In the name of the Crucified and Risen Lord. Amen.
In
today’s reading from 1 Peter, we read “Always be ready to make your defense to
anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you.” Well,
if I’m asked to give an accounting of my hope I’ll be sure to mention the
remarkable and faithful children and youth of this parish. What wonderful
testimonies of faith we just heard from our graduating high school seniors –
their witness ought to bolster our hope for what God is doing in and through
their lives and this community of faith which we call St. Luke’s. So, thank
you, Nellie, Ruth, and Jason for giving us hope, and know that St. Luke’s is
always home to you and that this, your family, is always proud of you.
Today’s
readings really are all about community, which is fitting since today is a day
when we are celebrating the community of St. Luke’s. This Gospel text from John
is all about Christian community. I am in the Father, and you are in me, and I
am in you. And those who love me will be loved by my Father. It’s all a bit
jumbled up and confusing, and that’s exactly point. The lines of
differentiation between us all are blurred in God.
In the reading from Acts,
St. Paul notes that God has made the world and everything in it. And then he
quotes from a Greek poet – In God we live and move and have our being. One of
the heresies of our faith is to make God some distant object that is removed
from Creation. God is not removed from our lives, God is not some outside
observer. No, but as St. Paul said, in God, we live, move, and have our being.
Apart from God, we have no existence. And Jesus makes the same point in John –
he is in God, God is in him, the Spirit is in us, we are in Christ, we are in
God. In short, we’re all in this together. So the question of faith is not “Are
you in relationship with God?” but rather “What kind of relationship do you
have with God?,” What kind of relationship do you have with others who are
equally in God?”
The sort of relationship
that is intended for us is one of love. As Jesus says, “They 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.” As overly
simplistic as it sounds, it really is all about love. As a means of conveying
this love, Jesus notes that we will be given another Advocate, the Spirit of
truth, who will be with and in us.
There are many ways that
we might understand this gift of God’s abiding presence with us. The word in
Greek that is used for Advocate is paraclete,
which is the word “to call” with the prefix para
in front of it, which means alongside. So the Paraclete is the one who is
called to our side. Often, that word is translated as Advocate, which is a
legal term. So you might understand the Spirit to be your defense-attorney who
will stand up with and for you in your trials and tribulations. Sometimes
though you’ll find this word translated as Comforter – so the Spirit is like a
friend who comes alongside you in your struggles. We all know that having a
friend at our side doesn’t undo tragedy, but it does help us to carry the
burden. However you want to translate the word though, the point is that we are
not left alone; as Jesus says, we are not left orphaned.
Because the Spirit is in us,
and the Spirit is in God, and we are in God, then it also means that in the
love of God, we are in each other. This community of St. Luke’s means that none
of us will ever be orphaned – we will always, always have each other. And what
a blessing that is. God binds us together through the Spirit so that we will
never be orphaned, never without a family in faith.
As we celebrate our youth
this day, we remember this blessed fellowship of which we are a part. Some of
you, perhaps, remember when some of these children and youth leading our
worship today were Baptized. And when they were, you made promises to uphold
them in their faith – and here they are. Because of your love and support, a
new generation is coming into leadership in the Church. All of us have a role
in passing on the faith to the children of this parish – whether it is working
with the acolytes, or the Youth Group, or Children’s Church, you are a vital
part of Jesus’ promise that there are no orphans in God’s Church. So the next
time you hear an invitation to participate in ministry with our children and
youth, remember that it’s not just that we need volunteer slots to be filled,
but rather it is an opportunity to strengthen our church family.
This morning we also
celebrated the legacy of St. Luke’s, which began 264 years ago, and God
willing, will still be thriving 264 years from now in the year 2281. Many of
you were at the launch of the 1753 Society, and really, that effort around
legacy giving is another part of the way in which we are not orphaned. The
wonderful thing about being a part of the Church is that we get a sense that we
are not alone in time. Every Sunday, we come into this beautiful space and can
read the names of people in plaques who left us this rich heritage of faith.
You can see with your own eyes the ways that the hands of worshippers through
the generations have left their marks on our pews. The love of God in which we
live and move and have our being links us to the faithful from generation to
generation.
After we share the sacred
meal of Holy Eucharist, we will then have a picnic to enjoy each other’s
company. We will celebrate the love of this community, we will give thanks for
our St. Luke’s family, we will continue to live and move in the love of God. So
enjoy yourself at the picnic and know that the love of God is in and among your
conversations.
This sense of being
together and never being orphaned is something that we all desperately need.
Our world has a way of categorizing and dividing us, of setting us against each
other, of making us feel alone. Jesus reminds us though that being in the world
is about love, not accomplishing things or earning our worth. Life is not a
contest to see who wins, who is right, who has the most money, or influence, or
accumulates the most stuff. No, life is about living and moving in the love of
God, of which we are always in.
Life is short, and we do
not have much time to gladden the hearts of those who make the journey with us.
So be swift to love, and make haste to be kind. And may the blessing of God, in
whom we live, and move, and have our being be with us now and forever. Amen.
