Swimming in the Ocean!

In the spirit the angel carried me away to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb.   Rev. 21 (NRSV)

Jesus said to Judas (not Iscariot), "Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me.

"I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, `I am going away, and I am coming to you.' If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe."  John 14 (NRSV)

The Holy City coming down out of heaven from God. Imagine that vision. What is it you see? I see a city shining so brightly I can barely look at it. It glows not only in golden lights but with all the colors of the rainbow. All the colors of God’s promises. And as I view it my soul rejoices. It is peace and joy and hope and love all wrapped up into a single place, a single moment.

There is no Temple, no church building, no shrine for people to pilgrimage to. Instead the presence of God, in fact God’s very being, is throughout. Over all, around all, through all.  The gates are always open. The majesty and glory of God is always accessible. And even in the depth of night, there is light.

The water that flows is clear and cool. It seems to sparkle with joy as it flows by. And the trees offer fresh fruits throughout the seasons. No one goes without. There is always plenty of the finest for all.
Anyone else ready to sign up for this trip? 

Often when I would talk to people in Hospice they would share with me their vision of heaven. Many had seen the movies of people who have died and returned with visions of what heaven is like. If I am not mistaken, light is always one of the common factors of their visions. This is the hope that they hold on to as they wonder about the mystery that lies ahead. For all of us.

Perhaps you have heard the parable of the conversation between the twins in the womb. One baby thinks that there is life after birth. That they will walk, taste food, and meet their mother. The other baby thinks that is foolishness. If there was life after birth why has noone ever come back to tell them about it.
What is next is always a mystery, wherever we are on our journey.

But Jesus is telling his disciples of what is to be ours now. Not in our distant future, but in our present. Jesus has indeed gone to be with the father and what he promised the disciples is now ours. 
Let me share another parable that you probably already know.

The story centers on a little fish who is in search of this wonderful thing he had heard so much about called The Ocean which was vast, beautiful and full of adventure. The little fish kept searching and searching but to no avail. He became increasingly frustrated because he couldn’t find The Ocean anywhere he looked. The little fish finally mustered up enough courage to approach an older and bigger fish to ask for help. “Excuse me sir”, said the little fish. “You are older than I, so can you tell me where to find this thing called The Ocean?”  “Why little fish”, said the older fish, “The Ocean is where you and I are and what you are swimming in right now; it is all around you.” “Oh no”, said the little fish who was deeply disappointed, “this is the water and there’s nothing special about it at all. What I am looking for is The Ocean!”  So the little fish swam away to search elsewhere.

Here’s the thing. Jesus tells us that if we keep his words, hold on to them, trust them, breathe them in, then God has already moved in with us. That we don’t need a temple or a church or a shrine to find the presence of God. 

That there is living water, beautiful sparkling streams already welling up from within. Remember Jesus’ discussion with the woman at the well?  Jesus said, “Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” And in chapter 17 Jesus tells us that eternal life is to know God. To know God intimately. Like when he moves in.

And the fruits of the Spirit are available for us through all seasons of our life. (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control)

In other words we are already swimming in the promises, the presence of the Divine, the Sacred, the Holy, here and now. “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, 21 nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.” or within you.
Do not let your hearts be troubled, do not be afraid. 

We live in a time of fear, frustration, concern, anger. It might be said that the times before us also felt those things. But what lies within, is the peace that the world will never give nor take. It is yours because it is God’s peace. And you are already swimming in it.
 
"Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them."

Salvation is so much more than just the mystery of what is to come. It is about the blessing of living that mystery today. It is about being made whole today.  It is about touching God through the Holy Spirit, God’s own Spirit, within you today.

It is about knowing heaven on earth.

What a magnificent gift we have been given. And yet how often do we still search for it, wait for it, hope for it, cry out for it?  We need not search for the ocean of God’s peace, God’s presence, we are already swimming in it.

If you love God, God is already here. 
God’s peace is with you.
Partake freely and deeply.
Amen.

Yes, even THOSE people! (Acts 11)

"I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. There was something like a large sheet coming down from heaven, being lowered by its four corners, and it came close to me.

As I looked at it closely I saw four-footed animals, beasts of prey, reptiles, and birds of the air. I also heard a voice saying to me, 'Get up, Peter; kill and eat.' But I replied, 'By no means, Lord, for nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.'

But a second time the voice answered from heaven, 'What God has made clean, you must not call profane.'

This happened three times; then everything was pulled up again to heaven.

At that very moment three men, sent to me from Caesarea, arrived at the house where we were. The Spirit told me to go with them and not to make a distinction between them and us. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man's house.   Acts 11

I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."  John 13

There are some truths that can simply not be repeated too often! And the truth that we have an amazing God is one of them. Do I hear an Amen?

We really do. God continues to teach us, over and over again, no matter how long it takes. I firmly believe that anyone who thinks he or she has all the answers and knows exactly who God is and what God thinks, is not only wrong but dangerous.

I am reminded of these things each time I read this passage in Acts. There seems to always be some little tidbit that I had missed before. Or perhaps forgotten. 

Peter, you remember Peter don’t you? Of course you do. Peter was with Jesus, walking side by side with him, listening to his teaching for three years. Peter stumbled and denied our Lord and learned first hand about forgiveness. Peter who saw miracles gifted to Jew and Gentile alike by the hand of Christ. 

And still, not quite perceiving the magnitude of God’s love and forgiveness for all humanity. He is given another opportunity to see into the depths of God’s heart. To learn love.

He is on the rooftop praying. You may remember my love for prayer that allows one to listen to God. Not simply prayer that brings our laundry list of words, repentance, praise or laments, but prayer that listens. Peter is in prayer that listens. 

He has a vision of a sheet filled with animals coming down before him. Our translation calls it a trance. Please let me read how Strong's dictionary defines the Greek word. 

that of a man who by some sudden emotion is transported as it were out of himself, so that in this rapt condition, although he is awake, his mind is drawn off from all surrounding objects and wholly fixed on things divine that he sees nothing but the forms and images lying within.

“Wholly fixed on things divine and sees nothing but the images lying within.” For me that's Centering prayer.

And it is here, in this time of listening that Peter gets a sense of what this love of God is all about. It is bigger than all that he thinks he knows about God.

All the animals offered to Peter in the vision are considered, in the Jewish tradition,unclean. These are things that he believes, he has been taught, his religion decrees will defile him and make him unacceptable before God. Unwelcomed in the sanctuary.

Still he hears: What God has made clean, you must not call profane.'

In 2009 I had to vote at Synod Assembly regarding our LGBTQ siblings becoming ordained. I come from a conservative background, so this was difficult for me. I had to reassess  all I had been taught about them. This is the scripture that God used in my life to help me sort it out. The very thing that God used to help Peter sort out all he had been taught about the Gentiles. About “those people.”

The Gentiles were to the Jewish faith unclean, sinful, an abomination to God. And still God sent Peter to the Gentiles to accept them into the fold. Not to make them Jewish, not to have them circumcised, but to accept them as Gentiles. Even as Jesus had healed and fed them as Gentiles.

This is the LOVE to which Jesus is referring in our Gospel reading. A love that accepts all people. Heals all people. Feeds all people. A love that washes the feet of Judas. 

This is not a soft, mushy love. This is a love that is difficult and demands we stand up and declare the love of God for all. Just as Peter had to do when the circumcised believers criticized him. He stood up and spoke the love and acceptance of God for all even in the face of opposition.

Jesus calls us to this kind of love today and always. If we believe that God uses the scriptures to speak to us, we can not help but to hear that we too are called to love all people. And stand up for their place in the community, no matter the opposition.

Later in scripture we read how Peter seems to forget all he learned regarding the Gentiles in this moment. But it’s okay. God uses Paul to call Peter back to the truth of equality for Jew and Gentile, male and female, free and slave.

God is calling us back to remember this love. This all encompassing love. For the family members who have hurt us. For the people we have been taught some degree of prejudice against or even for. For “those people.” God is calling us back to declare that love. Even to those who would criticize us. To those who would put us out of their favor.

I believe that there is another side to this as well. We cannot be effective in public declarations until some personal declaration has been accepted by us. And maybe this is harder yet.

I do not have a stellar background. I have stories that I hope I will never have to tell to anyone. I have regrets. Some big ones. God forgive me. And God has indeed forgiven me. 

But I know the stories and I often think myself unworthy, unclean, defiled. And then God’s statement to Peter comes to mind. What God has made clean, you must not call profane. That isn’t just about others, but about myself as well.

Remember the commandment is to love our neighbor as ourselves. I cannot see their worth, their value until I begin to understand and see my own value through the eyes of God. I cannot love them if I have not learned to love who I am.

Yes, we must love our neighbor, accept our neighbor, stand up for our neighbor. And we must love ourselves, accept ourselves, and stand up for ourselves. 

When institutions, creeds, doctrines and laws call on us to question the value of anyone or thing that God has created, we better go to that listening prayer and find out what God is saying. It is there we will not only find the truth but also the strength to respond to God’s unimaginably inclusive love with a resounding yes!

We have an amazing God. Ever patient, ever caring, ever accessible. A God with a love whose magnitude is beyond our meager comprehension and point of view. A love that we are called to extend to and proclaim for all people.  

Thanks be to God!