St Mary's

Todays Sermon

Rev'd Samuel

12th May 2024

“May my words and my thoughts be acceptable to you O Lord my refuge and my redeemer amen.”

A little boy was walking home in the rain with his mother following Sunday worship. It finally stopped raining as they came near to their house, where to their surprise and delight appeared a vivid double rainbow in the sky.

“Doesn’t it look like an artist painted this rainbow?” boy’s mother exclaimed. “I bet God painted this just for you!” “Yes,” replied the little boy, “God did it and he did it with his left hand because he is left-handed.” Mother got confused and asked him, “What makes you say God did this with his left hand?” “Well,” replied the boy, “we learned in Sunday School that Jesus sits on God’s right hand.”

Just a few days ago we celebrated an important, sacred, and holy day in the church calendar because last Thursday we celebrated the Feast of the Ascension of Jesus. If we recall the last few months in our minds, we find ourselves busy with Christmas preparations and Christmas celebrations.

Christmas is celebrated as a commemoration of God's arrival on Earth in human form. Similarly, the Ascension, celebrated last Thursday, marks the day Jesus ascended to heaven, returning to his rightful place and sitting at the right hand of his Father.

If we look closely, Ascension Day is the end of Jesus' earthly life, but at the same time, it is a new beginning, in which Jesus gives us, the followers and believers of Jesus, a command, a mission, a task to complete what he assigned to us.

The passage just read from the Gospel according to John is, no doubt, a well-known and a renowned passage. This passage is taken from Jesus' prayer, commonly known as the ‘High Priest's Prayer’, and if you look at its context, it is said by Jesus when he was with his disciples, and he was on his way to Jerusalem. Where he was to be betrayed, and there he was to be crucified. That is, Jesus praying before his painful death on the cross shows his love for us. Regarding today’s Gospel reading, Jane Williams wrote in her Lectionary Reflections that,

“This prayer comes as Jesus prepares to leave his disciples and, although the context here is the preparation for the crucifixion, it is a good prayer to think about in connection with the Ascension as well.”

She also wrote that in the same reflection that,

“As Jesus Ascends to the Father, the Christian community is given the particular responsibility of witnessing to what we have learned about the unity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”

If we look at this prayer of Jesus, we could see that it is in the seventeenth chapter of the Gospel according to John, we will know that this high priestly prayer of Jesus has great meaning, and we can easily divide this prayer into three parts or sections.

The first part, which consists of the first five verses, and is also the beginning of the prayer, shows Jesus giving glory to the Father. The second part, which consists of verses six to nineteen, shows Jesus praying for his disciples. And the last part, from the twentieth verse to the end of the chapter, that is, the twenty-sixth verse, in which Jesus prays for the believers of the whole world. If we recall today's Gospel passage in our minds, we see that Jesus appears to be praying about his disciples. Jesus has stated in this prayer that,

“While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost, so that the scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves.”

If we consider the earthly ministry and life of Jesus, we do not see anywhere where Jesus is seen fighting alongside his disciples with the enemy, like the leaders of other world religions. Rather, if we look a little more closely, Jesus seems to avoid such teaching, in fact he even forbids such teachings.

If we consider the birth of Jesus, he himself was born in a manger. All his life he worked as a carpenter. Then, even when he began his earthly ministry, he wandered around. And when he was caught, his disciples forsook him and fled. While I was doing my today’s morning devotion from one of my mobile applications called, ‘Pray As You Go’, I read it there that,

“In today’s Sabath reading from John’s Gospel, we are presented with a profound moment in Jesus’ life, often referred to as his “High Priestly Prayer”. He prays for his disciples, asking God to protect them and keep them unified in his name. Prays for their continued loyalty to the Good News and for unity among them.”

Jesus' ascension was for our own enlightenment and growth. Jesus ascended into heaven to fulfil the promise he made to his disciples. The promise in which He promised to give us the Holy Spirit. And this promise was possible only after his ascension. And he kept that promise. Before going to heaven, Jesus told his disciples to stay in that city, Jerusalem, until they receive the Helper, the robe of the Holy Spirit.

And only ten days after ascending to heaven, Jesus fulfilled his promise and sent the Holy Spirit, who is still helping and guiding us today. Last year one of my friends from Pakistan sent me a quotation whose origin I don’t know, but I want to share that with you, which goes like this,

“The sending of the Spirit from the Father and through Jesus is proof that Jesus in his earthly life was the anointed Spirit-bearer and in his exalted state Jesus is the exalted Spirit-giver.”

Jesus gave some instruction to the disciples on the day of his Ascension, and the disciples have done their work. They fulfilled the responsibility that was entrusted to them with full honesty and dedication. Now it is our turn and our responsibility. In the end I just wanted to say that we need to reflect on our calling and on our lifestyle, personally, individually, and congregationally, and see are we following the example of Jeus Christ, who is ascended good shepherd, and we need to ask the question to ourselves that, are we fulfilling the task which he assigned to us.

Our work is go and make disciples through our actions, words and deeds, and for guidance, Holy Spirit is always among us, and we also have the Word of God with us. Let us seek help from them to do the work that Jesus has assigned to us.

May God help us to do so. Amen.