May 18th, 2025 5th Sunday of Easter
Marked and Living to follow Jesus
Acts 11:1-18; John 13:31-35
The Gospel lesson today is part of what’s known as “the Farewell Discourse” of Jesus. Jesus is preparing the Disciples for His departure and their time to work, or shall I say, living the mission without His physical presence. He has marked them for outreach to the community that needs the love of God that so necessary for a life together. Are we any different?
This discourse begins with a betrayal. We are appalled with Judas’ act of betrayal but, had he not done so, the act of Glorifying Jesus would not have happened as God had willed. If Judas had not gone to Sanhedrin, the crucifixion couldn’t have taken place. If Judas had not lusted for the thirty pieces of silver, Grace would not have come into the world for you and me. The process of Jesus being glorified, initiated with Judas’ betrayal. But what does it mean to be glorified? Dictionary.com defines glorified as “to be represented in such a way to appear more elevated or special.” “If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify Him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now, I say to you, Where I am going, you cannot come’”
Jesus reassures the disciples yet again, but not in a way to make them feel abandoned. The disciples have not yet fully understood the glorification of Jesus, which is linked to what must be done on the cross. They have not fully understood that Jesus is beyond special; that Jesus is their source of abundance in times of uncertainty. This past week I could have felt that way, however God sent a multitude of people to help me know He was near. Perhaps you have had a time in your life when you were waiting for bad news. Maybe you felt like God had abandoned you or what felt like an end coming that you wanted nothing to do with. I can imagine the disciples when Jesus spoke those words, getting a lump in their throats, trying to swallow their fear: “Little children, I am with you only a little longer . . . where I am going, you cannot come.” Wait! We cannot come. I remember as a six-year-old child, when dad was leaving, I’d ask him where he was going. One time he responded to me “nuts”, I then asked, “can I go too?”
Mercy Me has a song entitled “Even If”. It’s helped me in times of despair. One verse goes like this “It’s easy to sing, when there’s nothing to bring me down. But what will I say, when I’m held to the flame, like I am right now”. No matter what, we will not be abandoned by God. The Disciples are to keep looking for the image of God, especially in others. We are to show that we have been marked as well by love reaching out into the community; for ways to see the sacred in others that go beyond “the spark of the divine” and affirm their distinctiveness as children whom Jesus loved enough to give them a new way of being toward one another: the love made possible by Jesus’ sacrifice.
What ways have you been marked to show God’s love to the community? By that I mean the Gifts of the Spirit you have been endowed with. Every one of us in this church has been “marked” by the love of God when we ask Jesus into our lives and are baptized into the Body of Christ. We need to look for the image, the “mark” of God in every person. God can show up in the most unexpected time, place and person then we are accustomed to.
Two Bible scholars shared a statement about a glorified image of the Trinity; a God who is the God of all. Let me say that again, a God who is the God of all. Say that with me: a God who is the God of all. Doesn’t that sound wonderful? We each need to evaluate if we are at that point in our lives today, and every day.
In today’s New Testament passage Peter, a Jew among Jews has returned from a visit to those non-Jews who had accepted the word of God. When he arrives in Jerusalem, Peter is requested to tell about his experiences. The Jews in Jerusalem respond negatively that perhaps God does not intend for the message of salvation through Jesus to extend beyond Jewish racial/religious borders. Peter proclaims the visit confirmed for him what all Jews should have known and lived in the first place; God is the Creator of all. God’s question becomes Peter’s question as well: “How can we, as humans, judge any creation of God as being ‘profane or unclean’?” While the images on the sheet in Peter’s dream, depicted in Acts, were primarily animals, Peter quickly realizes that God used the animals to represent humans, and no human should ever judge another as being “profane or unclean.” Laws, used by the Jews for centuries, had limited their social interaction with others and now threatened relations among Christian believers. The barriers between people had to come down, and God used Peter to begin the destruction of those walls. A modern example comes from the late, great President Regan, “Mr. Gorbachev tear down this wall!” He also pledged that our country would help with those burdens of decent. What happened was glorious.
As we continue our Easter journey, there can be no greater rebirth than our acceptance of all. We must certainly embrace the view that all human beings are made in the awesome image of God. God does not make mistakes. This Easter season we wish we could declare the end of all “isms,” especially racism, but we know this is not true, yet. I invite you to look around this room and see all of God’s people present with us. Do we, on Sunday mornings, reflect the whole spectrum of society today in Hope? Have we broken down the walls and barriers of race as we know we should? Have we allowed God to open our hearts to lovingly welcome all who come to join us in worship? Here at Hope UMC we have made a start, but do we continue it with each other, as we grow in our Sanctifying Grace and our Justifying Grace.
Peter shared what he received from God, and came to understand that God works in mysterious ways to help change our attitudes and perceptions of others. We cannot do it alone. Peter had been taught that Gentiles were unclean; to interact with them was unclean. To sit down and eat at the same table with Gentiles was one of the worst things imaginable. It took a visit from God to change Peter’s perception of the Gentiles. This same God visited the Gentile Cornelius with a vision, calling him to send for Peter. Perhaps both men were frightened; change of habits and customs is challenging. But the obedience of both brought great blessings to the Christian church. Peter called it the blessing of the Holy Spirit coming down as they met together in fellowship; the Holy Spirit coming as God’s gift of strength and comfort for those living the new life of Christ. Who is it in your life that you find it hard to extend the love of Christ to? Is it poor, rich, certain ethnic group, males, females, teenagers, democrats, republicans, conservatives or liberals that you find hard to get along with? What do you think would happen if you gave them a little elbow room at the table of God? Jesus told the Disciples to love one another as themselves. Why is that so hard? We must figure out who is hard, even difficult for us to love like Christ did. Then extend the love of God to them.
On this Sunday, we should ask ourselves some questions. First, are we praying on a regular basis? Peter modeled a life of obedient and willing prayer to God every day, using the model taught him as a child and by the Lord. Second, are we praying in such a way that allows God to speak to us? Do I need to remind you that prayer is not a dictation to God of our “To Do” lists? Prayer is a regular and integral part of worship. If we are praying on a regular basis, are we obedient when we hear God’s leading or do we stay mired in our destructive ways? Our journey is more fruitful when we listen and are obedient to God. In a couple of Sundays our journey of faith will lead us into the celebration of Pentecost. It is not too early to ask ourselves if we are aware of the power of the great gift from God that can still change attitudes, perceptions, and yes, even lives.
Continue to look daily on how Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection embodied and gave you an example what love looks like. The commandment to love could be easily dismissed, were it not so context specific. It is because we are marked by love that we are brought to the same table, and it’s because we are marked by love that we leave the table and go out into the community. Even a healer, needs healing from time to time.
It is my prayer that your presence in worship today has brought new wisdom, peace, and, as the psalmist says, “joy, the joy that endures”—the joy that helps spread God’s love to those who need it most! Amen.
