(#3) John 14 Sermon: A Holy Clutter

(This is the third post in a Sermon on John 14:15-31. Read the passage first and maybe the previous posts.)

What to say into this holy clutter?

The truth is that there is no simple answer to this problem. Of course there isn't. But there is a start. There is a door we can open. Look at John 14:18 (Click on text above). Jesus says to his disciples:

I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you.

In this text, we have some disciples of Jesus, confused about what to believe and fearful about the future. Everyone had been pressing 'edit' for their whole lives, and Jesus seemed to change all that. They thought their 'page' was clear. They thought that the Messiah of Israel had come, but NOW Jesus is talking about dying, and 'going somewhere' where they cannot follow. They are confused about what to now believe.

And Jesus speaks into that confusion. And what does he say?

I will not leave you orphaned (I’m not going to leave you alone in his world to edit your own page). I am coming to you.

So the most obvious thing to say into this Holy Clutter would be this: Do not leave God out of the picture as you work out your salvation. It is surprisingly easy to do: To include every idea; every book; every Blog; every person and to ' exclude God.

So – we must, must, must, pray to our God who illumines. Something like this:

Our great Father, we thank you that you did not abandon this world. You did not leave it alone to drift in the dark. Instead you sent your Son to show us your heart, your love, and the way back to you. Speak to us now of Jesus. Speak to us by the power of your Spirit, stand near us now, and beside us that we might know you. Amen.

More to come...