6 Easter, Year C

"THE CHURCH ARMY"
(Sermon text: John 14:23-29)
Given at St. Mark’s Church, West Frankfort, Il; and at St. James’ Memorial Church, Marion, IL

Back when I was in the Army, I was used to being told to do things…usually, these “orders” came from the Commander, the guy with the authority to “command” people to do things.

These commands had little to do with love…..They had everything to do with a higher authority or power, telling those in lower or lesser positions to accomplish a certain task, in order to fulfill the mission of the unit.

The church is a little like the Army: we who make up the church have come to accept the authority of God in Christ, our “Commander”, if you will.

We have come to accept His power, since Jesus Christ was sent from the Father.[1]

And yet, we are following a Commander, not out of blind obedience, nor out of fear of punishment if we do not obey, but out of love for our Commander.

Notice our reading for today: Jesus says, “those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.”[2]

Jesus, in this statement, picks up a theme He has been driving home for quite sometime now: “if you love me, you will keep my commandments.”[3] Then, in today’s passage, He changes language a little, saying, “if you love me, you will keep my word.”

Notice the connection between love and keeping Jesus’ word…..

We are following a Commander, who, like the best traditions of a military leader, leads by example…..”Follow me” was the battle cry of the infantry back when I was a member of an infantry unit….In other words, “follow me” because the leader was bearing the same burdens, taking the same risks, and asking others to do what they themselves were willing to do.

Jesus Christ left His heavenly home, and assumed our humanity to the fullest degree…Philippians 2: 5 – 8 expresses it well, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus, who, being in the very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient to death, even death on a cross.”

John said the same thing this way, “And the Word (Jesus) became flesh, and lived among us…” [4]

Jesus Christ’s self-emptying is clearly seen in the washing of the feet of His disciples,[5] and most clearly seen in His passion and death on the cross.

And, like the most effective military unit, we all have been included in the battle plan, the overall mission’s goal and strategy…We return to our reading for today: “those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.”[6]

We have been included in the eternal purposes of God, seen most clearly in the words and the work of Jesus Christ. We know before the battle is joined (remember that, for John, Jesus’ death on the cross is His finest “hour”, and the time of His glorification and final victory over the powers of sin and death), what the outcome of the conflict will be.

And, like a well-trained and supported army, God has provided the means to sustain us for the time when our Commander will leave the battlefield to us: We read today, “but the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.”[7]
So, take heart, Christian believers!

God, our Commander-in-Chief, has given us, out of His infinite love, a Commander worth following, whose motto is, “follow me”. We follow a leader who has suffered in the fight everything we can ever imagine will come our way as we follow Him. We follow a leader who has demonstrated his worthiness as a leader, in His sacrifice on the cross for our welfare. We follow a leader who has deemed us worthy to be included in the battle plan, and has now left the field to us to carry the fight to the powers of sin and death which would destroy fallen humanity.

We have all the supplies and support we need to win the battle!

And so our task is to hear the orders clearly, to remember Christ’s leading by loving and by example, and to take full advantage of the support of the Holy Spirit.

By doing all these, we will be united in following Christ, so that the mission that God the Father gave to God the Son may be accomplished in you and in me, God’s foot soldiers.

Thanks be to God!

AMEN.

[1] A very common thread in John’s gospel account.
[2] John 14: 23
[3] Found at John 14: 15 & 21
[4] John 1: 14
[5] John 13: 1 - 17
[6] John 14: 23
[7] John 14: 26