The
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 the Dean of
students has practiced pronouncing the names. With solemn music and wise words
from the commencement speaker, the graduates are 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?”
It
seems we have no time to rest. Each accomplishment leads to another place of
beginning. We graduate, we move, we get a job, but always there is a new start,
and the need to make sense of it. There is a part of us that would like to
rest: to be done. But we know that is a fantasy. Life keeps changing and we
have to keep up or stop living. As a Christian community we wonder what we will
do next. We know that we cannot rest on the glory of the past. We can’t live
off of memories or endowments. We have to live into an uncertain future.
There’s no more delay. It’s time to move on.
The
disciples were already changed by the resurrection of Jesus. 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. One of their
number – Judas, has betrayed Jesus and killed himself. They do not ignore his
loss. They do not remain stuck in their feelings of betrayal. They look to the
work that needs to be done as they know it to be done and they discern that
they need to complete their numbers. They choose another to replace Judas.
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.
We’re
worried about money and members. We could wait for specific directions from on
high: from God, from the bishop, from your brilliant Priest-In-Charge. But we
already know what we should do. We know that we have to go deeper and
rediscover the source of our faith – and we are. We know that we need to use
all the gifts and resources that we bring – and we are. We know we need to look
outside of these walls and discover what God is doing in the world – and we are
doing this.
Our
anxiety is heightened because we have yet to see 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 measure different
values. I count it as a success that we are trying new ways of being church. We
are letting go of old things and trying on new things. We are listening to each
other and remembering what we love about one another. We are discovering the
joy of working with God in reconciling with each other and seeing how God is
reconciling the world.
When
Jesus is finishing his last meal with the disciples, before he is about to be
arrested and crucified, he prays for them. He prays for their unity – that they
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 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 our comfort. 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
should 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 and it isn’t easy. Jesus prays for protection from evil – we can
expect to face evil in our work. Jesus prays that God will send us out just as
God sends Jesus out. It is a glorious calling. It is a wonderful and blessed
vocation to share God’s good news. Just remember how Jesus was received – it’s
not easy work.
We
can’t know the future. We know the work to which we have been called. It is
good work but difficult work. We will never know who we reach or what impact we
make on those around us. We can’t even be sure that our work will lead to the
continuation of this worshipping community – but we do 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. God acts in our
lives more powerfully than any alumni association. We are given God’s Spirit to
guide and strengthen us. We have been given to one another in this community of
faith. We walk with God together as we share our gifts and seek to share God’s
love.
We
do not know the future. 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.
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