Easter 6 – 10 May 2015 – Year B
We pray for grace and peace from our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ. Amen
The text for our meditation is written in the 15th
Chapter of the Gospel according to St John: Verse 16.
“You did not choose me, but I
chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the
Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.”
Let us pray: Father, guide the words of my mouth and the
meditation of our hearts that as we hear your word of truth we can be assured
that we are your chosen ones and even though we are not worthy, you will never
abandon us. In Jesus name. Amen
We all know what its
like to choose someone to be our friend, only to be rejected or ignored by that
person. A child might like somebody at school, but not be liked in return.
Someone might be attracted to a person of the opposite sex, who shows no
interest in him or her whatsoever. A person might want the boss to think well
of him or her, but might never be sure what he or she really thinks. It is not
much fun having to try to be accepted or liked, having to try to be someone's
friend. And if we are rejected, or knocked back, it’s an awful feeling,
especially if the relationship is important to us, perhaps one with the boss, or
with someone we have to live with all the time.
The most important relationship for any person is his or
her relationship with God. The whole world is in God's hands. He has power and
control over all things. Every person's eternal future, on the other side of
the grave, depends on God's judgment. It would be awful if we did not know what
God thought of us, and it would be the worst thing in the world to be rejected
by him. It would be, literally, hell.
A lot of people have never really faced the question of
what God thinks of them. They simply assume that everything will be all right,
or they put the matter aside as something that they will worry about later. But
if the crunch were to come now, could they be sure that they would be accepted
by God?
There are some people who are so prim and proper that to
stand next to them makes one feel like a slob. How would one feel standing next
to the perfect, sinless, holy Lord? One's life would look like filthy rags, and
even the good things that one had done would amount to absolutely nothing. In
front of him, one's conscience would be extremely sensitive. How could anyone
stand before him? All people would feel guilty, and would perhaps even condemn
themselves.
It would be an awful thing to always have to be trying
to be accepted by the Lord, and never really knowing if you were. But Jesus did
not teach that people had to try to be accepted by God. He did not say that we
have to try to be his friend, and work at winning his approval. Instead, he
says: 'You did not choose me, but I
chose you. We do not choose him at all. Instead, he has chosen us!
This turns everything around! It means that Jesus is
actually inviting us to be his friends. It is as if he is saying to us: 'Come
to me. Abide in me, and you will not be rejected. Turn away from your old ways.
Live in union with me, and you will not need to struggle for God's approval.
You will not need to worry or doubt.' Because when we are united to Jesus
Christ, we are united to God himself.
It is always a great joy and an honour to be chosen by
someone, even if only to play in the football team. How much greater is the joy
and honour to be chosen by the almighty God! - And what a tremendous relief.
Because, as we live in union with Christ, come hell or high water, we are
guaranteed God's approval!
When people are chosen for something, when they are
appointed to a position, they are given some responsibility. In sport, in work,
in every walk of life, to be chosen means to be chosen for something. Christ
has chosen us for something. He says: 'I
chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your
fruit should abide'. To be chosen to bear fruit is a real blessing, because
there is nothing more boring than to be chosen for the team, only to sit on the
bench all day. There is joy in bearing fruit. It is fulfilling, because this is
what we were created for.
What Jesus means by 'fruit' are the kinds of actions and
attitudes that his love, acceptance, forgiveness, and promises inspire in us,
such as repentance, obedience to God, love, joy, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, self‑control. It also includes such things as coming together
with fellow‑Christians to worship God and to be built up in his Word, and then
going out to live for him and to make him known to others.
To bear fruit that abides could be summed up as simply
meaning 'to love'. It means that we love God and others, not just with our
feelings, but also with our actions and our words. This is not just
kindergarten stuff. The kind of love that Christ appoints us to is something
that involves serious, obedient action. It is the kind of love that makes us
unselfish; that inspires us to put ourselves out for the sake of others, and
that makes us willing to pay the cost in terms of time, energy and resources.
This kind of love is directed equally to all people. If it asks: 'Who is my
friend, and who is my enemy?', then it has sunk below the level of love to
which Christ has appointed us. Love gives, and it gives everything for
everyone, friend and foe alike.
There is this love; there is obedience to the commands
of Christ, because his commands are not burdensome rules that take all the fun
out of life, but are expressions of love. The secret to deep and lasting joy is
wholehearted obedience to Christ's commands. A half‑hearted obedience will not
do. It is useless trying to serve two masters; one simply gets pulled in two
directions. No. We have been chosen by Christ, and he has appointed us to bear
fruit full‑time, fruit that abides.
In appointing us to bear fruit, Jesus also equips us
with something to help us in this task. He gives us the gift of prayer, access
to the Father in his name. He says: 'So
that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you'. Some
people might hear this and think, 'Wow! God must be like a great big Santa
Claus! I just have to ask for whatever I want and he'll give it to me. I'd like
a new car, and lots of money. A holiday to Tahiti would be nice.' - But we need to be careful about what Jesus is actually
saying. His words are addressed to people who are in union with him, and whose
desire is to bear fruit. When those who pray are people who have the mind of
Christ, and who are seeking in all things to show love and to do the Lord's
will, then it is true that the Father will give them whatever they ask.
Jesus says that we are to pray 'in his name'. This does
not mean that we simply tack on the words `In Jesus' name' at the end of our
prayers. Simply saying those words does not make our prayer any more powerful,
effective, or correct. To pray in Jesus' name means to pray the kind of prayer
that Jesus would pray. A prayer prayed in Jesus' name is one that is in tune
with the will of God. It is as if Jesus gives us a blank cheque, and says:
'Write in here whatever you need. There is no limit to what I will give you.
But remember who is signing the cheque!' He will not sign the cheque if it is
for something that will make us more selfish, or draw us away from him, or hurt
us or someone else in any way.
People sometimes think back on prayers that they have
prayed, and are thankful that God said ‘No’. They may not have felt thankful at
the time, but in hindsight they can see the wisdom of God's answer. As we grow
in our relationship with Christ, and as we see more clearly the wisdom of his
will, it becomes more and more natural for us to pray in his name, and then we
see the great things that are accomplished through those prayers!
Christ has chosen us, appointed us, and equipped us. All
of us who belong to him have been chosen by him. His love reaches out to
everyone; no‑one is excluded. But not everybody has heard his call or has
responded positively to it.
Jesus has chosen us. This frees us from having to climb
some kind of ladder to God, or from having to try to justify yourselves before
God. It also helps us to be less judgmental toward others. In Jesus we have a
God who accepts us, loves us, and chooses us to be on his team. Before it even
entered our minds, he chose us to be his friends. What a relief that is for us!
What a joy! Amen.
May the peace and love of God that is beyond all human
understanding, keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen
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