"The Word Is Very Near You"

Sermon for Sunday, May 24, 2009 Easter 7

Acts 1:15-17, 21-26; Psalm 1; John 17: 6-19

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." So begins the Gospel of John, reflecting the first chapter of Genesis, where God manifests his power by bringing all of creation into existence simply by speaking the Words. Where God lives, what God looks like--these things are ultimately a profound mystery, and that mystery reminds us of our human limitations. There are very few things we can presume to know about God, but one thing we do know is that God comes to us in the spoken and the written word and in the living word of Jesus, the Word made flesh.

In that beautiful story of Creation, God is said to have made humans in his own image. We like to say that our ability to speak, our way with words, is what separates us from animals. Is it not then also true that our use of language makes us more like God? Unfortunately, humans are just as likely to misuse our gift with language as to use it in the Lord's service. The very Words of Scripture have been argued over and invoked to justify a host of sins, including the institution of slavery. Sometimes the misuse of Scripture has been a result of over-zealous righteousness or simple misinterpretation. The Words of God have great power and are to be used with a caution guided by prayer. The ability to use words may make us more like God, but it doesn't give us the mind of God, to know all of what God intends. Using scripture like a crow bar or a Ouiji board would most likely not reflect the will of God. A little more discernment is called for.

One of the most influential sayings of Jesus certainly must be "Many are called, but few are chosen. " [Matthew 22:14] The adherents of predestination, such as John Calvin, used the idea they believed to be put forward in this verse to suggest that only a very select few would be allowed by God to enter the kingdom of heaven. These elected ones were predetermined by God before they were born, and no one else, no matter how well they lived their lives, would qualify for salvation, according to the Calvinists.

Just try to imagine the behavior of those who believed themselves to be among the elect. Imagine how they may have treated those they considered God's rejects. If you can carry those thoughts to a conclusion, what you end up with is something like the Salem witch trials.
Last Sunday I was at my spiritual direction class at Richmond Hill, and the Episcopal priest in charge there, who is also a biblical scholar and a faculty member of the RUAH School, preached on this very line from scripture. The Rev. Ben Campbell told us that this verse has been mistranslated and misinterpreted down through the ages. He said that a better translation of the verse would be "Many are called, but few choose to go." Whether we find the salvation we seek and the heavenly rest we may think we deserve depends on our willingness to go where we are called. The invitation is ours; do we accept it or not? When there is work and sacrifice involved in accepting the invitation, we may prefer to stay home. But that choice is ours; God does not exclude us.

The story for today from the Acts of the Apostles offers an example of someone being chosen to the exclusion of someone else. Peter leads the apostles as they make a decision regarding which of the remaining followers of Jesus will be chosen to replace Judas among the Twelve. Lots are drawn between two worthy candidates, "and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was added to the eleven apostles." Have you ever wondered what happened to Joseph called Barsabbas? We have all had experiences of being left out, of being the ones not elected for some position, of being the last ones picked for a side of softball, or simply being rejected outright for something we have set our hearts upon. Not being chosen feels a lot like not being loved, and we may feel unworthy of even God's love. I have thought maybe Barsabbas felt humiliated and rejected as the one NOT chosen to join the apostles. He may, however, have felt relieved with the way the lot fell and preferred to go on with whatever ministry he was already performing. I think it is my post-predestination sensivity that has me worried about the feelings of Barsabbas.

Still, for whatever tasks we undertake, we are called to choose our Words very carefully when we, as Christians, represent the Lord in the world. Loving, or even liking, those who seem very different from us may be difficult, but we are asked to show love in our words and our deeds even when we don't yet feel it. If God intended to offer salvation to all, and not just to a select few, then we are asked to wear a face of welcome and invitation to everyone we encounter. In today's lesson from John, we hear that Christ knew there were no exceptions to God's love, no ones to be left behind. He says in his prayer to God, "All mine are yours and yours are mine." Christ is praying over the apostles as He takes his final leave from them. He is sending them out into the world to spread the Word, and he wants to be sure they are ready. He asks God to protect them. Listen to what he says: "I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your Word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them...Holy Father, protect them in your name... Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they may also be sanctified in truth." Here Jesus says that he has given his disciples the Words of God, and that these words are truth and power. He says that in hearing and obeying the words, the disciples have proven their faithfulness. As he takes leave from them, Jesus entrusts the disciples with using the Word wisely, in truth and love.

Thursday, May 21st was Ascension Day, commemorating Christ's removal from this world. Even as he left the disciples behind and prayed for their mission, he promised to leave the Advocate with them--the Spirit. An Advocate is someone who takes your side and pleads on your behalf. An Advocate is a guide and a companion. By specifically saying he would remain with the disciples in spirit and truth, he asked them to pay attention to their inward inclinations. Examining our hearts and listening attentively for the word of God is the basic task for all of us who call ourselves Christian. In the gospel events when we see Jesus interacting with people, teaching or healing them, in every case he asks them to examine their inward leanings. [the rich young man, the woman at the well, the blind and the lame, etc.] From such inner searching comes humility, a true perspective on the nature of our relationship with God, and the Way to a life worth living.

Once, when I was a teenager and in a situation that wasn't clear to me at the time but turned out to be a matter of life or death, I had the experience of God speaking to me. I heard those words in my heart, in a strong and commanding voice that overrode the usual confused chatter in the teenage brain. Later, when I fully understood what had happened, I knew I had heard the voice of God, and my faith was sealed. I have never heard that voice so clearly since then, but I believe I hear from God in quieter ways, in my thoughts and dreams, whenever I pay attention. Whether I pay attention or not is my choice.

When Moses was laying down the law for the people, as recorded in the book of Deuteronomy, he said, "The Word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it." He told them they didn't have to wait for God to come down from heaven and show them the way. He didn't want any more excuses from them for bad behavior. Like Jesus so many years later, Moses wanted the people to know that the Spirit of God was always within them, ready to guide and console them.

In this way, the Spirit is within us as well. We can listen for that "still small voice" whenever we choose.

Susan Hull