Seventh Sunday of Easter

"Oh good Lord! You are awesome!"

"Oh good Lord, I pray..."

"Oh good Lord." Full stop.

I don't know about you, but this has mostly been my prayer life lately.

Every sentence starts with "Oh good Lord," and every time the attitude is different.

Sometimes weary, sometimes baffled, sometimes frustrated, 

sometimes annoyed, sometimes joyful, sometimes grateful.

The words, and sometimes the lack of words, are jumbled and confused,

my desires, my needs, my hopes for our community, my concerns and worries for our town,

all add up to a very hilly experience of life and prayer.

Jesus on the other hand, seems to know exactly what he is saying 

in the prayer we overhear in the Gospel passage from John today.

Jesus is focused on relationship.

His relationship with God,

his followers relationships with God,

and the ending completeness of all things in God.

We hear from the Gospel passage much about Jesus' relationship with God.

Jesus was with God before the world began. 

Jesus was glorified by God before and will be again.

Jesus shares in eternal life with God.

Jesus has a deep intimacy with God and a belonging which goes beyond all boundaries.

Jesus was called by God to a mission on Earth and Jesus feels he is fulfilling his mission. 

Jesus longs to make sure he is fulfilling the purpose God gave him here.

This is one of the clearest passages we have in the Gospel texts into the relationship between Jesus and God,

into the inner life of the Trinity.

In the relationship of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit there is oneness, intimacy, glory, purpose, and belonging.

Jesus knows his place in relationship with God and he trusts in God's actions in his life.

On the other hand, our relationships with God are a little less clear.

As if anything could be less clear than the inner life of the Trinity.

However, our relationships with God are less clear because of us.

Jesus is clear about our relationships with God,

he knows we belong to God. 

We were chosen by God, and given to Jesus.

Jesus knows God has eternal life for us, and

Jesus asks that he might be glorified on our behalf, because he knows that his glorification will save us.

Jesus is so clear about his understanding of our relationship with God, 

we can see all that simply from eavesdropping on one of Jesus' prayers.

I am not sure that anyone could be so clear about my understanding of my relationship with God

from listening in on any of my prayers.

Mostly, certainly nowadays, because my prayers are not that clear to begin with.

Thankfully, God is very clear about relationship with us.

God loves us.

God cares about us.

God offers us mercy, forgiveness, peace, joy, and eternal life.

All we have to do is believe.

In belief, we fulfill Jesus' ultimate prayer,

oneness with God.

Which, when you really think about it, is extravagant.

Us, puny little human beings, being united in oneness with the ultimate reality of all things, God.

God's amazing love and grace for us is astounding.

Completeness in relationship with God pulls together everything we have ever heard or known

from scripture, tradition, reason, experience,

about God. 

Truth, peace, grace, mercy, loyalty and love,

all wrapped up together in an oneness with all the community of saints and the fullness of God.

Today is a good day to talk about all the fundamental relationships in our lives.

Not only is today the Sunday after the Ascension,

when Jesus left the disciples, again,

today is also the Sunday before Memorial Day,

a day when we remember those who have gone before.

Both of these days represent a change in relationship,

but not an end.

This is really pertinent, as we all have been feeling the changes in our relationships

as we continue living in new ways through the pandemic. 

Whether we recognize it or not, all of our relationships have changed, but not ended. 

Even our relationships with God. 

So, how can we fulfill Jesus' hope for us now?

How can we build up relationships which have changed, but not ended?

How can we rest in our relationship with God and find completeness with God?

We know the disciples experienced a great deal of change, both with the death and resurrection, 

and Jesus' ascension into heaven, since they were separated from their friend and teacher, their beloved Lord, Jesus,

and yet, these experiences also inspired them to go strengthen relationships

to build new relationships

in new ways 

which shared the great story of relationship with God. 

We are in a hard place in our lives together.

The church has certainly changed.

Our relationships have changed.

It will be a long time before we can pass the peace or share communion again.

We need to feel that struggle and lament,

but also rest in the relationship we have with God.

Knowing that the church has changed, not ended.

That our relationships have changed, not ended.

That the fulfillment of all our hopes in God will still come to pass,

In a world that has changed but not ended.

We can rest in knowing that however our prayers start or end,

however we reach out to God, saying Oh Good Lord,

that our Good Lord is still there.

That God still claims us as beloved children.

That we are still bound together in the community of saints, 

with all the people we remember, and even those who have been forgotten here on Earth.

Someday, we will know the fullness and oneness,

the completeness of our relationship with God.

In that, we can lift up our Easter voices and sing,

Alleluia, oh, Good Lord, Alleluia!

Amen.