6^th Sunday of Easter

Acts 16:9-15, Psalm 67, Revelation 21:10, 22—22:5, John 14:23-29

John 14:23-29

²³ Jesus answered [Judas (not Iscariot)], “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. ²⁴ Whoever does not love me does not keep my words, and the word that you hear is not mine but is from the Father who sent me.
  ²⁵ “I have said these things to you while I am still with you. ²⁶ But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I have said to you. ²⁷ Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. ²⁸ You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I am coming to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. ²⁹ And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur you may believe.”

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The Place We Don’t Always See

Grace to you, beloved of God, and peace from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 

This peace is different, though. 

It is a peace that only the Lamb that sits at the throne can give. 

Weapons cannot enforce this peace.

Walls, bars, and barbed wire fences cannot keep this peace. 

Fear cannot maintain this peace. 

Violence cannot bring about this peace. 

The Truth is all these things,

They may provide mere mortals with safety

And whole communities with security,

But they cannot sustain the Peace of the Christ,

For they take away the life of some to give it to others.

They are bound to defy divine justice.

They go against the grain of divine hope.

Kings and empires, they tried this before.

Incas, Mayas, Aztecs, Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, 

Greeks, Romans, Ottomans, Mongolians, British, 

They are all gone.

The love of God, however, still marches on,

Creating and recreating this peace.

It endures in the hearts of the stewards of God’s grace,

The beloved community of saints,

The believers in what the Lamb has to say, 

The keepers of Jesus’ words, 

The practitioners of love.

And this peace is our home.

It is the home that arrives for us. 

It is the promised gift, hand-delivered by the Holy Spirit of Truth. 

It is the place where strangers go down to the river to pray.

But it is the place where the bully, the thug, and the deceiver cannot go. 

It is a place where we are free to share our memories and tell our stories. 

It is the place where we don’t get to be gaslighted, demonized, ambushed, or shamed. 

It is a place where we can be imperfect, 

make mistakes, and not always be clean.

We can go to this place.

We can go to this place because there,

In the living waters of grace and forgiveness, 

The crusts of disgrace are removed from our skin.

It is a place where we wash each other’s feet.

It’s a place where it’s okay to laugh, cry, disagree, and celebrate.  

It is a place where there will be a next time. 

It is a place with no padlocks, 

No price to pay, no one to own, 

Where God’s abundance is sufficient. 

It is a place where there is a bed, a roof, and a meal 

To share with someone eager to sit with us. 

It is the place out of the deepest valleys of despair 

into green pastures and calm waters. 

It is the place where we get restored and reconciled. 

It is a place where the ordeals cease, 

Where we cry tears of joy.

This place has many dwellings.

It is a city of many homes.

This is the place where God’s promises become real.

Every Sunday and most days, 

We pray for this place, 

We pray for this Kingdom to come, 

So we can be at home. 

But the city is already here, 

Everyone who believes may live because of it

Can’t you see it?

Hail to the Lamb, the Alpha, Omega, 

the beginning and the end, 

His words will never pass away.

Christ forever. Amen.