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United Church of Paducah
4600 Buckner Lane
Paducah, KY 42001
(270) 442-3722
Worship Times
Sunday Service: 10:00a
Refreshments &
Fellowship: 11:15a
Christian Education
For All Ages:
11:20a - Noon
Nursery Services Provided Handicap Accessible
All Are Welcome!
A Congregation Of The
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From May 20, 2007
Eavesdropping on Jesus
John 17: 20-26
Neal needed work and badly. A shy guy, I
suggested Neal speak to a colleague. Something went right; a
week later, Neal had work in the mailroom, our building's
conversational crossroads. Stopping by that office was an
important part of many people's day, including mine.
Not long after Neal started, I asked how things were going.
My friend of few words couldn't stop talking and I couldn't
believe my ears.
Did I know about Lydia and her husband, Neal asked as he
shook his head in disbelief. And had I heard the heated
exchange in the hallway last week between the department
head and his underling?
Huh? "How do you know all this? I asked, partly doubting,
partly shocked.
"I pay attention," he said plainly. "I listen when I work."
Well, I guess so! Turns out, Neal was the master of
eavesdropping, something most of us were taught is impolite.
Most of the time it is. But not today. In fact, this morning
the author of John's gospel wants us to hear every word of
Jesus' prayerful conversation with God. Why? Because Jesus
is talking about people we know.
But guess what? This isn't just any prayer, nor is it just
any day. It comes at the close of Jesus' last day with his
disciples. Jesus has just washed his disciples' feet and
then has done his darndest to be sure they're prepared for
what is to come. It's been a long, full night. And it's only
just beginning.
Jesus knows this. So before he rises to meet his fate on the
other side of the Kidron Valley, Jesus bows his head and
offers a prayer, one that the gospel writer wants us to
hear.
It's perfectly natural that Jesus would want to pray now but
as we listen what catches us off guard is who and what is on
his mind.
"I ask," we hear Jesus murmur, "not only on behalf of these
[disciples], but also on behalf of those who will believe in
me through their [the disciples] word...."
Jesus starts small and then goes big, really big. His prayer
is like a great net, reaching out over the twelve, then all
those whose lives they will touch, and then the next
generation of believers, then the next. All the way to us,
Jesus' prayer stretches. And then every generation to come.
This is how far Jesus' prayerful concern goes.
But it isn't just who Jesus lifts up that makes his prayer
so moving. It's also what he wants for us. "I ask not only
on behalf of these [the disciples], but also on behalf of
those who will believe me through their word, that they may
all be one."
"That they may all be one."
Perched on the edge of his mortal existence, readying
himself to give his life for us, it's not enough for Jesus
that we would come to believe. Although that alone makes for
a powerful prayer.
No. Jesus' prayer goes further. He prays for something more:
our unity. Not just among ourselves but unity with God,
unity with him.
Which makes sense. Our unity is a consequence of communion
with God. Sure, we might figure out that being united is a
good thing, we might start out that way, but we can't
maintain unity ourselves. We can't keep unity alive without
God fully alive in us.
Jesus wants us to be an intimately connected with God as he
has been throughout his life because this is what fosters
and feeds unity.
Our word "religion" reflects this spiritual truth. Religion
comes from the Latin word meaning "to be tied together
again." Jesus' prayer is that we experience ourselves as
tied again to one another, to God. Yoked, joined, bound
together in life-giving ways.
Next week, our celebration of Pentecost will remind us how
quickly God responded to Jesus' prayer that night. You
remember what happened in Jerusalem not long after the
resurrection.
The Book of Acts vividly describes God pouring the Spirit
into a collection of believers gathered there, unifying
them, tying them together, giving them one heart, one mind,
one common life in God and with God. Pentecost was God's
prompt answer to Jesus' soul-felt prayer.
And of course you know the rest. They all lived happily ever
after. Not!
Read a few chapters further in Acts and you'll discover that
it wasn't long after Pentecost that Peter and Paul (and
their homies) had some issues to work through regarding
their respective ministries. It wasn't pretty, what happened
before they decided on their "separate but equal" approach
to faithfulness.
But don't stop your reading there. Read a chapter, any
chapter, from church history and you'll quickly see that
unity isn't something the church has had nearly enough of.
Early on there were polarizing arguments about theology and
doctrine. Then about scripture. Then about worship. Then
about clergy. Then about, then about, then about.... Christ's
church has had more splinters than a woodcarver's
convention, more breaks than an egg sorters' assembly line.
Which is why the Living Christ continues to pray as Jesus
did in the Upper Room. If we quiet ourselves and listen, we
can hear him. If we look with the eyes of faith, we can
catch glimpses of God responding.
I saw this twice this week - twice in one day, even. God, I
think, wasn't taking any chances with me!
The first time was when Ellen Ekevag called me thrilled
beyond belief. Ellen is a gifted young Episcopal priest
serving part-time at Grace, and part-time for two small
congregations near the Tennessee border.
A few hours before she called, Ellen had been my guest on
Reflections and had talked about how she deals with those
who question her ordination as a woman.
Ellen spoke sincerely and eloquently about our Christian
calling to relationship, one she sees as central to faith.
We may not agree, we may never agree - and about many things.
But we must never, ever forget our common identity. We must
endeavor always to honor the relationship we have with each
other in and through and because of Christ, Ellen said in
words far more beautiful than these.
Just this one remark from Ellen was proof Christ's prayer
for unity, for oneness is being answered wherever, whenever
it can. In God's hands, even Channel 2 can be a channel for
grace!
But God wasn't finished answering Christ's prayer. A few
hours later came Ellen's phone call. She was so excited she
could scarcely contain herself.
Ellen had gone directly from our interview to a meeting of a
civic organization in her town. Afterwards, a fellow
clergyman, a most conservative guy, one who has kept his
distance the whole year she's been there, this pastor chased
her down in the parking lot. Which sort of scared her,
actually.
But instead of getting into it with her about something, he
wanted to know how she was, how her ministry was going, and
if there were ways he could be of support. All this from a
preacher whose church doesn't ordain women and probably
never will, and whose stance on many important issues is
diametrically opposed to that of Ellen's denomination.
Ellen's joy wasn't that the pastor had inquired. It wasn't
that he had suddenly become her new best friend. Ellen knows
that on most things she and her colleague will likely
continue to disagree. From time to time he may even believe
she's misguided. He might even say so.
Ellen's joy on Tuesday was that God acted. God acted to
bring two very different believers into fuller relationship
with one another.
"I ask not only on behalf of these [the disciples], but also
on behalf of those who will believe me through their word,
that they may all be one."
If you cock your ear, if you get quiet, you may very well
overhear Christ praying this even now. And if you look, you
may catch sight of God's response.
As I said, twice this week I saw God answering Christ's
prayer. And in the very same place.
Guests on the second segment of Reflections came to share
their excitement about the Will Graham Celebration being
planned for the Four Rivers area come September. If "Graham"
rings a bell, that's because Will is a third-generation
evangelist; his papaw is Billy Graham.
I had no idea so much was going into this event. And this
was my own fault. You see, even though this is a Christian
happening, I was a tad suspicious. So I hesitated to get
excited. When glossy promotional fliers started arriving in
the mail, I paid them little mind. When colleagues
referenced September's happenings, I would postpone
listening until the subject changed. This Graham celebration
was fine for them, but I wasn't interested.
I confess my uncertainty going into Tuesday's interview. I
wasn't sure about this Will Graham guy and the event folks
have been working on since 2004.
But something changed part way through. As my guests talked
about the vision and passion behind an event that might very
well draw together eight or nine thousand, and which has
already garnered support from 125-plus congregations, I
remembered my visit to Paducah the fall of 2004.
I recalled how clearly God impressed upon me that God was up
to something big here, something that would reach across
divisions and differences to bring people together.
Something that would include us but not be about us.
This is part of that, God said poking me in the ribs Tuesday
morning just to be sure I got the message my two guests had
brought.
Do I believe the Will Graham event itself will unify
churches in our area? No. Do I believe that God is working
through this to bring Christians into fuller relationship
with one another and God. Now I do; you betcha. But you'll
have to watch Reflections to see why.
The reason Jesus prayed that night for unity, why he keeps
praying, and why God listened then and responds still isn't
that we need it. Although we do. Christ prayed and God
responds because the world needs our unity.
Our unity is how God's love is made visible. If we're not
willing, if we're not seeking the union God's love makes
possible, if we're not living in that love and showing it to
those who are already Christians, then how is anyone who is
not yet a believer ever going to trust us when we say God is
love?
Amen.
© 2007 Rev. Karen Winkel
United Church of Paducah (UCC) |
"Never place a period where God has placed a comma." - Gracie
Allen
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