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Trinity Episcopal Church Hattiesburg, Mississippi Sixth Sunday After Easter (Easter 7) May 20, 2007 Go To Trinity's Home Page

Acts 16:16-34
Psalm 97
Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21
John 17:20-26
Collect of the Day
From the Revised Common Lectionary as Adapted for Use by the Episcopal Church
and Authorized by the 75 th General Convention of the ECUSA

Jesus prayed for his disciples, and then he said. “I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. “Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”(John 17:20-26)

Unity not Conformity
The Rev. Dr. Bill Stroop

     Today is called Ascension Sunday, because it occurs between the feasts of the Ascension and the Day of Pentecost. The feast of the Ascension celebrates the day when Jesus became free of the human restrictions of time and space, and the Day of Pentecost when we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit and the establishment of the Church.

     It is curious that there is a gap between the time when Jesus’ feet disappeared into the clouds and the day when the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples. During that time, the disciples must have looked at one another and wondered what to do next. Maybe their initial fear of arrest had lessened, but they were not fully empowered to claim the ministry Jesus had bequeathed them.

     About the only thing they could do was to wait, and to wait patiently, for the Advocate, the Holy Spirit whom Jesus promised God would send (Jn 16:26). While they waited, about all they had to buoy them were memories of Jesus’ teachings, his examples of love, and the prayer Jesus prayed over them the night he was betrayed.

     That prayer, which heard in today’s gospel, is traditionally called the high priestly prayer of Jesus. After Jesus washed the disciples’ feet and shared the Passover meal with them, he prayed for those disciples who were with him in the room, and for those like you and me who would come after. Jesus prayed that all of the disciples would be “one.”

     The unity Jesus prays for is not the kind of oneness where we think similar thoughts and believe identical things. It is not about a kind of general issue uniformity of belief. It is the gift of love that God had for Jesus, and that Jesus had for his disciples. It is being unified in love and by love, where a sense of God’s divine love gives purpose to everything else that we do. And, it is in fact not something we can work to attain; rather it is a gift.

     For about eight years Sparky the Wonder Dog was part of our household. Sparky was adopted just a few months after Sarah had been adopted as a kitten. Both animals came into a house that already had two older cats; cats who were only mildly amused by the presence of these two energetic youngsters. Perhaps because he was raised in a house with two adult cats and a kitten, or perhaps because he was just needy, Sparky wanted to be one with the cats. The older cats resisted his attempts to groom them, preferring to growl and hiss rather than submit to grooming by wet dog tongue. But not Sarah. Sarah grew quite accustomed to Sparky’s affections.

     Nearly every evening, I witnessed a kind of love that showed how profound differences could be transcended through discovery of mutual purpose. Each evening, Sarah would jump onto the sofa to nestle against Sparky’s belly. And as she lay there, she would groom the dog’s head and ears. Sparky would make contented grunting noises as he became hypnotized by her rhythmic and delicious attention. Within a few minutes, the two of them would comfortably interlock their legs and begin to doze. Two different species seemingly became one creature as they settled into a deep and peaceful sleep. D.H. Lawrence captured this moment in these lines:

All that matters is to be at one with the living God
to be a creature in the house of the God of Life.
Like a cat asleep on a chair
at peace, in peace
and at one with the master of the house,
with the mistress,
at home, at home in the house of the living,
sleeping on the hearth and yawning
before the fire.
Sleeping on the hearth of the living world,
yawning at home before the fire of life
feeling the presence of the living God
like a great reassurance
a deep calm in the heart.

     Two animals, each with their own identity, bound in the common purpose of restful comfort. They relied on each other and something that allowed them to transcend their own sense of species.

     Jesus’ prayer acknowledged the gift of love between God and the Son. That love is what I believe existed before the foundation of the world. It is the “stuff” of the triune God. It is what brought about creation, and still creates today. It is what we feel in our hearts and spirits. It comes from beyond ourselves. It is a gift. That same gift of divine love was extended to the disciples, because the glory given to Jesus by God, was given to the disciples by Jesus. And what Jesus received, he gave away. Because that God’s love was now theirs, the disciples enjoyed the same unity in love that God and Jesus enjoyed from the beginning of time. And that love is continually given as a free gift to all generations, forever more. It is given to you and to me. It is called “grace.”

     We must also recognize – like Jesus did – that service and witness in the world depends on the indwelling of the Divine: he is in us and we are in him. Through this mystical union, our bond to Christ is the same as the bond we have to one another. Out of that graced unity, the presence and grace of God shines into the world.

     But we must be very careful about this idea of unity.[1] Jesus prays that we may be one, as he and God are one. While the unity of God’s people is clearly a theme of the New Testament, Jesus’ prayer is not a proof text for some kind of merger of denominations, for unanimity of doctrine, complete agreement on policy, or for Christian superiority. Unhappily, the oneness upon which the Christian churches have so often insisted is a kind of unity of opinion, a rigidity of ritual, a uniformity of organization. Insisting upon these kinds of unity has led to schisms, persecutions, and even ecclesiastical murder. But Jesus does not call us to become alike, like clones. We must remember that Jesus promised that the Spirit would lead us into all truth. That means that the disciples didn’t know it all then, and it is likely we don’t know it all now.[2]

     Jesus’ prayer for unity is a call to us to participate in the redemptive work of God through acts of love. What Jesus was saying was that the great work of redemption – and our participation in it – is possible because heaven is not “out there” someplace, but “in us” because of God’s love of Jesus, and Jesus’ love for us. Jesus calls us to become unified around a purpose. And that purpose to love one another. That is the source of redemption.

     I think the gospel clearly tell us what Jesus meant by “love.” John’s gospel speaks of sacrificial love; the kind of selfless love revealed by caring for everyone, and granting all persons dignity and respect. If we understand this kind of love to be the unity about which Jesus speaks, then there can be all kinds of latitude in terms of theological opinion and all kinds of tolerance in terms of liturgical practice. But, if we cannot find that sense of love, then no amount of theological or liturgical uniformity will compensate for it. [3]

     The kind of love Jesus proclaimed is a love that allows us to be in intimate and personal relationship with each other, and with the divine purpose at the same time. It empowers us, it gives vital strength, and lets us influence others, and allows others to influence us. It is the kind of love that told Paul and Silas not to run from the jail after the earthquake had opened the prison for them, because they knew if they ran, their guard would have to pay the ultimate price for his failure or be forced to take his own life. So they stayed, spoke to the jailer and his family about Jesus and baptized them all. And in the end, Silas and Paul were freed and the magistrates who sent them to jail apologized for treating Roman citizens so badly. Paul’s and Silas’ loving act toward their jailer resulted in the perfect outcome for everyone in this story. And the story illustrates that when we live into God’s divine love we are a part of the whole fabric of creation, not alone or outside of it. Living the divine love is how we become one with the living God.

     Like the cat and the dog who slept together, divine love makes us deeply aware of the presence of God; it is a place where we can breathe the love of Jesus. When we inhale the loving kindness that Jesus extends to us, then it is impossible not to also breathe out that loving kindness to those around us, near and far. [4] And when we do that, we will achieve unity with each other and with the God that sustains us.

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Acts 16:16-34

With Paul and Silas, we came to Philippi in Macedonia, a Roman colony, and, as we were going to the place of prayer, we met a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners a great deal of money by fortune-telling. While she followed Paul and us, she would cry out, “These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation.” She kept doing this for many days. But Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour. But when her owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities. When they had brought them before the magistrates, they said, “These men are disturbing our city; they are Jews and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to adopt or observe.” The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates had them stripped of their clothing and ordered them to be beaten with rods. After they had given them a severe flogging, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to keep them securely. Following these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted in a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” The jailer called for lights, and rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them outside and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They answered, “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. At the same hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptized without delay. He brought them up into the house and set food before them; and he and his entire household rejoiced that he had become a believer in God.

Psalm 97 Dominus regnavit

1 The LORD is King;
let the earth rejoice; *
let the multitude of the isles be glad.

2 Clouds and darkness are round about him, *
righteousness and justice are the foundations of his throne.

3 A fire goes before him *
and burns up his enemies on every side.

4 His lightnings light up the world; *
the earth sees it and is afraid.

5 The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the LORD, *
at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.

6 The heavens declare his righteousness, *
and all the peoples see his glory.

7 Confounded be all who worship carved images
and delight in false gods! *
Bow down before him, all you gods.

8 Zion hears and is glad, and the cities of Judah rejoice, *
because of your judgments, O LORD.

9 For you are the LORD,
most high over all the earth; *
you are exalted far above all gods.

10 The LORD loves those who hate evil;
he preserves the lives of his saints
and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.

11 Light has sprung up for the righteous, *
and joyful gladness for those who are truehearted.

12 Rejoice in the LORD, you righteous, *
and give thanks to his holy Name.

Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21

At the end of the visions I, John, heard these words: “See, I am coming soon; my reward is with me, to repay according to everyone’s work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates. “It is I, Jesus, who sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let everyone who hears say, “Come.” And let everyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift. The one who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.

John 17:20-26

Jesus prayed for his disciples, and then he said. “I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. “Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

Collect of the Day

O God, the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit to strengthen us, and exalt us to that place where our Savior Christ has gone before; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

[1] Howard G. Hageman and J.C. Becker. “The Seventh Sunday of Easter.” In Proclamation: Aids for Interpreting the Lessons of the Church Year, Series C. (Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press, 1974), 54-57.
[2] James Forbes. Synthesis. Culture for Easter 7, 2007. H.H. Oehmig (Exec. Ed) Sedgwick Publishing Co., Boyds, MA.
[3] Hageman and Becker, 57.
[4] Isabel Anders. Easter 7 – Postscript. Synthesis. May 23, 2004. H.H. Oehmig (Exec. Ed) Sedgwick Publishing Co., Boyds, MA.

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Copyright © 2007, William G. Stroop - All Rights Reserved.
17 May 2007

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