Sixth Easter

              May 13, 2007

    Jack had died.  His attorney, several family members, and business associates were together for the reading of the last will and testament.  “To my dear wife Esther, I leave the house, 50 acres of land, and two million dollars, after taxes.  To my son Barry, I leave the big Lexus and the Jaguar and $250,000.  To my daughter Suzy, I leave the yacht and $250,000.  And to my brother-in-law Jeff, who moved in with us right after college and wouldn’t leave, who smoked all my favorite cigars, drank my good brandy, and who said I wouldn’t mention him in my will and that health was better than wealth anyway.  ‘Hello, Jeff’ and I leave you my treadmill.” 

     It has been suggested, more truthfully than we care to admit, that the genuine character of a family can best be determined by watching them divide an estate.  Sadly, our culture places such emphasis on material things and families tend to fight over accumulated stuff.  Greed does reveal character; not generally the kind for which we wish to be remembered. 

     At any rate, that’s not what I wanted to talk with you about today.  I want to talk a bit about another “last will and testament.”  This one was left prior to the death of a person we know as Jesus the Christ.  He did not wait until after his death to define his lasting relationship with his closest friends, his pupils, his brothers and sisters.  He made three requests of them and then he made a promise to them.  In a very real sense he made a covenant with his disciples before returning to the Father.

     He first asked that they believe him.  Such a simple request, but so very difficult for me to do consistently.  “Believe in me,” he asks.  This first request sets the stage for the relationship.  In every conversation recorded in John’s Gospel, we can hear the Lord Jesus Christ soliciting a faith response from a hearer.  He made it clear that he had come to reveal the Father in the midst of a world that has turned hostile against its very creator.  Redemption is possible only on the basis of faith.  There can be no substitute for believing in him.  It all finds its origin right there. 

     Secondly, Jesus the Christ asked that his followers do greater works than he did.  Belief requires more than intellectual assent.  Belief in him requires action in his behalf.  The Gospel allows no place for those whose faith does not lead them to do something as a result of their belief in him.  Jesus promised his followers that they would do even greater works than he had done.  It sometimes sounds blasphemous, but remember that Jesus preached in Galilee, Judea, and Samaria. 

          The church, as the continuing incarnation of his presence in the world, continues to carry the gospel around the world.  Jesus left just twelve, including one who would betray him, another who would run away as the first sight of trouble, and another who would deny even knowing who he was after swearing he would never do such a thing.  The church has millions who claim allegiance to him.  Faith requires that we continue to do greater works of fulfilling the mission of the church around the world. 

     Finally, Jesus the Christ asked his followers to keep his commandments.  Continuing his work will be possible only as we strive to keep his commandments.  In John’s Gospel there are basically only two commandments.  They are “believe in God, believe also in me,” and “love one another as I have loved you.”  This is not a covenant between equals, as much as we might like to think so.  We do not dictate our wishes to God, we are to obey his commands, and thereby find our lives in order, fulfillment, and peace.  He said, “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.  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.”  It is not possible to do greater works without keeping the commandments he handed on as first priority.  Believing in him, loving him, and loving the world he made and the neighbors in it lead to greater works.

     The promise, if we keep these three requests, is that we will have his abiding presence, a guide, a comforter, and a teacher.  This two-sided covenant has each partner making a commitment to the other.  Jesus called his followers to do wonderful things beyond any human ability.  The power to do these things would have to come from a source beyond human control.  The promised counselor, the Holy Spirit of God, through whom he would be with the followers always and by whom he would empower them to fulfill everything he had called them to perform remains active in the world.  As I have said many times, the bloated pigeon is not the proper symbol for the presence of the Holy Spirit.  The barn swallow is much more accurate.  The Holy Spirit swoops, darts, rises, pecks, dives, and leads those who are committed to striving to do what God in Christ has called them to do.  The Spirit empowers for service, not just so people might have a thrilling experience.  If the extent of the work of the Holy Spirit is so a person might utter a prophetic word or mutter something in an unknown tongue, I submit God wouldn’t waste such time.

     In a couple of weeks we will enter the season of Pentecost.  We will celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit and the founding of the church.  We need to ponder a question: are we ready to renew the covenant again with the Lord of this life and the life that is to come?  Are we ready to believe, to work, and to strive to obey him?  If so, along the way, the fluttering wings of the darting gift of God will streak passed our faces.  We will experience the presence of Jesus the Christ as comforter, counselor, and spirit of truth, sustaining us with strength for the journey and empowering us to greater works. 

     The last will and testament has been read.  Wonder of wonders and miracles of miracles, we are listed as an heir and made inheritors of the Kingdom of God.  There is no greater legacy any of us will ever be given than that.  Amen.