you are disciples of Jesus. There is no other name under heaven or on earth, with which to be associated, in which you will find greater joy.
Amen.
Preacher: Herb Palmer
Faith Lutheran Church, Bellaire, Texas
The Fifth Sunday in Easter
May 6, 2007
Biblical Texts: Acts 11:1-18; Revelation 21:1-6; John 13:31-35
Title: No Stopping Point
There is new deck outside the front door at Gordon Elementary School. Gordon is just down the street on Avenue B. The plan for the deck was in the mind of the principal, Ms. Epps, for quite some time. Pat Rosenberg and Ms Epps met. Relationships were built. Then there was a drawing for what the deck could look like. Our Social ministry leaders took action. Some other people got the money together. Patrick Scales ordered the supplies and got the volunteers organized. People gave time last weekend and yesterday and the project is now finished. I am very proud of the work these folks did.
There is a lot of satisfaction with completing a project. Most of us can measure our lives by the things we finished, failed to finish, never got started, or we hope to get to at some time.
We are reminded of the words of Jesus from the cross about his work. He said: It is finished. Jesus was enduring an unbelievable amount of suffering at the time. There had to be an incredible peace, however, to know that he had fulfilled his purpose, he had accomplished his work, the time had come and he could finally say, it is finished. He had finished the work of salvation.
With Salvation accomplished God has a vision for the world. You know what a vision is: it is the “hoped for” outcome. It is to see what will be and then to live toward it. A glimpse of God’s vision was given to John and passed on to us in the Revelation of John. It is the vision of a new heaven and a new earth. God and humanity will live together; and the very presence of God will remove sorrow, pain, and death; and as a gift, the fountain of life will nourish all people.
Jesus told us, his followers, that we are among those who live out the hope of God’s vision for the world. Yet, we hope for what we do yet see. This vision, this hoped for future, of God is not yet visible to us. There is still pain, suffering, tears and death. There is still division among people; nations are far from seeing themselves as one. Christ’s work for salvation is complete; but his work in us is not.
Until it is fully completed Jesus leaves with us a commandment. Jesus gave this commandment just a few hours before his own death. It is after dinner in the upper room. Judas, the disciple who is to betray Jesus, has just left the room.
These last three years with his disciples have been a terrific adventure. Jesus knew that he is about to leave them. He knows they will get discouraged. They will wonder what now? They will question whether it was all worth it. For a time they would think that they were part of a project that was started and they will question whether it will ever be completed.
Knowing what was next for them Jesus makes it clear to them that this is not the time for any of them to call it quits. They must keep on. The last years haven’t been only an adventure. This time they had together was to teach them how to orient their life. Jesus gives them the guiding principle of all that has happened, which will be their guiding principle for anything they will face together. If they follow that guiding principle they will hit the target or at least be close to what is at the heart of what Jesus said and did.
Jesus gives them just one commandment. He brings it all down to this: Love one another. This is the example he gives: “Just as I have loved you”, he said, “you also should love one another.”
That is the commandment he gives to the church. With love as our number one priority we are given an endless opportunity to live it. The Church is formed around this commandment so that we will witness to what life looks like when the commandment to love is lived out.
The first followers as well as followers today: face ups and downs; face challenges that we never dreamed we would face; we are confronted by danger, fear, hatred, and even death. We live in a love-less world, and although the answer to the question is obvious… we will ask why should we keep trying… why should we continue and never seem to make any progress?
The church too often gets mixed up in all kinds of issues, get sidetracked, get confused; but when the church trusts that God’s work in us is to keep us focused on this one thing, the church will be able to manage through just about anything.
Notice how that was true in the story from Acts…You can almost hear the other church leaders saying: Peter, what were you thinking?! What he did was totally outside their tradition. They actually asked him: What will other people think about us because you did this?!
Then, Peter tells them this most unusual story that he was in a trance, and he had a vision. Three men came and he went with them. I don’t think that we would even get a handful of people this morning who would buy such a story if these events related to something of our own time. Peter went on to say what he believed: If this is what God wants, who am I to resist God’s work?
What happened changed the course of history. A sect of the Jewish faith, those known as the Christ followers, was opened to all. They believed that God was at work on behalf of the people who were considered the most on the outside. In a gesture of love, the church also welcomed and included those who were on the outside.
Jesus is teaching us to ask this: “What will it mean for us to love one another and then to do it?” He isn’t asking us to solve world problems. He isn’t asking us to save the world. He is asking us to wrestle with the command to love, as he has loved us, and then to act.
Earlier I mentioned the construction of a deck at Gordon Elementary School. We see the activity that happened, but what took place was really answering the question: What will it mean for us to love and to do it? The decision to build the deck, the decision to take the time to build it, the finished product was a loving thing to do. In the whole scheme of things in a complex world, it seems to be just a small thing… but was it?
Whose life was changed because love was expressed in sweat? Whose relationship with God was deepened because new relationships were formed while laying boards into place? Whose perspective about life has been changed from cynicism to hope because people showed love? Whose perspective is that people don’t care about one another is now challenged, because here is the witness of people who do care?
We might not be able to fully answer those questions today, but I am convinced that God will not let the effort be for nothing. God uses everything that happens, when done in love because of Christ, for the fulfillment of God’s vision.
The question for people of faith is always, how will I live out the command of Christ to love? Never stop asking that question. The issues will be tough – how to love won’t always be clear – but when we trust that love is the command – God will show us what to do with it.
So keep loving one another even when it doesn’t seem to help.
Keep loving one another when evil seems to be stronger then love.
Keep loving one another, even when death seems to be winning over life.
Your love for one another will witness to the world that you are disciples of Jesus. There is no other name under heaven or on earth, with which to be associated, in which you will find greater joy.
Amen.
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5:08 AM
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