The Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year A, 2011

John14:1-14

The Rev. Ronald N. Johnson

Today’s Gospel tells of a promise God made to each of us.  If we believe in God and the Son of God, Jesus, we have a place in God’s eternal Kingdom. We have a heavenly home.  The Gospel this morning is one of powerful and moving words.  Jesus said, “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.”  Nothing can be more straightforward, and the passage tells us that God promises us salvation. Why?  Simply because we are disciples of Jesus, a people baptized into his death and resurrection.  We bear the brand of the Messiah; we are marked, as Christ’s own, forever.  And, because we are God’s very own, he loves us and brings us into his heavenly kingdom.

 There is more, also, in the promises of the Gospel read this morning.  God, in Christ, will see to it that we have the ability and the power to accomplish good things in his name.  In other words, God equips us to do his work.  He gives us the skills and the talents and the resources to do his work in the world.  When we commit ourselves to serving him, he does not leave us dangling in the wind.  He is with us and he is the wind in our sails, both our power and our inspiration.  God wants us to live out the Gospel. When we are true to our call to discipleship, we bring the Gospel to others, not just with our words, but most significantly by our actions.

The Epistle this morning, from the First Letter of Peter, also tells us that we are God’s own people, a chosen people, and a holy nation.  I don’t think that we often think of ourselves in that way.  The truth is, though, that as a Christian people we are God’s chosen people and by baptism we are brought together into the Christian family and united, through Christ, in the family of God.  Because we are in Christ, we are special in the eyes of God, but our status as family members with Christ brings with it family obligations.  In this First Letter of Peter, we are told that we have been made God’s own people so that we may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light.

This all suggests that Christianity, properly understood, is a proactive religion.  Followers of Jesus are active in both proclaiming him as Savior, to all that will listen, and in being an instrument of his grace and love in the world about us.  Surely, when we have found Christ, when the Son of God has come into our hearts, forgiven our sins, accepted us and redeemed us, we do not want to hide such a good thing away.  We are often shy about sharing our faith with others.  But, we should not be shy and this shyness is something that we need to overcome.  Scripture tells us that we are a light to the nations, a torch of truth and love, a beacon of hope to all who are troubled, afraid, grieving or alone.  If we want to live out the Gospel, if we truly want to be Christ to our neighbor, then we must proclaim the Gospel in both word and deed.

We are well equipped, as a parish community to do just this.  We are equally well fitted as individuals.  We must remember that our business is the Lord’s business.  We are called to know Christ and to make him known.  This really is all it is about – being Christ in this world, being Christ to our neighbors.  Amen.