Sunday Sermon: Undergo
This is pretty close to what was preached on Sunday.
Here’s the audio if you prefer.
Undergo
Easter 6B – Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
John 15:9-17, 1 John 5:1-6
Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
My mother-in-law, Heidi, has the gift of creating relationships with everyone she meets. The first time I met here when Rachel and I were dating, she wrapped her arms around me and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I thought to myself, “I am so in.” Later when I told Rachel about this encounter I said, “I think you’re mom likes me.” Rachel simply responded, “She does that to everyone.” Wherever she goes, she seeks people out she’s never met before and listens to them and cares about them. And when she’s left she you feel so special and connected. And if you’ve met Heidi in one of her visits, I’m sure you know what I’m talking about.
On my better days, I can begin to strive to be like that- to lay down my life for a friend, rather trying to overcome the world. But it’s hard work. It’s not instinctual. Instinct tells us to lay the other down for us. Instinct tells us to overcome the world before the world overcomes us. Instinct tells us the best way to move forward is to push forward as hard as we can.
Last weekend my parents were here to help with our house. The project for me and my Dad was to put up a railing for our deck. Simple enough, but I am not a skilled craftsman – and it showed. As pounded in the nails, often they were a little skewed and went off at weird angles. Instead of slowing down and straightening them out, I kept pounding as hard as I could – trying to force them to straighten out. Stop bulling them Dad would say. I needed to ease up. Back up and try again, more intentional, gentle.
Bulling the nail is how I want understand ovecoming obstacles. Overcoming the world as John writes in his letter. That’s how we overcome the situations in our life’s path and the people who journey with us. And instead of creating something new, instead of being connected through a firm bond, our connections are weakened. What we create needs to be taken apart. This way of living of seeing life causes us so much blood, sweat, and tears – yet we pound away – thinking eventually it’s going to work.
As much as we toil and strain to overcome the odds, overcome illness, overcome the whatever it is that stands in your way….Jesus is the one who truly overcomes the world. Not through the “vini vidi vicci,” “the I came I saw I conquered” mentality of Caesar that through force and coercion makes thy will be done. Jesus overcomes by undergoing. He undergoes human flesh and blood. He undergoes betrayal and humiliation. Jesus undergoes torture and death. Jesus forgets about status. Jesus forgets about what’s due him. Jesus forgets about what is rightfully his and undergoes into the world.
It is through dying that Jesus overcomes. Through death, Jesus is risen. Through undergoing death, death is destroyed. Human bonds are broken. Our prayer “Thy Will Be done”is answered. And we are set free. We are called, not slaves. Not servants. But friends.Friends that Jesus has chosen in spite of our selves. Friends that Jesus will always choose. In Jesus’ undergoing death, the grave, and resurrection our relationship with the God of life is drastically changed.
Life in light of risen Christ undergoes a transformation. Through the new life of baptismal waters, through the renewal of faith in the feast of Christ’s body and blood we are changed. The parts of us that would have us live to ourselves – that would have us requiring special knowledge from others in order to receive acceptance – that would have us seeing potential servants in each other rather than friends – that would have us shy away from the hard work of Christian love find that they are overcome. One scholar writes, “the power of the gospel is discovered by being so transformed that the tough, relational work of living in community is not experiences as a burdensome duty, but as a gift of God.”
In other words, it’s being like Heidi. The relational work that the gospel calls us to is easy for her. She fully enjoys it and it energizes her. Her love for God, overflows into her love for people. Her love for people, strengthens her love for God. Her care and concern, her interest and love for people she meets models for me the vision of community that John puts forth for us. Heidi doesn’t overcome others. She undergoes to them. Making their needs, her needs, their concerns, her concerns, their joys, her joys. In Heidi I see what it means to call someone a friend and to lay down your life for them.
It is through our love for our sisters and brothers that we overcome the world. Today in welcoming those born of God into our community, in witnessing the new birth of a child, we love – we overcome division and hatred through Christ. We proclaim unity and love through the Spirit.
This victory of love in Christ, this proclamation of unity through the Spirit does not end at those doors. The support and guidance does not end after we’ve said the words and done the actions of baptism and confirmation The celebration of welcome does not end after our reception this afternoon. The gospel transforms us forever. So that every relationship – every interaction with another is a gift of God.
Changing diapers is a gift. visiting the homebound and praying for the sick is a gift. reaching out to the lonely and encouraging the despairing is a gift. caring for ailing parents is a gift. The person you greet during the peace, the person you don’t know, the person you don’t want to know – that person- the relationship you can have with them is a gift of God.
The gift does not begin with us. It begins with Jesus, who calls us friend, not servant. Not slave. not an object to be used, but a relationship to be nurtured. “I have told you this so that my joy, my grace, my gift may be in you and that your joy, your grace, your gift may be complete.” It begins with Jesus and his friends, all of them, all of us, all of those who aren’t here, all of those who can’t be here, called to eat a meal together. An agape feast. A feast of love. Of joy. Of grace. Gathered at one table, serving and being served, undergoing for one another and overcoming together. Sisters, brothers, friends – filled with grace from Christ’s own body let us go forth together striving to follow the command of God. Let us overcome the world with love.
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