St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Wesley Chapel, FL
Preacher: The Rev. Adrienne R. Hymes
Easter 5A ● Holy Eucharist Rite II
May 7, 2023
Gospel: John 14:1-14
You may recognize this passage, in the 14th chapter of John, as one of the readings appointed in the rite for the Burial of the Dead[1] -a time when many troubled hearts are gathered together weighed down by loss and grief. I have stood in the temporary dwelling places of hospital rooms with families and nurses, reading this gospel passage, as a loved one, or patient, took their final breath. When family could not get to the hospital room before their loved one died, or if the deceased had no family, I was alone with the body reading Jesus’ words. And, more often than not, my heart was troubled with the heaviness of grief. And, yet Jesus’ words are words of reassurance and comfort.
We enter into the narrative with the setting of the last supper. Jesus had already washed the feet of his disciples, eaten the Passover meal with them, and had foretold the events of betrayal by two of his disciples which would lead to his death. The growing anxiety and confusion amongst the disciples, about the troubling reality to come, was fueled when Jesus told them that he would be with them only for a little longer (Jn 13:33) and that where he was going, they could not go. Having communicated that troubling news to his disciples, Jesus counteracts their anxiety with, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me” (v. 1).
Certainly, the disciples had reason to have troubled hearts. But, Jesus did not say, “Do not have troubled hearts;” he said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” The word, let, indicates that there was a choice to be made. The disciples could choose to either allow their anxiety and fear to cause them to suffer, or they could choose the reality of peace which comes from believing in God and believing in Jesus.
In order to begin to make sense of our gospel passage on this Fifth Sunday of Easter, we must return to the beginning—the first chapter in John. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…And the Word became Flesh and lived among us…”[2] As we walk through this passage, we must have one foot in God’s resurrection of Jesus—and the other foot in God’s self-revelation in the person of Jesus Christ—the incarnation.
In so doing, we lay the foundation for understanding Jesus’ statements of unity with the Father: “If you know me, you will know my Father;” “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father;” and “…I am in the Father and the Father is in me.” Our starting point is believing that the invisible God, was made visible to us through the particular human flesh of Jesus. The incarnation is the starting point by which humankind’s relationship with God was forever changed.
Jesus then said to his disciples that in his Father’s house, there are many dwelling places. We have all heard sermons that focus on the dwelling places as the literal rooms in the Kingdom of God. However, today’s psalm provides some imagery of God the Father as a structure of protection.
“Be my strong rock, a castle to keep me safe, for you are my…stronghold [a place fortified against enemy attack]; for the sake of your Name, lead me and guide me” (Ps 31:3). Because Jesus is God, we can use the words of this psalm when talking with Jesus. Jesus, be my strong rock; be my castle. In you, Jesus, there are many dwelling places, to keep me safe; you are my stronghold against the enemy in this world plagued by evil and death.
Indeed, in our epistle in First Peter, we are reminded of Jesus as the living stone—God’s precious and chosen cornerstone, and that those who believe in him will not be put to shame. The incarnation of God in the human person of Jesus, made it possible for human beings to have relationship with the Father, and through that union, have the possibility to become, themselves, living stones. “Let yourselves be built into a spiritual house…to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ,” said Peter. Notice the word “let” again. The believers must choose to be acted upon by God in order to be formed for his purposes.
As we each grow more and more into the full stature of Christ, we become powerful vessels who show up in the world as Christ incarnate. And, the Church, as the body of Christ, is a particular house of the Father, through which the Holy Spirit—the very soul of the Church—empowers those who have been baptized into Jesus’ death and resurrection, to invite those who have never heard the life-saving message of the gospel, and who do not yet know Christ, into a relationship with God the Father through myriad expressions of his Son’s body. This is the mission of the Church—to restore all people to unity with God and with each other in Christ.
As St. Paul’s grows into our missional purpose, it is important to know that the visible presence of this building in which we gather to worship God—makes Christ known and is a manifestation of the incarnation. When this faith community gathers, week by week, as the incarnated body of Christ—we are a body that chooses to be built into a spiritual house. And, as individuals in this faith community, we must let our fleshly bodies make room for the kingdom of God within, as we each are being built into a spiritual house for Christ’s indwelling.
In a world where social and economic injustices, institutional oppression, the slaughter of innocents due to gun violence, hatred, and just plain human apathy have become normalized, you and I certainly have real, not imagined, reasons to have troubled hearts. But Jesus says to us, as he said to his disciples, do not let the evil of this world speak anxiety, fear and death into you.
Choosing to dwell in Christ, and choosing to invite him to dwell in you, requires intentionality and disciple. No, it’s not always easy, but it can be done. Our faith lets us choose to dwell in the peace of Christ and not in the anxious suffering of this world. So that, as his disciples, when others, who are anxious and fearful, know you, they will know the peace of Christ also. And when others see you, they will see the face of Christ also. We believe by faith that Jesus will come again to take us to himself so that where he is, in the bosom of his Father, we will be also.
In the meantime, as we await God’s fully-realized kingdom come, let us claim our royal priesthood, in order that we may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light.[3]
Amen.
[1] Burial of the Dead Rite II, Book of Common Prayer, p. XX
[2] John 1:1-2, 14
[3] 1 Peter 2:9
