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    May 10, 2015

    The Long and the Short of It

    The Long and the Short of It

    Passage: John 15:9-17

    Speaker: Rev. Vivian McCarthy, Pastor

    Keywords: love

    Jesus shaped his disciples much like a loving parent seeks to shape her or his children, showing the Way by sharing expectations for the short term as well as keeping an eye on the long-term result. In his “farewell address” to the disciples, Jesus shared his expectations: love one another and love others, and bear fruit that will last.

    Parenting is not for the faint of heart.  It’s not something you can try on for size or work at in fits and starts.  Parenting takes place over the long haul.  Some days it is fantastic.  Some days – well, I’ll let you finish that sentence!

    Parents have dreams for their children.  Some parents dream that their children will do better than they ever could – financially, in their careers, in terms of where they live and how many friends they have or how their health is over the long term.  Parents sometimes have specific expectations for their kids – like wanting them to follow in the family business.  Back when I was growing up, there were Catholic families in my neighborhood who wanted one son to be a priest and one to be a police officer.

    As parents nurture and develop their children – both intentionally and unintentionally by what they say and what they do – children grow and develop both in the short term and over the long term.

    Today’s scripture is not specifically about how we shape our children.  It is about life in Christ.  Jesus was with the disciples, knowing that he would not be with them much longer.  John places this story in the context of the Last Supper – a long farewell speech to those Jesus loved and knew most intimately – directed to those who knew him most intimately.  We usually place a lot of importance on someone’s last words, don’t we – especially those closest to us?  So, think about this scripture that way – Jesus’ last words to his disciples. 

    Imagine how those words felt to them:  I chose you!  This is not flattery.  It is a proclamation of how important the disciples have not just been to Jesus over the last couple of years but to how important they will be in the future to carrying out his mission in the world.

    And the words didn’t stop there.  He said “I chose you – to bear fruit, fruit that will last.” 

    Following Jesus was not just for those who wanted to feel special.  Following Jesus meant and still means that we live out his commandments, and this particular commandment in this particular reading is to bear fruit and most often that is accomplished by loving.

    Last week I talked about how we know when feelings we get aren't just feelings but are the voice or hand of God leading us – calling us to something.  This lection is tied to last week’s readings in that they take place in the same setting and both are urging us to go deep into God – to follow where the Spirit is leading, and the stories of Jesus show us that there is a long and a short of it to how we live that out.

    Jesus lived out God’s callings every day – in the short term.  He sought God in prayer and followed the leadings every day, reaching out to those he met who were in need in one way or the other.  One way to say this is that he gave up his life every day.

    He also lived out God’s calling in the long term, living out his ministry in ways that ultimately led to his death.  He didn’t shift his path to make the Pharisees happy.  He lived his mission every day, knowing that the mission would eventually lead to a show-down with the religious authorities.

    Friedrich Nietzsch wrote: "The essential thing ‘in heaven and earth’ is that there should be a long obedience in the same direction; there thereby results, and has always resulted in the long run, something which has made life worth living."

    Long obedience in the same direction.  That suggests to me that over time, we live and grow in our obedience to God.  And the way we do that is to abide in Christ.

    We are in a month when we will celebrate confirmations, new members and several baptisms.  As our youth profess their faith openly for themselves in a couple of weeks, we will be reminded of when they were baptized – when this or another congregation made a promise to them to help them grow in faith and in their love of God.  Confirmation will be a new step for each of these young people, a day of realized dreams for us as a congregation – and a day when we will all have the opportunity to renew our commitments to continue to live out that long obedience in the same direction.  Perhaps, as we rehearse those vows several times this month, some of us will come to realize that our obedience – our abiding – has slipped down on our list of priorities and there will be waves of re-commitment.

    You may be wondering why in the world I began today by talking about parenting.  Isn’t that the way parenting works?  The way life works?  We have to live the everyday with its short-term needs, necessities, and activities.  Yet, God is calling us long-term.  

    So it is with parents and all adults who care about young people.  We want our children to grow into maturity and fully realize their potential.  We want to see them develop over time – to live into what they can be.  There is no greater joy than to see that happen. 

    Jesus told the disciples that he chose them and (like a good parent) that he had expectations for them – and as those whose lives were intimately shaped by Jesus, he called them his friends.  Many times this text is read as if Jesus’ friendship and love will be snatched away when we mess up.  Jesus’ love and friendship are relentless.  As we live as his friends, as we grow into the kind of love he expects of us, we are more and more likely to feel his abiding presence, love, and friendship – just like our kids are proud when they live up to our expectations of them.  May it be so for every one of us!