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“We
Are Never Alone”
a sermon by
Thomas L. Jenkins
Text: John 14:15-21
“I
will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you.”
DEAR SISTERS AND BROTHERS these verses from John’s Gospel, which Gene
just read to us, have for about 16 years, been some of my favorite
scriptures. The Word of God
is speaking about both his most intimate feelings and the ultimate
truth, at his time of death. Even
some of the most creative, plays, novels, and movie writers, in this
world, would have never imagined the Word of God being spoken in this
kind of situation. But, it is the Word of God and it is our real truth.
When a person mentally realizes that she, or he, is coming close to
death, she will think about the closest other persons in her life. And as she does this, she is asking herself, “What are the
most genuine, truthful, and helpful words that I can communicate to my
loved ones before I die?”
This is very similar to the situation Jesus is in, except his is even
more dramatic. Let us
remember that he is a human being just like us, but he is also the Word
of God.
This is the very night Jesus is going to be taken captive,
tortured, and within a day or two, murdered.
He knows this. And
right at this time, he is having a meal with his closest disciples, and
probably his mother, too. So,
these may be the most personally helpful words, ever recorded of Jesus
Christ.
Near the end of John’s Gospel, when he is writing about going to the
empty tomb of Jesus, he writes about Peter and the disciple loved by
Jesus, running to the tomb. John
doesn’t write his own name, but refers to himself as one loved by
Jesus.
Twice in our reading, when Jesus is sharing his heart with his loved
ones, he spoke about disciples keeping his commandments.
Now, Jesus is talking about love in our hearts, not about
loveless legalism.
We all, probably, wonder, some times if we really are Disciples of
Christ. I bet if I asked
you to raise your hand if there has even been a personal situation in
which you behaved a certain way because of some Word of Jesus that you
remembered and felt in you heart and conscience, everyone in here would
raise their hand. You are a disciple of Jesus Christ.
I grew up in the suburbs of Richmond, Va.
They were 99% Caucasian; and one side of my family was quite
prejudice. When I started
teaching at South Oak Cliff High School, in Dallas, that was very
challenging to me. But, in
my heart I knew Jesus did not condemn anyone because of their race.
During the first African American History month, that I was
there, I went to an assembly.
The students were not criticizing how their parents and
grandparents worshipped God, but they were playing in their worship
style. There was a choir,
all dressed in church robs, singing gospel music; then one of my
students walked on the stage, dressed like a minister, and was playing
like an African American preacher.
But, he was really preaching.
Within a few moments, I got tears in my eyes, bowed my head, and
prayed, “Lord thank you so much that I am here.”
That was a gift from God, in experiencing a new portion of the
Disciples of Christ.
Many of you all have heard me preach for almost five years.
And even if you haven’t been hearing me that long, you’ve
heard me speak of the Holy Trinity a million times.
And that is why I love this passage so much.
Jesus is speaking to his closest loved one, the day before his death.
And his most personal, loving words are that his disciples—you
and me—will never be left alone; that he will ask our heavenly Father
to send us the Spirit of truth, that is the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit will take care of us, explain to the Father what
we are going through, and when the ultimate truth sincerely reaches us,
in God’s timing, we will know, by the Holy Spirit, that Jesus is in
the Father, we are in Jesus, and he is in us.
One of the main ways that we have thought, and even been taught, about
our relationship with God is that the relationship itself starts with
separation because God is righteous and we are sinful.
We cannot make ourselves right with God by obeying all his laws
and commandments, because we all break some of them.
Then we think God has at least given us one kind of easy thing to
do; if we confess to God that we do believe in Jesus, and then God will
accept us back to him.
And if this is our understanding of how we get back to God, then we will
often question weather our faith is really good enough to please God.
But, my friends, the good news is that we are not separated from
God. It is not about us
getting ourselves back to God; the truth of the greatest news in this
world is about how God has already united us with Him in Jesus Christ.
Listen to these words written by the Apostle Paul, about Jesus, when he
has been absolutely amazed by the gospel:
15 He is the
image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; 16for
in* him all things in
heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether
thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created
through him and for him. 17He himself is before all things, and in*
him all things hold together. 18He
is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn
from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. 19For
in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20and
through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether
on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.
(Col. 1:15-20)
There is no separation between us and God.
There never was. We are never alone. Jesus
is in the Father; you and I are in Jesus, and Jesus is in you and me. That
is the greatest Truth for us from the Holy Spirit.
Let us pray…
Amen.
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