Left Behind

(Uriel Presbyterian Church )

Sermon

“Left Behind” 

22 April, 2011

Fifth Sunday in Easter A

The stars may fall; the Messiah may die,

but no matter what happens, you will always have a home

Text: Acts 6.1-11, 7.51-8.1

NRSV 1Now during those days, when the disciples were increasing in number, the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food.  2  And the twelve called together the whole community of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should neglect the word of God in order to wait on tables.  3  Therefore, friends, select from among yourselves seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this task,  4  while we, for our part, will devote ourselves to prayer and to serving the word.”  5  What they said pleased the whole community, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, together with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch.  6  They had these men stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. 

7   The word of God continued to spread; the number of the disciples increased greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith. 

8   Stephen, full of grace and power, did great wonders and signs among the people.  9  Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and others of those from Cilicia and Asia, stood up and argued with Stephen.  10  But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke.  11  Then they secretly instigated some men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.”

Then  beginning in verse 12 Stephen begins to tell the whole history of Israel and how it foretold Jesus as Messiah. When he had finished, he said to his accusers in verse 51:

51“You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you are forever opposing the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do.  52  Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, and now you have become his betrayers and murderers.  53  You are the ones that received the law as ordained by angels, and yet you have not kept it.” 

54   When they heard these things, they became enraged and ground their teeth at Stephen.  55  But filled with the Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.  56  “Look,” he said, “I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”  57  But they covered their ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together against him.  58  Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him; and the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.  59  While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”  60  Then he knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he died.  1  And Saul approved of their killing him.

Text: John 14.1-14

Jesus is sitting with his disciples at the Last Supper and talks to them for the last time before he is crucified.

  NRSV  “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me.  2  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?  3  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.  4  And you know the way to the place where I am going.”  5  Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”  6  Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.  7  If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” 

8   Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”  9  Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?  10  Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works.  11  Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves.  12  Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.  13  I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  14  If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it. 

I  frankly don’t know what to feel about the end of the world hullabaloo this past week. It was certainly a nonevent, but on some level it had a great many people worked up about it. The television news  mentioned it at some point in every show for the past few days and the prediction went absolutely viral on the internet. 

I fielded at least half a dozen calls and e-mails from friends all over the world asking what I thought; what was this end of the world stuff about, and was I scared? It was a hard question to navigate, because I have no idea what God’s plans are, I respect and worship the creator, redeemer and sustainer of the universe and place myself entirely in God’s hands, but am I scared if the end of the world happens? Well, yeah, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have faith or trust in God.

I think what disturbed me more than anything else though, were the looting sites where people  were planning what they would scavenge from all the rich celebrities’ homes and businesses.  First of all, if what I know about the Kingdom of God is true in the least, those rich celebrities and empty socialites would float into the skies about as high as a bunch of lead balloons. I imagine instead that they would looting on a more massive scale themselves. But what made me saddest were the thousands and thousands of these facebook bloggers who never even questioned for a moment that if God were to select those that God loved most, they all had zero confidence that they would ever be chosen to go. In their own minds already, they were sure they were going to be left behind.  LEFT BEHIND. Even the words are mournful and hopeless feeling, a replay of the times all children experience when our parents went out for the evening or for the weekend and we were left starring at the car disappearing down the street without us . 

Which brings us perfectly to our post Easter gospel reading today.  Today’s reading is a little out of order, because it takes place before Jesus’ passion and death, but it’s all about the anxiety of being left behind. 

Perhaps this  one of the reasons that this scripture is so often used at funerals--both because it opens a fresh box of hope just with the phrase: ‘in my father’s house are many mansions’ but also because there is straight talking Thomas who pipes up and honestly admits: “No, Lord, we DON’T know where you are going, so how the heck could we possibly know the way?” (the expletive is mine)

When someone dies, or is otherwise gone, we suddenly feel like we have lost our way. We may be entirely certain as to that person’s character and faith, but WE feel lost....and left behind. So Thomas’s words are our words too: “I don’t know the answers, TELL me; remind me again.” 

And the disciples, even though they don’t yet know exactly what Jesus is talking about, have felt the dread and apprehension the whole time that they were on the journey to Jerusalem. Thomas, always  the plain spoken one, even says “Might as well go to Jerusalem and die with you, Jesus”. And at this passover meal,  Jesus was frankly scaring them.

But here at the penultimate moment of their time together, Jesus  speaks these words of comfort.  He gives us assurances that none who want to be with him will be left behind. “In my father’s house are many dwelling places”. This has always been a puzzle to listeners. What does that actually mean? The word that Jesus uses for dwelling places literally means something like a staging post, or a rest-stop on long journey. The dwelling of God is a place so large and so roomy that there are  rest-areas  from one part to the next. 

All these people this past week who, even though they made jokes about not being part of the elect, none the less judging by their comments they felt acutely left out. All of these people seem to be saying “Obviously, I’m not worth much to God; I’m too poor and too ignorant of who God is, I’m not hip or chic enough to be favoured by God. I’m not like those rich, well educated churchgoers. They’re the ones who will disappear into the air, I’m just the mess that is left behind.  Jesus wouldn’t take ME.” That breaks my heart, and it should break yours too.

  These are  people we see every day in the grocery store, at work, in elementary, high school and college, they’re the people  who’ve never heard the beatitudes; yet in their self-effacing humour they are the poor in spirit. These are the people who haven’t yet felt the joy of understanding this passage of scripture before us today.

 Because the joy of John 14 is that there is something unbelievably calming about knowing that no matter what happens, you who believe in Jesus  DO have a home to run to and arms that will embrace you.  You have a room; a shelter; an abiding-place somewhere that is waiting for you; a place that is yours that no one can take away, prepared with Jesus own hands. The stars may fall; the Messiah may die,  but no matter what happens, you will always have a home.

But Jesus conversation doesn’t stop there. After the comfort comes the direction to trust and to believe. Jesus urges the disciples to “trust in God, trust also in me.” 

Suddenly “Do not let your hearts be troubled” is not just a comforting statement. It is a challenging statement as well. A command not to be sucked under into a tide of fear and panic. And if you are able to trust in God and Christ, then with that faith we will continue find things to do for God, not because it’s going to get us a bigger house in heaven, but because we have that open handed relationship with Christ. 

We started this morning reflecting on those concerned about being left behind when Christ comes again, and let us end with those same people. To borrow the rhetoric of the airline industry: In case of emergency, put on your life support, found in the Good News within you, pulling it tight around you and breathe deeply and normally. Then turn and make sure that your neighbor is taken care of too, never abandoning them until they are safe. The breathing mask of holiness may not inflate, but inhale deeply and rest assured that life is flowing the way it should.

 Being anxious about death or the end of the world or both is entirely normal. Both will happen sooner or later, but Jesus promises us that none who want to be with him will ever be left behind. That is a promise you can stake your life on.

Amen