‘God has given gifts to each of you…’ (1 Peter 4:10)
‘And my God will meet all your needs…'(Philip. 4:19)
‘Make me walk along the path of your commands…’ (Ps. 119:35)
‘…with God all things are possible…’ (Matt. 19:26)
‘Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart…’ (Ps.37:4)
Bible Readings: 1 Peter 2:4-10 John 14:1-14
Our Gospel passage this morning is one that is used by many at funeral services, indeed I myself use it at every funeral service I conduct. And part of the reason for this is because these verses from John – which form part of what is known as the farewell discourse – are often understood as means of saying goodbye. And when Jesus talks about going to prepare a place for them where they can later join him, we perhaps understandably think of them joining Jesus in Heaven at a later date, which is why it is used at funeral services. But is there more to eat as we read the remaining verses in this passage?
Every Sunday we pray for God’s Kingdom to come upon us…our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come…Thus effectively praying for things to be here on earth just as they are in Heaven. Indeed didn’t Jesus himself say that in him, the Kingdom of God was at hand. So what if, at a different level altogether, the place that Jesus talks about preparing is in fact right here on earth, among those who follow him, His Kingdom come…What if this discourse was also intended to help build up God’s Kingdom here on earth right now. That in speaking to his disciples in this way, Jesus is in fact fostering a new spiritual dimension.
If so, perhaps the question is then, what does this mean for us here and now…
The former Moderator of the General Assembly of The Church of Scotland, the Very Rev’d. Dr. Lorna Hood reminds us that after the death of her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles made a commitment to follow the pattern of loving service that the late Queen had demonstrated throughout her life – a service of loyalty, respect and love. And perhaps this is something that we either tend to forget or overlook. That stripped of all the pomp and outward regalia, the Monarchy is essentially a call to service.
Of course the ultimate servant King was our Lord and Saviour, Christ Himself, and the first words spoken by the King at the coronation service yesterday clearly reminded us of this…in his name and after his example I come not to be served but to serve…However, this idea of service doesn’t end with the Monarchy, nor indeed with all who find have positions of responsibility or leadership. It is incumbent upon us all to play our part…
The Apostle Paul once said to those in the new churches that he helped to establish that they should imitate him in their behaviour. Not because he was anything special or worthy of imitation in his own right, no, but because he, Paul, sought to imitate and emulate Jesus Christ in all he said and did. And maybe this is where we begin…
If we are indeed to follow a life of service in Jesus name then we need to remember His teaching. Not because it gives us a definitive answer as such, in telling us specifically the things that we should or shouldn’t do. But rather because it makes us think about what Jesus is actually saying here – that He is the way to follow. Because it’s only when we take the time to reflect on what Jesus is saying to us here that we begin to ask questions like, What would Jesus do in this situation, which way would He choose?
And the more we ask ourselves questions like this in our lives, and the more we take time to look in scriptures for the answers to these questions. The easier it becomes to imitate Him and to walk in His footsteps. Because when we look at Scripture in this way, we realise that by his example, Jesus showed us exactly what we should do…To allow the fruit of the spirit to shine and work through us…showing kindness, love, compassion, generosity, mercy to all. To look out for those less fortunate than we ourselves are. To take care of those most in need. To share the abundant blessings of God in the best way we can. To seek to help others at all time.
This is the life of service we are called to as disciples of Jesus Christ. A way of life that He not only taught us but showed us how to live by His own example. Of course, we all know this deep down within us. Yet, sometimes, somewhere in the entanglement of the busy lives that we lead every day, we can easily lose sight of it.
And only by walking in His footsteps…only by walking in His truth…and only by following His example…Only then can we find our way through this life…to our life with the father ever after…
Every single day life presents us with so many challenges, dilemmas, opportunities, difficulties and tribulations, often all rolled up into one. And the only way we are ever going to find our way through them, in His service and in the way that God would have us do, is to follow in the footsteps of our Saviour, to walk the path that he Himself has set before us and as best we can emulate Him in all we say and do.
In his name and after his example, I come not to be served but to serve…
May God give us all the grace, mercy, strength and faith to do just this – every day of our lives, to the praise and glory of His name.
Amen and thanks be to God.
Read Mark 14:12-26
In our Gospel passage this morning we recall the story of the upper room and as the disciples prepare the Passover meal, it’s clear that Jesus prepares for the meal’s proper meaning. And by that I mean that this particular has less to do with facts but more to do with the relationship which exists between Jesus and his disciples.
As Christians we all strive to be faithful disciples of our Lord and Saviour yet it is only by God’s grace that anything spiritually positive happens to us or through us. Faith is not so much what we know, not even what we know of God, or Jesus or the Bible – important as all this may be.
Faith is about knowing that others love us. Because God loves them and us, wholly and complete – it’s all about God.
I’m reminded of a story I read many years ago, think it was in one of the chicken soup for the soul books, about a man and his five year old son. The man needed some gravel for a patio area out the back of his house, but of course when it was delivered it was at the front of the house – so it needed to be moved. The man struggled with wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow of heavy gravel as he slowly moved it from the front to the back of the house. All the while his young son carried little amounts of gravel in a small bucket he had. Usually used for building sand castles on the beach. Once all the gravel had been moved to the desired location, the little boy proudly went to his mum and said, ‘Mummy, I moved a whole pile of stones today – and I let Daddy help too…’
And this story got me thinking of how good a picture this is of God’s kingdom breaking into our world today. As Christians we struggle with small buckets of the gospel but God wields great wheelbarrows of grace – yet we seldom notice. Too busy, too distracted, too caught up in our own life, too full of apathy – whatever the reason, we seldom notice.
However, when we do awaken to God’s blessing we soon discover that most things of lasting worth and value cannot be understood through conventional wisdom and understanding. Love is a prime example of this. No matter how we might try to, we could never explain love. But we can experience it and we can share it.
Mark’s stark story tells us that while gathered around a common table, with a common loaf and cup, Jesus shared with his disciples the most important lesson of his ministry. Take – this is my body – this is my blood of the covenant. And the last words of our text are instructive… When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the mount of olives.
Between the hatching of the plot to kill Jesus and the prayer in Gethsemane Jesus stops to eat with and bless his disciples. In community we learn what is truly important. And in shared worship we gather to remember and to celebrate. And then we go out to serve God’s world.
Holy communion lies beyond mystery and yet it is a way by which we express how our own relationship with God through His Son and His relationship with us, actually functions. And if you let it, the Lord’s table can become a life changing experience. Even if we find it difficult to fully comprehend the true significance of the Lord’s table, let’s ensure we know that it means at least this.
The Lord’s table is all about grace and love, where we experience the fullness of God’s grace and love for us. None of us merit a place at this table and we could certainly never earn a place at it. This meal is God’s free and willing feast gift – given to us.
It offers all of us God’s unconditional love – a gift of divine love. And no matter who you are or where you go in life, no one could ever offer you a more generous gift.
So come, taste, see that the Lord is indeed good. Blessed are those who come in the name of the Lord…Amen
Bible Readings: 2 Corinthians 4:13-18 John 20:19-23
Easter has come and gone, we’ve finished all the chocolate eggs, we’ve celebrated the Resurrection of Jesus with exuberant verses such as, Christ the Lord has risen today, hallelujah. So what now!… Well this is perhaps the very question the disciples were asking themselves whilst locked away in in fear in the upper room – what now?
The Church of Jesus Christ began with a group of frightened individuals in a second floor room in Jerusalem. But though trained and taught, they didn’t know what to say or do. Although they had walked with Jesus for three years, still they didn’t know what to do.
These were the very disciples who were going to carry on where Jesus left off, but at that precise moment, you would have to ask how on earth they were going to do that. All they appeared to be were timid speechless messengers, whose most courageous act to date was to get up and lock the door – with them on the inside, afraid to venture out.
All those declarations of devotion, all those boasts of bravado – but now they appeared broken and shattered. We don’t really know what most of those disciples did between Gethsemane and this time now together in the upper room. However, perhaps we shouldn’t be too hard on them because wherever they went and whatever they did, they took with them a memory. A heart-stopping memory of a man who called himself no less than the Gon of God…God here among them in flesh…
Yet, despite their own fear, their own actions they couldn’t forget Jesus and they came back. Yes they locked themselves away in the meantime, but they came back. Then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, Jesus appears among them, speaking those perhaps liberating words, peace be with you…
And as a result the church of Jesus Christ had its foundations in that room that evening. But now, some two thousand years on, what’s changed…
How many churches today exist in that paralysed kind of state that we found those disciples in that day. How many churches have just enough religion, just enough faith to come together, yes, but not enough faith and passion to go out and share the Good News. Good faithful people, lots of ideas and good intentions, lots of meaningful words and promises and yet while this is going on. The door remains locked and the story stays a secret…
We don’t turn our backs on Christ, now – but we don’t turn towards him either.
We know we should be doing something – but we’re not sure what.
We know we should be coming together – but we’re not sure why.
Upper room futility, confused disciples behind locked doors, what will it take to unlock them – what will it take to ignite the fire.
But in the midst of all of these there is this one basic element that cannot be overlooked, one element so vital that its absence ensures our failure. Peter, John, James and the others, they came back, perhaps banking on some crazy idea that the well of forgiveness that Jesus spoke of so often still had a few drops in it – they came back. They remembered the teachings of Jesus and their life with him, and daring to dream the master had left some word, some plan, some direction – they came back. Then they hear His voice – peace be with you.
Weeks later a transformed group stood beside Peter as to announced to the crowds, let all Israel be assured of this, God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Saviour.
What unlocked the doors of the apostles hearts? What enabled them to leave the safety of that upper room? Simple – they encountered the risen Lord. And as the Apostle Paul went on to say, I believed, therefore I have spoken…
Easter may have come and gone, but have we remembered that message. Have we remembered His holiness in tandem with his humanity, of how the sick were healed with calloused hands. Have we remembered the dead called from the grave with a coarse Galilean accent or the eyes of God that wept human tears. Do we remember…
In the world we live in it is all too easy to forget. So much happens from day to day, week to week, month to month. So many changes within our lives, so many alterations in the world around us and all of a sudden, perhaps without even realising it, somewhere back there – we leave Him…
It’s not that we’ve forgotten Jesus as such, not deep down, nor is it that we turn away from him in any way. We just leave him and don’t take him with us. Life moves on at an ever increasing pace, at work and at home, and before we even realise what has happened, Christ is forgotten…But here’s the thing, if He is forgotten, how can we proclaim his message in the way he called us to – as the Father has sent me, I am sending you…And before we know it, we have come full circle and are once again that group of timid, fearful disciples in the upper room.
Yet still we need not despair, still we need not fear, for whilst we may forget Him and forget to take Him with us in our lives. He is still there, He is still with us – and always will be. All we need to do is hold on to our faith and listen, listen for that still small voice that we thought of last week on Easter Sunday – peace be with you…
So when we find ourselves in that upper room space again, let’s do ourselves a favour and just wait. Wait for his voice, wait for Him to come and stand beside us – and when He comes, don’t rush to leave. As mere mortals we are never the same after simultaneously knowing our own utter despair and Christ’s unending grace. And it is in that moment that we can go, just as he is sending us, to tell His story far and wide. To the glory and to the honour of his name.
The Lord is Risen and is with us every day of our lives.
Amen and thanks be to God.
‘For God so loved the world…’ (John 3:16)
Why is John 3:16 so important in terms of the message of Easter?
Read Luke 24:36-53
How does this compare to the story at the end of John’s Gospel where Jesus shares a meal of fish with His Disciples?