Fifth Sunday of Easter
Readings : Acts 11:1-18; Psalm 148; Revelation 21:1-6; John 13:31-34
Jesus says Now the son of man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him John 13:31
What do you reckon glory means?
We know the Gloria, (Glory to God in the highest), we know that The word became flesh and dwelt among us and we behold his glory.
Worship, magnificence / radiant beauty, renown, honour / distinction, success. It seems being glorified sets one apart makes the person / object / event stand out from what we call normal.
Glory is the inbreaking of God realm and the fulfillment of God’s promises.
It is the revelation of God’s character, love and purpose through Jesus the Christ.
But we’d better not delve too far into theology before we remember where we are in John’s Gospel.
It’s the night before Jesus died, He has washed his disciples’ feet and shared a meal with his friends, Judas has just been identified as the betrayer and has left the community and gone out into the night. Peter is about to hear that he will soon deny knowing Jesus and the community v.38.
Now, in the darkness, is the time.
Darkness – because we / because they do not trust the Word who is the light come into the world. Cowering in the dark is safer (in the bed, under the blankets) but it lets the evil perpetrate.
In John 3:19 we hear the light has come into the world, but we have loved the darkness rather than the light.
It seems we trust, feel safer, in darkness rather than the light.
But into the night comes the brightness of God’s glory, light shines into the darkness – the big bang of the new creation.
And it is at this moment that Jesus gives his new commandment – to love one another – it seems innocuous enough to a small likeminded band who all follow Jesus, certainly seems easier to obey than his outrageous command to love our enemies that evangelists Matthew and Luke record (Matthew 5:44, Luke 6:27)
But even as this command is being given, the sins of greed and self-preservation are already breaking into the first community of disciples.
So why didn’t this community collapse then and there? Because Jesus is already in the process of fulfilling the command—for them and for us.
It is the love of Christ made known on the cross that compels us to love one another; it is this love, self giving love, that continues to grow Christian faith communities across time and space.
There’s a story it comes out of Africa.
A young man presented himself to a household asking for a job as a domestic servant. He was hired and quickly proved himself to be capable and trustworthy. What a gem, they thought.
It therefore came as a complete shock when three months later he came to the homeowner and asked for a letter of recommendation to a Muslim who lived in a nearby town.
“Why do you want to leave,’ he was asked? ‘We’re really happy with your work. Do you need more money to stay?”
“No,” said the young man, “I’ve decided to become either a Christian or a Muslim so this way I’m seeing close up the way people of faith live and behave. Then I’ll decide”
Jesus, in today’s Gospel says 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: 34-35.
We’re forever being challenged to live into an ever-widening, ever expansive circle of life – as a community, in our neighbourhood, in our families, and as individuals.
Don’t shy away from them – they’re the narrow gate we have to pass through.
For Evangelist John glory, real glory is to be seen when someone who should occupy a majestic and exalted place instead accepts a lowly place of service, taking up a towel, pouring out life for others.
Our first reading told us what it looked like for the early church, Peter’s vision of the sheet coming down from heaven holding animals that Jewish law classed as unclean – not fit to be eaten. But Peter heard God speak, saying Get up Peter, kill and eat. (Acts 11:7)
In this way Peter came to a great truth – that God shows no partiality (Acts 10:34), His eyes were opened to the wideness of God’s mercy and love.
I love the way the body of believers in Jerusalem responded to Peter. They’d summoned him with a What on earth are you doing! Explain yourself direction.
But when Peter told his story they were silenced.
They recognised the continuity of action from Jesus to Peter, and they praised God, glorified God.
We are called to live this same continuity of action by living out the love and grace of Jesus, to extend God’s love through word and deed and in this way love others as Jesus has loved us.
We called to live the heaven on earth of John of Patmos’ vision.
Irenaeus – a 2nd Century Evangelist who was the Bishop of Lyons, said:
The glory of God is a human being, fully alive; the life of human beings is the vision of God.
Let it be our prayer that our lives reflect God’s glory as we embody the grace and truth – the freedom we’ve received.
Christ is Risen – Alleluia, He is Risen indeed, Alleluia.
The Venerable Valerie Hoare.