Readings
for Easter 6B/Rogation Sunday:
1 John 4:7-21; John 15:9-17; Psalm 33
May 21, 2006
The Rev. Karen Siegfriedt
St. Jude the Apostle Episcopal Church, Cupertino,
CA
Today’s lessons are all about love; plain and simple. And so I suppose I should just say: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and soul, and love your neighbor as yourself” and then sit down. After all, that is the Christian message in a nutshell. The rest is just commentary. Then for the next 15 minutes, we could sit in silence and allow God to simply love us. Or I could take another tact and preach for an hour on the fullness and radicality of the readings from the epistle and gospel. They are so packed full of lifesaving theology; theology that can truly transform us into the people God longs for us to be. But I sense that your needs would better be served by unpacking all that theology in a bible study rather than in a sermon. So I am going to take the via media- the middle way- and preach an average length sermon, touching on the highlights of God’s love that has been poured into our hearts. And because this is Rogation Sunday, I am going to connect this love to the mission of the Church and take a look at how we might develop into faithful stewards of this spiritual oasis in the heart of Cupertino. Let me begin by quoting the many verses of love from the scriptures that were assigned for today.
The kind of love that is being called forth is a love which seeks the well-being of others. It is a sacrificial love; the kind of love Jesus showed to his followers when he stood up for the truth in the face of resistance, persecution, and even death. Jesus said: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." [Jn. 15] This is a very hard saying. It’s hard to wrap our minds around it and so most of the time, we just let it go by. But it is a vital insight that can lead to a transformed world so we need to pay attention to it, even if it is beyond our current level of faith and ability.
For most people, death is the greatest fear and enemy. And so it is hard to lay down our lives even for ourselves. How many of us are afraid to stand up for our rights and our dignity as human beings, fearful of being persecuted, fired, or rejected (never mind being killed)? Although when things get bad enough, we might put our lives on the line to protect our self interest. For most people, death is the greatest fear and enemy. It is hard to lay down our lives even for our family. Although, when things get bad enough, our love for our children and spouse often surfaces and we might put our lives on the line for our closest relatives. For most people, death is the greatest fear and enemy. It is hard to lay down our lives for our nation. Although when things get bad enough, there are courageous soldiers who might lay down their lives for the good of the nation.
For most people, death is the greatest fear and enemy. So to lay down one’s life for one another- another member of the community of faith and beyond- those who are not blood relatives- well that is a different story. In this case we are not laying down our lives in the name of self-interest or blood ties or patriotism but rather for the glory of God. This radical command of love goes against our natural tendency to protect ourselves first and foremost. It is a hard one! And yet, Jesus calls us to be radical and to move beyond our own self-interest to the well being of others. But he doesn’t expect us to engage in this kind of love by using ego strength alone. Instead, he talks about abiding in his love, becoming so deeply connected to God, that we experience God’s love being poured into our hearts; a grace that gives us the where-with-all to choose from a place of love rather than fear.
This is where the mission of the Church comes in to help us. The Church equips us with the tools necessary to open ourselves up to God’s grace and power, to heal, to gain insight, and to be strengthened to move beyond the resources of the human ego. “The mission of the Church is to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ.” If God is love, and Christ showed us God’s love in action, then restoring people to unity with God and each other includes loving them, teaching them about God’s love, and providing opportunities for the love of God to be poured into their hearts. We begin this life of love by first loving ourselves and then reaching out to others in love. Eventually, it becomes a way of life. “The Church pursues its mission as it prays and worships, proclaims the Gospel, and promotes justice, peace, and love.” [BCP 855] There is no other institution in society that has this specific mission. That is why the Church is vital for the well being of society. And so we come together each Sunday, to be strengthened for this mission, seeking grace in this holy place of St. Jude the Apostle.
In a few minutes, we are going to walk around our spiritual oasis to see what kind of stewardship is happening on this campus. We will give thanks to God for those areas of improvement and will take note of those things that still need our attention. Most of you, through your commitment of time, talent, and treasure, have supported this campus (buildings and grounds) as a springboard for ministry. For your continued generosity, I give God thanks. It shows that your love extends beyond your own needs to the needs of this community of faith and beyond. This is a self-less love; a kind of love to be further cultivated. And as you “rogate,” I ask you to take the time to reflect on the mission of the Church, our vision, and goals. What is God calling us to do as a community of faith? Where do we need to spend our resources? What areas of ministry are being overlooked? What programs need help? What buildings need enhancement? What spiritual work do we need to focus on? What do you need from the church to enhance your receptivity to God’s grace and love?
But don’t restrict your reflections to the St. Jude’s campus alone. In the Anglican tradition, our parish includes the entire city of Cupertino. Who within the Cupertino community needs to hear the good news in Christ? Who is suffering and where does healing need to take place? Who is being overlooked? Are there actions that we need to consider in order for our citizens to live in peace, justice, and dignity? How do we restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ?” These are the kind of questions we ask ourselves on Rogation Sunday.
Rogation Sunday brings up for me, the deep respect and joy I hold for the Episcopal tradition. The Episcopal Church has been guiding my journey towards love and wholeness for years, and for this I give thanks. I compare this journey of love within the Episcopal Tradition with learning how to sail. Learning how to sail involves setting the sail in the proper position in order to go in the right direction under the strength of the wind. The religious journey is about setting our sail (i.e. life) in the proper position so that God’s grace and spirit can move us forward in the direction of love. Like the wind, we can not control God’s spirit and grace but we can set our sails in such a way that we capture its fullness without going in circles or capsizing the boat. Like the fundamentals of sailing, Christianity has its fundamentals also. These fundamentals include love (agape) and following Jesus as the way, the truth, and life. “Pour into our hearts such love towards you, O Lord, that we, loving you in all things and above all things, may obtain your promises, which exceed all that we can desire.” [Collect of the Day, BCP 225]
| Updated 5/20/06 |
|