15 May SUNDAY, MAY 15, 2022

Children’s sermon: As Jesus prepares to leave them, he addresses his audience as little children. How does a caring adult address little children? With a softened look and voice, by getting down on their level, by helping them to be heard, but explaining things in terms they understand, by talking with them about things they care about, by working to keep their interest and attention.

How ‘bout that? A short gospel reading for a change. Well, I should say short with a complicated start. All that talk by Jesus about glorification of the Father through himself, describing what’s already taken place, is really the same thing he’s been saying all along in other chapters and verses.

In John 17 Jesus tells God, “…glorify your Son, so the Son may glorify you.” In John 13 he says this to an audience, “The Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. Okay. That sounds like a mutual arrangement between God and Jesus to glorify each other. I get that. But then Jesus keeps talking. “If God has been glorified in the Son of Man, God will also glorify the Son of Man in himself at once. He says, “at once,” “for the hour had come,” according to Jesus in John 12:23.

In John 7:23 Jesus said, “I will be with you a little bit longer then return to the one who sent me.” Okay. That’s plain enough. Jesus said to the Jews, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ He says to the Father in John 17…”glorify me in your own presence with the glory I had with you before the world existed.” That makes sense. We can’t share what the Father and Son shared before time began.

The gospel reading ends with Jesus describing what we can share. We can share in what both Father and Son command. And to be clear, a commandment is not a suggestion. Commandments are a must. As Lutherans, we don’t tie what we do to righteousness. Works are what disciples must do to share in the glory between Father God and Jesus, the Son of Man. Anyone who claims to follow or be a student of the faith is commanded to love.

In John 15 Jesus says that by bearing much fruit, the Father will be glorified through Jesus’ disciples. In John 17 Jesus tells God, “I glorified you on earth, by accomplishing the work you gave me to do.” As the Son glorifies the Father, Jesus’ followers and students glorify God.

With a softened look and calm voice, having gotten down on our level by taking on a real human body, by helping the disciples be heard and explaining things in terms they could understand. Jesus has talked with them about things they care about. He has worked to keep their interest and attention. About to face death on their level, Jesus says, “Little children, I am with you only a little longer. I give you a new commandment, that you love one another.

I have shown you how by loving you. Show me that you can love one another. By this everyone will know that you’re my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Our proclamation of faith involves much more than confession.

The emphasis of confirmation class isn’t doctrine. Statements about what we believe are the foundation of expressed love. Such things as the Apostles Creed and Lord’s Prayer weren’t written to be memorized, but lived out. How? By understanding that disciples share in the work of Father, Son and Holy Spirit: to bring glory to all of creation. That’s why we should care about each other, the church, the earth and its creatures, other nations, people in authority and remember the communion of saints.

By loving what Father, Son and Holy Spirit have created, all that is visible and invisible, all that is, we participate in the process. Creation was not something that happened once at the beginning of time. It’s ongoing and we are invited to co-create by caring. When we don’t care or care only about ourselves, there’s no way to glorify God.

With a softened look and a calm voice, go to another person’s level. Perhaps going to their level means giving them undivided attention or going at their speed, the definition of patience. Help the powerless be heard by taking the first step: listen to what they have to say yourself.

Explain things in terms a person of little experience, knowledge or wisdom can understand. Find out what a person knows before attempting to teach. When you talk with someone, allow them to steer the conversation. Pick up on things they care about. You know how to do it. Practice what you already do with children, grandkids and friends on strangers.

Work to keep the interest and attention of an audience whose favor you haven’t yet gained: a different age group or ethnicity, an employee serving a meal or ringing up your purchase, a person outside your normal social sphere.

Jesus says, “Today, the hour past the time of church, from 11 to 12 is just as important to me as the hour beforehand.” Every measure of time is given to you for a reason. Every measure of time is an opportunity for my disciples to succeed at the greatest commandment.

This commandment I give you, to love one another as I have loved you is the continuing work of Jesus. To love one another as Jesus loves us is the culminating work of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Loving one another as Jesus loves us will not only prove we are his disciples, but bring glory to God. It will allow us to share what the Father, Son and Holy Spirit have shared since time began. It will allow us to become involved in the ongoing process of creating a better world.

Please forgive me for using another illustration from the youth center. Perhaps you’d end up in my sermons too if I listened to your conversations, looked over your shoulder and watched everything you did for three hours every week. When I first started there, I focused on enforcing the rules and discipline. I thought that was necessary at first, to establish respect.

This past week, I found myself less inclined to lay down the law and more inclined to take a tray of chicken nuggets around while they were warm, to pick up after them as I saw them lay down a plate or wrapper. To thank them when they put something in the trash while still reminding them of the rules. Rules do keep things from getting broken and people from getting harmed.

A few weeks ago, I initiated a staring match between myself and a teenager who had me beat by about four inches in height and a good fifty pounds. He had playfully, but effectively disrespected me in front of his peer group. After glaring in his eyes from ten paces with laser precision, in less than twenty seconds, the young man looked down and said aloud, “I’m done.”

This week, rather than be mad about one more mess beyond the kitchen area, I walked back to the couches with a bucket of soap and a wash rag. I offered to assist one of this young man’s friends who accidentally sloshed cereal and milk on the floor.

“You don’t have any Frosted Flakes, do you,” my former opponent said. “Not that I saw,” I replied. After checking elsewhere, I walked once again to the back and said, “Guess what I found.” Carrying the box, he followed me to the kitchen.

Just moments before I had had a nice conversation with his friend over milkfat. I’d asked if he’d mind finishing the 2% before using more of the new gallon of whole milk. I’d tried to teach him math by saying if you have half 2% and half 4%, what percent milk would you be drinking? Before he answered my question, he countered with the idea that whole milk should be called 100% since it’s whole, which was pretty funny.

This joke came from the same kid who tried disrespecting me a couple weeks earlier. He called me “Grandma” in front of his friends. I replied, “You can call me Pastor Brody.” He countered with, “But you are a grandma. You’re my grandma.” The kid who gave me a fake name the first week when I wanted to reprimand him, and another who wanted to humiliate me the second week were now with me on the same level.

Love triumphed and did not make discipline or teaching obsolete.

Let us pray. Lord, thank you for loving, teaching and disciplining us so that at the end of the day, we get your point. Thank you for enabling us to learn to love and do a better job of teaching and enforcing rules.
When it comes to governing people, give authority to those who understand your new commandment, who will demonstrate its effectiveness at creating a better world. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son [+] and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be. Amen.