Now, before the liturgy police come to haul me away for not preaching the lectionary, I'm going to do it just this once. Because on the drive home, I started thinking about all the times during Lent I’ve preached on Jesus’ farewell departure. Every year I feel like saying, “ok, wrap it up, we know that you’re leaving...we just want to get to Easter”. In the Gospel of John, the discourse goes from chapters 14-17 and it covers a lot of important material that Jesus wanted to make sure the disciples understood before his crucifixion. If you were to read it all at once, you’d notice that there are four parts to his farewell…
- Jesus tells the disciples that he is going to God, but that the Comforter (the Holy Spirit) will come to be with them;
- Jesus tells the disciples of his love for them, that his love is the source of life in their community, and that they are to love one another;
- Jesus again tells them that he is leaving and to anticipate the Comforter, and he tells them that his love is greater than the hatred that they might experience in life;
- And then Jesus prays for them; he prays that they may be one, that they may be loved and protected by God, and that future disciples will be one in the love of God.
So while I may feel a bit snarky about how long Jesus goes on in his farewell discourse, when read in its entirety, I understand it as a beautiful love letter to his friends...and while I am definitely NOT Jesus, I am inspired to give you my own prayer.
My prayer for the Gorge community is that you continue to work to preserve this beautiful place; that you care for the rich and the poor alike and that you continue to be strong in your commitment to justice and peace.
My prayer for the Diocese of Eastern Oregon is that you continue to be courageous in the building up of the Kingdom of God; don’t allow scarcity to be the motivating factor, but see yourself as a learning lab for new clergy, for new ideas, for new partnerships, and new leadership.
My prayer for St. Mark’s is that you continue to be the hands and feet of Christ at work in the world. Be a source of solace for those in our community who feel broken. Be a source of joy for those in our community who need to celebrate. Be welcoming and hospitable, courageous and bold, and love one another.
And more specifically, for all of you here today, I pray that you know that you are loved.
Know that you are loved.
You are a beloved child of God.
You are stronger than you think you are.
You matter more than you think you do.
You are standing on the precipice of transformation.
In his farewell discourse, Jesus told his disciples, “You did not choose me, but I chose you.” They followed him to sea shores, into towns where there were lepers, on to hillsides where people were hungry...both physically and spiritually. Like those early disciples who followed this itinerant preacher to the very end, you too have been called to go into unknown territory together. I truly believe, with all my heart, that you are going to do great things together as long as you remember to be guided by love.
Back in June, I told you about my six word stories...one liners composed of six words that explained who we are...elevator speeches if you will. Now, I’m going to give them to you...with a few more and a few less words.
You can’t say no to God.
You can only say yes to God.
You are standing on the precipice of transformation.
You are a beloved child of God.
You are loved.
I love you.