“A Gift of Love; A Gift of Peace” May 25, 2025
“A Gift of Love; A Gift of Peace”
Psalm 67
Acts 16:9-15
John 14:23-29
Good morning, and welcome to this, the 6th Sunday of Easter tide which, by the way, is also the day before Memorial Day. Speaking of Memorial Day, did you know that Memorial Day was started by former slaves on May, 1, 1865 in Charleston, SC to honor 257 dead Union Soldiers who had been buried in a mass grave in a Confederate prison camp. They dug up the bodies and worked for 2 weeks to give them a proper burial as gratitude for fighting for their freedom. They then held a parade of 10,000 people led by 2,800 Black children where they marched, sang and celebrated.
Our thanks go out to Abstrakt Goldsmith for this nugget of history that most of us never learned in school.
As for today, May 25th is a day rich in historical events and observations. It’s the day Babe Ruth hit his record-breaking 714th home run. Additionally, it’s the day the US Constitutional Convention officially opened in Philadelphia .Also, May 25th is celebrated as Greek Pride Day, Towel Day, National Tap Dance Day, not to mention that this day May 25th is recognized as the International Day of the Disappeared.(I have no idea what that might be all about) And in two totally unrelated events , May 25th, 1961, marked the day that president Kennedy reportedly urged Congress to support the space program. Then in 1977, Star Wars” opened in theaters across the country on this very same day. Coincidence? I don’t think so.
Now, a little closer to home, it’s worth noting that May 25th is National (2) Wine Day in the United States: an event, I’m sure, that was designed to promote the wine industry, but has the added benefit of eliminating any guesswork as to how we’re supposed to celebrate this very special day.
My point here, if there is a point, is that there will never be a day that
we cannot find a point of interest: something special, something above the norm or out of the ordinary. The apostle John’s telling of the teachings of Christ to his disciples the day before his death is no exception.
Today’s gospel reading is a continuation of what is known as “The Farewell Discourse” in the gospel of John. On the day before his death, Jesus gathered his disciples for a very long session about how things are and how things will be. The disciples were accustomed to these times with Jesus, but what started as a normal, sit down teaching moment with the master wound up to be a real mind boggling experience for those in the room. (vs 18) 18 “No, I will not abandon you or leave you as orphans in the storm—I will come to you. 19 In just a little while I will be gone from the world, but I will still be present with you. For I will live again—and you will too.”
He then he tells them of a gift they shall receive: the gift of the Holy Spirit and with Pentecost only two weeks away, this is a good foreshadowing of things to come. Now, I’d like to come back to that later, but first I’d like to address the big question mark that popped in my head when Jesus told his disciples, The one who obeys me is the one who loves me; and because he loves me, my Father will love him; and I will too, and I will reveal myself to him.”
Evidently I am not the only one confused by this statement, because (vs 22)
22 Judas (not Judas Iscariot, but his other disciple with that name) said (3)
to him, “Sir, why are you going to reveal yourself only to us disciples and not to the world at large?”
23 Jesus replied, “Because I will only reveal myself to those who love me and obey me. The Father will love them too, and we will come to them and live with them. 24 Anyone who doesn’t obey me doesn’t love me.”
OK, so now I just have to ask: is there anyone else here, besides me, who finds this statement a bit uncomfortable? I wish that I had a tidy little answer all tied up in a bow, but I don’t. I mean, I can’t help but feel like Peter when Jesus asked him over and over, “Do you love me?” If you’ll recall, Peter answered each time, “yes, Lord, you know that I love you, ” and each time Jesus replied, “feed my lambs, feed my sheep.” In other words ,’ Take care of each other.‘ Welcome the stranger, feed the hungry, give shelter to the outcast.
Could it really be that simple? Is love and obedience to Christ nothing more than to do what he asks us to do and to do it with a joyful heart? Could that be the key? I certainly hope so. In fact, if we find ourselves sharing a genuine affection for Jesus Christ- for the lessons he taught us and for the life that he lived and the many lives he has changed for the better – then I would have to say, this is a love that will only grow stronger as time goes by.
On the other hand, we might choose to believe that this is just another of those weird things that Jesus said. Maybe it was designed to scare us into obedience,
or maybe the important pieces got lost in translation, or even that the (4) apostle John chose to take some liberties here. So, for the record, let’s just say that when God expresses himself through the personage of Jesus Christ, it will all be about love; It will always be about love. This is the greatest gift, the greatest gift of all: the gift of God’s love.
Jesus told his disciples, 25 “I am telling you these things now while I am still with you. 26 But when the Father sends the Comforter[a] instead of me—and by the Comforter I mean the Holy Spirit—he will teach you much, as well as remind you of everything I myself have told you.”
But when the Father sends the Comforter[a] instead of me—and by the Comforter I mean the Holy Spirit—he will teach you much,”
18 No, I will not abandon you or leave you as orphans in the storm./// .. and by the Comforter I mean the Holy Spirit,”
that’s what makes this day so special, that’s what makes it extraordinary, that on the eve of his death, the son of man and the son of God announced that when he leaves, it is not the end. To his disciples, who he loved, Jesus promised a gift: the gift of peace of Mind; the gift of peace in our hearts; the gift of the Holy Spirit, and from that special day onward we have been looking for the manifestation of the spirit, in our own way, with every day that passes. So how do we approach, much less understand, this thing called the power of the spirit? Over the years it has been misused, mistaken, and misconstrued to the point that we have placed the power of the spirit into the same category as Ouija boards and seances. But, of course, that is not the case. So let’s back up a bit. You might remember the story I told last week about the 92 year old retired pastor who was making a guest appearance for a small local congregation.
After finally making it to the pulpit, he spoke to the congregation and (5)
said, “”When I was asked to come here today and talk to you, your pastor asked me to tell you about the greatest lesson ever learned in my 50 odd years of preaching. I thought about it for a few days and boiled it down to just one thing that made the most difference in my life and sustained me through all my trials – the one thing that I could always rely on when tears and heartbreak and pain and fear and sorrow paralyzed me. That one thing is: “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to him belong, we are weak but he is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me…the Bible tells me so.”
One of our house guests at the time was an old friend and retired clergy from the United Methodist Church. When we got back to the house, she said, “you know, you should ask people to share with you that same thing. You should ask them to tell you about the greatest lesson they have ever learned on their journey of faith. You may be surprised.” she said, “at the stories you might hear.”
And so, because I would truly love to share these moments with you and because Connie asked me, I would ask you as well: What is the greatest lesson that you have learned on your journey of faith. It might be something small and inconsequential to most people, but it is tremendous to you. It might be an earth shattering revelation just as easy as a moment of peace or joy in the Lord that you have never forgotten. One thing is for certain: These are not simply “aha” moments. No, These are only brief moments in time When you are blessed by the power of the spirit, even if it’s only to tell you, “Yes, Jesus loves me. The Bible tells me so.”
AMEN & SHALOM
Recent Comments