What Pastor Jon Preached on Sunday, May 22, 2011

Fifth Sunday of Easter
Acts 7:55-60 • Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16 • 1 Peter 2:2-10 • John 14:1-14

[Jesus said:] "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me.In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going." Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him." Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it."

It's really is good to see all of you here today. Really. I am so glad to be here and not to see an empty room. I was a little bit worried there for a minute yesterday, but... Thankfully there was no “rapture” yesterday, May 21st, as had been predicted by Family Radio personality Harold Camping. The so-called "rapture" was invented by a British preacher in the 18th century named John Nelson Darby. It is not biblical―there is no word for “rapture” in the bible. "Rapture” theology picks and chooses biblical verses that create what can become a fear-based belief that says, "if you are not saved, you not a true Christian, and will get 'left behind.'” Many live in fear, captive to this belief system, popularized in the Left Behind novel series.

A few years ago, Dr. Barbara Rossing, one of my seminary professors, wrote a book called The Rapture Exposed to deal with the unscriptural basis of “left behind” theology. She herself faced this fear on her college campus in the 1980's, after the book Late Great Planet Earth came out, pronouncing a similar end of the world date. She feared for her life. “Would I get left behind?” When these stories become popularized in the media, we can wonder too, “will we get left behind?”

At one level, “left behind” fears get at our fear of our mortality, and death is indeed a scary thing! It's something that our rapidly aging culture is being forced to deal with in a very real way. But how can we talk about the end times without being Scripturally or spiritually abusive and fearful?

One way that we often talk about death and the afterlife is in terms of our behavior, and our rewards in the afterlife for that behavior. "Has so and so been a nice person? I am sure they are going to heaven." The following story supports of this popular belief about heaven being a "reward" for "being nice instead of naughty."

Three men died in a car accident and met Jesus himself at the Pearly Gates. 

The Lord spoke unto them saying, "I will ask you each a simple question. If you tell the truth I will allow you into heaven, but if you lie....Hell is waiting for you. 

To the first man the Lord asked, "How many times did you cheat on your wife?" The first man replied, "Lord, I was a good husband. I never cheated on my wife." The Lord replied, "Very good! Not only will I allow you in, but for being faithful to your wife I will give you a huge mansion and a limo for your transportation. 

To the second man the Lord asked, "How many times did you cheat on your wife?" The second man replied, "Lord, I cheated on my wife twice." The Lord replied, "I will allow you to come in, but for your unfaithfulness, you will get a four- bedroom house and a BMW. 

To the third man the Lord asked, "So, how many times did you cheat on your wife?" The third man replied, "Lord, I cheated on my wife about 8 times." The Lord replied, "I will allow you to come in, but for your unfaithfulness, you will get a one-room apartment, and a Yugo for your transportation. 

A couple hours later the second and third men saw the first man crying his eyes out. "Why are you crying?" the two men asked. "You got the mansion and limo!" The first man replied, "I'm crying because I saw my wife a little while ago, and she was riding a skateboard!" (jokesaboutheaven.com)

As funny as this story is, it isn't biblical, of course. The Gospel of John's 14^th chapter, however, gives us a promise that offers us hopeful promises and images of heaven that we can put our trust in. They give the world the hope in God's future that we are craving. "In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?" (14:2)

The good news about our future is that Jesus prepares a place for us in heaven. He does it by going through the cross of death, to bring us new life. He does it by coming again, to take us to himself, so that we can stand with him in newness of life. The King James Version translates "dwelling place" in verse 2 as "mansion". This can promote an image of heaven as us as individuals in a huge empty space. A heavenly “mansion” is a place that gives us a material reward, rather than a spiritual one. But the Greek word here means a dwelling, a home, an abiding household full of a community that God has gathered together. Jesus' promises here that the place where he dwells isn't a physical place―it's a relationship, an abiding presence that will not end, even in death. He is our way, our truth, and our life to God's dwelling place.

But lest we see that spiritual reward as something awaiting us, the abiding presence of Christ isn't just for us to experience in death. The home Jesus prepares for us, is an abiding relationship of trust that we get to experience now, as Easter people redeemed by Jesus' own death. He bridges the divide of death and life not based on our right behavior, but on whether we 'trust' that Jesus, in who he is, comes to make a way for us to God. He comes to make a relationship with a merciful God possible for us.

Jesus does not let anything or anyone separate us from one another or from himself. We will not get left behind in Jesus' presence. Communion with God, and with each other is possible because the cross has made us no longer belong to ourselves--we belong to one another, to the body that the risen Christ creates among those who hear his voice and follow him.

We will always begin with our sinful nature as the truth of our lives: that there is a gap separating us from God, neighbor and Creation. But Jesus uses trust to trump the gaps that come between us. He does it by doing what any of us does to build trust. He takes a risk. He puts it all on the line, so that we can be given life in his name. So that we can stand with him. In Christ we no longer belong to ourselves. We belong to one another.

So, it is very good to see you all here today. The rapture has once again been exposed! But more than that, heaven as our reward has been exposed as a lie. We get to dwell together today in the presence of Jesus who promises to go before us, to give us the experience of eternal life in relationship now...and forever.

Because of this, we can trust taking the risk to love one another faithfully as Christ loves us. We can take that risk because we have all been made one in him. This is possible, because that way to faithful relationship has been paved for us by Christ. In his name, let the heavenly community present here today say...Amen!