Protect them in your name, so that they may be one, as we are one

Seventh Sunday in Easter

Rev. Amy Welin:
This day has been long anticipated. The papers have been written and graded. The finals have all been taken. The graduates line up in matching robes and ill-fitting mortarboards. The programs have been printed and dean of students has practiced pronouncing the names. This afternoon, my husband and I will be celebrating my daughter’s completion of her master’s degree. With solemn music and wise words from a commencement speaker, she and her colleagues will be sent off into the world. Almost as soon as the diploma is in their hands, the question is asked, “Now what are you going to do?” (Or more likely, “Did you find a job yet?”)

Even when we can celebrate, it may seem that we have no time to rest. Each accomplishment leads to another place of beginning. There is a new start, and the need to make sense of it. Perhaps a part of us that would like to just be done. But we know that is a fantasy. Life keeps changing and we have to keep up, unless we prefer to stop living. As a Christian community we wonder what we will do next. We know that we cannot rest on the accomplishments or glory of the past (as much as we might like that.) We can’t live off our memories or spent endowments. We have to live into an uncertain future. There’s no more delay. It’s time to move on. Now what are we going to do?

The resurrection of Jesus changed the disciples. They had been hiding in their upper room. Now they are walking around the temple with boldness. However, they are in an in-between time. Jesus has ascended into heaven and the disciples are waiting for what will happen next. They cannot ignore the loss of Judas, and they do not remain stuck in their feelings of betrayal. They look to the work that needs to be done and they discern that they need to complete their numbers. They choose another apostle to replace Judas. They become leaders and not just followers.

They do not yet know what the church will be. They have no idea what kind of work they will be called to do. They only know that Jesus chose twelve, and they would still need twelve. This is not a major theological issue, but there is an important principle. When we are in times of uncertainty and we seek to be faithful, sometimes the best thing to do is the little we already know how to do.

At St John’s we do not yet know what the future will be. We worry about money and members. We could wait for specific directions from on high: from God, from the bishop, from the Priest-In-Charge. But we already know what we need to do. We know that we have to be faithful. We know that we have to do something with our property. We know that we have to pay our bills. We hope to be the Episcopal Church in Waterbury.

Our anxiety grows as we look for the familiar signs of success. We tend to count the things that are most important to us. We count our money and the numbers of people attending – because these things have traditionally been the marks of health and vitality. In a world that no longer values religious participation (or participation of any kind) maybe we need to quantify different measures. I count it as a success that most of the good things that have happened in the past few years have been accomplished by our faithful members: Children’s Church, RePurposing Group, engagement with the community. There are individuals who have gifts of leadership among us, but all our acts of caring, or helping, or planning, or giving, or singing – have been contributions of many to the larger group. Our success has been together.

When Jesus is finishing his last meal with the disciples, before he is arrested and crucified, he prays for them. He prays for their unity – that they will remain connected to God and to one another. He prays for their protection – not that they can escape from the dangers of the world, but that they might be free to act in the world. Jesus prays for their joy – that they might have the joy that Jesus has, to face suffering and to find resurrection. Finally he prays to send them out to do the work that Jesus has begun – to reconcile the world to God.

Jesus does not pray for us to be comfortable. He prays for our work. He prays that we will do what God desires for us to do. Because of this prayer, there are some things we can expect. Jesus prays for our unity – we can expect unity to be hard work. Jesus prays for our new life. The new life he promises comes through resurrection after the end of the old life, and it isn’t easy. Jesus prays for protection from evil – we can expect to confront the forces of evil in our work. Jesus prays that God will send us out, just as God sent Jesus out. It is a glorious calling. It is a wonderful and blessed vocation to share God’s good news. We remember that many did not welcome the message of Jesus– and we know that it is not easy.

We cannot know the future. We know the work to which we have been called. We may never know what impact we make on those around us. We cannot even be sure that our work will lead to what is called success– but we are doing the work anyway.

We are like that graduate who crosses the stage and receives a diploma. We’ve been given responsibility along with our blessings. We don’t know how life will unfold for us just yet. Unlike that graduate, we are not alone on a stage. We have been given to one another in this community of faith. God acts in our lives more powerfully than any alumni association. We have been given God’s Spirit to guide and strengthen us. We walk with God together as we share our gifts and seek to share God’s love.

We know that God has been faithful to the disciples in the past. God has been faithful to us in the past. God will be with us as we live into the future.