Acts 7: 55-60 / Psalm 31: 1–5, 15–16 / I Peter 2: 2–10 / John 14: 1–14
This is the written version of the
homily given at Flohr’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in McKnightstown,
Pennsylvania on Sunday, May 3, 2026 by Fr. Gene Tucker, Interim Pastor.
“THE GOSPEL: USE – OR – MISUSE?”
(Homily text: John 14: 1–14)
We use
many things in the course of our daily lives. Things that make life easier,
more convenient, or which enable us to do things we would, otherwise, not be
able to do.
Most
all of these things can be used properly, within the design and the limitations
of each.
But
they can also be misused, often resulting in damage to the thing itself, or to
the people using the thing(s).
Consider,
for example, a hammer. It can be used to drive a nail, or to insert something
into a place where it’s supposed to go, but won’t. But a hammer can also be
misused, used to break things.
Consider
the Seven Deadly Sins. Each one of these is rooted in some naturally-occurring
desire or need. But they become sins when those naturally-occurring desires or
needs are misused. Gluttony is the misuse of our need to eat. Avarice (an old
word for “greed”) is the misuse of our need to have our basic needs met. Sloth
is the misuse of our need for rest. And so forth with the others.
Even
very good things can be misused.
Consider,
for example, the Gospel, the Good News of God in Christ.
The
Gospel, this very good news, that, too, can be misused.
Which
brings us to today’s Gospel text, and – in particular – to Jesus’ statement
that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6). And then, especially,
this part of His statement which follows: “No one comes to the Father except
through me”.
For
Christian believers, this statement is, indeed, very good news. It is
life-changing news, it is news that makes all things different and all things
new.
But we
Christian believers can easily misuse this assurance from the Lord.
We can
act as though we have an exclusive claim on this good news. We can use this
good news as a club or a hammer to goad and prod unbelievers into faith.
Of
course, such an approach doesn’t work very well. In fact, it’s
counterproductive. Furthermore, it doesn’t mirror the sorts of ways that our
Lord behaved with those who were deemed, in the time of His earthly visitation,
to be “notorious sinners”.
We
could call such an attitude that seeks to raise ourselves up to some
highly-placed position in God’s kingdom “spiritual arrogance”.
How
might we be aware of – and guard against – the misuse of such a wonderful thing
as God’s offer of love, new life and grace? How might we step back, in order to
take a good look at ourselves and how we behave when we speak of the things of
God”
Perhaps
we might begin with an attitude of humility. After all, God’s offer of love,
new life and grace is just that, an offer, a gift. It isn’t something that we
either deserve or merit. We have no standing upon which to say that we deserve
God’s goodness.
Humility
leads us to ask ourselves, “What is it that I might be missing, when I consider
God’s will for my life?”. Joined to that question is this one: “In what ways do
I fail to show by my life that Jesus Christ dwells within my heart?”.
Realizing
that God’s prerogatives mean that He is the One who will, in the final
analysis, be the judge of who has found favor in His sight ought to set our
priorities straight. Our ability to determine who is – and who isn’t – a child
of God is a matter that God, alone, makes. Such a determination is echelons
above our human pay grade.
One
other thought is worth mentioning…If we have come to a place of faith in God’s
promises, then that place that we have come to is due entirely to God’s grace,
which has come before us, coming into our hearts and minds often before we are
aware of the Holy Spirit’s work to soften our hearts and to prepare our minds
to receive God’s truth.[1]
Our
prayer then, might be for God to install an attitude of humility and gratitude
in our hearts and minds for the goodness of God, which has brought us to the
place of faith we find ourselves in this day. And, we ought to pray for the
Holy Spirit to continue His cleansing and empowering work, that we might be the
image of Christ to all we encounter.
AMEN.
[1] Such a grace carries a technical term: Prevenient Grace, meaning a grace from God which comes before our awareness of it. (An original meaning of the word “prevent” was to “come before”.)
