Sermon Easter 5

There’s a story about a Sunday school teacher who was asking his class questions one day. He began, ‘If I sold my house and my car, had a big car boot sale and gave all my money to the poor, would that get me into heaven ?’’No !’ the children all answered. ‘If I cleaned the Church every day, mowed the grass, and kept everything really clean and tidy, would that get me into heaven ?’ Again the answer came back, ‘No !’

‘Well then, if I was kind to all people and animals, and if I gave sweets to children, and chocolates and flowers to my wife, would that get me into heaven ?’ Once again the same answer came back, ‘No !’

‘Well’, continued the teacher, ‘then how can I get into heaven ?’

A 5 year old boy shouted out, ‘You’ve got to be dead !’

Sometimes the most obvious things stare us right in the face, but we miss them, and how true this is so often of our relationship with Jesus. In the Gospel reading that we have heard today we have his famous statement, ‘I am the way, the truth and the life (John 14)’, and from the First letter of Peter (Ch.2) we are assured that ‘We are a chosen race, a Royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people…

And it’s those statements that I want to think about this morning, because both of them remind us of our calling… The Church is about the people, God’s people gathered together in fellowship for prayer and worship, for support, for mission and for proclamation of the good news of Jesus.

‘We are a chosen race, a Royal Priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people…’ It may well be that we have not seen heaven. I, for one, struggle to get a picture of what heaven might even be like, but I’m sure that it will be a wonderful place, a place where we live closely with one another and with God.

But to glimpse heaven we do not need to be dead – glimpses of heaven are all around us, and that is what God has intended for us. He has created a world full of good things, and good opportunities. Sadly at times we have neglected our responsibilities in that world, sadly we have sometimes neglected our responsibilities to others, but the fact remains that the world has many wonders and many gifts for us to enjoy, both in beauty and splendour of scenery, and in people all around us.

But even more than just glimpsing signs of heaven around us, we are actually called to BE glimpses of heaven for people around us – ‘A chosen race, a Royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people…’ We are called in our lives to live out, to reflect the love, compassion, peace, courage, hope and wisdom of Jesus. With the peace of Christ come responsibilities…

But we are not given these grand titles and then left just to fend for ourselves… Jesus provides ALL we need to live for him….that first statement in the Gospel ‘I am the way and the truth and the life’. What we are being told here is that we need to look to Christ, and only him for our answers in life

However it is incredibly difficult to think about ALL of our responses in light of the Gospel.

‘I am the way and the truth and the life’ is a statement of fact, but it is also an invitation to come closer to Jesus, to live our lives centred on him, to be strengthened by his glorious power, to be filled with his incredible compassion and understanding.

‘I am the way, the truth and the life’ is Jesus’ invitation to SHARE IN HIS LIFE. It is HIS call to follow new and exciting paths of discovery as he opens up the MAGIC OF HIS KINGDOM to us. Put like that it almost sounds like a fairy story, but this is not fairy story, because Jesus came to address big and serious issues, and he expects us TO DO THAT as well.

‘I am the way, the truth, and the life’ The way to God is the way of Jesus. That way is both the path he trod, and the path he is. It is the "the way of the cross", which, for Stephen, as for so many who came after him, was no figure of speech – they followed Christ not only on a journey to the poor and needy, but also to their death for professing their faith.

Christians were once simply those who belonged to "the way" (Acts 9.2). Later on, they became "the Church". It was THEN that things began to go belly-up. Somewhere, back along the line, some would say we "lost the way". Ever since then, we have been trying to find it again.

In Chapter 17 of Johns Gospel, we hear Jesus praying aloud: Praying that His followers – would be united in their mission to spread the Good News.

"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.

And again;

May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

The way, for Christians – for the Royal priesthood is the way of UNITY. So, surely, beyond all else, we should seek unity as Christians in a world that thrives on schism and division. Surely, Christians should be identifiable by their desire for unity, even though the natural human desire is for disunity. Surely, Christians should try to build bridges to bridge the widest gaps, and to give the glory to God through their peacemaking work?

The funny thing is though, that if you speak to men and women in the street, they will tell you that ‘Religion’ causes wars. They will also tell you that they won’t go to church because they see it as a ‘closed club’ where the people are always fighting and bickering. This is the real sadness, the Christian church appears to have become known in the world not as the place that ‘bridges gaps’ but the place which creates exactly the thing that Our Lord prayed about.

It’s a bit like being an apprentice in charge of ONE thing. Your boss goes out for the day and says “do what you like, put your feet up, have a six hour lunch break if you like…but don’t forget to lock the shop before you go home”, and as you get to work the next day, your boss is stood outside the shop you forgot to lock up with all the stock stolen.

Jesus prays out loud that we should live in unity – we should be known for our acceptance and compassion, and what do some people know us for? – schism and division. You have to laugh, otherwise you would cry.

And sometimes I wonder when I pray does anybody listen, because I pray for unity in our churches every day – I pray for you and I pray for myself, that we can grow and learn more from each other about the importance of us being one – and I get upset with God because he obviously isn’t listening to me – then I remember this part of the Gospel when Jesus prayed for unity;

“May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”

And it makes me feel better – because it isn’t just about me, because Jesus hasn’t had his prayer answered yet either.

‘We are a chosen race, a Royal Priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people…’ let us do all we can to make heaven a reality here on earth – in our care and acceptance of one another.