now that i fell into your arms

my only love, give out to give in



Here we have the disciples freaking out because that dirty-dog, Judas, betrayed Jesus. Only, it isn’t Judas’ betrayal that has the disciple’s all in a twitter. No, the disciples are riled up because after Judas defected, there were only eleven disciples.
Apparently they feel they need to have twelve to fill all the chairs for their council meetings, or something like that. So they are all out of sorts about the fact that there are eleven of them instead of twelve… 
In fact, you get the sense that if someone had asked them why they felt they needed to have twelve; the disciples would just stare back blankly and reply, “this one goes to twelve…”

So to solve their “conundrum,” the disciples get the best candidate to fill that vacant spot.
Only it turns out there are two potential nominees, Justus
and Matthias. Rather than being elated by the fact that there are more than enough capable people, though, the disciples are confounded about what to do. So, instead of making an informed decision, they cast lots

Can you imagine how Justus or Matthias must have felt?
After watching the folks they would be joining, bumble around trying to solve something as mundane as filling an empty council chair, those two probably sat up there hoping the other one would be chosen. 
And Matthias gets the short straw; and then… Well, then we never hear about Matthias again. So much for all the disciples’ handwringing…

Honestly, though, I should stop taking pot-shots at the disciples; because we know what it’s like to be in their shoes - or should I say sandals, don’t we?

How often have we undertaken some project, blindly supposing it has to be done one arbitrary way or another? And, how often, when we’ve been faced with some choice or another, have we thrown up our hands, and just rolled the dice ourselves?

Yes, we know what it’s like to feel the weight of a decision bear down on us, and to feel completely at loss as to know what to do… 

It’s a hard place to be.
Honestly, though, it isn’t the uncertainty that’s so challenging. No, what’s really hard about that feeling is the assumption behind it:
that it’s up to us,
that we’re on our own. 

…When that’s how we look at the world, thinking that we’re on our own, that we’re the one in charge; well then we might just as well cast lots.
Just cast lots because that’s all there is, blind chance. 

That’s what life is, without God, folks; just a series of random events. And the best we can hope to do in that kind of world is just to weather the storm for as long as possible, try and cheat fate.

You can see this attitude all too often, but the worst time is late Sunday morning. In fact, if you ask me, sundays after church are often the most agnostic time of the week. 
Every Sunday, a group of folks leave their sanctuary, and before fellowship is even over, these same people have gone back to business as usual. It’s as if they promises they’ve heard proclaimed in their sanctuary only minutes ago don’t mean a rotten thing anymore…

Thank heavens today’s Gospel is put in stark contrast to our own infidelity, and that of the disciples in the first lesson. Today’s Gospel refuses to let this assumption, that we’re in this alone, that it’s up to us, go unchallenged. 

In the Gospel, we encounter Jesus praying for the disciples. In fact, although our little section cuts it off, if we just read a few verses further, we will find that Jesus’ prayer goes on to include future disciples, us, as well. 

In this prayer we overhear Jesus asking for the protection, sanctification, unity and even the joy of his disciples. 

Jesus thanks God for giving him the disciples, which he protected during his earthly life. Now, as Jesus prepares to leave them, Jesus prays for the disciples. In other words, Jesus’ prayer is a prayer that God would be in charge, not us; that God wouldn’t leave us to our own devices of death.

Here’s the truth, the thing that will be really hard for us, won’t be whipping ourselves into shape, it won’t be raising funds instead of faith, it won’t even be all our attempts at robbing Peter to pay Paul, as they say, either. 
No, that stuff will be as easy and faithful, as casting lots.
The thing that will be really hard for us to do will be trust God. To do like our sisters and brothers who meet here for NA do; admit that we’re not in control and place our lives in the power of God.

We’re not called to the impossible task of making just the right decision; as if we could ever know what that is. No, what we’re blessed to do is put all our trust in the only one who won’t lose a single on of us; Jesus. 

Finally, in the end, all our attempts to save this church will be as strategic as throwing some dice and letting blind fate decide. 
Thanks be to God, though, Jesus refuses to leave us in the calloused hands of blind fate. In fact, Jesus even refuses to leave us to our own well-intentioned, but misguided devices. No, Jesus has offered up a prayer to God on our behalf.

And here’s the Good News; God is faithful to that prayer.

That’s what today, the sabbath, is all about; resting. Resting and finally letting God do God’s work. Resting, or stopping. Stopping and just admitting that we’re not in control, that we need God to do that. Today we stop and ask God to be God for us; we give up the illusion of control and ask God to keep Jesus’ prayer for us.

And God is busy doing just that. Right now, in fact, God is at work keeping good on Jesus’ prayer. 
God is doing this for us in the way God always does, though; by bringing the dead back to life. As we say, God does God’s best work in cemeteries.

Right now, as folks like us; folks who assume we’re in this alone, that we’re in control; watch as all our attempts to run our lives, or this church don’t bring new life but rather death, give up; God gets busy. God gets busy raising us up, raising us up to a new life of trust. 

We don’t have to casting lots, sisters and brothers. We don’t have to place our future in the hands of blind fate. Instead, you get to cast our lot with the one who won’t to lose a single one of us; Jesus.

For now this life of faith is a struggle; yes. When we all stand on the other side of the grave, though, after its done all its dirt; we will find that, indeed, we have been protected by the one who prayed to God on our behalf, who didn’t lose a single one of us; that God kept Jesus’ prayer even after death and dirt. 
And when that happens, well then we will know for ourselves, deep in our bones, that we were not in control and that it is indeed Good News.

Amen

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

in measured hundredweight and penny pound

i take flight

anywhere you wanna go