Sermon for April 27, 2008

                                   Scripture:John 14:15-21

                          Rev. Christopher C Fazel, Co-Pastor

I think I’ve told you this story before, but a long time ago. Sometime around fifth or sixth grade, I picked up a magazine that promised to teach me the martial arts. This captured my imagination. I saw the potential of becoming some sort of masked avenger who could rescue the oppressed by battling the bad guys. I could even name some of the bullies in my class where this skill might come in handy. So I bought this magazine, studied it, and practiced and practiced. One of these martial arts was called “savat,” which meant basically kicking people. There were many different kinds of kicks in the magazine, but my all time favorite was one where the kicker leapt straight up and jutted both feet off to one side, delivering a mighty blow. I practiced this for hours in my back bedroom kicking against the solid wood door that led south to our back yard. But for some reason, I eventually decided that I needed a fresh target, so I fixed my attention on a piece of the west wall, located neatly between a set of windows and our little gas heater. Now, bear in mind that I knew nothing about construction, and that I assumed that walls were at least as sturdy as doors. I assessed the distance, I ran, I leapt, I kicked, and both feet went right through the wall. I was not injured in fall, but I was dismayed at what I had done.

After a few moments of composing myself, I stoically marched into the living room where Dad was reading the paper. And I said to him most solemnly, “Dad, I have a confession to make.” And he looked at me with an expression that was a mixture of puzzlement and concern and said, “What?” So, I silently led him to the scene of the mishap and stood tremblingly waiting for a response. And then it came. Dad smiled, chuckled and then said softly, “O I can fix that.” And the weight of the world was lifted from my shoulders.

Later, when my brother Rick, who shared the room with me, saw the injury, his response was more in line with what I had originally expected. He said something like, “O man, I was just waiting for something like this to happen. Now we have to live in a slum!” But his rebuke could not penetrate my sense of deliverance. I knew I had an advocate who carried more authority than he. In that episode, I learned first hand the experience of pardon and grace. And it lives today in my soul.

My dad died a few years ago, and I think about him a lot. Stories like this just keep floating back. But I have to say in all honesty that I don’t really miss him all that much. And I’ve wondered about that. And I think it’s because I have a sense that he’s not really all that far away. And when I say that, I don’t mean that his ghost is sitting around our kitchen or anything like that. What I’m talking about is the living presence of the risen Christ.

You see, our Christian faith as expressed by Paul and Peter and John is based on an experience of the living presence of the risen Christ. You see the foundation of the Christian gospel is not a set of beliefs or concepts or even moralities. Rather, it is based on an experience. The Greek word they use for this experience is “koinonia.” It’s usually translated as “fellowship” or “sharing in” or “communion.” What they’re saying is, they have experienced this presence – not just the ghost of Jesus – but the presence of all the good that has ever existed, preserved and glorified in the living realm of eternal good.

The apostles tell us that they have experienced this living presence, and they try to teach us how we too can share in that experience. So for example Paul says in Colossians, “May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.”

Now, in the modern sense of the word, I am no saint. Neither was my dad. But the good that we are is not lost. It abides in the communion of the Christ – the living realm of eternal good. And we can draw near to that realm, even here and now, if we will but open our hearts and welcome it in. However, entering that communion requires practice. As Paul instructs us, we need to cultivate strength and patience and the joyful attitude of gratitude. Mostly, we need to enter often into prayer – however best we pray. For it is through prayer that we draw near to the living presence of the realm of glory in the risen Christ. Let us pray.

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