Fifth Sunday of Easter

Welcome Statement

This week as we continue through the Easter season and prepare ourselves for the coming birth of the church at Pentecost, we find ourselves at a crossroads of what it really means to love as Christ loved, this reflection on love we will be reading today is at the heart of what the Christian Message is, and it is what the Wesleyan spin on grace hyperfocuses on, unconditional love for all.

To setup the context for today’s reading in John, this is the night on when Jesus was going to be betrayed at the garden, We see the first occurrence of the New Covenant set in Communion with Jesus Christ. Jesus chooses to wash all of the feet of the apostles, including Judas despite the fact Satan had already entered his heart, he does foretell of this betrayal making it clear he is already aware, in a sense proclaiming already and foreshadowing that death does not have a hold on him, Judas departs a verse before our reading, noting that it was now night, in a sense stating spritual darkness. And Despite that, the first thing Jesus Chooses to say is the following:

Gospel Reading Reading - John 13:31-35

John 13:31–35 NRSV

When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Love as I have Loved You

How peculiar, Jesus could have worked out contingency plans for the betrayal, he could have helped prepare the Apostles for what was next, focusing on the spiritual darkness enveloping their lives, and Jesus instead chose to be a light. Refusing to let the world into his sacred domain in that sense, he chooses to establish this command, one of the two commandments we are called to absolutely follow in Jesus Christ, to love as he loved us. What a peculiar thing, instead of wailing and weeping about the betrayal, instead of focusing on worrying, he emphasizes his new commandment. He isn’t ignorant of what is going to happen, but the mission was so important, Christ re-affirmed his servant role of this mission of salvation, that he felt was more important than his own wellbeing.

He asked that at the end of the day regardless of what happened, that we would love one another. That we would love as Christ loved us. This should seem uncontroversial. It’s a lesson I learned growing up at H&H. This is a foundational creed in the Wesleyan tradition here we emphasize God’s grace. We are in this tight knit community focused on each other’s wellbeing not just spiritually but also physically. Whether we express this through works of piety like, prayer, the spreading of the gospel, spreading awareness of people’s struggles through joys and concerns, or through works of grace like sharing a meal, donating to an important call, we are moved in all of this by Spirit

We see this realized through how our once lost souls are now found in Christ through the Cross. Meaning this message of love, salvation, and reconciliation did not start with us, but it actually started with a group of Messianic Jews who inherited the tradition of 2nd temple Judaism. These apostles insisted on a story of Good News, not to be withheld but spread with all. No longer did we have to be fearful of tomorrow, we now have that good news we inherited spiritually through the faith of Abraham.

We see this good news of reconciliation realized in a story of Peter in acts. This is past Pentecost. But the connection is good with this commandment.

Old Testament Point #2

words

Old Testament Point #3

words

New Testament Reading - Acts 11:1-18

Acts 11:1–18 NRSV

Now the apostles and the believers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also accepted the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him, saying, “Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?” Then Peter began to explain it to them, step by step, saying, “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. There was something like a large sheet coming down from heaven, being lowered by its four corners; and it came close to me. As I looked at it closely I saw four-footed animals, beasts of prey, reptiles, and birds of the air. I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat.’ But I replied, ‘By no means, Lord; for nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ But a second time the voice answered from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, you must not call profane.’ This happened three times; then everything was pulled up again to heaven. At that very moment three men, sent to me from Caesarea, arrived at the house where we were. The Spirit told me to go with them and not to make a distinction between them and us. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. He told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon, who is called Peter; he will give you a message by which you and your entire household will be saved.’ And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?” When they heard this, they were silenced. And they praised God, saying, “Then God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.”

Acts 10:47 NRSV

“Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?”

New Testament Point #2

Who am I to withhold this spirit? Talk about the understanding of Chosen People. Talk about how Paul said we were grafted onto the family tree. Talk about how I find myself comparing my own yard to my neighbors.

Good Samaritan story, talk about accents and how we don’t think we have our own accents, but we do, just like how we think our favorite color is the best and normal, or how the first letter in our name is our favorite letter, because its us, our ego!

Talk about patience with Emery

New Testament Point #3

words

Closing Statement

words

Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father, adfs asdfa

Amen.

Doxology / Benediction / Closing

May you Have a Blessed Sunday, and rest of your Week! Amen!