Sermon John 14:23-29

Our text, from the Gospel of John, tells of Jesus farewell to his disciples. You remember the story; how on the night that Jesus was betrayed, his disciples gathered together in the upper room. In the other Gospels, we are told about the last supper. "This is my body broken for you; drink from this all of you, This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you." In John, he washes their feet to demonstrate how we as Christians should tenderly and humbly care for each other.

In today's Gospel reading, we heart the part of Jesus' farewell message concerning how he will be present to those who did not meet him personally. How will future generations love him, when they can not touch the wounds in his hands and side themselves?

Jesus answer is simple. He says " by doing his works and keeping his commandments." His answer is simple but frustrating. I don't know about you but I would prefer Jesus directions to be clearer. Have you ever noticed this about Jesus? Often to a straight question, he responds in a way which is puzzling and unexpected. Why can't he just tell us how to run the church successfully from generation to generation. He gives no strategic plan on how the church should run. He gives no "set in stone" methods or techniques for church survival. He simple says, do the kind of things I do and keep my commandments. And he gives the promise that by doing like him and keeping his commandments, we will we experience his presence.

What is the most common commandment of Jesus? It's not love one another as I have loved you, that is second. It is "Be not afraid", "Fear not". And again in today's text Jesus says, "Do not let your hearts be troubled, nor let them be afraid."

Today in this church on this Sunday, it is fair to say that there is a lot of fear and a lot of troubled hearts. AMEN? Some of it is well grounded, since if we accept the new vision statement and approve the motion to all move to worship at 6th Ave, while considering another church location, big changes are ahead for all of us. Yes, there are troubled feelings regarding losing buildings and losing people who will choose to worship elsewhere if things don't go in their favour. There is also much trouble over the division that has occurred throughout this process; more division than some or many expected.

Someone asked one of the fireside chats whether we clergy knew there would be division as a result of this process. I didn't get a chance to answer the question, nor have I asked the other clergy, but yes, I knew there would be division. I knew not because of some prophetic gift, but simply because of what the Bible teaches about the way of Jesus and what history teaches about changes in the church.

And make no mistake, most church leaders agree that we are going through bigger changes that just selling buildings. One leader said that the changes we are facing and will face will be the biggest changes to the place and form of the church since 388 AD. That is the time when we stopped being an illegal religion and became the official religion of the Roman Empire. And sometime in the 1970's, although some saw the signs hundreds of years earlier, we were removed from our role of being at the center of society. Now, Christianity is returning to its roots as a disrespectable religion in society. Much more will be lost than buildings, but much more will be gained, as once again, we move to the margins; to the place where the early church was. The place from which the early church wrote the Gospels.

But first, why division in the Church? Remember the Bible. In today's text, Jesus is clear that he calls people into his church who are fearful and troubled about many things. Why would he tell us to not be like that, if we were all fearless and free of trouble? Secondly, he doesn't give a clear structure, a focused mission, or a business plan for the church. WE fearful and troubled people are left to figure that out all by ourselves, with the help of the Holy Spirit of course. Without clarity regarding the methods for being the church, it is easy for us to have disagreements, and indeed, it appears that Jesus places us in a position where we must struggle with these questions together. And struggle we have.

Five hundred years ago, we Protestants abandoned ancient churches; we changed the way we worship, we abandoned the security and wealth of the largest part of Christ's church over differences regarding what is a faithful church. We call it the Protestant Reformation. Did you know that Protestant means "Protestors" and "reformation" means the Re-forming of the church? Should it surprise any United Church, that a Church which claims religious protestors and religious reformers as their spiritual mothers and fathers might encounter some big changes from time to time?

Here's a short history lesson on the Protestant Reformation. Over a period of a hundred years, some people and some clergy became increasingly disturbed over the accumulation of wealth by the church authorities. The opulence of Rome was growing with each new Pope's artistic addition to the Vatican. For those who have gone to Rome, you can see St. Peter's Cathedral, which was built 500 years ago at time of the Protestant Reformation. As it was being built, a host of Christians across Europe looked at what is clearly one of the most beautiful buildings in the world and said, "What the hell does that have to do with the way of Jesus!" Actually, they used even stronger language to describe St. Peter's cathedral and a host of other cathedrals across Europe.

John Calvin, who gave rise to the Reformed Churches which includes Presbyterianism and Martin Luther who gave rise to Lutheranism ALSO asked why worship was in Latin, rather than in the language of the common people. They and others asked why the people just watched the priests "do" worship rather than participate. Katherine Schmidt, even asked in the mid-1500's, why women could not preach and be priests.

And most of all, Protestants asked why when they read the Bible, the love of Jesus Christ looks different than what is taught by Rome. Protestants saw in the Bible that salvation was a free gift; "we are saved by grace, through faith." Yet the Roman church at the time said that faith must also include good works or we were not saved.

It might not seem important to some today, but remember that many good people were burned at the stake, or died in dungeon vile, or had to flee kin and country over this difference regarding the church's teachings about Jesus love. I remind you of the faith of our forefathers and foremothers, because God know that some of you are tempted leave the church over the current discord. Listen up, when all is said and done, you might believe that Christ is calling to worship with another United Church or another denomination altogether, and that is OK, HOWEVER if you leave the church altogether because of the troubled we've faced here, it would be nothing short of an affront to all our forbearers who faced more trouble than you can imagine. Not just our Protestant forebears but all those Christians who faced the lions in the coliseum, who faced prisons and beatings so that we would know the truth about the love of God in Jesus Christ; or more accurately, those who suffered that we might know Jesus Christ himself.

Listen to the text, when the disciples live in love, and thereby keep his teachings, they experience the real presence of God and of Jesus. Not just psychologically, but as a living reality; a real presence, of a real person, of Jesus Christ himself. That is the promise and also the warning; A clear warning is given in the text that to NOT live in this love is to forfeit it.

Hear what the text is saying to the church. These promises of relationship with Jesus are communal not individual. There is no Christian faith without community! For those who leave in anger, disgust or dismay, if you leave sharing in any Christian community, you leave the faith, leave Christ, and leave God's mission. The God we worship dwells amongst communities of faith struggling to live "the way of the Lamb".

Listen up, Jesus DOES NOT promise the Holy Spirit to individuals but to communities of faith struggling to do his works and keep his commandments. And the promise is communal for a very good reason; through the struggle to live together with our differences, there is often the opportunity for our "hearts to be enlarged".

I must tell you the truth. There are some people here whom I really don't like. It's true I may not have to like them, however Christ commands me to love them. Sometimes it is really difficult and I need the help of others help to love some people. Always I need the help of God. And the good news of the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the community IS that some of you have grown so much through the power of the Holy Spirit. Some of you have got such big hearts you hold some much love for so many. Thank God for you. Often those who love the most have gone through some real testing of their love at some point in their life. I am encouraged by what God has done in many of your lives, and I drawn courage and hope from you. As Jesus teaches, we need each other to grow in faith.

Most know that over the past year, we've introduced a community covenant. There were two reasons our leaders encouraged us to develop a covenant. First, our Methodist traditions teach us that we can grow in Christian perfection. In today's language, we say that we believe that we can grow to love more like Christ loved and with the help of the Holy Spirit through Christian community, we can become more like Christ in a significant and profound way in this life. That is what "perfection" is. Others, like our Presbyterian brothers and sisters tend to think that "perfection" comes in the afterlife. I don't know about you, but I am just too impatient to wait that long. So basically we have a covenant to train each other, myself included, to love more like Jesus.

The second reason was create a more difficult environment for those who may poison loving community with fear and unhelpful anger; A covenant of positive behaviours, helps us to identify & frustrate those who put stumbling blocks in the way of growing loving community. And, of course, it helps protect all of us from falling into these destructive patterns. I know that I have been corrected a number of times for forgetting the covenant, and I give thanks to God when that happens. There is a kind of peace that comes through knowing that loving people will catch me if I let my troubled heart and my old fearful ways get the best of me during conflict.

We often think that church is the last place for conflict, however the kind of peace that Jesus promises us this morning is not what the world thinks of as peace; peace as security, peace as freedom from suffering, peace as the absence of conflict, peace as a comfortable pew. The peace of Jesus is different. It is a recentering of our hope from other lesser things to the love and promises of Jesus; Peace comes when we center our lives in the promises of God's grace through Jesus Christ.

Don't be naïve, Jesus is not telling us that we will live without fear and troubled hearts, since he knows that throughout the ages many will face death, persecution, and a huge heap of trouble for being followers of Jesus.

Jesus knows we will face fear and trouble, the question is whether we will be cowardly in the face of it. In Revelation, it is the cowards who are listed first as those who are unwelcome in God's future. Cowards; those who let their lives be ruled by fear rather than the love of Jesus Christ.

Don't hear this the wrong way those of you who are plagued by fears! I certainly have a host of fears I struggle with too, but through faith, together we are recentering our lives on Jesus Christ and his promises. There is nothing wrong with the fears that the church is experiencing, but if "fear" is center from which we determine our future, then God is not part of that future. Fear of losing buildings, fear of losing friendships, fear of relocating, these are all valid Church fears, however if they rule our minds and our vision we are nothing less that unfaithful to Jesus Christ himself.

There is nothing wrong with fear. We know that "Fear of God" is the beginning of wisdom; human beings can not live without fear, but when our fear is grounded in God, something amazing happens. When we live our lives in fear of NOT responding to the amazing love of our generous Creator; when the only fear we have is that we might not responding to the gift of salvation given to us on the cross through Jesus Christ; when our primary fear is that we might not answering the call of Jesus to share his grace filled mission; Something amazing happens to us; we are changed. We cease being cowards, and become filled with courageous zeal as disciples of Jesus. We become more and more filled with peace. We experience freedom from slavery to all other fears and are freed to be ruled by the peace of Jesus Christ. Christians who fear only God, are the most dangerous people to the world. People ruled only by the love of Jesus can move mountains! We can let go of anything when Jesus' love rules our hearts! Let go of our reputations, for who's love? For Jesus love! Let go of our status and wealth, for who's love? For Jesus love! Let go of comfort and security, for who's love? For Jesus love! Let go of church buildings, for who's love? For Jesus love! Let go of our lives, for who's love? For Jesus love! Let go of anything which is holding us back from moving into God's peace filled future, for who's love? For Jesus love!

The Good News for us today is that to know Jesus is to grow into being like him; joy overflowing in our hearts. Centeredness in the peace of God. Courageous in the face of inhumanity. Bold in generosity. Spirit filled in wisdom. Compassionate for the outcast, the poor, the stranger, the sinner. Look out world, when embrace such a courageous and Jesus-centred vision of the church.

Be not afraid, he says to us. Be a courageous church, he has sent the Holy Spirit to teach us and to assist us in being a loving community By faith, move into the future trusting in Jesus' promises. He promises us something wonderful. He promises that God will make home amongst us. Our God, through Jesus Christ, is making a home in us, if we will follow Jesus ways and keep his loving commandments. If we will struggle, against all else, to grow in concrete ways to love one another and the world God love.

What will that future look like? We've got a good vision of it already. Is everything about that future worked out. Nope. Will we have much to figure out along the way? Yup. Will there be struggles and crises along the way? Certainly. Will there be failures? Of course. If we struggle to love each other faithfully will be encounter the presence of Jesus Christ, certainly. Be not afraid.