Bethel Lutheran Church
Sermon: April 27, 2008
John 14:15-21
REV. PETER I. RAY
Dearly beloved: Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord and
Savior, Jesus the Christ. Amen.
Although we are only in the 14th Chapter of the Gospel of John, we are already
nearing the end of the life of Jesus. Palm Sunday was covered in Chapter 12.
The last supper in Chapter 13, and now in Chapter 14, Jesus is in the midst of
what scholars call "the farewell discourse."
In other words, he knows he must die, but before he leaves he wants to make
sure that his disciples get - at least - a few things right.
And one of those things is that they learn to love one another.
Those who have my commandments and keep them are those who love
me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love
them and reveal myself to them. (14:21)
You will notice that there is a sort of pattern or progression to the love Jesus is
talking about. By doing what our Lord commands us to do, we show our love for
him; he in turn shows his love for us by revealing himself to us.
By loving Jesus and one another, we learn what love is, and our Lord becomes
clearer, more present for us.
Now, of course, that is easier said than done.
It's one thing to talk about love; it's another to actually do it. But it can be done.
Listen to this Native American parable about two wolves:
A grandfather is teaching his grandson about the meaning of life. And he
tells him that inside of each person there is a terrible fight going on ...
and it is a battle between two wolves.
The one wolf, he says, represents fear, anger, envy, sorrow, regret,
greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, and false
pride.
The other wolf stands for joy, peace, love, hope, sharing, serenity,
humility, kindness, friendship, empathy, generosity, truth, and
compassion.
This fight is going on inside you and inside every living person.
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his
grandfather, "Well, which wolf will win?"
The grandfather simply replied, "The one you feed."
I think what Jesus is asking his disciples in today's gospel lesson, is "Which wolf
do they intend to feed?"
What will they nurture among themselves? What will they cultivate? What will
grow among them?
Hatred or love. Division or peace. Pride or humility. Selfishness or sharing.
And it is true for us as well. Which wolf are we feeding?
For some of us, the wolf of selfishness and greed has grown pretty fat and
sassy...while the wolf of justice and peace has missed way too many meals.
Now, don't misunderstand what I am saying.
I am not someone who is anti-culture. I do not believe that as a church we
should divorce ourselves from all that our society has to offer. I like television
and sports and video games and movies and reading popular novels and
exploring the internet and all that our modern culture provides for us.
But I guess I wonder about the balance in our lives. I wonder, "Which wolf we
are feeding?"
It's not that television is evil, but if you spend 20 hours a week watching TV and
just one hour in worship...which wolf are you feeding? When we play video
games that glorify violence and that desensitize us to real pain and death, how
does that then form us for life in the real world?
When movie after movie raises up short-term, destructive relationships and our
most popular celebrities going through marriages every other month, how does
that shape and support our own covenants and commitments?
Whose voice are we listening to when it comes to basic morals and fundamental
decisions about life? Are we being shaped by the church and God's word or the
whimsy of the latest fad or article in People Magazine?
Now understand, I am not after some narrow fundamentalism in which each
week you come to church so I can pile simple moralisms on your head...but I
wonder how we're nurturing our faith and living out our baptismal promises?
As a pastor and teacher of your children, I'm constantly in competition with all
kinds of school activities and sports, and I don't think they're bad. In fact, I
think athletics builds an understanding of working with each other as a team,
teaches us to be fair and honest in our dealings with our opponents, and the
discipline of learning a particular position or set of rules can teach a lot about
life.
But studying God's word is also important. Biblical illiteracy is rampant among
us. Most people don't know the difference between the core message of
Ephesians and First Peter, let alone so many books of prophecy from the Old
Testament that are completely lost to us.
And I don't think you have to be in church all the time or do nothing but read the
bible, but some sort of balance might be nice,..and faithful.
You know the saying . . . You better be careful what you ask for, for you just
may get it.
There is a Chinese proverb like it that goes: "If we don't change the direction
we are headed, we will end up where we are going."
Jesus is very aware of the road he is on, the direction he is heading. He is headed to the cross where he will
suffer and die; he is just a few short hours away from his own crucifixion.
But before he dies, before he physically leaves his disciples, there are a few
things that he wants to make sure that they know.
He wants them to obey his commandment to love one another, and by loving
one another, he assures them that he will be with them.
And so, I just want us to think today about how we bring Jesus among us.
In the waters of Baptism, absolutely. In this meal of bread and wine, for sure.
In the reading of God's word, yes, he is there.
But in the discipline of loving one another, he also promises to be among us. As
we care for one another, treat each other with respect, tend to each other's
needs, we bring Christ into our lives.
And so we need to practice this discipline over and over again.
And sometimes, the older I get, I think it is as simple and as basic as managing
our time.
If we spend the bulk of our time feeding our own pursuits, stockpiling stuff that
meets our own needs, and listening to people and music that tear people down,
then we will reap the rewards of that narrow, selfish, hateful world.
But if we love one another and live beyond ourselves, Christ will be in our midst.
Amen.
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