Fourth Week of Easter (Year A)
Sunday, May 7, 2017
Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in
God, believe also in me. In my Father’s
house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you
that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for
you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there
you may be also.
– John 14:1-3 (NRSV)
Theme: Living Stones
Reflection: The
first three verses of John 14 introduce Jesus’ farewell discourse, John’s
transition between Jesus’ teaching and signs, and his passion. Over the next
three chapters, John shares a summary: a brief wrap-up of what Jesus has taught
the disciples, what he wants them (and us) to remember.
Reassurance
is how Jesus starts and ends this discourse. In short, Jesus says to his
disciples in today’s verses: You’re going to see some frightening things soon.
They may cause you to want to give up.
Don’t.
Lose. Hope.
Just
like I’m going to be with my Father, soon you will be with us, too. Believe it.
It will be beyond your imagination, and everyone who trusts me will be there.
In the meantime, remember all the things I’ve done. Keep doing them. Let the
world know my Father through your actions. I will empower you – and because
there are so many of you, your works will far outshine mine if you keep acting
in the spirit of love.
I
doubt Jesus meant this metaphor of a house and dwelling places (or mansion and
rooms) literally. God probably isn’t running a boarding house. Jesus is
preparing a place, he said. The Son is rejoining the Father, the Word with God,
continuing to create. The future of God’s family is where God is.
I
am uplifted by the first part of this text. The rest of Jesus’ instructions are
daunting: “the one who believes in me will also do the works I do…” We
believers have some heavy lifting to do to feed the hungry, heal the sick, show
hospitality to refugees, care for orphans and widows, show mercy to the
grieving and poor, reach out to those as different from us as the Samaritans
and Gentiles were to the Jews, forgive one another, and find other ways to love
in the spirit of Jesus.
Overwhelming,
isn’t it?
We,
too, are living in some troubled times. That “Don’t. Lose. Hope.” message is as
much for us as the early Christians. Perhaps no believers you know have been
stoned lately, but the Christian family is divided, attacked from the inside
out, and misrepresented daily. Our enemies aren’t the only ones who can throw
rocks.
We
need this strong fortress to protect us from these forces that would weaken us.
We need divine guidance to lead us to speak out and to take the right actions.
We need to become the Lord’s living stones to be built into a community, so we
will reveal God’s love to this hurting world. That is our Lord’s work
continuing through us, and I pray for the wisdom and strength to do this
kingdom work – not all of it, but the work I’m guided to do each day.
At
the same time, I know this particular living stone still can be a stumbling
block. I need to continue to listen and learn, not shout out the voices of
those around me. This living stone needs to be open to be shaped by the work of
the Spirit so I can become a perfect fit for the Master Builder’s construction.
I
get a little touchy when I’m being chiseled and sanded. Sometimes it scratches
and hurts, and I don’t see it as perfecting. I can be downright unbreakable,
and it requires the irresistible work of the Spirit to wear me down. It’s my
goal to accept this polishing with a bit more grace.
(You always are welcome to respond with your thoughts and reflections in the comments section at the bottom of the blog post.)
(You always are welcome to respond with your thoughts and reflections in the comments section at the bottom of the blog post.)
Faith App: How are you letting yourself be shaped and placed in God’s spiritual house? Listen this week for how God is working on your rough spots, or calling you to a new responsibility to grow your faith community.
HYMN/SONG
SUGGESTIONS
O Jesus, I Have Promised, ELW 810
Christ Is Alive! Let Christians Sing, ELW 389
Here, O Lord,
Your Servants Gather, ELW 530
I Received
the Living God, ELW 477
God of Grace
and God of Glory, ELW 705
I Know That
My Redeemer Lives, ELW 619
Open Your
Ears, O Faithful People, ELW 519
That Where I Am, You May Also Be, Rich Mullins/Michael W. Smith
(The story of
this song, based on John 14-15: Rich Mullins composed this song as part of a
rough recording of songs for his next album, “The Jesus Record,” nine days
before his tragic death. Michael W. Smith finished this song for the album
Christian artists recorded from his compositions.)
Big House, Audio Adrenaline
One Way,
Hillsong United
Shelter (You
Are My Refuge), Sonicflood
Keep Making
Me, Sidewalk
Prophets
MUSIC
VIDEO
When Love
Broke Through, TobyMac http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44l9PRI4c2M
(This would
be a good video to show in a contemporary music service)
LESSONS
Acts
7:55-60 Then they dragged Stephen out of the city and began to
stone him.
Psalm
31:1-5, 15-16 Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong
fortress to save me.
1
Peter 2:2-10 Like living stones, let yourselves be built
into a spiritual house.
John
14:1-14 In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.
Summary
of the Lessons: What are we allowing God to make of us? Some
people are living stones, open to whatever purpose God has for them, ready to
be chiseled and shaped and polished. Others are murderous stones with their
hands over our ears, shouting so they never recognize the voice of God,
stumbling blocks for others. The difference is that some people are opened by
the Holy Spirit, others are unwilling to see.
OPENING
LITANY based
on Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16
L: Christ is Risen!
C: He is Risen,
Indeed!
L: Protect me, O Lord, give me a safe shelter
C: Rescue me from the perils that surround me
L: Please listen to me when I cry out in
anguish,
C: Surround me like a fortress until I feel
secure.
L: I’ve given myself to you alone, come what
may,
C: On your rock-solid foundation I’m building my
life.
L: Guide me around every unseen trap and
temptation.
C: Master Builder, keep refining me every day of
my life.
L: From my first cry to my last breath, my life
is yours.
C: Lord, deliver me from people who would harm
me.
L: Every day I listen and try to do what makes
you smile,
C: In your kindness, Faithful One, please come
to my aid.
CONFESSION
L: Lord, we confess how closed-minded we are
about your truths,
C: Our scriptures, as well as preachers and
teachers, reveal you to us.
L: But we reject people who see visions, dismiss
their dreams.
C: Open our eyes and ears to the Spirit at work
throughout our church.
L: Lord, we confess we struggle to allow you to
guide our lives,
C: Information is available 24/7, as fast as the
speed of our internet,
L: But you say you are the way, the truth and
the life every moment
C: Help us place our times in your hands, even
when we are afraid.
L: And Lord, we confess how we resist your
attempts to grow us;
C: Our hearts are hard, far from the softness of
your servant heart.
L: Eternal life is our focus, rather than
building your kingdom now.
C: Keep shaping us,
Lord, as we discover how to love like you did.
(Silent
reflection)
L: In our confession, we pray together,
C: A rock is an object – one we can use to build
up or tear down. We know rocks in construction can build homes and communities,
and rocks in walls divide. Rocks in landscapes add beauty, and rocks used as
weapons can kill. We need to consider our own rocks of intolerance, hurtful
words and spiteful actions, and stop ignoring the injustices that put God’s
people to death. Open our eyes and ears to the cries of your people now.
Hear
this Good News: Our faithful God has
redeemed us from our actions that cause distress and division. We who believe
in God are not rejected or put to shame. Even with all our flaws and rough
edges, God has chosen us, sees us as holy, and with great mercy, has forgiven
us. Walk in the way, the truth and life of Jesus the Christ
Amen.
PRAYER
OF THE DAY
L: We pray together,
C: Ever-Creating God … Use us as your living
stones, precious and chosen, to construct your spiritual house. Shape us into
structures of welcome and grace, joined together with joists of justice and
mortar of mercy. Give us this shared vision, so all people will begin to see
God’s kingdom rising, not someday, but in our world starting today. Amen.
COMMUNION
BLESSING
L: We pray together,
C: We give you thanks, most gracious God, for
revealing yourself to us in this gift of bread and wine. Thank you for choosing
us and continuing to grow and shape us as living stones to create your spiritual
house, your kingdom come in this place. Send us now, still rough and
unfinished, but willing to share your love and light with everyone we
meet. Amen.
SENDING
L: You are our rock and our refuge,
C: We can rely on you to shelter us;
L: You are our solid cornerstone,
C: The foundation that never fails.
L: Go now, as living stones, to love and to serve
the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God!
First
Reading Acts 7:55-60 (NRSV)
Setting the Scene: Much like Jesus’
first sermon in his hometown incited violence, Stephen’s prophetic words
following the resurrection incite the Jewish leaders.
55 But
filled with the Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and
Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 “Look,” he said, “I
see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” 57 But
they covered their ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together against him.
58 Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone
him; and the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 While
they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then
he knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin
against them.” When he had said this, he died.
Second
Reading 1 Peter 2:2-10 (NRSV)
Setting the Scene: The writer of 1 Peter
provides Gentile believers with their identity in Christ. But we, too, fall
into this description of the raw materials of the kingdom.
2 Like
newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow
into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is
good.
4 Come
to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in
God’s sight, and 5 like living stones, let yourselves be built
into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual
sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands
in scripture:
“See,
I am laying in Zion a stone,
a cornerstone chosen and precious;
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
a cornerstone chosen and precious;
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
7 To
you then who believe, he is precious; but for those who do not believe,
“The
stone that the builders rejected
has become the very head of the corner,”
has become the very head of the corner,”
8 and
“A stone
that makes them stumble,
and a rock that makes them fall.”
and a rock that makes them fall.”
They
stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
9 But
you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in
order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of
darkness into his marvelous light.
10 Once
you were not a people,
but now you are God’s people;
once you had not received mercy,
but now you have received mercy.
but now you are God’s people;
once you had not received mercy,
but now you have received mercy.
Gospel John
10:1-10 (NRSV)
Setting the Scene: This passage begins John’s farewell discourse that continues
from the Last Supper to Jesus’ capture in the Garden of Gethsemane. In these
three chapters, Jesus gives his disciples (including us) promises and vision
for the future.
14 “Do
not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In
my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I
have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I
go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so
that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And you know the way
to the place where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we
do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus
said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through me. 7 If you know me, you will know my
Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
8 Philip
said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” 9 Jesus
said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not
know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the
Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the
Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the
Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am
in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me
because of the works themselves. 12 Very truly, I tell you, the
one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do
greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 I
will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the
Son. 14 If in my name you ask me for anything, I
will do it.
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