Sunday, May 22, 2022

Sermon Text for May 22, 2022 - "Opened by the Risen Jesus: Opened Hearts"

 

“Opened By the Risen Jesus: Opened Hearts”

May 22, 2022

 

            Dear brothers and sisters, grace and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.

            As long as I have been in ministry, I have had the privilege of being able to meet, and serve, many unique and memorable individuals. I frequently think of one man in particular, whom I had the pleasure of being able to know in Northern California, and who went to be with the Lord just last year. He was someone who had served in the Army, during the Korean War, and had been a Drill Sergeant, mostly training new soldiers stationed in Japan, as well as being in charge of North Korean prisoners in a prison camp. He would tell stories about how he would be rough and tough with both the soldiers under his command, and the prisoners under his charge. By the time I met him, however, it would have been impossible to know anything about his past without him telling anything. Over the years, he had become both a gentle man, and a gentleman, in every sense of the word. His wife had passed away not long before I first met him, and he still cherished her memory fondly. Together they had raised a family, which had grown by leaps and bounds by the time he passed away, including fifteen great grandchildren. He was also an avid baker, and would frequently deliver homemade banana breads and cookies to various people and groups around the neighborhood. But what he was particularly remembered for, and what I remember him for the most, was having a large heart. He had a genuine care and concern for everyone he knew, and made sure to provide them with the best he had to offer. Practically everyone he knew was family to him: at one point, he was even taking care of at least three single-parent families who were not related to him, but he still took on the responsibility of caring for. No matter what anyone needed, he was willing to go above and beyond to provide it for them. He was someone whom God had truly blessed with a large and open heart. And it was evident that not only was his heart open to other people, but his heart was open to God: he was also a man who demonstrated great faith and trust in God. He was committed strongly to following God, and could always be counted on to be a positive encourager: he certainly was a positive encourager for me on many occasions. He had faced many challenges in his life, but he trusted God to keep him safe and bring him through. He also did not let the challenges he faced cause his heart to grow small in any way: one of the families he provided for unfortunately ended up stealing from him at one point, but he did not let that incident interfere with his desire to care for other people in any way. He simply trusted God to keep giving him the ability to have an open heart to everyone. Since his heart was open to God, his heart was able to be open to everyone he knew.

            In today’s Gospel reading, in order to have our own hearts become large, we are encouraged to open our hearts to God, and so have our hearts be opened to each other. Jesus says that whoever loves Him keeps His word: in this case, keeping our hearts open to Him, so He can come and make His home in our hearts. By doing so, He changes us every day to become more like Him. He also promises that He will send someone to help us keep our hearts open to Him: the Advocate, the Holy Spirit. In Greek, the Holy Spirit is called the Paraclete, which literally means someone who is running alongside us at all times, who we can count on for help and support in any situation. The word Paraclete also means someone who speaks up on behalf of someone else: whenever we are in any kind of trouble, or in any kind of conflict, the Holy Spirit speaks up for us, and asks God for help in solving our troubles – which God always does. The Holy Spirit also leads us in the life Jesus wants for us, and encourages us to keep living that life.

In John 14:27, Jesus tells us the life He wants for us: a life of peace. Usually when we think of peace, we think of the absence of violence, which we certainly do hope and pray for as the fighting between Ukraine and Russia continues without any sign of letting up, or after the recent shootings in Laguna Woods, California, and Buffalo, New York. However, peace is not simply just the absence of violence, but it is the absence of conflict. Unfortunately, conflict is inevitable. The events of the past couple of years have created quite a bit of conflict. Conflict, as we have also seen, frequently comes from fear. Fear comes from feeling as though we’ve lost control – that we should be in control and able to deal with whatever it is we’re facing, but we don’t know what to do. This means that we try to regain control in whatever way we can – which causes us to be frustrated, even angry, because we feel helpless and powerless, that we’re not in charge, and in turn leads to more conflict. Conflict is also caused by a lack of understanding, which, again, comes from a desire to control, rather than either accept the situation for what it is. So the only solution to fear is peace. However, the peace Jesus promises us is not peace which we can somehow create for ourselves. This is what He means when He says the peace He offers is not as the world gives: it comes from us giving up control. This is what Jesus means when He encourages us to not let our hearts be troubled: the more we struggle to gain control, the more troubled we become. But true peace comes from waiting patiently for Jesus to act. It is peace which, in Hebrew, is described as Shalom, the peace that comes from letting go of our own desire to be in charge, and letting God be in charge instead. It comes not through our own brainstorming, but instead through open and honest prayer: by describing our fears and struggle to Jesus in as much detail and in whatever words we want to, asking for His help, and then letting go of our struggle – trusting that Jesus is taking care of it, and it is not up to us to work hard to find a solution any longer: Jesus Himself will reveal a solution at the right time.

            At this point, I wish to continue the promise I made at the beginning of this month, to talk about the various parts of the worship service. This week, we’re going to be talking about one part which we frequently take for granted, but which is a lot of the reason we gather together each week: prayer. The reason we are here is to be able to pray to God: to bring our praises and what we’re thankful for, and to bring our worries and conflicts to God, to place in His hands to resolve, so we can be at peace. I can tell all of you, with absolute honesty, that some of the most rewarding experiences I have been able to share with many of you the past few years have been when I have been able to pray with you. I greatly enjoy being able to listen to you as you’ve talked about your joys and struggles, and then together we’ve been able either to thank God for what He’s blessed you with, or be able to turn your struggles and conflicts over to God to take care of. I’ve also enjoyed being able to pray with others in our community in other places, whether it’s been out on the street, in people’s homes, over the phone, at CAMP, or even at the Village Inn. Notice also in our Second Reading from Revelation that in heaven there is no temple – Jesus Himself is the temple. This means that since Jesus is everywhere, in both heaven and on earth, we can pray to Him any time, anywhere – and take advantage of every opportunity we have to pray. When we offer our prayers for various needs in the world, as we will do in just a few minutes, we will both be calling to mind the needs of many people both here and around the world, and turning those needs over to God to take care of. Furthermore, when we pray the Lord’s Prayer together, we are not just reciting ritual words: we are asking God for certain things, both from Him and for each other. We are asking Him for His help in living in such a way where we bring honor and maintain a good reputation for His name; to live as His Kingdom here on earth, where He reigns supreme among us; to provide us, and everyone else, with what we need to be able to survive each day; to be forgiven, and to forgive; and, finally, at all times and in every moment, good and bad, to praise and thank God for who He is and how wonderful He is to us. The reason we pray the Lord’s Prayer is we are praying for what God wants for us, and for everyone. In fact, the most effective prayers are the ones where we pray for what God wants: specifically, He wants us to live in peace with each other, support and encourage each other, and show compassion to each other because of our common struggles. So if we pray for these things, that is what we will be given – but the key is always to ask what God really wants for us, and then pray for it to happen. When we pray for each other, we are also acting on behalf of the Holy Spirit: just as the Holy Spirit is someone who runs alongside us to encourage us at all times, we are also going along with each other to provide encouragement. We can be paracletes to each other. Praying for each other is also a wonderful way of showing that our hearts are open to each other; that we are willing to respect and honor each other’s struggles; and that we are there to support each other through every kind of struggle. In the past few years, we have had to deal with many things – but many of these are experiences we have shared and struggled with together. Which means that we can show compassion, and understanding, to each other because we have these shared experiences in common. Praying for each other helps us be able to understand each other better, because we have to listen to each other in order to know what to pray for. When this happens, the more at peace with each other we can be. Being at peace with each other means we can continue to have an open heart for each other, and so have our hearts be open to where God is leading us together. So let us be large-hearted encouragers, as we pray for and support each other and everyone else, and let us live with Jesus in control of us.

Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.

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