Grace and Peace to you from God, who knows your story, every chapter, every line, and loves you, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus, who is our Christ. Amen.
So, we reach the end of First John today, and hear this text, a brief text to begin with, focusing on this passage in particular: “Those who believe in the Son of God have the testimony in their hearts.”
Lutherans aren’t prone to give testimonies. Perhaps at their confirmations. Maybe someone who has had a defining moment: healing from life-threatening illness, or surviving a horrific accident. But in general, we tend to keep our faith pretty close and personal. In our hearts, we might say.
I’ve had the privilege of hearing some of those heart stories this year. Over the past 52 weeks, I’ve heard so many of your stories, what has burdened you, what has brought you joy, how you landed here at Trinity. And who have been those handful of anam caras, soul friends as John O’Donohue put it, the people who helped carry you. The people who saw past the biggest lie in the English language – “I’m fine” – and really saw you. Because, as O’Donohue also wrote, “One of the deepest longings of the human soul is to be seen.”
You see each other here. If you’ve been here a couple of years, you may just take it for granted. You know when someone has missed worship for a couple of Sundays. Maybe they’re traveling, but if not, someone will think of a reason to call and check. If someone has a guest visiting, those people who sit around them each week will connect after church to meet the son or niece, or former student who dropped in. Even in the chaos that is Easter Sunday at Trinity, you noticed Richelle and Danielle, our friends from Chicago.
There’s a testimony in that. In the way that Trinity is. People don’t come here to be invisible. They come to feel the love of God expressed in words and music, laughter and tears, and yes, even over coffee and donuts.
Long-term relationships grow through shared service. The guys that paint together. The men and women who prepare memorial luncheons together. The guys that study and share life together on Wednesday mornings. Each one of the still-existing Christ Care Groups. The informal groups that might as well be Christ Care groups of parents who have college kids, or high school kids, or preschoolers. The sandwich moms and dads who are caring for parents or grandparents and raising kids at the same time. You impress me. And your care for your families and each other is a testimony.
- The way that Trinity Preschool and Staff surrounded Laura Neary with love and yellow T-shirts. Testimony.
- The people who have showed up to support families at funerals, celebrations of life, even the ones off site. Testimony.
I can’t forget the way you cared for our family, Trinity. Surrounded me with concern and love when I ended up with a stress fracture and in a boot for a couple months last fall. Surrounded Mike with concern and love when he had his pacemaker replaced in April. Made sure that I got some needed dental care – a special shout out to Dr. Lori Roseman. The way you’ve asked about my future call – which is still to be determined. It’s taken me some time to understand how it is to not just be the pastoral care giver, but to be the receiver of pastoral care, not just from Pastor Chris, but from the priesthood of all believers, the body of Christ gathered here. It’s not like that in every church – trust me. You have a shared testimony that draws people in and surrounds them with love.
I could go on and on, and I will, today, and for the next three days. And the next few months, and into my First Call. There will be situations and episodes that prompt memories and stories. There is a testimony that you’ve shared with us, entangled our stories into your stories and yours into ours. So well have our lives been twisted into yours that breaking loose is difficult. We’ll undoubtedly leave a few pieces of ourselves here when the doors close on Wednesday, and we’ll walk away with parts of Trinity’s branches still attached.
But the text for today doesn’t just leave it there with the testimony to God’s love that you carry in your hearts and share with one another. Verse 11 says this:
“And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.”
We aren’t a community here because we’re good friends, although in many cases, that is true. We aren’t a community because we’ve been through a lot of life and challenging moments together, even though that is certainly true.
We are this community at Trinity Lutheran Church because we are the Body of Christ, and we have this shared testimony – God’s testimony – that God gave us life everlasting through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And we claim that testimony together. It’s testimony we just can’t keep in our hearts.
There are thousands of people living around Trinity that have never heard it. Oh, I’m sure they think they know who Christians are. They may be well-acquainted with the story of Jesus Christ. But someone testified to them sometime in a way that drove them away from the Body of Christ. They saw and heard people who were stuck in the right words and practices, but who never gave an ounce of concern about them. And that’s the testimony that’s on repeat in their heads. Christians couldn’t care one iota about me. I’m not worth it. So why would I go there?
Whether that person ever walks through this door isn’t the point of your testimony. Sharing the love of God in Jesus Christ IS. When you take a moment to see that young person in a service job, ask them their name, and thank them, you’ve said they matter to God. When you really see the parent with three tired young children, and let them order fast food ahead of you, you honor them as Beloved. If the average person connects with a dozen people in genuine interactions in a day, that’s more than 4,000 people a year. Sharing the love of God in Jesus Christ is your testimony, and it is world-changing.
If I could give every one of you a gift, it would be that each of you could sit for a few hours with some of the people that you help in Trinity’s five core missions. Some of you already have. You’ve gone to Lantern Hill and seen what it’s like to sit across the table from a student who is privileged just to go to school a half a day in a uniform Trinity donations provided. Or maybe you’ve read to one of our preschool classes and seen those little ones, just starting out. Or taken a meal from our freezer to someone whose monthly resources don’t go far enough, far enough to cover their rent, bills, groceries, prescriptions and gas.
I hope you go and do some hands-on work at Gateway 180 or Circle of Concern. Meet a person who made a bad choice or was laid off. So many people are one decision away from being deserted by family, or one paycheck away from living on the street. Your face may be the face of God’s love to them in their vulnerability. And their faces may be the face of Jesus to you, the Jesus who lived under occupation, who was rejected, who was imprisoned, beaten and killed. Don’t be content to just write a check or bring in donations and stay arms’ length away. Serving makes a difference. And more often, the one it changes is US.
On this, my final Sunday at Trinity, I leave you with this blessing. It’s one of my favorites, and it speaks to the testimony that Trinity shares.
We Meet on Holy Ground
Richard S. Gilbert
From In the Holy Quiet: Meditations by Richard S. Gilbert
We meet on holy ground,
for that place is holy
where lives touch, love moves, hope stirs.
How much we need this moment before the eternal,
the time to be in reverence before the ultimate
the pause that renews,
the interlude that refreshes,
the space that gives us room to be.
We meet on holy ground,
brought into being as life encounters life,
as personal histories merge into the communal story,
as we take on the pride and pain of our companions
as separate selves become community.
How desperate is our need for one another:
Our silent beckoning to our neighbors,
Our invitations to share life and death together,
Our welcome into the lives of those we meet,
and their welcome into our own.
May our souls capture this treasured time.
May our spirits celebrate our meeting
in this time and in this space,
for we meet on holy ground.
Amen.
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