Fifth Sunday of Easter – Pastor Ellen Mills
I am offering you two ways to receive this. In print, you will need to read the scriptures for yourself, and then the prayer and reflection that follow in this post. If you click on the audio link below (below), you can hear all of it, including the scriptures.
Fifth Sunday of Easter
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray,
Almighty God, your Son Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life. Give us grace to love one another, to follow in the way of his commandments, and to share his risen life with all the world, for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Acts 7:55-60
Psalms 31:1-5, 15-16
I Peter 2:2-10
John 14:1-14
In the midst of uncertain times, in the midst of things we have never before experienced, we get this comforting speech from Jesus to his followers before he was arrested. “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me.” This is “believe” as in “trust.” This is not about believing the words in a creed. It is about the simple but deep practice of trust in the One who is faithful and worthy of trust. It is about the One who loves us and acts for us. This passage is often read at funerals to comfort those who mourn and to assure them and all of us of God’s faithful love. But this is not just about life after death. It is about eternal life that begins now and continues beyond death. It is said to us now, in our situation and any situation. It is said to the people of God. The translations of this vary. Some say that in my Father’s mansion there are many rooms. That image is not the deepest for me. It can also be translated “in my Father’s house, there are many dwelling places.” I think the emphasis is on “dwelling.” The heart of God is big enough to include us all, and we are invited into this relationship, into the very heart of God. We are invited to remain there. We are given this promise, “where I am, there you may be also.” In a time when we are often physically isolated and we may feel very alone, Jesus is saying that we are not apart from him. We are connected, and we are cherished.
And then there is the conversation with Phillip. Phillip would clearly like to be in the age of maps or even GPS. Show me on the map or on the screen! I want to see exactly where you are going so that we can follow! And I was reminded of the summer when I was 6. We were headed out of town to visit my mother’s mother. This was very unusual, and it was several weeks after something that I did not understand, but that must have brought great anxiety. My father had left us. My mother was taking us back to where she grew up for some time with her mother and it was a long drive. I remember this because I kept asking two questions, and I could not understand why the answer would sometimes be “no” and sometimes “yes.” I lived in Charlottesville, in the center of Virginia. We were going to Bristol, Tennessee which was just over the Virginia border. Those concepts are simple for an adult. But not for the 6 year old that I was then. I apparently did not have a concept of city versus state. I was leaving where I lived, but was that “Charlottesville” or “Virginia”? Phillip also cannot understand this sort of leaving and going that Jesus was about to do. He wants a concrete answer. And of course, in the gospel of John, people ask Jesus for concrete answers to the very big questions that arise from his words. We definitely want to be where Jesus is or will be. We know that we do not want to be separated from his presence. But how can this be, when we no longer have the familiar physical body of Jesus in our midst? What are we to hold onto then?
And maybe that is a bit like the question that is among us even if we don’t ask it. What and where is church, or worship, when we no longer meet together in a familiar building at an arranged upon time? Are we still okay? Are we still loved by God? Will we still be fed and sent out into the world, and then gathered together again? What do these familiar actions look like in a world that is now subject to great change? And the answer is that we don’t have a map; we have Jesus. We may not be in the building for a while, but we have Jesus. We may not be in our favorite pew or chair, but our relationship with Jesus is still there, and hopefully is still growing no matter what else changes. We are invited to join the close relationship between the Father and the Son. We are heading towards abiding with the Father, and we are going there through the Son. We are headed to Love, through Love, and accompanied by Love. And this Love can be trusted. Amen.
Uplifted by the promised hope of healing and resurrection, we join the people of God in all times and places in praying for the church, the world, and all who are in need.
God of healing and rest, help those whose hearts are heavy and weighed down by many troubles. Comfort their suffering, ease their distress, and carry their burdens. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
With bold confidence in your love, almighty God, we place all for whom we pray into your eternal care; through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord’s face shine upon you with grace and mercy.
The Lord look upon you with favor, and give you peace.
Amen.