For
Sunday, May 19, 2019, 5th Sunday of Easter, Yr C, Readings: Acts 11:1-18, Psalm 148, Revelations
21:1-6, John 13:31-35
The Spirit told me to go with them and not to make a distinction between them and us...And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, 'John
baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit; If then God
gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus
Christ, who was I that could hinder God? [Acts 11:12,16-17]
Kings of the earth and all peoples; princes
and all rulers of the world…Let them praise the Name of the Lord, for his Name only is exalted. [Psalm 148: 11, 13]
I saw
a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had
passed away, and the sea was no more...the home of God is
among mortals...Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no
more. [Revelation
21:1-2, 3b, 4b]\
Jesus
said..."I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I
have loved you, you also should love one another, By this everyone will know
that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
[John 13:34-35]
A new Commandment from Jesus: love one another as I have loved you. Sure,
sure, we’ve heard it all before, many times. Peter had to explain himself to the
uncircumcised believers who
criticized him for going to Gentiles and eating with them. He told them
straight out that the Spirit directed him not
to make a distinction between them and us. Yet don’t we in our own time and
place make distinctions about who is worthy of our time and attention, let
alone love? But Jesus tells us
clearly that we are to love everyone, not just those we already love. He also
doesn’t say only love the ones who will love you in return.
Peter astonished his
listeners with the words of Jesus and his own realization that he
himself received the gift of the Holy Spirit when he believed, as will
everyone. The writer of Revelation sees a new heaven and a new earth and
tells us that God's home is among us mortals.
But this mortal home is
seething with rage, disparity, tragedy, poverty, disease, fear, and so much
more. It is pandemic, manipulated, exploited, used for political expedience,
and profiteering. It writhes with increasing numbers of natural disasters and person-made horrors displacing and killing so many of our earth-bound neighbors. And we are called
to love one another as we are loved by Christ. In the face of so much it seems
like so little yet if we give ourselves to it much more will come of it. But we
have to hear the words, inwardly digest, trust them, and have faith that God will
indeed wipe every tear and death will be no more. Hard and not often immediately rewarding work on a good day.
How, then, can we hear these words
differently? What can arouse us from our distractions, our inattentiveness, our
numbness, and call us to action?
Our Creator continues to create but do
we see? By actively loving others, especially the unlovable, through our words
and actions, we are co-creating with God to bring the new earth into our
present existence, now. There is joy and goodness to be experienced, divisions
among people to be repaired, brokenness healed. Will every moment be as running
through fields of roses and daisies - not even close. But by shaking ourselves
out of complacency, by dusting off our faith, and becoming a partner with God,
the Church, and each other, we can change the tiny parcel of this mortal home
we inhabit. Anguish and anger within us could be no more. We can create love that heals or at least
patches up, love that warms an angry heart, that soothes the cries of grief,
that finds help, food, shelter, or just a hand to hold. Even when
rejected, as we will be, there will be another to love and someone to love us. Who
am I to hinder God working in me? C.S. Lewis puts things more bluntly: There have been some who were so occupied in
spreading Christianity that they never gave a thought to Christ…It is the subtlest
of all snares. To truly follow Jesus, to be known as a sincere disciple, all we truly need is love.
LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
Leader: ~
Forever and Almighty Lord, infuse us with the willingness to live Your
commandment to love family, friend, and stranger alike, using basin and towel more
often than lofty praise with weak intent.
O God at Home Among Us
Response: We begin and end in You
~ Forever and
Almighty Lord, guide us to be as Your voice in speaking and acting on behalf of
all who suffer because of some actions by those who govern, dictate, or control
Your people on this earth, in this country, or in our community. We pray
especially for: add your own petitions
O
God at Home Among Us
We begin and end in You
~
Forever and Almighty Lord, release from anguish all who are chronically ill in
body, mind, or spirit, and refresh the stamina of all who give support. We now
join our voices to pray aloud for those in need…
O
God at Home Among Us
We begin and end in You
~ Forever and
Almighty Lord, lift the hearts of the mournful as through You death is no more and
our dearest departed have now risen to new and unending Life in joy, free from
tears and pain. We pray especially for:
O
God at Home Among Us
We begin and end in You
~ Forever
and Almighty Lord, we pause in this
moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions,
petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently…
O
God at Home Among Us
We begin and end in You
~ Forever and
Almighty Lord, grant additional grace to all You have chosen to bring us Your
Word and Sacraments, that together we may receive our Salvation through
Christ. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
O
God at Home Among Us
We begin and end in You
The
Celebrant adds: Exalted Christ, Son of God and Man, embolden
us to be purposeful instruments of the continuous flow of Your limitless love. Let
us not hinder but joyfully participate in the perpetual renewal of Your Creation
through our own love and repentance that will lead us to unending life in You. Amen.
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