Sermon
Seventh Sunday of Easter
Year A
May 24, 2020
First Reading: Acts 1:6-14
Psalm: 68:1-10,33-36
Second Reading: 1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11
Gospel: John 17:1-11
Collect:
O God, the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit to strengthen us, and exalt us to that place where our Savior Christ has gone before; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen
On this Memorial Day, we pray for those who courageously laid down their lives for the cause of freedom. May the examples of their sacrifice inspire in us the selfless love of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Bless the families of our fallen troops, and fill their homes and their lives with Your strength and peace.
Amen.
Gospel: John 17:1-11
Jesus looked up to heaven
“Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.
This is a beautiful gospel; I would suggest you grab your bibles and read this lesson, in its entirety.
Meditate on the words of Jesus to his Father; Let the prayer, enter your thoughts and slowly settle in on your hearts.
Knowing that Jesus is asking God now, to glorify him as he was, before being sent to be among us.
This is Jesus’ final prayer for himself and his farewell to his disciples. The hour has come for Jesus to manifest his eternal glory.
Before he goes, He prays.
I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed. I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world.
Jesus is praying to God, and He is praying for those who belong to him. You can say, He is praying for you and I.
How comforting is that to know that Jesus is praying for us?
He says, they were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. (17:6)
We know that everything that God gave Jesus, he gave to us, to continue to do has he has taught.
He gave us the Holy Word of God. He said “they have received them and know in truth that” I came for you; and they have believed that you sent me.”
We are glorified in Christ “All mine, are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them.”
Jesus was glorified by God and we were glorified by Jesus, WE are part of this bigger picture, “He in God and We in Him!”
We have been given eternal life, through the death and resurrection, because we believed, we know the true God and we know that God sent Jesus to be with us and to teach us, to comfort us, He also will send the Holy Spirit has his advocate, to show us the way.
We have tried all our life, to understand and make meaning of the scriptures, and we will continue to read and study the scriptures and the lessons of the parables, we might not always understand, but that is where faith comes in.
Saint Augustine wrote:
Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore, do not seek to understand in order to believe, but believe that you may understand”.
Conclusion:
Because of our Faith, we believe in things that we cannot see.
In these days of the coronavirus, a virus we cannot see, it makes us feel isolated from those we love, from our church and community.
It is not a feeling of comfort for some and can be scary for many. And yet, we know we are not alone.
We know that all things will pass and we can sit aside all the fears, anxiety and wait.
Take this time to read the Holy Scriptures, meditate on them.
Most importantly, Pray! For those who have lost loved ones, those who lost jobs and their income. Pray for the world and all who are alone and isolated.
Believe in the God of Love and through that Love, all things will be well.
“Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” (John 7:38)
Good News:
This virus, or anything or anyone, will never separate us from the love of God and his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
Rev. Lola Culbreath