This sermon was preached on May 12 & 13, 2018 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Connellsville, using the texts for Easter 7B.
...
As the weather warms and the days are longer,
one of Wade’s favorite things to do is go to the park. There are three
different playgrounds within walking distance from our house, and almost every
evening after dinner we wander over. Wade can entertain himself at the
playground for an hour and is always sad to leave.
At the park, he loves to explore, and loves
repetition - climbing up and down the stairs again and again; climbing up a
ladder, going down the slide, running over to the ladder. He’s still little
enough that I hover close by as he climbs and slides and runs. His ambition is
sometimes greater than his ability, so I always have a hand close enough to
catch him should his foot slip as he climbs. I admit, though, that there’s
sometimes an overwhelming desire to protect him - to keep his feet on the
ground, to have a hand on him at all times, to prevent skinned knees and falls,
bruises and bumps. We’ve all heard the joke about wanting to wrap the especially
accident-prone in bubble wrap to protect them, and I totally get that desire.
Protecting him on the playground is one thing,
but as he grows, the potential issues and accompanying worry will both only get bigger.
Forget skinned knees - what about bullies, tough decisions, heartbreak, and the
innumerable other dangers he will inevitably face? Nothing I can do will be
able to protect him fully, and that’s both a sobering and a freeing thought.
In our Gospel reading today, we overhear Jesus
praying for his disciples. He’s gathered with them on the night of his arrest,
the day before his brutal crucifixion and death. Over the previous three
chapters, Jesus has been teaching and preparing his disciples for what’s coming
- his absence, both in his death and in his ascension to heaven following the
resurrection. Jesus is anticipating their feelings of grief and loss, and their
sense of being adrift and unsettled. He knows how the world will look at them,
sharing a message that is so counter-cultural. He knows how even they are not
immune to division and discord.
Jesus prays, “Holy Father, protect them in
your name that you have given me, so that they may be one as we are one. While
I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me...But now
I am coming to you...I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I
ask you to protect them from the evil one.”
Like Jesus and his disciples, we also find
ourselves in unsettling times, overwhelmed by fear and grief and anxiety.
Prayer doesn’t seem like quite enough, and so we are constantly looking for
more and better ways to be protected. The voices are loud - you must protect
yourself! There’s so much to be afraid of! You have to do something!
To protect our stuff and our bodies we depend
on fences, and locks, and walls; guns and pepper spray and brute strength;
alarm systems and kevlar backpacks and metal detectors. To protect our emotions
we put up walls of a different kind, wearing masks that hide our true self, not
allowing ourselves to exhibit any vulnerability, constantly worrying about how
others view us. So often, rather than help us feel confident and safe, these
protective measures only serve to make us more anxious, and more fearful. They
encourage us to isolate ourselves and withdraw from community, fostering not
kindness and relationship but suspicion and fear.
What are we to do? Certainly there are lots of
scary things in the world and the frenzied voices that try to offer us
protection are persistent and loud. When prayer doesn’t seem like quite enough,
we are reminded that Jesus isn’t just praying for our protection, Jesus is our
protection.
Jesus is our protection. Jesus promises to be
with us always, and we trust his promises. When Jesus leaves the disciples, he
does so having trained and equipped them to be sent out. When Jesus leaves the
disciples, he sends the Advocate, the Holy Spirit to be with them. When Jesus
leaves the disciples, he gives them his body - the Church - and his body - the
bread.
We, too, have been trained and equipped. We,
too, have received the Advocate, the Holy Spirit. We, too, have been given his
body - the Church - and his body - the bread.
What does this protection enable us to do?
When we trust that Jesus is our protection, we are not bound but freed! Not
isolated, but drawn into relationship. Not forced to make it on our own, but
strengthened and equipped by the presence of the Holy Spirit and the community
of believers. We are freed from fear, freed from isolation, and freed for
joyful service.
We can never fully protect ourselves from all the trials and heartache this life brings. But Jesus promises to be with us, offering his presence and peace in the midst of whatever comes. Having been freed from the burden of protecting ourselves, slowly but surely we are shaped and formed by
love into a people who are not fearful, but joyful. Together, we delight in one
another’s presence, reaching out with love. Rather than put up walls that divide us, we are united by Christ and in Christ. We stand together as the living embodiment of Jesus’ protection and
care. Division, discord, trouble, and heartbreak will still come. We will not
be immune. But in the midst of them, Jesus promises to be with us, holding us
together with his unfailing love.
Comments
Post a Comment