All Has Been Given
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Let us pray…Gracious, loving, and all-forgiving three in one God, we come before you today with so much in our hearts and on our minds. There is so much that we cannot control and so much that we doubt. Grant that our hearts, minds, and spirits may settle just long enough this day to hear the words you have for us in these moments. Grant that we might be able to focus our attention and our spirits upon those things that bring us closer to you and to one another rather than tearing us apart at the seams. May Christ’s peace settle upon us and may we come into this moment empty of all the pain and distractions of the world around us. Bless us now with your serenity and wisdom, Amen.
As I have gone through this past week, I have encountered so many emotions…I have to admit that I am physically, emotionally, and spiritually drained. It just seems that as the days fly by faster and faster each day, as they blend into one another, that I cannot seem to find my way above the waters that are swirling and raging around me. I have to wonder if this might be how Peter felt as he stepped outside that boat on that raging Sea of Galilee as Jesus called out to him to come out onto the swirling waters and walk upon something that seemed to want to drag him down…have any of you ever felt this way? Maybe some of you are feeling like that at this moment too...
It’s so easy for us to get absorbed into the circumstances and situations that are happening around us…whether or not they directly impact our lives, it does not matter. We just seem more interested in what is happening outside of us and outside of our control rather than focusing upon what truly matters and that, my friends is not COVID-19 or whether or not we are gathering inside the historical, ancient walls of our sanctuary, or an illness in a family member or some of the injustices that have been brought to the surface of our society. Let me say this very clearly…none of this is in our control! I cannot change what is happening just as much as none of us gathered in this virtual space can change anything else that happens in our local communities. What I can control, however, is how I respond to these things that are happening and my friends that is truly what our scripture is about today.
When we contemplate the Great Commission, for this is what we typically focus upon on this Sunday in our three year cycle of readings, we miss a whole lot of what Jesus is trying to say to those disciples nearly 2,000 years ago. To me, the really sad part of this story is that we need to be reminded that we are not called to change people to know and understand things exactly as we understand them, but rather, Jesus has asked us to merely go out and teach what he taught. In addition, and to be perfectly honest, Jesus was a radical that fought for everyone. At this point in my journey, I really think Jesus would have also fought for the rights and beliefs of the Pharisees and Sadduccees if they were not so focused upon themselves, their own needs, and what his teaching was doing to them. In my studies, I have come to see that the Pharisees and Sadduccees spent the majority of their time trying to convince everyone that they had all the answers and that theirs was the only way to be in the world. They were threatened by what Jesus taught. And what did Jesus teach? He taught love, love of God and love of others. It was not a radical concept then just as much as it is not a radical concept today. It became a problem for those in society because they were too focused upon their own needs rather than the needs of others and the whole.
Jesus was not about serving his own needs but rather in the needs of the whole of God’s children. In one final attempt to teach those who were closest to him, we heard, in today’s story, about Jesus giving his disciples one final lesson before he ascended into Heaven…so let’s spend a few moments looking at a piece of that story to see how Matthew records the culmination of Jesus’ story…and I am going to focus on the ending...
and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
This is probably the most prolific of all of Christ’s teachings, at least in my mind. There are two very important things in this statement...
Teach to obey everything I have commanded
I am with you always
So let’s break this down a bit...
Jesus’ Commandments
Jesus’ Commandments
When we think of the word commandments, we often think of the 10 Commandments that Moses received in the desert of Sinai. But I want to challenge us to think a bit differently this morning because Jesus taught us two very simple commandments…Love God and Love one another as I have loved you. Now, I know we have done this in the past but I want to remind you that all of the Old Testament or Old Covenant Commandments fall into these two simple commands.
Love God...
Love God...
So, what Jesus is asking those disciples and us to do is very simple but yet so hard. In today’s world, there is so much that pulls us away from God and loving God. In the last couple of months, I am wondering how many of us have set aside time to be in God’s presence, in the quiet, stillness that allows our hearts to focus upon the one who gave us everything. I have to admit that part of the reason that I am so spiritually drained right now is that I have not spent as much time as I think I need to be in God’s presence. It’s so easy to be pulled into the situations of today. We have TV, computers, phones, and our entire digital world that causes us to focus on things of the world rather than things that come from God. While I have not done as much study as I would have liked, I find that when I need to seek God’s presence, I go outside to the bird and wildlife feeders we have on our property and find God in the lives of the birds that we have never seen before or watching the chipmunks stuff their cheeks with the peanuts Steph or I had just thrown out for them. So, I am spending time with God in this time, but obviously I need more…this is what Jesus meant by loving God…seeking God’s presence and peace…but if any of you are like me, this might not be enough to fully seek God and show God how much I love God. So, what do you need to do to show that you love God? That answer is one only you can answer but I am guessing it probably does not mean Facebook, games, TV, or whatever else occupies your time more than God.
Love One Another...
Love One Another...
The second thing that Jesus said was important was to love one another as he first loved us. Let me remind you that Jesus showed the ultimate sacrifice of love by dying for our sins on the cross. He was clearly more inclined than any other human in history to do the ultimate show of love and hear me clearly here, I don’t think any of us needs to climb upon a cross and die for others, but we must all do things that show that we love others more than ourselves.
Again, there are so many examples of how Jesus loved those around him more than he loved himself and if I tried to list them all, we would be here for hours. I do not want to do that to you but I am going to give you one example and I challenge you to contemplate what this simple act shows about loving others…think about the night of Jesus’ arrest. As he sat around a table sharing stories and laughter with his disciples, he had all 12 disciples at the table with them. In a show of hospitality, kindness, and deep love, he knelt before all 12 of them to wash their feet. One of those 12, Judas Iscariot, was about to be so self-serving that he would sell Jesus’ life to the Pharisees and Sadduccees and be put to death for thirty pieces of silver. Can you imagine what it would mean if your best friend would do something so loving for you and in the very next moment, you did something to betray them? This is exactly the example that I am trying to get at here…Jesus puts himself in a position of vulnerability so that someone else knew how much he loved them. This is the love that Jesus commands for us to show one another even still today...
What Jesus asks those disciples to teach is so simple, yet so hard to live out. Loving others is really hard today. It is so hard to love someone who clearly does not show love to others. This world is hurting, damaged, and in so much pain, it really needs a whole lot more love. And it certainly does not feel like Jesus is with us at all...
“I am with you always...”
“I am with you always...”
But that is exactly what he tells us at the end of Matthew’s Gospel narrative. It is so hard to feel love from others in what we have seen happening in this world. I get it. It’s even harder to show someone love when they have mistreated us the vast majority of our lives. Trust me, I get it and I know how this feels. I also know how draining this is on our emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual health. When we are treated in a way that does not show respect for who we are as individuals, it is really easy to get down on ourselves. It is really easy to begin seeing ourselves as others see us, especially when they remind you of what they see on a daily basis.
Listen gang, when we are surrounded by hate, we are going to hate. When we surround ourselves with those who are constantly negative and demeaning, it is so easy to begin acting those ways with others. When we find ourselves feeling alone and segregated from others, it is so easy to believe that this is the only way things can be. And it is even harder to believe that God is with us. It is easy to doubt God’s presence and therefore hard to follow through on Christ’s instructions to teach others. It get it; I have been there; and I find myself there from time to time, depending upon how drained I am spiritually and emotionally. No matter how much I hear others say it, or read it for myself, it is so easy to doubt that God is with me…yet Jesus reminds us that we are never alone in any of our struggles. This passage challenges us to remember that Jesus is with us, that we are never alone, that we need to be seeking God’s presence in our lives, that we should be showing love to one another, and finally to remember all things have already been given to us…it is our responsibility to carry that message into the world. So, let me ask you, how are we carrying these messages into today’s world? Amen.