Spread the Word

Today’s scripture reading is from John 17:20-26 (English Standard Version)

 20"I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. 24Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. 26 I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them."

In our reading today it’s Maundy Thursday and Jesus is praying.

Do you see the amazing part of this that Christ is preparing to be crucified for the sins of the people? He is praying for us, not what he is about to go through. We the believers, are in His mind.

Now if Jesus in these times is praying that we all may be united through the belief in Him, how important do you think this is? I think it’s very important. He wants us to be one church. And how is that going to be accomplished? It is going to be accomplished through God’s word being spread by us to others so that they will believe too.

You know one of the things that I have learned is that spreading the saving word of God is a great experience. For years I thought that it would be great to be able to do that but then I didn’t have the background. I didn’t really know what I was talking about. After all who was I to be telling you what you should do or what you should believe. I was afraid of being rebuked. I was afraid that I wouldn’t have the right answers. I really lacked the confidence to do it. And for all those years I was WRONG!

You don’t have to be a Pastor or a Vicar or Deacon, Deaconess, Lay minister or Evangelist to be able to tell of the saving grace of the Son of God.

What you need is the Holy Spirit. And a lot of you here are full of the Holy Spirit. I know because I have seen it first hand. Those that know me know that my confidence level is low sometimes. Not confidence in the Lord or His Word but in me. You have always encouraged me with God’s word and I know that comes from the Holy Spirit in your heart.

So you may ask yourselves why? Why should I tell someone about God’s Word? There are churches all over the place. Everyone knows that if you want to hear this Jesus stuff, all you have to do is pick out a church and go. If you want to sleep in then just pick up a Bible and read it. A friend of mine always says to me, “A bible is only 400 pages long. Just read it and get on with your life.”  

A lot of people do know that but we all have this thing that gets in the way. We all have a distraction that can be so easily justified in our minds. We all have sin that keep us separated from God. It is because of the desire of Jesus that we be united with Him that we hear this prayer on Maundy Thursday. Not even a full day will pass when our Lord will be betrayed and crucified for us to remove these sins of ours. Christ knows that it is sin that separates us and in a little more than three days from this exact time we will see His desire fulfilled. With our sin forgiven by Christ’s defeat of death and Satan we can be united with God.

That is the good news that needs to be shared.

What a great thing to do for others.  I mean if we really believe that Jesus died for our sins and that we will have eternal life in His name even though we sin every single day, wouldn’t it be great to let someone else in on that news?

Have you ever felt let down? I have. What if we could change that? Wouldn’t it be great to let someone know that though they may feel that the world has let them down that there is someone who loves them and will never let them down?

Have you ever had a health problem or do you know someone who has? Would it not be heart warming to let someone know who may have been diagnosed with a health problem that there is comfort from Jesus and that he has built a place for them in heaven? All they need would be belief.  They will then be united with Him in paradise forever.

Have you ever-just run away from God or again know someone who did? Wouldn’t it be great to tell someone that has run away from God that His arms are open to them no matter what they had done or what they had been through?

Jesus is praying for everyone that spreads His Word. He is praying for all that believe in Him. He wants everyone to believe.

Why? Why does Jesus pray for the spreading of God’s Word? He prays this so that through His word we are united and that the world knows that God sent him. He wants us to have the same glory that God has given him.

In verse John 24 Jesus prays: Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

That we, united through the Word, be with Jesus to see His glory! Jesus wants us with Him.

Have you ever been on vacation and wrote to someone back home to describe just how beautiful things were there and you finished writing by saying “wish you were here”.

Jesus is saying that right here. This is His post card to us. Wish you were here to see my glory. The desire of Christ is that we be with Him. And being with the Christ is the only way to be close to God.  No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)

Jesus is God. We believe in the Trinitarian God so although Jesus is God He is not the Father. But because He is fully God and there is only one God He is surely the way to know the Father and to get to the Father.

Jesus is in heaven and sitting on the right hand of God but He still needs us to spread His Word. Jesus is praying for the people to do this. He is praying this while the entire time He knows that His crucifixion is waiting for Him.

Needing people, us, to spread His message is a very strong calling.

Last year as many of you know I had the opportunity to go to Kenya on a mission trip. I had never been on a mission trip before much less been to Kenya so I was very excited to go. To be able to go and have a successful trip you of course have to plan what you are going to do. At the time of our planning, Pastor Dan Schmeltzer was in the United States and was able to come to one of our first planning meetings. Dan and his wife Patty run Capstone Ministries in Kisumu Kenya and work with boys who live on the streets and try to get them back to their homes to live a safer life.

Some of these boys have chosen to live on the streets to get away from an abusive family situation. Some have been kicked out and still some think that it may be easier to live on the street.  Most find that life on the street is not as good as they may have thought but then have no way to get back home. Running away causes fear in some of what may happen when they get home. Some are just afraid to go home because of the abuse. Either way they are in need of a mediator to go home.

So we are in our planning meeting sitting around and all wondering what we could “do” for the Kenyans. We of course were thinking like Americans, go figure, and we came up with things like why don’t we build an orphanage for them. Dan asked how many we had in the States. We said none. Why, because they don’t work. Then why do you want to build one for them.  OK, clean water is a problem. We could buy them a pump and put in a well.  Dan said that there are Kenyans that can do that but no one will hire them to do it.  So we went back and forth with ideas and then Dan finally suggested that we could go there and uphold them spiritually.

The room got quiet as we all let that thought sink in. Then someone blurted out. Hey, we could teach. And that is what we finally did. The lay people taught Sunday school teachers and gave them curriculum and the pastors and vicar taught their pastors and evangelists some more intense theology. All in all we went to spread the word of God and uphold them to do the same.

Jesus wants us there with him. In Kenya I saw so many things that were out of the norm for me. From the suffering of so many people that had nothing, to the joy in there faces when they praised the Lord. There were giraffes and elephants and so much other beauty in nature that is no more beautiful than we have right here in New Hartford but it sure was different. Though there were many others to share it with I wanted to share it with my friends and family back home. Although I was blessed to be able to share it with my daughter Amy who was with me. I kept thinking “I wish they were here”.

Jesus tells us in his prayer today that he wishes we were there with Him. I know I want to be there with Him too.  A couple of weeks ago Pastor said that he wants to go to heaven and take as many of us with him as possible.  Well Christ wants that too. He wants us with him. For God so loved the world, everything that He created, that he gave His only Son to die for us so that who ever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

If it takes people to tell others of this desire of Christ, and the news that our sins can not and will not stand in the way of the glory of Jesus, then how can we not tell others about this?

Let’s come back the 12,000 or so miles from Kenya to the beautiful Northwest corner of Connecticut .

Not everyone is interested in mission work in Africa . That’s fine and senders are also needed to spread God’s Word. This year I’m a sender.

We can and need to spread the word of God right here too. And how are we going to do that you ask? We will spread the Word with the help of the Holy Spirit. We need to support all of the committees at St. Paul ’s. We need to do it by supporting our Kids for Christ program to help the children foster their love of Jesus. We need to continue to reach out to the community with our Vacation Bible School to little ones that have never heard of Jesus and bring them to church. We need to make sure that our nursery school has what it needs for the community too and keep the love of Jesus in the lives of these children. Some of them will not find that love any place else. We need to support the New England District and the Synod so the message of Christ can get proclaimed across the country. We need to keep our vicarage program going to train Pastors for the growth of God’s Kingdom. We need to continue to support the efforts of our missions in Kenya and let these people know that we care enough about them to help them spread God’s Word there too. We need to keep God’s Word going.

We are united with God through the salvation of the blood of Jesus Christ. We need to be one voice for all people to hear. St Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:4-6 (English Standard Version)

⁴There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

How would you feel if someone you knew passed away and you were not sure if they believed in Christ or not? I have been there. Believe me that it is not a pleasant feeling to think that, yeah I should have said something or said more to make sure that they too knew of the saving grace of God.

It’s not too late to share with someone right now. A quiet prayer with a sick or hurting friend, helping a neighbor in need, tell someone “Christ loves you”, or invite a person in need to come to church with you. Let your love of Christ show.

Listen again to the Words of Christ in His prayer from our reading today:

That they may all be one

So that the world may believe that you (God) have sent me (Jesus).

I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known,

That is why I hear Jesus praying for the believers to spread His Word today.

Let’s tell everyone the good news of Christ and that He wants to give His glory to us.

Some of the people we meet every day and the people we love may not have anybody else that will tell them.

Amen

Kevin Mongeau    5-16-2010