2 Corinthians 13:5-14
Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the
faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of
course, you fail the test? And I trust that you will discover that we have not
failed the test. Now we pray to God that you will not do anything wrong—not so that
people will see that we have stood the test but so that you will do what is
right even though we may seem to have failed. For we cannot do anything against
the truth, but only for the truth. We
are glad whenever we are weak but you are strong; and our prayer is that you
may be fully restored. This is why I write these things when I am absent, that
when I come I may not have to be harsh in my use of authority—the authority
God gave me for building you up, not for tearing you down. Finally, brothers
and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of
one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet
one another with a holy kiss. All God’s people here send their greetings.
May the grace of our Saviour Jesus Christ, and
the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Matthew 28:16-20
Then the
eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to
go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to
them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Creator and of the Redeemer and of
the Sustainer, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And
surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
***
Will you pray with me? You
who are, who encompass every time and place, we open our hearts to you. Change
us to whatever you would have us be, teach us to offer others a way to you,
strengthen us to be beacons of your light and love in the world. In all your
many names, amen.
“Strive for full restoration.” “Our prayer is that you may be fully restored.” “All authority has been given to me.” “Teach them to obey everything.” “Make disciples of all nations.” “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Such words and images of
completeness, of fulfillment. There are no half-way measures here. God in
Christ doesn’t sort-of do things. On the contrary. God’s grace leads the writers to use words like full, complete, all, every,
always. Complete restoration--not almost or nearly==but fully. All nations--not
just the ones we are comfortable with, not just the ones who are friendly or
like us. All nations.
And here is the one that is
most comforting, and also most worrisome--I am with you always. Not just
sometimes, when we pray, or when we call on Jesus, but all the time. Whether we
are consciously thinking of it or not, God is with us. Which is comforting in
some ways--God has also heard the words used to hurt us, or belittle us; God
knows what we have been through--the pain, the fear, the abuse, the
abandonment. God is with us even when we feel lost and alone. That is
comforting. But--and here's the part where we may begin to squirm a bit--God is
there when we act out, when we behave in ways that are not part of our best
selves--when we deliberately hurt someone, or ignore a plea for help, or
pretend we really can't do something when the truth is we just don't want to.
But even though God is fully aware of our shortcoming and errors, God doesn't
turn away; God isn't disgusted or angry and punishing. God remains with us,
even in that place of errors and arrogance and fear. There's an old-time gospel
saying--there is no spot where God is not.
Always and everywhere, God
is present with us. We are not alone, even though is sometimes feels like it.
God works through the friend who calls for no reason; the co-worker who takes
you to lunch when you're having a terrible day; the partner who just holds you
when there's nothing else to be done.
And this is so
wonderful--to never feel abandoned, never alone, never unwanted or cast out or
despised--because God loves us, and is never apart from us. God is with all
people, whether they are aware of it or not--the new dad holding his son for
the first time, the sex worker shivering on the street, desperate to turn one
more trick so she can go home where it is warm, at least; the surgeon preparing
to operate; the prison inmate who wishes she knew another way to get by in the
world; the couple who can finally legally marry, after 20 years together.
But do they know it? Can
they feel God with then? Do they even know it is possible? I think we tend to
be more aware of God's presence when we are happy or celebrating--we are so
happy, God must be happy too. But when we are in pain or struggling, we seem to
feel that the mess is God's fault, that we have been abandoned by God. But this
is also when we can feel closest to God-God who weeps with us, shares in our
burdens. Remember, Jesus was poor--he wandered from village to village,
homeless. Hid family didn't understand, not until close to the end. He was
condemned as a criminal and executed. He knew what it was like to have doors
slammed in his face because of who he was--a poor Jew in a country occupied by
enemies, a teacher who went against the received wisdom, a rebel against the
system. He knew what it was to have a chosen family of his disciples because
his birth family didn't understand or accept him. He has been where despair and
grief are overwhelming.
Wherever we are, God is
there with us--celebrating or grieving, in joy or struggle, in anger, in
loneliness, in contentment, in love, in safety or in danger, God is always
with us.
And not just now, not just
in the moment, but at all times. We can look back, and see that God was with
us--we may not have been aware of it at the time, but God's presence is clear
to us now--we can see how God acted in that place and time. If we open the eyes
of our hearts and spirits, we can be aware of God's presence with us now--that
loving presence, offering guidance and hope, a path when there seems to be no
way.
Knowing that God was
present in the past, that God is present with us now, we can be confident that
God will be with us in the future, too. No matter what may come our way, good
or ill, God is always present. Hang onto that; when things get desperate or
painful or seem hopeless, remember that God is with you through it. When you
are celebrating, when everything is going your way, when you feel like you have
won the lottery of life, remember--God is with you. Take it with you, write it on your heart and
soul--"There is no spot where God is not."
In all God's names, amen.
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