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Sermon - The Sixth Sunday of Easter Year B - 27th April 2008
St Aidans & St Albans Epping
Readings: John 14:15-21; 1 Peter 3:8-22
One of the big questions facing the church today is “How should
believing people behave in our world?” If you are a person of faith,
how should you relate to your community. If you’re like me you may
feel tempted to keep very quiet about it, that your faith is a matter
between you and God. Once you tell people today that you believe in
God they can be quick to assume you are a fundamentalist, you are
an extremist, that somehow you are anti-society. Many people who I
want to call fundamentalists behave in this way. Bu what do we mean
by a fundamentalist. Usually its those persons who believe they know
all the truth and who also believe that most other people are in the
wrong. They believe its their job to point out how everyone else is
wrong and they possess the truth. But usually, it also means that
because they believe they are right, they are free to behave any way
they like. A fundamentalist seems to think that because they must be
right, they are free to use any method to defend truth as they see it.
So a fundamentalist may feel there is nothing morally wrong with
strapping explosives to their body and walking into a crowd and
pressing the detonation button. It is a way of fighting those opposed to
their truth. It is a way of drawing attention to what they believe. The
human toll of suffering is not to be considered if it promotes the
fundamentalist cause. The belief is being right seems to free him from
all moral constraints. We have seen in Sydney a verbal attack by the
rector of Bellvue Hill upon Justice Michael Kirby. The rector has
asked the Judge to repent of his behaviour, particularly his living in a
same sex relationship. However, whether you are opposed to
homosexuality or not, does the rector of Bellvue Hill have the right to
call the judge “a coward, a liar and a law-breaker” to quote him
directly. How should a Christian express their faith and their point of
view? How should they express those things in a world that does not
share those same beliefs or values? Because a Christian might want
to disagree with their world are they free to behave any way they like
to express their dissent? Is there an example to follow, is there
someone who has shown us how to live, and how to live in a world
that is opposed to Christian beliefs? Well, of course, one good answer
would be Jesus himself. He showed us a way of living, but it hasn’t
been very popular. What he taught was completely out of step with the
world he lived in. But how did he handle that? Did he abuse those
who disagreed with him? Did he resort to any device to win his
argument? We know he did none of those things. Our gospel reading
this morning comes from a long discourse that Jesus gave his
disciples the night before he was executed. He is about to be captured
and killed. How does he handle that? He has his band of followers.
Does he plot to save himself? Does he sort out how to turn the
situation to his advantage? Does he attempt to attack and manipulate
his enemies? It raises the question of how do you live with your
enemies? Most people would like to follow the advice of the Irish
football coach who counselled his team to get their revenge in first.
And behind the question of how do you live with your enemies is the
question of how do we live with evil? Jesus had broken no law, he had
hurt no one, he had stolen from no one. But he was hated by those in
power and they were determined to kill him. How do you respond to
that? Jesus answer is not a popular one. We may like to fight fire with
fire. To give as good as you get. But he doesn’t take this option. Later
he counselled Peter that those who live by the sword will die by the
sword. Rather, in these moments before his death, Jesus message is
the message of love. He began his ministry teaching “love your
enemies, and do good to those who hate you”. Now, as he faces his
own death the message is the same. – the command to love. Jesus
command in verse 15 is somewhat circular, “If you love me you will
obey what I command.” Love is demonstrated in obedience. But what
has he commanded? His command is to love. So to put it another way,
Jesus is saying, “If you truly love me then you too will love.” In this
time of crisis for both Jesus and his disciples, this is what they are to
do. In this crisis them mustn’t abandon their plans and do something
else because things aren’t working for them. Rather Jesus’ command
is that they must go on as they did in the past. In spite of the horror
they are about to face they must continue to love. What is more, Jesus
promises to send to them another Advocate. He is about to leave them
but he will be replaced by this advocate. In the next few chapters this
advocate is mentioned several times. But it’s the only place that the
Holy Spirit is described like this. In each translation the word keeps
changing. Sometimes its comforter, sometimes its paraclete,
sometimes its counsellor. The same word is used in the Old Testament
to describe Job’s counsellors. So why is Jesus talking about the Holy
Spirit like this. He probably has several reasons. First, it is to remind
the disciples that though he is leaving, they won’t be abandoned. He
will go but they will receive God’s Holy Spirit. The second reason is to
indicate what the Holy Spirit will do. Jesus is sending this Advocate to
encourage them to continue to live in the way he has instructed them.
They are to continue in love no matter what challenges they face.
Notice what Jesus says next, “The world cannot accept him, because
it neither sees him or knows him.” The world knows nothing of the
Holy Spirit because that is not how the world works. Our world is
obsessed with power. Might is right. History is always the story of the
winners, the bigger armies, the strongest economies. History has
triumphalism as a constant theme. The world knows so little about
love. And so the Holy Spirit will come to take the disciples in an
entirely different direction to the rest of the world. And if we see
ourselves as followers of Jesus then the same command to love is laid
upon us. Notice how Peter reading this morning he fills out this
teaching, “Have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a
tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or abuse
for abuse; but on the contrary, repay with a blessing.” Further on he
writes, “Turn away from evil and do good – seek peace and pursue it.”
these are lovely words but Peter is not preaching some dreamy
idealism. We can’t compare these words to something like the
“Desiderata”. We don’t see much of that poem these days, but it
begins, Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what
peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and
clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.” They are fine sentiments but Peter takes it
deeper than that. He writes “Even if you do suffer for doing what is
right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear. Don’t be
intimidated.” He is writing to Christians in a hostile world. He writes
to people who live in a world where love is viewed as weakness, where
tyrants dominate the weak with monotonous regularity. And the last
weapon of the tyrant is always death. This is fear that tyrants use to
maintain power. But Peter’s command is they need fear death no
longer because Jesus has conquered death, he raises the dead to life.
Therefore, Christians need not fear the tyrant. They need not be
intimidated because the tyrants weapon has been taken away. But
this is not instructions on how to beat the tyrant. Peter’s point is that
even in the face of the tyrant, the Christian is always free to obey
Jesus command to love one another, to show sympathy and a tender
heart. It is unlikely that we will ever have to face what Peter faced, or
suffer as Peter suffered. If his command is to love in all situations,
then how much more does that obligation rest with us who enjoy
freedom to live, and freedom to believe what we like. But our freedom
is not to be used to abuse others, to malign their character. We are
not free to behave like the fundamentalist who believes the ends
justify the means, who believes they can do whatever they like
because basically they are inherently right. Jesus doesn’t focus on the
goals but on the means. Its how we live now that is important. If we as
Anglicans are know for our gentleness and our reverence – that would
be a good indicator that we are on the right track.