St. Paul’s Church in
Bergen, Jersey City NJ
April 24, 2016
Year C: The Fifth
Sunday of Easter
Acts 11:1-8
Psalm 148
Revelation 21:1-6
John 13:31-35
The New Commandment that Never Gets Old
Alleluia!
Christ is risen!
The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!
The
Lord is risen indeed but today’s Gospel lesson takes us back to the Last
Supper, back to Jesus’ final meal with his disciples and friends - one last
chance for Jesus to teach, as the hours of his earthly life run out.
We’re
back at the Last Supper.
Judas
has just left to do what he is going to do, departing to set in motion a chain
of events leading to the glory of the Cross – a chain of events leading to the
glory of the empty tomb and new life.
Alleluia!
Christ is risen!
The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!
But,
today we’re back at the Last Supper.
Jesus
tries to teach, tries to get through to his often thickheaded and unfaithful
disciples – the disciples who, let’s remember, are about to fail miserably as
they betray, deny, and abandon Jesus in his greatest moment of need.
There’s
no time to waste so Jesus cuts right to the heart of the matter – gets to
what’s most important – focuses on what it really means to be a follower of
Jesus:
“I
give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved
you, you should love one another. By this everyone will know you are my
disciples, if you have love for one another.”
A
new commandment: love one another as Jesus has loved us.
We’re
commanded to love one another by
hanging out with the wrong kinds of people, by offering hospitality to
absolutely everyone.
We’re
commanded to love one another by serving
others, especially the weak and the vulnerable.
We’re
commanded to love one another by giving
away what has been given to us.
A
new commandment: love one another as Jesus has loved us.
Now,
the Last Supper happened a long time ago but Jesus’ new commandment to love one
another is still always new – it’s the new commandment that never gets old.
Jesus’
new commandment to love one another is still new because, let’s face it, we
still so often fall short – we so often break this new commandment – just look
around at our world, our country, our city, and, yes, sometimes even our
church.
That’s
pretty discouraging and depressing
But,
you know, here’s the good news: Jesus’ new commandment to love one another
never gets old because when we see it being obeyed – when we obey it ourselves
– it feels like nothing else, it feels absolutely right, it feels like the way
things were always meant to be.
The
new commandment that never gets old: love one another as Jesus has loved us.
For
many months now at all of our services we’ve been praying for the refugees
fleeing Africa and the Middle East – refugees, some of whom have been welcomed
in Europe and elsewhere, while many more have been feared, rejected, and turned
away – refugees, some of whom have drowned in the Mediterranean Sea making the
desperate trip to escape war, oppression, and poverty.
We’ve
been praying for the refugees – which is good and right – but we haven’t done
much else. I’m open to suggestions.
But,
you may have seen on the news that last week Pope Francis flew to the Greek
island of Lesbos where many refugees from the Middle East are being kept in
camps until they either find sanctuary or, more likely, are sent back.
As
you’d expect, the Pope prayed, alongside leaders of the Greek Orthodox Church –
prayed, which is right and good.
But,
the Pope did more than pray.
Understanding
the power of symbolism and the power of love, the Pope brought twelve Syrian refugees
back with him to Rome, where they will be housed and cared for at the Vatican.
On
the plane ride back to Rome, the Pope showed reporters two drawings that
refugee children had given him. One showed children drowning in the sea. And, the
other showed the sun crying.
The
twelve fortunate refugees are members of three families, include six children -
and all of them are Muslims.
The
new commandment that never gets old: love one another as Jesus has loved us.
Alleluia!
Christ is risen!
The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!
My
parents have a big wedding anniversary coming up in a couple of weeks and that
milestone has gotten me thinking about all that they gave me as a child and all
the ways they continue to support and encourage me even now.
When
I think back to my childhood, I’m struck by the fact that I can only remember
one time that my parents took a vacation without my sister and me – we stayed
over at my grandparents’ house for maybe two nights – such an unusual event
that it sticks out in my memory.
Many
of you know them today as teachers but that wasn’t always the case. When we
were kids, they worked at other jobs that didn’t give a lot of satisfaction but
were necessary so my sister and I could go to Catholic schools, and pursue our
interests, and have as many opportunities as possible.
My
parents offered – offer - models of self-sacrificial love that have shaped my
sister and me.
I’m
reminded of my parents’ self-sacrificial love because, thank God, I get to see
them pretty often, but also because I see that same kind of love among so many
of you here at St. Paul’s – parents working long hours at jobs, sometimes more
than one job, you may not particularly enjoy or find fulfilling – all to give
your kids the best shot possible.
And,
I see you grandparents devoting your retirement to babysitting, dropping off
grandchildren, great-grandchildren sometimes, at school in the morning and
picking them up again in the afternoon, giving money to help with bills, giving
up your own dreams and sacrificing rest, all for love.
The
new commandment that never gets old: love one another as Jesus has loved us.
Alleluia!
Christ is risen!
The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Most
of you know that a few months ago someone broke into our church, managing to
steal the entire offering from the previous Sunday.
We
were all very sad and disturbed when it happened. It was hard to accept that
someone would steal from this community that tries so hard to offer service to
those in need.
But,
we all know that the gnawing of addiction or the demand of unpaid bills can
make people do desperate things.
And,
we were grateful that it was only money – no one was hurt and there was little
property damage.
For
me and maybe for you, one of the sad parts of this has been the need to beef up
our security. It’s been costly and I hate anything that makes this place look
unwelcoming, but of course we have a responsibility to protect what’s been
entrusted to us.
But,
you know how God is, and, sure enough, there has been joy even amidst this loss
and sadness.
As
I’ve mentioned before, quite a few people from my former parish, Grace Church
in Madison, care about me and us and the work that we’re doing here together.
On
their own (I didn’t ask) they began sending in checks, $50, $100, $200, and
eventually they sent us more than the cash that had been taken – so much
generosity for people they barely – or, in most cases, don’t even – know!
But,
that was a while ago and by now, I had thought everybody had moved on.
But
then, last week, I got a call from a Grace parishioner who told me that I’d be
receiving a check in the mail and she wanted to explain.
It
turns out that her two grandchildren had kept mite boxes during Lent, dropping
in their spare change over those 40 holy days.
When
it came time to donate their money – it came to $30 – they decided to send it
to us – to a church they had never visited – to a priest they maybe barely
remember – to people they do not know.
Two
little kids knew that we had been hurt and they wanted to help as best they
could - so they gave what they had.
The
new commandment that never gets old: love one another as Jesus has loved us.
Alleluia!
Christ is risen!
The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!
All
these centuries later, Jesus’ new commandment to love one another is still new
because we still so often fall short – we so often break this new commandment –
just look around our world, our country, our city, and, yes, sometimes even our
church.
But,
Jesus’ new commandment to love one another never gets old because when we see
it being obeyed – when we obey it ourselves – it feels like nothing else, it
feels absolutely right, it feels like the way things were always meant to be.
The
new commandment that never gets old: love one another as Jesus has loved us.
Alleluia!
Christ is risen!
The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia! Amen.
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