Sermon for the Sixth Sunday of Easter - John 14:15-21

There is a fair amount of evidence that in between the first Easter and Pentecost, the disciples went though a period of quarantine kind of like the one we’re in. For one thing, as the friends of someone the government had just crucified, they pretty much had to social distance from the authorities. It was unsafe to go out. We know that they spent most of their time in the upper room. I imagine that getting groceries was stressful. They must have worried about the safety of their loved ones. And assuming their timeline was similar to ours in quarantine, they were surely getting restless. When could their fledgling church open back up? I bet they needed haircuts. They were uncertain about how long quarantine would last and when they’d be able to venture out again. And I’m sure they were experiencing whatever the first century equivalent was to Zoom fatigue. Maybe they weren’t sleeping very well at night and the days were kind of running together, as they waited on an uncertain timeline for an unknown future. I think we know how they felt. 

It’s interesting that Jesus tried to prepare them for this. The passage we just heard is from the farewell discourse in the Gospel of John. It’s basically a long speech by Jesus, a final word to get them ready for the uncertain future ahead. Everything was about to change. He knew he would be leaving them, that his own life would end soon, and that they would be lost and worried. They would, at first, have no idea how to carry on without him. So he tried to tell them how. They would need to keep Jesus’ commandments. His teachings would be more relevant than ever, so they needed to stay close to what he had taught them. The second important piece of information he told them was that God would send the Holy Spirit to them. Things weren’t going to go back to the way things were, they never do, but the Spirit would guide them into a new future.  

There was a problem with Jesus’ long speech. It did get sort of abstract and confusing at times. He said things like, “You will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.” It’s hard to follow sentences like that, much less understand what they mean. Maybe he knew the disciples weren’t quite getting it. So one night, on their last night together, he decided to show them what he meant. 

Jesus got down on his knees and washed the disciples’ feet. He then gave them a new commandment, to love one another as he loved them. He told them to serve one another, to show love concretely, in tangible acts of service. And he told them that those actions would be deeply connected to how humans and God stay connected, how they abide in one another. The mystery of that connection might be beyond our comprehension more often than not, but when we get lost, Jesus said, remember to love each other. Serve one another on the ground, show your love. That’s how you’ll know that we’re still connected to him and to one another. 

There is no one who has taught me more about this concrete side of the Christian life than The Rev. Joyce Hardy. We mourn the death of our beloved deacon on Thursday. Christ Church will not be the same without her. All of the communities she has served over the years are saying the same. Memories and stories about Joyce have been flooding in. There are several common themes, as you might expect. There are stories about how she welcomed everyone, and how she fought tirelessly for social justice. How she accepted everyone without judgment and with extraordinary grace. And how she would let you know that you have some work to do if she noticed you wearing your blinders to the suffering of others, or if you failed to do a self-check on your privilege. She had little patience for fancy theology or a comfortable church if they overlooked the needs of those in poverty. She was a deacon in all situations, from proclaiming the Gospel in a formal liturgy to bearing Christian witness at a community organizing meeting. I count her among my most important teachers. Her crystal clear call as a deacon, including her unrelenting insistence that I never lose focus on the needs around us, made me strive to be a better priest, and a better follower of Jesus. And whenever I failed, she would let me know and the lesson would begin again. I will always be grateful to her for that. 

We are in such a strange and uncertain time as the church, much like the disciples before Pentecost all those years ago. We have lost several loved ones recently. I could give a second sermon this morning on Bettylee Green’s delightful presence at Christ Church since 1945. Our grief is made more complicated by our inability to gather together for funerals. From where we stand today, the future is unknown, the timeline unclear, the devastation from the virus not yet calculated. To an uncertain church at the beginning, Jesus promised the coming of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit saw the community of faith through that difficult time. And eventually, through the Spirit, the church grew exponentially and the good news of God’s love in Christ - and the joy of that message - spread far and wide. But in the meantime, before the disciples knew how all of that would go, they were taught by Jesus to love one another, and to show that love in concrete ways. 

When this pandemic is over, I have faith that we will be able to look back and see how the Holy Spirit was working in our midst this whole time. I have faith that church will come through this difficult time stronger in its faith, more effective in proclaiming the good news, more hopeful about the future, and more effective in showing God’s love to the world. Faith, hope, and love will abide. But in this still uncertain time, if and when we get lost, or worried, or overwhelmed, I think we ought to start where Joyce could always be found. Over the course of her remarkable ministry, she served others the way Jesus did the night he washed his friends’ feet. Her love was concrete, outward looking, and humble. 

There are plenty of ways to love and serve each other and our community right now. I see you all showing love in so many beautiful ways, from mask making and grocery drop offs to checking on one another. The church is clearly at work in the world, and we are the body of Christ beyond these walls. As for the big picture, the Spirit will see us through into a new future. It always does.