A sermon for the 7th Sunday of Easter
First Reading: Acts 1:6-14
6When [the apostles] had come together, they asked [Jesus], “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. 8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 9When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. 11They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
12Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey away. 13When they had entered the city, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying, Peter, and John, and James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.
Second Reading: 1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11
12Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13But rejoice insofar as you are sharing Christ’s sufferings, so that you may also be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed. 14If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory, which is the Spirit of God, is resting on you.
5:6Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. 7Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. 8Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. 9Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering. 10And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. 11To him be the power forever and ever. Amen.
Gospel: John 17:1-11
1After Jesus had spoken these words [to his disciples], he looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, 2since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. 5So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed.
6“I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; 8for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. 9I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. 10All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. 11And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.”
Beloved of God, grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus.
It’s the season of commencement.
Crestwood’s Commencement took place last weekend; Decorah’s Commencement is taking place this afternoon; and just in case that wasn’t enough excitement for our area, Luther College is celebrating its Commencement this morning after hosting NICC’s Commencement May 11. Even if there’s not a 2023 graduate in your household, there’s something about this time of year that invites reflection, celebration, and perhaps even a fair measure of grief.
I did not experience my graduation from Luther College as the commencement of anything. I didn’t know where I was going, so I didn’t want to leave. It was a goodbye without any hellos on the horizon. I remember sitting on the lofted bed in my dorm room, friends on either side of me, and sobbing. I experienced that day not as an exciting beginning, but as a painful ending. Looking back, I can notice all the things that commenced that day and in the days to follow, but I sure couldn’t see them then. I’m anticipating similar tears, and fears, when our oldest son graduates from high school next year.
It’s the season of commencement, even in our scripture readings for this day. Today is the last Sunday in the season of Easter. Pentecost will soon commence. Our readings this morning reflect this poignant time of beginnings emerging from endings, of joy mingled with grief and trust mingled with fear.
In the reading from Acts, Jesus ascends into heaven. In a sense, he has graduated from his earthly ministry. Now he returns to the Father to commence the sending of the Holy Spirit to his disciples. Jesus has earlier promised—in a commencement speech of sorts, just before his betrayal, arrest, and crucifixion–that though he is returning to the Father, he will not leave the disciples orphaned. The Spirit will be their advocate and will remind them of everything he has taught them.
The commencement speech ends with Jesus’ prayer for his disciples, a portion of which we hear in our gospel reading for today. For the disciples, their post-Easter life is about to commence. Jesus will still be with them, but in a different way. They’re afraid. They wonder how this can be. The unknown is overwhelming. So, Jesus prays for them. And, incredibly, Jesus prays for us.
Just after the portion of the prayer that we read today, Jesus prays, “I ask not only on behalf of these but also on behalf of those who believe in me through their word, that they may all be one” (John 17:20). Through the witness of the disciples, passed down through the generations, inspired by the Holy Spirit, we believe. We trust Jesus. This prayer is for us. This commencement prayer is for all who struggle to see the beginnings that are emerging from the endings, the joy and trust that are present—and sufficient for each day—right alongside all the grief and fear.
Jesus prays for us. How remarkable is that?!? Jesus prays that we would know God. He contends that eternal life is nothing other than knowing God. Jesus prays that God would protect us, so that we may be one.
It’s hard to imagine being one with all the conflicted parts of ourselves, let alone one with one another across the deepest divisions. And yet, this is what Jesus hopes for—prays for—for his disciples and for us. Solidarity. Unity. One beloved body of Christ.
I recently listened to a TED Talk by Mónica Guzmán, a Mexican immigrant, Latina, and dual US/Mexico citizen. She describes herself as the proud liberal daughter of conservative parents. In her TED Talk, and in her book, “I Never Thought of It That Way,” she contends that avoiding the divorce of our country into a Liberal States of America and a Conservative States of America will take a rebellion in which we get curious about one another across divides.
“Every human being wants to be seen,” she says. Instead of making uninformed assumptions about people, show them that they matter by asking curious questions and then listening deeply as people share. She lifts up two questions in particular. Instead of asking, “Why would you believe that?” Ask “How did you come to believe what you believe?” And then, since our hopes and concerns reveal our values, ask “What are your concerns?” and “What do you hope for?”
The commencement prayer Jesus prays for his disciples and for us reveals his values—that we would know God and that we would be one. And, later on in his prayer, that God’s love would be in us (John 17:26) and that we would have the joy of Jesus made complete in us (John 17:13).
For all who strive to walk in the way of Jesus, for all who stand at the brink of a new beginning and cannot see even the first step, for all who are afraid and overwhelmed by the unknown, for all who wonder each day how any of this can be, for the whole world, and for each of us…Jesus both desires for us, and speaks into being for us, the intimacy of knowing God; unity; love; complete joy.
By the power of the Holy Spirit, let the values of our Savior daily commence in us.
Now may God restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. To God be the power forever and ever. Amen.