Always With Us
Sermon
Sermons On The Gospel Readings
Series II, Cycle A
Object:
On a hot southern night, some 150 years ago, a weary slave sat before a tar-paper shack and lifted his voice in a song of lament -- a mournful, deep song whose words gave expression to the pain of having been taken from home, separated from family, and subjected to slavery. With hurt and longing he sang these words:
Sometimes I feel like a motherless child,
Sometimes I feel like a motherless child,
Sometimes I feel like a motherless child,
A long ways from home.
Sometimes I feel like I'm almos' gone,
Sometimes I feel like I'm almos' gone,
Sometimes I feel like I'm almos' gone,
Way up in de heab'nly land.1
There's a story told of a rookie baseball player just up from the minor leagues who was sent up to bat against the great Hall of Fame pitcher from the St. Louis Cardinals, Bob Gibson, in his prime. Just off the bench and as nervous as someone on his first date, the rookie stepped up to the plate and took a couple of tentative practice swings as the great right-hander, Gibson, glared down at him from the mound. Then, with a great windup and pitch, Gibson blew two consecutive fastballs right down the center of the plate, so fast that the poor rookie didn't even have time to swing his bat. With that, the rookie turned on his heels and started back to the dugout. "What're you doing?" his manager shouted at him as he approached the steps. "Get back out there. You've got another pitch coming." "Let him have it," the rookie said. "I've seen enough already."
Have you ever felt that way? Outmatched by life? Up against what seems to be impossible odds? Depressed? Downhearted? Hopeless and helpless, overpowered by life? What do we do when life bullies us into a corner? Where do we turn when trouble traps us? Well, there is good news. As we gather here today, we encounter the resurrected Christ, the one who has triumphed over the cross and the grave; the one who stands eternal before the throne of our heavenly Father, our Lord Jesus Christ, who says to us as he did to the disciples, "I will not leave you as orphans." I will not leave you alone. I will not abandon you.
Orphans ... Now that's a word we don't hear very often any more. It's not a popular word. In fact, we try to avoid the thought that orphans even exist any more. And yet, it is estimated that the South China Sea tsunami that struck at Christmas time a couple of years ago left as many as 1.5 million children orphaned. Just think -- one point five million children left without parents from that one tragedy. And there's more children like them who are made orphans each day.
And yet, we know that it isn't just children without parents who are orphans. There are countless others who feel abandoned, who feel alone without help, who are left without guidance or comfort who feel like orphans as well. They can be like the following people.
The 55-year-old factory worker is laid off when the plant closes leaving him with no prospect of another job. Too old and too weary to consider re-training, without skills that can be retooled, he feels alone. Unemployed and living off pension funds that will soon run out, who is there to say to him, "I will not leave you as orphans"? I will not abandon you.
Or how about the eighty-year-old, alone at home after fifty years of marriage? Her spouse no longer with her, she nods off in front of the television set, a half-eaten frozen meal cold in front of her. She is alone in a house too big for her, children with lives of their own in different towns. Who is there to say to her, "I will not leave you as orphans"? I will not abandon you.
Or the AIDS ravaged youth of Africa. His errant lifestyle has brought shame on his family and driven his friends away. His body is dying and he lies alone in pain. For him and for the millions of others throughout the world who face this dreaded disease, who is there to say to him, "I will not leave you as orphans"? I will not abandon you.
It may be the teenager who is different from the rest, the wife or husband whose spouse has left them, the businessman whose business is failing, or the parent whose child has rebelled and left home. Or any of the countless others in the world around us who feel alone and without hope, rejected and lonely, like that rookie facing Bob Gibson. To them and to us, there is good news this morning. For there is one who is here to say, "I will not leave you as orphans." I will not abandon you.
In the gospel reading today, Jesus sits with the disciples in the upper room. The candles of the Passover meal have burnt short and it is time to go. One disciple has already fled the gathering, his betrayal a shock to all of them. Another disciple's denial is predicted and the pain of the cross awaits them all. And in the midst of this uncertain gathering, Jesus reaches out to them in love. Listen again to what he says in various verses.
I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you. In just a little while, the world will not see me again, but you will. For I will live again and you will, too. And I will ask the Father and he will give you another counselor who will never leave you -- a Counselor who is the Holy Spirit.
I will not leave you. I will not abandon you. I will send you a counselor, an advocate, a comforter, a friend who will care for you, who will offer you hope when there is none to be found, help when you are helpless, comfort when you can find none, and life in the face of death. The Holy Spirit is God's gift to us in our baptism. The Holy Spirit is God's presence in life. The Holy Spirit is Christ's gift to us and the promise to all the faithful.
The Holy Spirit sends us forth then as messengers of God's love to the poor, the unemployed, the young and the elderly, the sick and rejected, the unhappy, the sorrowful, the lonely and the dying. Who is there to say to them, "I will not leave you as orphans"? I will not abandon you. Well, God says it can be us. For we are the ones whom God entrusts with the good news. We are the ones sent forth with his love.
One of the themes that dominate this passage of scripture is the theme of love. "If you love me," Jesus says in verse 15, "obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father and he will give you another counselor, who will never leave you." In his great love for us, Jesus promises us help. He promises us the Holy Spirit. He promises us one whose presence will comfort us.
One could easily make the case that where there is no love, there is no comfort. That is what Jesus says. "If you love me...." For all too many of us, our Christian faith is centered eighteen inches too high, for that is the distance between our head and our heart, between knowing about God and knowing God, between understanding the presence of God and experiencing it.
You see, ideas are powerful things. But an idea has no power to heal a broken heart. An idea cannot take away the pain of heartache or fill the void of a loss. An idea can bring no comfort in the face of tragedy or peace in the wake of death. An idea is no substitute for experiencing the love of Jesus Christ. That's why Jesus says, "I will not leave you as orphans." I will not abandon you. You will have my love to strengthen you.
One of the most famous of all the English poets was a woman by the name of Elizabeth Barrett, an invalid for many years, her illness so severe that in the end, she was so weak, in fact, that she could not even raise her head from her pillow. One day, she was visited by a man by the name of Robert Browning, who had come to meet the author of the poetry that had inspired him so. After his first visit, an amazing thing happened. He left Elizabeth with such joy and happiness that she was able to lift her head. On his second visit, she sat up in bed. And on their third, they eloped and were married. Today she is known as Elizabeth Barrett Browning, the greatest of all of the English love poets.
Such is the power of love. Love has the power to heal. It has the power to make well. It has the power to lift drooping heads and fill empty hearts. No wonder people were healed just by coming into the presence of Jesus. Did you ever wonder about that -- those stories in the New Testament that tell of someone who just came to Jesus and with just a touch or with just a word were made well? There's no secret to that. If we believe that Jesus was God's love incarnate, God's love in the flesh, why shouldn't people be healed by just coming into contact with him? For love has the power to do that. Love has the power to heal and that's what Christ can do.
But we must come into his presence. We must draw near to him. That's why we open God's word. That's why we study the Bible. That's why personal time of devotion and prayer are so important. For in them we come close to Christ. In them, we draw near to our Lord. And in coming to him, we enter the presence of God and God's love makes us well.
For he can heal the broken heart. He can fill the emptiness of loss. He can comfort the lonely and strengthen the weak. Sometimes we do feel like a motherless child. Sometimes we feel overmatched by life. But we have a Father who loves us. We have a Savior who triumphed over death. We have the Holy Spirit, God's presence, to bring faith to life. And because of that we have the peace of God that passes all understanding to keep our heart and mind in Christ Jesus. Amen.
____________
1. Traditional Negro spiritual, author unknown.
Sometimes I feel like a motherless child,
Sometimes I feel like a motherless child,
Sometimes I feel like a motherless child,
A long ways from home.
Sometimes I feel like I'm almos' gone,
Sometimes I feel like I'm almos' gone,
Sometimes I feel like I'm almos' gone,
Way up in de heab'nly land.1
There's a story told of a rookie baseball player just up from the minor leagues who was sent up to bat against the great Hall of Fame pitcher from the St. Louis Cardinals, Bob Gibson, in his prime. Just off the bench and as nervous as someone on his first date, the rookie stepped up to the plate and took a couple of tentative practice swings as the great right-hander, Gibson, glared down at him from the mound. Then, with a great windup and pitch, Gibson blew two consecutive fastballs right down the center of the plate, so fast that the poor rookie didn't even have time to swing his bat. With that, the rookie turned on his heels and started back to the dugout. "What're you doing?" his manager shouted at him as he approached the steps. "Get back out there. You've got another pitch coming." "Let him have it," the rookie said. "I've seen enough already."
Have you ever felt that way? Outmatched by life? Up against what seems to be impossible odds? Depressed? Downhearted? Hopeless and helpless, overpowered by life? What do we do when life bullies us into a corner? Where do we turn when trouble traps us? Well, there is good news. As we gather here today, we encounter the resurrected Christ, the one who has triumphed over the cross and the grave; the one who stands eternal before the throne of our heavenly Father, our Lord Jesus Christ, who says to us as he did to the disciples, "I will not leave you as orphans." I will not leave you alone. I will not abandon you.
Orphans ... Now that's a word we don't hear very often any more. It's not a popular word. In fact, we try to avoid the thought that orphans even exist any more. And yet, it is estimated that the South China Sea tsunami that struck at Christmas time a couple of years ago left as many as 1.5 million children orphaned. Just think -- one point five million children left without parents from that one tragedy. And there's more children like them who are made orphans each day.
And yet, we know that it isn't just children without parents who are orphans. There are countless others who feel abandoned, who feel alone without help, who are left without guidance or comfort who feel like orphans as well. They can be like the following people.
The 55-year-old factory worker is laid off when the plant closes leaving him with no prospect of another job. Too old and too weary to consider re-training, without skills that can be retooled, he feels alone. Unemployed and living off pension funds that will soon run out, who is there to say to him, "I will not leave you as orphans"? I will not abandon you.
Or how about the eighty-year-old, alone at home after fifty years of marriage? Her spouse no longer with her, she nods off in front of the television set, a half-eaten frozen meal cold in front of her. She is alone in a house too big for her, children with lives of their own in different towns. Who is there to say to her, "I will not leave you as orphans"? I will not abandon you.
Or the AIDS ravaged youth of Africa. His errant lifestyle has brought shame on his family and driven his friends away. His body is dying and he lies alone in pain. For him and for the millions of others throughout the world who face this dreaded disease, who is there to say to him, "I will not leave you as orphans"? I will not abandon you.
It may be the teenager who is different from the rest, the wife or husband whose spouse has left them, the businessman whose business is failing, or the parent whose child has rebelled and left home. Or any of the countless others in the world around us who feel alone and without hope, rejected and lonely, like that rookie facing Bob Gibson. To them and to us, there is good news this morning. For there is one who is here to say, "I will not leave you as orphans." I will not abandon you.
In the gospel reading today, Jesus sits with the disciples in the upper room. The candles of the Passover meal have burnt short and it is time to go. One disciple has already fled the gathering, his betrayal a shock to all of them. Another disciple's denial is predicted and the pain of the cross awaits them all. And in the midst of this uncertain gathering, Jesus reaches out to them in love. Listen again to what he says in various verses.
I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you. In just a little while, the world will not see me again, but you will. For I will live again and you will, too. And I will ask the Father and he will give you another counselor who will never leave you -- a Counselor who is the Holy Spirit.
I will not leave you. I will not abandon you. I will send you a counselor, an advocate, a comforter, a friend who will care for you, who will offer you hope when there is none to be found, help when you are helpless, comfort when you can find none, and life in the face of death. The Holy Spirit is God's gift to us in our baptism. The Holy Spirit is God's presence in life. The Holy Spirit is Christ's gift to us and the promise to all the faithful.
The Holy Spirit sends us forth then as messengers of God's love to the poor, the unemployed, the young and the elderly, the sick and rejected, the unhappy, the sorrowful, the lonely and the dying. Who is there to say to them, "I will not leave you as orphans"? I will not abandon you. Well, God says it can be us. For we are the ones whom God entrusts with the good news. We are the ones sent forth with his love.
One of the themes that dominate this passage of scripture is the theme of love. "If you love me," Jesus says in verse 15, "obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father and he will give you another counselor, who will never leave you." In his great love for us, Jesus promises us help. He promises us the Holy Spirit. He promises us one whose presence will comfort us.
One could easily make the case that where there is no love, there is no comfort. That is what Jesus says. "If you love me...." For all too many of us, our Christian faith is centered eighteen inches too high, for that is the distance between our head and our heart, between knowing about God and knowing God, between understanding the presence of God and experiencing it.
You see, ideas are powerful things. But an idea has no power to heal a broken heart. An idea cannot take away the pain of heartache or fill the void of a loss. An idea can bring no comfort in the face of tragedy or peace in the wake of death. An idea is no substitute for experiencing the love of Jesus Christ. That's why Jesus says, "I will not leave you as orphans." I will not abandon you. You will have my love to strengthen you.
One of the most famous of all the English poets was a woman by the name of Elizabeth Barrett, an invalid for many years, her illness so severe that in the end, she was so weak, in fact, that she could not even raise her head from her pillow. One day, she was visited by a man by the name of Robert Browning, who had come to meet the author of the poetry that had inspired him so. After his first visit, an amazing thing happened. He left Elizabeth with such joy and happiness that she was able to lift her head. On his second visit, she sat up in bed. And on their third, they eloped and were married. Today she is known as Elizabeth Barrett Browning, the greatest of all of the English love poets.
Such is the power of love. Love has the power to heal. It has the power to make well. It has the power to lift drooping heads and fill empty hearts. No wonder people were healed just by coming into the presence of Jesus. Did you ever wonder about that -- those stories in the New Testament that tell of someone who just came to Jesus and with just a touch or with just a word were made well? There's no secret to that. If we believe that Jesus was God's love incarnate, God's love in the flesh, why shouldn't people be healed by just coming into contact with him? For love has the power to do that. Love has the power to heal and that's what Christ can do.
But we must come into his presence. We must draw near to him. That's why we open God's word. That's why we study the Bible. That's why personal time of devotion and prayer are so important. For in them we come close to Christ. In them, we draw near to our Lord. And in coming to him, we enter the presence of God and God's love makes us well.
For he can heal the broken heart. He can fill the emptiness of loss. He can comfort the lonely and strengthen the weak. Sometimes we do feel like a motherless child. Sometimes we feel overmatched by life. But we have a Father who loves us. We have a Savior who triumphed over death. We have the Holy Spirit, God's presence, to bring faith to life. And because of that we have the peace of God that passes all understanding to keep our heart and mind in Christ Jesus. Amen.
____________
1. Traditional Negro spiritual, author unknown.
