John 17: 20-26 (Common English Bible)
This passage from Jesus’ Farewell Discourse is addressing those who will read John’s Gospel. The great vision of the Gospel of John is linked with God’s mission through Jesus. The glory of Jesus’ ministry is the proof of the love of God’s beloved Son.
Because of the richness of God’s love for Jesus, the universal church should share in that same love. One of the important ways the Church expresses this by loving others. Christians are made whole by being included into God’s love. Love is the central strength of faith, so when Christians attempt to place others outside of God’s grace, they misunderstand what faith is.
What does it mean to experience the relationship between God and people? Centering prayer is one example of the lived side of a silent relationship with God instead of personal petitions. Such practices prepare us to be formed in God’s love, helping us to discover peace and joy in the midst of conflict.
One way to accomplish this is by walking the labyrinth. Has anyone here done that? I’ve experienced that twice, once in New Harmony, Indiana and another time across the street with our Methodist neighbors. Now the labyrinth at the Methodist Church wasn’t as fancy as the one in New Harmony, but it was adequate enough for me.
When the Christ left heaven and Incarnated itself into the human infant named Jesus, Christ became united in the flesh with humankind. As a human on planet earth, he went on to live the perfect life as a model for all people to follow. Jesus showed the folly of human power when he rose from the dead and promised his followers that death was not the end of their existence.
When Jesus prayed for those who believed in him, he was also praying for all believers in the future. He prayed for both unity and love, and this would be God’s call for the world. But has this worked out so far?
In the early 19th century on the American frontier around Kentucky, there were two evangelists, Alexander Campbell and Barton Stone, who had a wonderful idea. They wanted churches to put an end to denominational divisions and unite just on the Bible, mainly the New Testament. But did their idea work? Of course it didn’t. What began as unity turned into division. It became rules instead of love. One group rejected Sunday Schools for children because it’s not mentioned in the New Testament. Another group rejected instrumental music because it’s also not mentioned in the New Testament. What began as inclusion became exclusion. It turned into a blueprint on how their vision of the church should be, and completely ignored what Jesus taught.
So the three groups were divided. One was the Disciples of Christ, the open-minded Christians. Another was the Independent Christian Churches who are very conservative and the Church of Christ which is fundamentalist, almost a cult because many believed they were the only ones going to heaven. And this third group was the one I was involved in for five years, until I saw the Light.
Today it seems competition has penetrated churches so much that many churches approach religious leaders like a sports event. They see their mission as a business that seeks to gain market shares among many Christian donors all in the name of Christ.
What is happening in churches today is a reflection of what is occuring in society, especially large urban centers. Families are spread coast to coast. We barely know our neighbors. We see ourselves as individuals concerned only about themselves. As a result, we isolate ourselves and immerse our brains into reality TV series, the Internet and video games. All this is part of the damage done when technology runs amok.
What are Jesus' concerns for his followers to come? It’s not about doctrines and the correct beliefs. It is not about who is popular and who is not. And it’s certainly not about people who claim to be the richest persons in the world. Jesus’ concern is that people should show their love to others and care about their health, both physically and spiritually.
Jesus wants a community of misfits that know, deep in their hearts, there is a God that loves them. We need to ask ourselves, are we contributing to a spirit of competition or a spirit of love and inclusion?
Believers come from all over the world. Despite their different faiths, they are united by their love of God. One of the most interesting things I’ve seen within the SPC, happened around 15 years ago when Sara Shields was minister. Four people from four different religions were invited to speak from the pulpit. I only remember two, one from the Baha'i faith and one from the Muslim faith. And this wasn’t long after the 9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers in NYC. And needless to say some were worried about the local reaction. But I was really touched by the one from the Bahai religion. The Baha'i faith believes in the worth of all religions and unity for all people. To me it sounded like something that Jesus taught. So you can see both God and Christ are above any particular religion.
God loves the sinner, the orthodox, the heretic and those with no religion or a different one. There are no boundaries between God and those who seek God in many different ways. What boundaries do we need to break on through to the other side of love and inclusion? As we celebrate the Eucharist today, let us remember that love and inclusion is a part of Communion open to everyone who believes.
AMEN
