Fourth Sunday of Easter Series A
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· 12 viewsWe have lost the gift of the farewell discourse. What does it mean to say goodbye when you know you will see each other again?
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The lost art of transition
The lost art of transition
Tuesday night Cinco de Mayo talent show- Carol Piano, Brody riding his bike, Eben crawling! Amazing church. At the end we had a double good bye- Gulseth and then Robinsons with porky pig and Green day. Saying goodbye is lost. We have three discourses on how to transition gracefully.
This is appropriate because the ascension (May 21) is a good bye, a farewell.
A transition is Realistic
A transition is Realistic
We have to be realistic that we are going to be separated.
1 Peter 1:1-2
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood:
May grace and peace be multiplied to you.
(separation through College or new city/phase of life, takes time to find a church) TRUTH. When we are separated we need regular refreshing in truth 1 Peter 2:2
Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—
Nursing an infant is CONSTANT. How constant are you in refreshing yourself in the scriptures and God’s truth?
Average time spent nursing daily is 8x for 30 min - 4 hours a day! We need to be realistic that we won’t learn truth with 25 minutes a week.
Classmate @ St. Louis every stat in baseball but no Greek.
We are usually polite… and over optimistic. (Camp Story - we’ll talk soon!)
As Stephen is being stoned He does not expect the sanhedrin to convert- instead he makes supplication to God.
What is something you expect to change that only God can change?
God intercedes in history- we need to be real about that. This is not myth.
A transition is Historical
A transition is Historical
It recaptures your time together look at Acts 7 - it is the entire History of the Hebrew people. 1 Peter 2 quotes Isaiah 28 , Ps 118, and Is. 8
leaving someones house from dinner you talk about what a great time you had...
Re-telling our common history aligns our future: Acts 7:48-49
Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands, as the prophet says,
“ ‘Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool.
What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord,
or what is the place of my rest?
This is a combo of Psalms, Isaiah, and the words of Christ.
History is not just our past- it engages our present and future hopes. History is already written (Rev. 13:8) reminds us that before the foundation of the world God wrote our names down as those who are saved.
Have you felt like you did not know what day of the week it is? It’s because we have lost track of the narrative. (Born, raised, college, kids, retire, die)
We’re bored with our life… maybe the reason why we don’t resonate with scripture is not the fault of scripture- it is the fault that we are less connected with really living than ever before.
The plot line according to 1 Peter 2:9-10 is a move from dark to light, no mercy to mercy.
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
A farewell looks at a future history together. Where are we going?
Read 1 Peter (5 chapters), it is a book about our present tense future together.
What role will you play in God’s story?
Wedding planning Story- who has walked with us, who will go forth with us?
A transition should be Encouraging
A transition should be Encouraging
After cooking a big roast you have to let it rest. Resting meat encourages the juices to go back into the meat and preserve the flavor. (Think of the sabbath (scriptures) - rest as encouraging)
Think of the language of ‘wish’ as in ‘We wish you a Merry Christmas’
1 Thessalonians 5:11 -the word there is Parakaleo, do you know what the Holy Spirit is called? The paraclete.
Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
God is helping you - Jesus sends the Helper- the Holy Spirit John 15:26-27
“But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.
How are you helping others in their faith?
A 2013 study by Harvard business school found that simply saying good job is not as motivational as true teamwork. 33% performance improvement when someone joined in a task
Encouragement is engagement
John 14:12
“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.
God is and always has been engaged in delivering you from any and all misery: Numbers 6:22-27
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them,
The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
“So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”
This blessing happens before the Hebrews are sentenced to 40 years of wandering (Num 14) - God still delivers.
8 weeks of being apart, many more coming. You know what else is coming? God’s blessings. He is keeping you as He kept Stephen, Peter, His own Son. The martyrs- witnesses who went before us.
These passages are about transition- transitioning into eternity (1 Peter), into the temple (Ps 146). Perhaps for Christians we don’t say as much as recognize God’s encouraging plans for us.
Dale Bruner sees John 14 as part of not just a farewell but an RSVP.
Resurrection (Chapter 20)
Spirit (chapter 15)
Visits (ch 20-21)
Parousia (Return) John 14:3
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.
Christians don’t say ‘bye!’ ever. Christians make an RSVP- a plan to see one another because we trust in Christ. We will at the last see the Face of God that is gracious and peace giving. This week as you say goodbye to friends and family at a distance recall the promises of God. There is a place for you. Amen.