The Seventh Sunday of Easter
The Rev. George Pejakovich, Assistant to the Dean
Grace Cathedral
05/24/09

John 17:6-19

THIS IS A TIME OF EXPECTATION AND ACTIVE WAITING. WE HAVE BEEN CELEBRATING THE RESSURECTION OF OUR LORD WITH GREAT WONDER AND JOY, AND NOW, LIKE THE DISCIPLES, WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO THE GREAT DAY OF PENTECOST TO COME. THIS PAST THURSDAY WAS THE DAY OF ASCENSION, WHEN THE LORD JESUS WAS TAKEN UP TO HEAVEN IN THE FULL SIGHT OF HIS FOLLOWERS. AS HE DEPARTED FROM THEM, THEY WERE TOLD TO WAIT IN JERUSALEM UNTIL THEY WERE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT FROM ON HIGH. THIS SMALL GROUP OF ABOUT ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY PEOPLE, BOTH MEN AND WOMEN, HAD BEEN THROUGH A LOT IN THE PAST MONTH AND A HALF. THEY HAD EXPERIENCED ONE OF THEIR NUMBER BETRAY THEIR LORD, HAD SEEN JESUS ARRESTED AND TRIED, CRUCIFIED AND BURIED, AND THOUGHT IT WAS ALL OVER. THEN THERE WAS THE WONDEROUS AND STRANGE NEWS OF THE EMPTY TOMB, THE APPEARANCES OF JESUS IN THEIR MIDST, AND HIS CONTINUED PRESENCE WITH THEM IN THE FLESH EVEN THOUGH HE HAD DIED. THEY HAD SEEN WITH THEIR OWN EYES JESUS BEING RAISED TO GLORY IN HEAVEN, AND NOW, THEY WERE ON THEIR OWN. SO, WHAT DID THEY DO? THEY CALLED A GENERAL CONVENTION, HAD AN ELECTION TO FILL THE VACANCY AND GOT ORGANIZED TO GET ON WITH THE WORK THEY WERE CALLED TO DO: TO BE WITNESSES TO THE RESURRECTION.

I AM CERTAIN THEY GOT TOGETHER AND REVIEWED ALL THAT JESUS HAD SAID AND DONE WITH THEM. THIS TIME WAS ONE THEY SPENT IN GETTING THINGS PUT INTO PERSPECTIVE. THEIR LORD HAD LEFT THEM, BUT TOLD THEM SOMETHING REALLY IMPORTANT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN SOON, AND, WITH THE EVIDENCE OF HIS RESURRECTION AND ASCENSION FRESH IN THEIR MINDS, THEY KNEW THEY COUND NOT JUST SIT AROUND AND WAIT, BUT HAD TO REVIEW THE PAST, RECOMMIT TO THE FUTURE AND TO PREPARE FOR THE MISSION TO WHICH THEY WERE CALLED. THIS MIGHT SEEM A BIT STRANGE TO SOME, THAT THIS ODD COLLECTION OF FISHERMEN, TAX COLLECTORS, PHARISEES, WOMEN, POOR SINNERS, AND OTHER ASSORTED RIF RAFF WOULD HANG TOGETHER LIKE THIS AFTER THE DEPARTURE OF THEIR CHARISMATIC LEADER, BUT THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT HE TRAINED THEM TO DO AND FOR WHAT HE SO ARDENTLY PRAYED TO GOD TO PRESERVE. THEY WERE CALLED TOGETHER TO BE ONE TOGETHER, SO THAT THEY MIGHT BE THE WITNESSES TO THE RISEN CHRIST TO THE WORLD.

THE FOLLOWERS OF THE RISEN CHRIST ARE SUPPOSED TO BE DIFFERENT FROM THE WORLD IN WHICH THEY LIVE. WE ARE CALLED TO LIVE IN THIS WORLD BUT NOT BELONG TO THIS WORLD, JUST AS THE CHRIST OF GOD WAS IN THE WORLD BUT NOT OF THE WORLD. AS HE WAS IN THE WORLD BUT BELONGED TO GOD, BECAUSE HE WAS ONE WITH THE FATHER, WE ARE CALLED TO BE ONE WITH HIM AND, THROUGH HIM, ONE WITH EACH OTHER AND ONE WITH THE FATHER. WE ARE, THROUGH THE RISEN CHRIST, THE SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF GOD, AND, THEREFORE, DIFFERENT FROM THOSE AMOUNG WHOM WE LIVE AND WORK. OUR DIFFERENCE IS EXPRESSED IN THE UNITY WE SHARE WITH EACH OTHER, AND ALL THE OTHER WITNESSES OF THE REUSRRECTION, AND THAT UNITY IS MANIFESTED IN THE LOVE THAT WE SHARE WITH EACH OTHER IN CHRIST, AND, WITH AND THROUGH EACH OTHER, GIVE TO THE WORLD IN THE NAME OF THE RISEN CHRIST.

THE CLEAREST HUMAN ANALOGY I CAN MAKE ABOUT BEING IN THE WORLD BUT NOT OF IT IS THIS: I HAVE SPENT MOST OF MY ADULT LIFE IN THE SOUTHERN UNITED STATES THROUGH THE COURTSEY OF THE U.S. ARMY, BUT I AM MOST DEFINITELY NOT OF THE SOUTH. I SAY THIS MEANING NO OFFENSE TO DEAN LIPSCOLM, OR OTHER SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF DIXIE, BUT, FOR AS LONG AS I LIVED IN THE SOUTH, I NEVER DID FIT IN PROPERLY. I “TALKED STRANGE;” I HAD AN UNPRONOUNCABLE NAME; I CAME FROM THE SLUMS OF NEW YORK; I DID NOT HAVE THE SAME VERBAL COURTLINESS OF THE PEOPLE; I CAME ACROSS AS ABRUPT AT TIMES AND OFTEN APPEARED AS IMPATIENT TO THOSE AROUND ME. BECAUSE OF MY POSITION, I WAS ASKED TO ATTEND MANY SOCIAL FUNCTIONS, BUT, THEY REALLY DID NOT KNOW HOW TO TAKE ME OR WHAT TO TALK TO ME ABOUT, BECAUSE I WAS LIVING AMOUNG THE GOOD PEOPLE OF THE SOUTH BUT I WAS NOT ONE OF THEM. IF, HOWEVER, I WAS WITH A FELLOWSHIP OF THE FOLLOWERS OF THE RISEN CHRIST, I WAS AT HOME, BECAUSE IN THE UNITY AND LOVE OF CHRIST ALL DISTINCTIONS OF PLACE, CLASS, RACE, NATIONALITY, GENDER AND AGE FALL AWAY AND BECOME MEANINGLESS, AND, NO MATTER WHERE WE ARE OR WHO WE ARE WITH, IN THE UNITY OF CHRIST WE ARE ONE.

THIS UNITY IN LOVE IS THAT FOR WHICH JESUS SO FERVENTLY PRAYED ON HIS LAST NIGHT WITH HIS DISCIPLES, FOR WHICH THE DISCIPLES PREPARED AS THEY EXPECTANTLY WAITED AFTER HIS ASCENSION, AND WITH WHICH THE CHURCH OF THE RISEN CHRIST WAS GIFTED ON THE GREAT DAY OF PENTECOST WHICH WE CELEBRATE NEXT SUNDAY. THIS UNITY IN LOVE IS WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT FROM THE WORLD AROUND US, IT IS THE OUTWARD SIGN OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE LIVES OF THOSE WHO BEAR THE NAME OF THE CHRIST OF GOD, AND IT IS THE WITNESS TO THE WORLD OF THE TRUTH OF THE RISEN LORD. IN SPITE OF ALL THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN US, IN CHRIST WE ARE ONE IN CALLING, ONE IN MISSION, ONE IN SERVICE, ONE IN LOVE BECAUSE, IN HIM, HE IS IN US AND WE ARE ONE IN GOD.

YET, WE ARE SO OFTEN MARKED BY DIVISION RATHER THAN UNITY. WE ALLOW OURSELVES TO BE SWAYED BY THE WORLD AND BY THE DEVICES AND DESIRES OF OUR OWN HEARTS RATHER THAN BE UNITED IN THE LOVE OF CHRIST. WE OFTEN LET ALL SORTS OF DIVISIONS BREAK THE BOND OF UNITY BETWEEN US, AND, FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE WORLD, WE START TO LOOK MUCH THE SAME AS ANYONE ELSE. WE MUST PRAY ARDENTLY, AND CONTINUALLY, AS JESUS PRAYED FOR US, THAT WE MIGHT BE ONE. WE MUST LET THE HOLY SPIRIT TEAR DOWN THE BARRIERS WE ERECT, AND, IN THE LOVE OF CHRIST, BECOME SOMETHING DIFFERENT IN THIS WORLD. WE MUST PRAY, AND WORK, AND RECOMMIT CONSTANTLY TO BEING ONE WITH EACH OTHER, ONE IN CHRIST, AND, IN HIS LOVE, ONE WITH GOD.

SO DARE TO BE DIFFERENT FROM THE WORLD AROUND YOU BY BEING ONE WITH YOUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN THE LOVE OF CHRIST. WHERE THE WORLD IS FULL OF FEAR AND UNCERTAINTY, IN THE UNITY OF THE LOVE OF CHRIST BRING THE PEACE WHICH ONLY GOD’S HOLY SPIRIT CAN GIVE YOU IN THE CERTAINTY THAT YOU ARE A CHILD OF THE HEAVENLY KING. WHERE EVERYONE IS LOOKING OUT FOR THEIR OWN GOOD, IN THE UNITY OF THE LOVE OF CHRIST BRING THE LOVE FOR OTHERS TO THOSE AROUND YOU. WHEN THE WORLD AROUND YOU WORRIES ABOUT THE FINANCIAL CRISIS AND HOW TO SURVIVE IN A RECESSION, IN THE UNITY OF THE LOVE OF CHRIST BRING OPEN HEARTS AND HANDS TO YOUR NEIGHBORS. WHEN THE WORLD AROUND YOU IS FILLED WITH ANGER AND DESPAIRE, IN THE UNITY OF THE LOVE OF CHRIST, BRING THE WORDS OF HEALING, JOY AND HOPE WHICH HAVE COME TO YOU AS A CHILD OF GOD. WE ARE IN THIS WORLD NOT TO BE CONFORMED TO THIS WORLD, BUT TO CONTINUE THE WORK OF THE CHRIST OF GOD AND TRANSFORM THE WORLD WITH THE LOVE OF GOD IN THE NAME OF JESUS.

DARE TO BE DIFFERENT FROM THE WORLD AROUND YOU, BECAUSE THIS IS THE PRAYER THAT THE LORD JESUS PRAYED FOR YOU; THAT YOU MIGHT BE SANCTIFIED IN THE TRUTH. SANCTIFIED, MADE HOLY, SET ASIDE FOR THE SOLE USE OF GOD, IN THE TRUTH OF THE RESURRECTED CHRIST. THIS IS OUR CALLING, OUR PURPOSE, AND OUR VERY REASON FOR BEING: IN THE UNITY OF THE LOVE OF CHRIST, WE ARE, BY THE LOVE WE SHOW FOR EACH OTHER AND THE WORLD, THE LIVING WITNESSES TO THE TRUTH OF THE RISEN LORD. DARE TO BE DIFFERENT. DARE TO BE ONE.
AMEN