Easter 7 – 2 June 2019 – Year C

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. Amen

The text for this meditation is written in the 17^thChapter of the Gospel according to St John: Verses 20 – 26:

²⁰ “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, ²¹ that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. ²² The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, ²³ I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one,  so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. ²⁴ Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. ²⁵ O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. ²⁶ I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

Today’s Gospel brings us to the end of the words of Jesus in the Upper Room on the night that He was betrayed.  He has been teaching many things to the disciples in order to prepare them for the events of the next few days … His suffering, death and resurrection.  He has also been teaching them about their lives after His ascension … how the Holy Spirit will inspire them and teach them all things.  Finally, our Lord finished His teaching with prayer.

The Gospel accounts tell us that Jesus prayed frequently, but they do not often record the actual wordsof His prayers. In this case, we do have the words of Jesus’ prayers on this night … not only His prayer in the Upper room, but also His prayer in Gethsemane.

His prayer in the Upper Room had three parts.  First of all, He prayed for Himself …^{(John 17:1)} “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you.”He prayed that He would remain faithful to the task which his Father in Heaven had given to Him … the task of suffering and dying for the sins of the World.

When He finished praying for himself, He prayed for the Apostles …^{(John 17:9–11)} “I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. …  Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.”Jesus prayed for their faith that they would remain faithful to God the Father.

Then in the opening words of Jesus prayer in our Gospel Jesus prayed for us ^{…(John 17:20)}“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word.” We are the ones who have heard the words of the Apostles and believe.

Jesus prayed for the unity of all believers.  Three times, Jesus asked that the Father would make us one.  ^{(John 17:21–23)21}that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. ²²The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be oneeven as we are one, ²³I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.Three times means that this is very important.  Jesus truly desires our unity.

This unity is special it means true unity of hearts and minds.  Many in the current culture want to unite humanity at any cost, but their idea of unity is very different from the unity for which Jesus prayed. They might say, “Well, let’s just agree to disagree.”  OR they might say, “Well, you have your truth and I have mine.”  Such phrases and others like them are NOTstatements of unity.  The true meaning of such statements is that there are real disagreements, but everyone is going to ignore the disagreements and actas though there are no disagreements.  In reality, this is hypocrisy, not unity. We used to call this sweeping things under the rug.

So, we now have people who say silly things like, “Well, Muslims and Christians both worship the same god … just under a different name.  We should be able to find a way for them to get along.”  There is no doubt that we all live in the same world and should all exercise respect and courtesy to those who embrace a faith system other than Christianity; but for the Christian the basis of our faith lies squarely in the Holy Trinity and that God created us, Jesus atoned for our sins in His death on the Cross, and the Holy Spirit fills us from the waters of our baptism and empowers us to have faith to cling to our Triune God. There can be no syncretism in our beliefs, no compromise, true unity can only be found in the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

We human beings cannot produce the unity for which Jesus prays.  Instead, Jesus prays for the unity among Christians that He Himself has with God the Father.  Jesus prays for the unity among Christians that is in God and from God.  Such unity can only happen because people are already united to Christ.  As we are united into Christ, we are united into the body of Christ … the One, Holy, Christian, and Apostolic Church.  True unity can only be found in Christ, the Son of God who became man and gave Himself up for us on the cross.  This is the unity for which Jesus prayed in that Upper Room.

This unity is not a dead stagnant unity, but it is an active living thing.  As Jesus prayed, He prayed that this unity would have a specific effect.  He Prayed,^{(John 17:23)}“So that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.”Once again, Jesus prayed for this three times. This indicates that this this is very important.

The Greek for the word“sent”is the root for the word “apostle.”  When Jesus prayedthat the world may know that you sent me,He prayed that the world would hear that He is the Apostlesent from God the Father.

As the Apostle from God the Father, Jesus came to the earth on a very specific mission. God the Father sent Him to take up our human flesh into Himself and work the redemption that we could not work for ourselves.  That work included His perfect life, His sacrificial death, His resurrection, and His ascension.  By accomplishing this mission, Jesus earned forgiveness for the sins of the world … forgiveness that offers eternal life with Him.

The unity of the church also proclaims the love that God has for the world.  The greatest expression of love is the body of the son of God hanging on a cross for you and for me.  His love endured the punishment of hell for usas He hung there.  Jesus prayed that every believer would know that God loves them even as God the Father loves God the Son.  The love that God has for us is the same as the love that God Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have for one another.

Jesus described this love as the love that He received from the Father before the foundation of the world.  From these words we learn that the Son of God is eternal with the Father.  Even in eternity, the love between the Father and the Son is perfect and that is the love with which the father loves you and me.

What is the net result of this unity, this sending, and this love?  ^{(John 17:24)24}Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.Jesus prayed that all of this will have one effect … that those who are unified in Him would have eternal life with Him in His glory. Jesus’ prayer for us is that we will live with Him forever in His glory.

Jesus prayed at a real time in a real upper room and He prayed for us.  He prayed that we would be united with Him just as He is united with God the Father.  He prayed that we would know that He is the Apostle sent from God the Father to redeem us from sin with His holy life and His innocent suffering and death.  He prayed that we would know that God the Father loves us, His adopted child, just as He loves Jesus, His only begotten Son. He prayed that we would spend eternity sharing in His glory … the glory that He shared with the Father from eternity.

The Holy Spirit inspired John to record the actual words of Jesus’ prayer for our comfort and for our confidence.  We can take comfort in the love that God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have for us. We can have confidence in the eternal salvation that is ours in the glory of Christ.  We can know that God the Father, in His love, sent His Son as a sacrifice to make us truly one with Him.

In his epistle, the Holy Spirit inspired John to write,^{(1 John 2:1})“My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”These words teach us that Jesus is our advocate with the Father.  That is, He still prays for us.  Even as we heard the prayer that He prayed in that Upper Room, so He still prays for us today and every day until we join Him in His eternal glory.  Amen

The love and peace of our Great Triune God that is beyond all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen

Ascension of Our Lord – 30 May 2019 – Year C

Grace to you and peace from God our father and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

The text for this meditation is written in:

 The 1^stChapter of the Book of Acts: Verses 1 – 11: 

In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, ² until the day when he was taken up, after he had given command through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. ³ He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. 

⁴ And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; ⁵ for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

⁶ So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” ⁷ He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. ⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” ⁹ And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, ^the was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. ¹⁰ And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, ¹¹ and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

And

The 24^thChapter of the Gospel according to St Luke: Verses 44 – 53:

⁴⁴ Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” ⁴⁵ Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, ⁴⁶ and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, ⁴⁷ and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. ⁴⁸ You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹ And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

⁵⁰ And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. ⁵¹ While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. ⁵² And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, ⁵³ and were continually in the temple blessing God.

We can learn a lot about the Ascension of our Lord from the information that Luke the Evangelist provides in the first reading and the Gospel text.  Luke informs us that the ascension took place near Bethany. Bethany is east of Jerusalem just on the other side of the Mount of Olives.  Luke also informs us that the Ascension happened forty days after the Resurrection.  That is the reason we meet for worship on the fortieth day after our celebration of Easter. Luke provides an account of what the witnesses saw at the Ascension.  ^{(Acts 1:9)}When he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.Luke the Evangelist gives us a lot of information about the Ascension of our Lord, but there are some things that he does NOT say.

For example, many people just assume that once the cloud hid Jesus from sight that Jesus just kept on going up, and up, and up.  They assume that Jesus just left the earth behind and He is now far, far away. They assume that Jesus is watching the big picture from somewhere at a distance.  From that far off “command center,” He gets involved with the important things that happen in this world, but for the most part, He has bigger, more important things to do than keep an eye on us.

The Bible teaches something different.  When we read Luke’s account carefully, we realise that he only tells what the disciples saw.  Jesus rose from the surface of the earth far enough for a cloud to receive Him.  After that, Luke tells us nothing.  Is Jesus riding around on the clouds just out of our sight like some sort of surfer in the sky?  Did the cloud hide a door in the sky that goes from time into eternity? If all we had was Luke’s account, Jesus could have gone anywhere after the cloud hid Him.  If we want to know what happened after the cloud hid Jesus, we must look elsewhere in the Bible.  This is where the reading from Paul’s Epistle to the Church in Ephesus really helps.

In this reading, the Holy Spirit spoke through the mouth of the Apostle Paul and told of the great work of God ^{(Ephesians 1:20–23)20}that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, ²¹far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. ²²And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, ²³which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.These words can fill in many of the blanks concerning the Ascension of our Lord.

First of all, Paul wants his hearers to understand that the Ascension is not just a movement in time and space, but it is also a recognition of authority.  When we hear that Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father, it is helpful to think about what it means that an earthly monarch sits on a throne.  For example: we say that Queen Elizabeth sits on the throne in London.  That does not mean that she must sit on that throne 24/7 until the day she dies.  Instead, it means that she reigns as queen over the United Kingdom.  It means that she has the right to sit on that throne by virtue of her office as queen.  When we hear that Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father, it means that He reigns with His Father over all things.  It means that Jesus has taken humanity into the Holy Trinity by virtue of the fact that He is both God and man.  Christ’s ascension means that a man has ascended to rule over all things.

The other thing that Paul proclaims is that Jesus is the one who fills all in all. Here Paul is proclaiming that Jesus is not confined to one place.  He is everywhere.  Furthermore, He is not everywhere just as God.  Because Jesus is both God and man, He is everywhere as God and man.  We theologians say that Christ communicates the attributes of His divine nature to His human nature.  Because he is one person who is both God and man, everything He does and is, He does and is as both God and man.

So, when we contemplate the ascension of the Christ, we should not think, “Up, up, and away!”  Instead we think, “Up, up, and out!  Jesus ascension does not mean He is gone.  It means He is with us everywhere.  He is with us as both man and God.  Jesus is closer to each of us now than if we could see him with our physical eyes.

We have already seen this at work during the forty days Jesus appeared to His disciples after He rose from the dead.  He left the tomb without bothering to move the stone away from the door.  He had a conversation with two of His disciples on the road to Emmaus and then simply disappeared after He broke bread with them. Later on that same night, He suddenly showed up in a locked room in the middle of His disciples.  He did exactly the same thing a week later and had a special talk with Thomas.  He came and went and appeared and disappeared at will.  He was always with the disciples, but they could not always see Him.  He got them used to the idea that even though they could not see Him, He was always with them.

Jesus made many promises to His church that He would not be able to keep if it weren’t for the fact that He communicatesHis divine attributes to His human nature.  Today, we heard that Jesus ascended into heaven, but elsewhere Jesus made the promise^{(Matthew 28:20)}“Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”and^{(Matthew 18:20)}“Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”Then there is the promise that Jesus makes in the sacrament itself when ^{(Luke 22:19–20)}he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁰And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new testament in my blood.How can Jesus make all these promises to be with us and then go and ascend into heaven?

If Jesus were a mere human being, these passages would make no sense.  But because Jesus is both God and man, He can fulfill these passages easily.  The divine nature of Jesus communicates the ability to be everywhere to the human nature of Jesus. The ascension does not mean that Jesus went away.  Instead, it means that He is always with you no matter where you go or what you do.

This eternal presence of God with us means that Jesus is always with us in His full deity AND His full humanity.  The very body with the prints of the thorns, the marks of the nails, and the hole of the spear is with us even though we cannot see it.  In a way that we cannot understand, all of His forgiveness, all of His love, all of His comfort is with each and every one of us in the crucified and risen, human body of Jesus Christ.

I feel so sorry for those who reject the possibility that the divine nature of Jesus communicates its attributes to the human nature of Jesus.  It means that they believe that the bread and wine of the sacrament only representthe body and blood of Christ.  It means that there is no forgiveness, but only a symbolof forgiveness.  It means there is no love of Christ in the sacrament, but only a representationof the love of Christ.  It means that there is no comfort in the cup, but only a symbolof the comfort of Christ.  When people reject the divine power communicated to the human nature of Jesus, there is no real Gospel.  Instead there is merely a symbolof the Gospel.

But Christ has ascended to fill all things.  He not only dwells in heaven, but He also dwells with us both as God and as man.  He still is Immanuel, God with us.  He continuously brings us the gifts that He earned for us with His life, suffering, death, and resurrection.  He is with us with His real love, His real forgiveness, His real comfort, His real salvation, and his real eternal life.

The Ascension of Our Lord means that the God-man Jesus Christ is fully with us even though we cannot see Him.  The good news is that the day is coming when we shall see Him.  The first reading for today tells us that ^{(Acts 1:10–11)}while [the disciples] were gazing into heaven as [Jesus] went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, ¹¹and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”Jesus will come again.  We will see Him again face-to-face for the Holy Spirit inspired the Apostle Paul to write,^{(1 Corinthians 13:12)}“For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.”

Until that day comes, we can rest in the assurance that we are never alone. Christ our Lord, true God and true man is always with us.  We have His forgiveness, His love, His comfort, and His strength.  The world will do all it can to separate us from Him. It will discourage us.  It will attack us.  It will persecute us.  Jesus Himself warned us, ^{(John 16:33)}“In the world you will have tribulation.” Never the less, He also said,^{(John 16:33)}“Take heart; I have overcome the world.”The one who overcame the world ascended into Heaven in order to fill all things.  He ascended so that He could be with us to the close of the age.  For now, He is with us always even though we can’t see Him.  At the end of the age, we shall see Him and those who believe in Him will see Him forever. Amen

The love and peace of our Great Triune God that is beyond all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen

Easter 5 – 19 May 2019 – Year C

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

The text for this meditation is written in the 13^th Chapter of the Gospel according to St John: Verses 31 – 35

³¹ When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him. ³² If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once. 

³³ “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come. 

³⁴ “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” 

Relationship experts claim that everyone has two fears. One fear is that we will never be loved. The second is that we will never be able to love someone. Whether we want to admit it or not, whether we are the biggest killjoy or the most hopeless romantic, love is an essential part of our life. It’s what make or breaks relationships. It’s what causes us anxiety or a sense of peace. It’s what makes life miserable or worth living. But for something that is so essential to us, so important in life, we are really confused as to what love actually is. For us, love has so much to do about me: Am I lovable enough? Do I love someone enough? Or alternatively: I don’t care if someone loves me or not. I don’t care if I love this person enough or not. In this text, Jesus lovingly tells us that our ego-centred  ideas of love are clumsy; and that in fact love doesn’t start or end with us.

Jesus’ teaches us that love ultimately originates and lives in Him alone. If we want to really understand true love we have to back up a little and pay attention to Holy Week. I know we’re celebrating Easter, but this is so important. Jesus’ life on earth was about to culminate. He was with his disciples in Jerusalem celebrating the Passover as his disciples were gathered around him he looked at Judas and said, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” So Judas left, quickly and his only concern was how he was going to force Jesus to make a stand. To be the true conquering Saviour of the Jews as was, and still is, the Judaist expectation. That one act of selfishness ironically would begin the chain of events surrounding what Jesus calls his glory.

“When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.” There are a lot of glorious things about God. The creation of the earth, stars, land animals and mankind. The Bible tells us that he is so glorious, so perfect, that he had to shield Moses’ eyes from even looking at him. Even Jesus performed some pretty glorious acts like raising Lazarus from the dead. But here, after one of his own disciples leaves to betray him, Jesus says that he is glorified. Just as the events of Holy Week were about to start he says that he is in his glory.

Jesus knew the disciples didn’t get what he was saying, He tried to clarify himself in the words, “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.” In other words Jesus was going to the cross. Jesus was going to die. Out of all the things he could have chosen to glorify Himself: his presence at creation, his birth with angels singing, his transfiguration. He chooses his death on a cross.

Doesn’t sound too glorious does it? We do have an advantage over the disciples in that we know the end of the story. We know that after his suffering and death that he will rise. But we can’t gloss over his suffering and death and go straight for his resurrection as his glory because Jesus includes it as a package deal as a part of his glory. Our sin and the punishment for it is central to this passage. The fact is that Jesus death is the whole reason Jesus came to earth. This was his one purpose and forgiveness; salvation and glory is ours as a result. Yes! We are glorified along with Jesus.

In this text, Jesus ties his Passion directly to love. “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” The love Jesus’ disciples are to have is to be like His love for us. The love that drove him to action. The love that drove him to the cross. True Christian love always starts and ends with Jesus; we are not the initiators; we are the beneficiaries!

Friends, our human nature is such that when we read this section we begin thinking of people who really need to hear this. We create a list of people who could probably be a little more loving. Remember Jesus’ words “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you” Can we do that?

If we are to love as Jesus loves us then we can’t put ourselves first. Love isn’t even about how we feel. It doesn’t give to get. It’s not about the satisfaction we might get from loving someone else. Love doesn’t start or end with us.

Love doesn’t even draw a line in the sand and say, “I’m willing to do this for someone but not that.” 

There is no limit to love. There is no ceiling or no cap. If we’re loving we can’t say, “I have been loving enough to this person and I am done.”

Jesus lesson to us is that we can’t love if we don’t actually love. We can’t convince ourselves that we actually love someone if we aren’t moved to action. Love is less of an emotion and it is more doing, and as we look at ourselves by Jesus’ definition can we truly say that we love? If we are truthful, we may find fear and doubt.

Take heart, this is a part of Jesus’ glory because he glories in the weak through the cross. Love doesn’t start and end with us. It starts with Jesus’ love and the scope of this love is beyond all human understanding. God the creator of the universe, who suspended the stars and carved out the oceans, who was so blameless and pure that he can blind men gave all of that glory up and he became man to live, suffer and die on this earth. This is the love that drove him to a cross and to the depths of hell for us. This is the love that raises him from death to his resurrection and our resurrection and salvation. This is the depth of his love for us.

How can we ever love like that, so selflessly and so freely Friends we can’t because this love has no origin in us. This love is not something we have to muster up. This is not a love we have to find. At the Baptismal Font, through the presence of the Holy Spirit, Jesus gives us the gift of all the love we need, and as it flows through us as God has ordained those around we will see Jesus in us. “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” 

Remember how we said that Jesus’ glory is tied to his love? It is tied so tightly that his glory is his love for us. And when we love, people will know that we are one of his, because there is only one kind of love that is true. Love doesn’t start with us and it doesn’t end with us. It has been given to us.

The most amazing thing is that Jesus’ boundless love comes to us in spite of ourselves. Jesus loves us regardless of who we are and what we have done so that we in turn may love others regardless of who they are and what they have done. As we are told in ^{(1 Corinthians 13)} _“Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things”

Friends, if we feel that we are never thanked and never appreciated, we get nothing in return, Jesus commands us to keep loving as we are loved by him. From Jesus that love to us is an underserved gift of pure grace. 

When we realise that love could never possibly start or end with us. When we realise that we are more unlovable than we could ever admit, and yet, in Christ, we are loved more than we would ever dare to hope, only then we understand that we live in the grace of God’s true love. If we fear that we will never be loved, look at the depths of Jesus love has for us. If we fear that we will never be able to love someone else; read the “Passion Account” as written in the Gospels and know the depths of Jesus love for us and remember His words as written in ^{(John 14: 23)} “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them”. That is a promise to uphold us all forever. Amen.

The love and peace of our Great Triune God that is beyond all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen

Easter 4 – 12 May 2019 – Year C

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

                                                           

The text for this meditation is written in the 10^th Chapter of the Gospel according to St John: Verses 22 – 30:

²² At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, ²³ and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. ²⁴ So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ,  tell us plainly.” ²⁵ Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe.  The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, ²⁶ but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. ²⁷ My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸ I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. ²⁹ My Father,  who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. ³⁰ I and the Father are one.”

Today’s reading from the Gospel comes from the Good Shepherd chapter of the Bible, John 10.  The three-year lectionary always selects a reading from the Good Shepherd chapter for the Fourth Sunday of Easter.

In the first year, we learn something about who Good Shepherd Jesus is. He is the door to the sheep fold. He is the only way into eternal safety.

In the second year, we learn something about what Good Shepherd Jesus does. As the Good Shepherd, He lays down His life for the sheep.

In today’s reading, we learn about the benefits of who Good Shepherd Jesus is and what Good Shepherd Jesus does.  Jesus our Good Shepherd knows His sheep and His sheep hear His voice and follow Him.

Our text tells us that Jesus was in the temple celebrating the Feast of Dedication. Today, we know this festival as the Feast of Lights or Hanukkah.

Jesus had quite a few enemies among the temple authorities by this time in His ministry.  Whenever Jesus made His presence known on the temple grounds, these enemies would seek him out.  They wanted Him to say or do something that would hurt His credibility with the people.

In the encounter that we heard about in today’s Gospel, the authorities asked Jesus to clearly state His claim to be the Christ.  Jesus, in turn, made it clear that He regularly did exactly that, but the authorities rejected His message.  Jesus diagnosed their problem and He used the metaphor of sheep to explain His diagnosis.

Shepherds in the wilderness often worked together to guard sheep.  During the night, they brought their flocks together and took turns guarding the sheep.  That way, they could get some much-needed sleep.  In the morning, each shepherd would call to his flock and only the sheep belonging to the shepherd would follow.

During the day, the shepherd would lead the sheep to good pasture and water. He would protect them from predators and care for their injuries.  He would talk to them and sing to them and they would learn his voice.  It became the only voice they trusted.  Another shepherd could call, but each sheep responded only to the voice of that sheep’s shepherd.

Those who have the Holy Spirit’s gift of faith are like those sheep. Jesus is their shepherd.  They hear His voice.

When Jesus said that the Jewish authorities were not part of His flock, He was saying that they resisted the Holy Spirit.  They did not have faith.  Without faith they could not believe.  They did not listen to Him.

Those who have the Holy Spirit’s gift of faith in the Good Shepherd Jesus … that is … those who are part of Jesus’ flock, hear Jesus’ voice in a different way.  What is that difference?

Perhaps you have heard someone say that all religions are more or less the same. They all lead to the same place. When you ask such a person to explain what they mean with those words, you will hear someone who basically sees religion as a sort of self-improvement project.  The objective of religion is for people to make themselves into better people. Then they will point out the fact that almost every religion has a form of the “Golden Rule” … “Do onto others as you would have them do unto you.”  Generally speaking, most religions do have laws against robbery and murder and other bad actions.  Most religions do have guidelines for living.

What happens when such a person hears the voice of Jesus?  Well, today, we, as Holy Spirit filled Christians, hear the voice of Jesus when we hear God’s Word … the Bible.  Conversely, the person who believes that all religion is about self-improvement will scour the Bible for guidelines for living.  The result may well be that they will discover the most severe law.  For example: In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught, ^{(Matthew 5:21–22)}“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ ²²But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.” ^{(Matthew 5:27–28)}“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ ²⁸But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”You see,a person who is not part of the flock of Christ will quickly come to the conclusion that the standards of the Bible are impossible to keep.  They will come to hate the voice of Jesus because the law exposes their failings.  They will insist that the God of the Bible is cruel and unloving, becauseHe has standards that no one can keep.

But what changes when the Holy Spirit brings a person into Jesus’ flock? That is … what happens when the Holy Spirit creates faith in a person?  That’s is through Holy Communion the Holy Spirit takes up dwelling in them and opens their ears to the truth of the Gospel.  The person who is part of the flock of Jesus Christ not only hears the law, but also hears the Gospel.  The person who is part of the flock of Jesus Christ understands that the Gospel is the predominate message of the voice of the Good Shepherd … the Bible.

When we as Christians hear the law, we also realise that the law is impossible to achieve. (who among us can fulfil even one of the Ten Commandments?)  But then we hears the voice of the Good Shepherd say, “I have kept the law foryou.  I give my righteousness to you.  It is yours.” Because the Good Shepherd Jesus has given us His perfect thoughts, words, and deeds, we are judged as perfect.

When we Christians hears the law, we hears that we deserve punishment both here in time and forever in eternity.  But then we hear, above all that,  the voice of the Good Shepherd say, “I have taken this punishment foryou.  I suffered shame, spitting, beating, flogging, and ultimately death on a cross foryou.  I endured the Wrath of God for you.  Just as I give my righteousness toyou, I also take your sin fromyou.”  Your failing, your shortcomings, your weaknesses, your sins are all paid in full. You are judged as sinless.

As the sheep hear only their shepherd’s voice and trust only their shepherd for guidance; then in the same way, we as Baptised Christians only hear and only trust our loving shepherd Jesus Christ as He speaks to us through  the Word of God.

Before the Holy Spirit produces faith, the Word of God is a terrifying thing. It is all law.  It is all condemnation.  It only warns of punishment.

After the Holy Spirit produces faith, the Voice of the Good Shepherd is bothlaw andGospel.  The law still Shows our sin, but the Gospel shows our Saviour.  The Good shepherd’s voice becomes a source of confidence, comfort, joy, peace, safety … His voice reveals a God who loves and serves.

The voice of the Good Shepherd is not only loving and comforting, but it is also strong.  With His voice, the Good shepherd even leads us through death into life everlasting. For just as he died, He has also risen. And just as He has risen, He will also raise us from the bed of death to new life … a life that will have no sorrow, pain, or death … a life that will never end.

Through the work of the Holy Spirit, Good Shepherd Jesus sends His call out to all people in all places and in all times.  The Holy Spirit works through Christ’s Word, through Holy Absolution, through Holy Baptism, and through His Holy Meal to work faith in people and keep that faith strong.  Just as Jesus gives the title of Good Shepherd to Himself, He claims all who believe in Him as His sheep.  They are His sheep and know Him as the true Christ.

There will always be those who reject the call of the Good Shepherd. The Holy Spirit will offer the gifts of Jesus Christ to them and they will reject them.  They will refuse to see the love of God in Jesus on the cross. They will refuse to see the love of God when Jesus comes to us in His body and blood.  The danger for them is greater than a mere loss of life on this earth. The danger is the anguish of the eternal outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The future for those who have the Holy Spirit’s gift of faith is one of joy. We receive God’s service.  We are part of the flock of the Good Shepherd.  We are under the protection of both the Father and the Son.  Death for us will be only a temporary earthly thing.  For, just as our Good Shepherd rose from the dead, we too will rise from the grave and enter into eternal joy where we will continue to experience God’s love into eternity.  As the psalmist said, ^{(Psalm 23:6)}“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”Amen.

The love and peace of our Great Triune God that is beyond all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen