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Inherited Traits Rev. Dawn M. Haeger, Church of the Cross, Hoffman Estates, IL, May 13, 2007 The gospels in the New Testament each provide a unique witness to the life and ministry of Jesus. The first three, Matthew, Mark and Luke are often called the synoptics because they tell the story of Jesus’ life from a comparable point of view and are quite similar in structure. Then we get to John’s gospel, the one that is very unlike the others. This gospel’s language can seem strange and circuitous. Verse 20 tells us, “I am in my Father, and you in me and I in you.” But actually, it is the language, images and symbols constructed that make John theologically rich. The subtleties and nuances of the Greek are amazing to explore and interpret. This morning, I’d like to share with you a few of the ideas presented in our passage. As you know, today is Mother’s Day and as a mother, I have been contemplating those characteristics I share with my own mom. Neither of us is very tall; we have dark hair and dark eyes. Both of us are pretty outgoing, enjoy caring for others and have a deep sense of right and wrong. I am not an only child; I have two siblings, a brother and a sister. I can see clearly, how living with our mother shaped our lives. According to our mother, it was our character, inherent abilities and drive that would determine our future, not our genders or societal expectations. From the time my sister and I were little girls and my brother a young boy, our mother always told us we could be whoever and whatever we wanted and we believed her. When I was about 12, I had decided I was going to be the first female Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and even declared a pre-law major when I went to college. My sister became a FAA certified airplane mechanic and my brother is a school teacher married to an electrician. Listening to our mother’s teachings greatly influenced how my brother, sister and I turned out. Now of course, our father had some influence too, but Father’s Day is next month. For decades, scientists have been arguing whether we humans are more influenced by nature or nurture. Are we the products of our genetic make up or does environment determine who we are? Science says yes to both. Indeed some of who we are is governed by our genes, but people live in community, and our environment often influences whether our genes are expressed or not. So having the genetic make up of our parents lays an important foundation for our growth and development, but the community in which we reside plays an equally important role. “Those who love me,” Jesus said, “will keep my word and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them” (verse 23). In John’s gospel, we see first divine indwelling, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God” (1:1). Reading today’s passage within the gospel narrative, we see that the unique relationship between Jesus and his father will now reach out to include humanity. We love Jesus and he loves us. We listen and obey Jesus’ words and God loves us and together, Jesus and the Father will come and make their home with us. We have, therefore, some of divine Godhead within us, individually and as a community. How is this possible and what does it mean? Following Jesus’ ascension, the Holy Spirit, also known as the Advocate, or the Paraclete will be sent by the Father in Jesus’ name to the community. Paraclete means literally, “the one who comes alongside.” When Jesus returns to the Father, the Spirit will come alongside the community. “I will not leave you orphaned, I am coming to you,” Jesus assures his disciples in verse 18. It is through the power of the Holy Spirit that the first century Christian community and every Christian community since then has experienced this indwelling, the immediate presence of both Jesus and God the Father. Through this unique relationship, we are included in the family of God. Not orphans, but ones who can call God, Father, just as Jesus did. I described earlier some of the characteristics I inherited from my mother. Often we can, upon meeting people, tell which ones are related. They resemble one another physically, have similar mannerisms and often possess a comparable understanding of the world and how it operates. As members of the family of God, what do you suppose we have inherited from our heavenly Father? Do we resemble each other? Do we see the world in the same manner? [Video Clip] Within our faith community, I can clearly observe some of the characteristics we share with God. Scripture in 1 John tells us that: God is love, and those who abide in love, abide in God and God abides in them. Love has been perfected among us in this; that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world…We love because he first loved us (1 Jn 4:16, 17, 19). Church of the Cross is a place where love is freely shared. We are a people who love God and one another and are not shy about showing it. All one needs to do, is experience the “Passing of the Peace” with us on any given Sunday, and they would get an inkling of deep affection we have for one another. Our children know they are loved and valued by the adults in this community and no one is excluded from worshipping God. Creativity is another aspect of God’s character that we experience; the imagination and bounty of our God is made manifest in the abundance of creation. We live in a world filled with a beautiful multitude of plants, animals and human beings. We look around us and can see the peculiar looking duck-billed platypus, enormous humpback whale, exotic orchid, rare desert cactus and majestic sequoia tree. When God was creating, there was no shortage of originality. We also cohabitate this magnificent planet with people of differing races and ethnic backgrounds. Our God certainly has imagination and has gifted us with the same quality. A brief glance at the skills of the people here at Church of the Cross will reveal those who are gifted in music, art and drama. We also have folks who can look at a situation and determine multiple possibilities, those who are gifted in business, administration and financial affairs. We have men, women and children who can share their love of God in Jesus Christ as effortlessly as they breathe and others who are natural-born teachers. We have care-givers, building maintainers, mission providers and many others I’m sure I’m forgetting. The point is we have many gifts and they all are a result of the creative force of God. Something else the people of Church of the Cross share with God is their generous and kind spirits. If anyone is in need, here, within the surrounding community or around the world, the people of this faith community are quick to share their gifts. Just try and get sick around this place and not have folks try to take care of you. If we know about your need, you will receive prayers, notes of concern, meals and maybe even offers of babysitting. Our congregation is one of the only churches that provides for the stranger in our midst as the Good Samaritan did in Luke’s gospel. Through your generosity, the deacons provide food, electricity, rent and even medical payments for our brothers and sisters who walk through the front door of the church. We may or may not see these folks again, but that is not important to us. Jesus’ mandate to care for his sheep is what we are striving to live out. Generosity in local, national and global mission is demonstrated through the giving of both time and financial resources. Whether through Sunday School mission, youth mission trips, adults serving in the wake of Katrina devastation, our children, youth and adults share what they have. Of course, we don’t need to look long and hard to see the parts of our lives that don’t demonstrate traits inherited from God. Jesus knew that we were human, after all, and that it wouldn’t always be easy for us to be faithful to his mission. In today’s lesson, we hear of one characteristic he wanted to gift us with because he knew it wasn’t natural to our state of being with ourselves and with others. He wanted to share with us the condition he experienced when he was in God’s presence. What does Jesus want for us? Peace. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid” (verse 27). Remember, this discourse takes place before Jesus’ crucifixion, resurrection and ascension. He knows his followers are going to experience much change and upheaval in their lives in the very near future and like any good leader, he wants them to be prepared. Jesus wants to leave them his peace. He is very clear that this offering to his disciples is very different from the practice as it is understood by the world. We often understand peace as a lack of strife and discord. I don’t believe this is what Jesus is offering to his followers, including us. Jesus is very clear that his death is imminent, so freedom from conflict, couldn’t possibly be his meaning. “Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not let them be afraid” (verse 27). When we live as the world lives, conflict, fear and anxiety often commingle. How many of us fear conflict and will do just about anything to avoid it? Jesus invites us to approach change with a different attitude. We know from other gospel reports that Jesus was not looking forward to his death, but he also didn’t run from it and let his fear overtake him. He trusted in God, even in his darkest times. He prayed. He remained in community and Jesus acknowledged his fears to God in the presence of his friends. We are facing a time of transition here in our life at Church of the Cross. Our long-time, beloved pastor is retiring in six weeks. While this event certainly does not comparable to crucifixion and death, it has led some to fear for the future and experience great anxiety. Jesus speaks to us in this difficult time. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid” (verse 27). We will grieve this time in the life of our congregation, but we will not do so as people without hope. We will face difficulty as our Lord did. We will gather with our friends. We will trust in God. We will rest in God’s presence and we will not be afraid. We will look to the future of Christ’s church and trust in the power of the Paraclete to come alongside us to strengthen and empower us and remind us of all that Jesus has taught us. To God alone, be all glory and honor, now and forever more. Amen.
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