Loading...Sermon May 22, 2016
The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers, LSW
The Church of the Nativity and St. Stephen, Newport, PA
First Sunday after Pentecost – Trinity Sunday
Jesus said to the disciples, "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. John 16:12-13
Please be seated.
In 1918, when my grandmother was 9 years old, her mother died. I’m not clear if it was the flu epidemic or childbirth or a combination of both. A large funeral was held for my 39-year old great-grandmother. A custom of taking photos at the time shows a large funeral procession. My great-grandfather was left as a single father of six children.
As the story was told to me, it was a short time after that my great-grandfather boarded a train for New York City. He knew a woman there, who lived in Brooklyn. They were both from the island of Lipari, one of the Italian islands. This woman had recently been widowed and had no children.
My great-grandfather married her and only on the train ride back to Syracuse, did he tell her she was now the mother of six children! You can imagine there were some tough times in that household. All of the girls were required to crochet each afternoon. My great Aunt Mary said she always kicked her thread under the sofa, she hated it so much. Frances was married just a few years later at the age of 15. My grandmother said, “our heads were small and we didn’t understand.”
My grandmother and her brothers and sisters did take care of their stepmother throughout her life. I knew her as my great-grandmother and in fact have her China and a locket with her first husband’s photo in it. I was a teenager before I knew that she was a step-mother, even though I was told to call her Cia. If I had known Italian, I might have asked about this, since Cia means Aunt rather than Great grandmother.
“Our heads were small and we didn’t understand,” seems to be another way to say what Jesus was telling the disciples in our Gospel today. This reading is part of Jesus’ farewell discourse to the disciples prior to his going to Calvary. In this section, Jesus affirms that his life, actions and teaching come from God.
Jesus shattered so many of the rules, laws and social customs of his community and his time. Jesus spoke to women and included them as His followers. Jesus spoke to the outcasts of the social order and included them. Jesus often denounced the societal structure of the time as one that created injustice and oppression.
Most of us can only take so much change or disruption in our worldview at one time. Jesus knew that. In this part of Jesus’ farewell, he is telling us that what he’s done to shatter the worldview of the times, was only the beginning. There was so much more to learn and to know and to grow into. Our heads are small and we don’t understand it all at once.
It seems like in much of Christianity today, we deny these words of Jesus Christ. We do not believe that the Holy Spirit is truly at work in the world. We’re not always sure that the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, is with us and guiding us and even declaring to us the things that are to come in the future.
Jesus’ work on earth was not the end. There was so much more Jesus wanted us to know and to understand. There was so much more God wanted us to know and to understand. We couldn’t hear it. So the Holy Spirit came on that day of Pentecost and now dwells within each of us so that we can grow and change and hear, finally, those things Jesus wanted to tell us….those things Jesus wanted us to know.
So the question we must ask ourselves today, is how ready are we to receive the teachings and guidance of the Holy Spirit? Are we continuing to grow into a mature faith? What do we need from this community of The Church of the Nativity and St. Stephen to be open to God’s shattering of our World view? What do we need from this community of The Church of the Nativity and St. Stephen to hear the Holy Spirit and to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit wherever that may lead? What do we need from this community of The church of the Nativity and St. Stephen to embody Christ’s life, love and teaching to the world?
There’s the last session of Parlor People today and planning for the 2016-2017 Sundays. There’s the Tuesday Centering Prayer and Taize’ service. There’s our weekly worship. There’s Godly Play for the children and soon confirmation classes for our youth. There are so many committees active within our parish and taking our parish to the community.
What is it that you need to grow into maturity in your faith? Yes, our heads may be small. Yes, we may not be able to take everything in all at once. If we truly love Jesus. If we truly follow Jesus, then we will do our best to open ourselves to the things we must learn. We will do our best to open ourselves to the maturity of our faith.
Amen
