Easter 6 Sermon

Easter 6 – May 17^th, 2020 – John 16:23-33

Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed, alleluia!

Sinful human beings like control. We want to be in charge of things; we want things to be done our way. This is why these stay at home orders chafe so much. For almost two months I've been told I can't run up to Darien and sit down and have a nice, Lithuanian Lunch, or whatever other stupid whim of the moment that my mind fixiates on when I'm staring out my window. And on top of that, we certainly don't like being told what to do by others. Don't tell me I'm supposed to wear a mask in public – though really it's not that big of a deal and it's just a matter of being polite. See, I've got my mask on, I promise I won't cough on you (I can't wear one in service and we're socially distanced, an you have a hard enough time hearing me as is). Or on the other side, if you don't wear a mask, I want the police to make you wear one, because I want to fix this pandemic. Control you, control the virus! But this whole control mess – not having control, seeing places where others control you – we could even add in the times where you've been domineering over other people a nd tyrannical yourselves – this whole control mess epitomizes what sin is. We want control. And the fact that we don't have control angers and terrifies us.

And we can do stupid things to try to gain control back in our lives. We can jump through all sorts of justification hoops – whether it's conspiracy theories or I'm acting for the greater good, or they started it – sin is basically me wanting to control everything, me not wanting to let God be God, me not wanting to receive the days that the Lord my Maker gives unto me. We see a story about this in our Old Testament lesson. And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.” Now think briefly on the Exodus – the children of Israel had seen the 10 plagues shatter Egypt, they crossed the Red Sea and saw with their own eyes God destroy the armies of Pharaoh, and they saw the Pillar of Fire, the Pillar of Cloud. They saw water from the Rock, and the worthless food was manna and quail! How can they complain like this – if you are left to die in the wilderness it is because you refused to believe the Lord when He said that He would lead you into the promised land! Why do you grumble so? Well, you see God, it's like this – I really want more variation in my diet. And so they grumble. Instead of seeing the miraculous care that they had received from God, they grumble.

Sound familiar? I can look at my pantry, my freezer, and I can loathe this worthless food because I want Lithuanian and I want to get a Kugelis – which is this wonderful potato dish... get the point? We really are no different, and although we like to do the whole “if I were there, I would have behaved better” - yeah, you probably wouldn't have. I probably would have been one of the idiots swallowed up by the earth in the rebellion of Korah – thank you Lord for saving me from my own stupidity. These days – well all days, but especially these days where we are frustrated are good days to remember the 1^st Article of the Creed, the 4^th petition of the Lord's Prayer. God still is your Creator, and He still takes care of you and preserves you. He still provides you daily bread, and He still protects you from harm and danger. God keeps on being God.

But I want to continue on in the Old Testament for a moment – let's push that a bit further. Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you.” Punishment and hardship comes, and they recognize that it comes from the Lord. Yes, God is letting these serpents run around and He is teaching us a lesson – again, understand why Pastor Brown doesn't like object lessons. And the people learn from it. They are driven to repentance.

Now, consider our days. Well a virus is less exciting and more tedious than fiery serpents, but how do we understand this? We are right to understand this as something which God in His wisdom and His Fatherly love has allowed, and even sent, to us to chastize us and to drive us away from our pride and unto repentance. I'm guessing in the extra time of reflection you've had these past two months you have seen things about yourself that you realize are not good. Excellent – you are being repented by God, and the mirror of God's law is doing it's work. Our sin is revealed so we are made to repent it and fight against it.

However, there is a danger, and false move and shift that the American preachers are want to do in times of tragedy. The temptation is to want to name someone else's sin. God's unleashing this upon America because of... sin that I conveniently don't happen to like or engage in. A conservative type might want to say this is vengeance against abortion or homosexuality; I've seen a few liberals saying that this is punishment for our capitalistic greed. But those are all pinning the tail on some other donkey – that's really blaming other people. And that's an attempt to exert control – because if we just change what THEY do, then everything will be better. And then of course, there are the more extreme attempts at control – Pastor, what if you made a pole and stuck a bronze virus on it – okay, maybe not bronze but we could take a styrofoam ball and stick push pins in it and it would make a really neat crafty model for a virus.... Not the point. It's not the time to blame, it's not the time to try to control things not given to you to control. It is a time to pause and ponder your own sin.

Moving forward to the Gospel lesson – it had turned dour in the Upper Room that Maundy Thursday evening, for after dinner Jesus had given this sad, confusing speech about scary things, how He's going away and we're going to have sorrow. And then, towards the end, He says, “In that day you will ask nothing of Me. Truly, truly I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in My Name, He will give it to you.” And Jesus has addressed the sorrow and the hardship that the disciples will face, the sorrow and hardship that we ourselves face, and He gives the solution. Pray. You, O Christian, have been given a fantastic gift, a wonderful access to God Almighty. When you pray, the Father has promised to hear you. You do not call upon His Name in vain when you pray, but rather He has promised to hear you. And Jesus has instructed you to pray - “Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.”

And here's where we need to hold our sinful horses a moment. We are control junkies, we love control – and we hear “whatever you ask” and “ask and you will receive” and we hear this through the idea of control... whatever I want? Even the pony? I want to point out two things, the important things, that we forget. In My name, in Jesus' name – and for joy.

To pray in Jesus name is to pray with His authority – it is to pray confessing that Jesus is in control, not you. It is to pray in accordance with what Jesus has instructed us to pray – like what we pray for in the Lord's Prayer. And if we go outside of what Jesus has instructed, if we try to take control of the situation how we would want, well, that's bad. Consider this as an example – let's say I tell my son Victor, “Go tell your brother Ambrose to come inside.” If he tells Ambrose, “Dad said to come inside” - that's great. If he says, “Dad said to come inside and that you are supposed to clean my room” that's missing the point and bad. Likewise, when we pray in Jesus' Name, we pray what He has told us and instructed us to pray for – that's the range of the whatever we get. Prayer isn't something we use to control God – it's not witchcraft or sorcery – that's taking God's name in vain. Rather our Prayer throws us to God, places us back in Jesus' Word, reminds us that God is in control and that He is in control for you.

And we know this, because Jesus has said that He wishes our joy to be full. Joy doesn't come from me getting my way – if I get my own way on one thing, I'm still grumpy and unhappy because there's something else I'll want my own way on. It's why you can't please a person who constantly complains and why if you're a complainer you're never happy. That's all about control, and there is no joy in our control. Where is there joy? There is joy in Christ Jesus for you. There is Joy in Jesus Christ saying to you, “see all this sin that is driving you into misery and despair – see all you wicked thoughts and stupid wants and perverse plans – see your wretched mistakes and grating grumblings and casual cruelties – see your shame and your guilt and your anger and your fear... well, I have taken that all away from you, and I have carried it to the Cross, and I have borne it all for you, and I have died and I have risen and you are forgiven. You are forgiven and you will rise to new and glorious and utterly enjoyable life – not because of what you do, but because of what I have done for you. And what I have done for you – well, it is finished. It's good. And in Me, you are good again.

That's what Joy is. Restore unto me the Joy of Thy Salvation. And that is what God gives you, that is where His gift of prayer leads you. When you pray in Jesus' Name you are thrust back into your Baptism where that Name of Jesus was placed upon you, washing away your sin. When you pray in Jesus' Name, you are thrust back into the words and promises of forgiveness, life, and salvation that He has made to you. And Jesus' promise to you holds true. Even in hard times. No, you needn't take control. And yes, you may see your desire for control as the sin it is an repent of it. Jesus is in control, and He is in control for you, to redeem you. And this is true even today – hear again what He has said to you. “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart, I have overcome the world. Amen. Christ has risen...