Easter 6—Exaudi
Dear friends in Christ. This past Thursday we celebrated and rejoiced in Jesus’ ascension into heaven. Now His job of saving the world from its sin and the results of that sin—death and damnation—is complete. Truly mission accomplished!
What did we hear at Jesus’ ascension? And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” [Ac 1.9-11] With Jesus’ ascension, then, we are also being reminded of His return on the Last Day.
That brings us to the first thought of St. Peter in our text today: The end of all things is at hand. The work for the salvation of the world is done; nothing more is to be expected or awaited other than Jesus’ visible return in glory on the Last Day.
Think of what this Sunday was for the disciples. It was an in between time/ a time of waiting. They had just seen Jesus ascend into heaven 3 days before. Right before His ascension we read [Ac 1.4-5]: And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” This Sunday was for them a time of waiting. Jesus was visibly gone; but He had again promised them the Holy Spirit—but He wasn’t here yet. The Holy Spirit would first come the following Sunday, on Pentecost, ten days after Jesus had ascended, but the disciples didn’t know that. This was now a time of waiting for the disciples, a time of longing and expectation founded on Jesus’ promise to send the Holy Spirit who would equip them to be witnesses, like we hear in today’s Gospel: “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.” Of course, Jesus was faithful to His promise and did send the Holy Spirit. And Jesus is faithful to His promise spoken by the angels: This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven. And this is where the Church has been from the beginning and where we are today. We are an expectant Church, waiting for Jesus to return; we live our lives—as have all the generations of Christians who have gone before us—in expectation of Jesus’ return because, again, as St. Peter tells us in our text: The end of all things is at hand. And as we study our text we will see that in light of Jesus’ return, our lives will be marked by prayer, love and service.
1. St. Peter: The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Prayer—we see the disciples in prayer during these ten days between Jesus’ ascension and Pentecost, when He sends the Holy Spirit. St. Luke records: All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. So, yes, prayer will be part of our lives as Christians as we live in these last days. That’s why we come to church to pray with the Church/ our fellow Christians. That’s why we pray before and after reading Scripture. That’s why we pray numerous times throughout the day as various things come up—be they our own or others’ troubles or thanksgivings or joys. But notice what St. Peter writes here: The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Yes, our lives will be ones of prayer but what goes along with prayer? What is necessary for us to pray? That we be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of [our] prayers. We see that our prayer life is in danger because of our old sinful self and how willingly and gladly we are overcome by sin that turns our attention and focus/ our senses and thoughts away from God and the things of God and toward self. When we are not self-controlled—and for us Christians, this means following the leading and prompting of the Holy Spirit in us—then we all too easily give in to sin and follow the way of sin, trying to gratify the desire to please self. We need the Holy Spirit led self-control in us because if we are always trying to gratify ourselves, where will our prayers be? We always need the reminder that the end of all things is at hand, lest we get bogged down with the cares and worries of this life and forget about the eternal life that awaits us. Indulging self hinders prayer. That’s why the Church has always thought it a good idea to practice times of fasting—going without food for a day or meal to get our focus away from self and indulging self and to remind us of our reliance on the Lord and to use that time as a time of prayer and service, to use the money saved to help the church and the poor. When we train and discipline the body we serve God and others more.
Because we live in this “in between time” and the end of all things is at hand, we need to be deliberate and exert diligence in using this time of grace in a proper way. [Being] self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of [our] prayers means that led and strengthened by the Holy Spirit we use Christian common sense and do not let ourselves become spiritually drowsy but that we fight against sin—yes, sin, sin of weakness will come upon us before we often realize it—but we at least are on the guard against and fight against willful sin. And by the power of the Holy Spirit, we don’t let the troubles and trials of this time bog us down so that they become our focus and interfere with our relation to God. But being self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of [our] prayers, we use these trials and hardships we all endure to lead us to rely on the Lord and to be more diligent in our prayers and dealings with Him and earnestly approach Him in spirit and truth. The life we now live in light of Jesus’ return is a life of prayer—a result of Spirit worked faith that leads us to be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of [our] prayers.
2. St. Peter then continues with another characteristic of our lives lived in this “in between time” between Jesus’ ascension and His return: Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. That second characteristic? Love! Here St. Peter highlights a practical aspect of what love does: love covers a multitude of sins. In other words, love forgives the other person his/her sin. In this love—a love flowing from faith worked in us by the Holy Spirit—we cover up, excuse, conceal, cover with our own reputation the sins of the other person. In other words love leads us to be glad to forgive the sin of the other. If we love the other person, we do not regard their faults and failures; instead, we look at and consider their good qualities. Will this always be easy for us? Absolutely not! We still have our old sinful nature that will try to look for the worst in the other and blow past our own sins and failures and emphasize our supposed good qualities.
How difficult it is to pass by a piece of gossip or not pile on when someone else is being run down! Let us repent for all the times we see ourselves doing that. By the Holy Spirit’s power, let us discipline and train ourselves, let us be self-controlled and defend our neighbor; let us love that person and so by our forgiveness covers a multitude of sins.
What is the end result of our lack of love and failing to forgive the other person, not cover[ing] a multitude of his/her sin? No peace, harmony and unity; only continued strife and disunity. Is that the way to spend the time we have before Jesus’ return? Doesn’t living in continued strife and disharmony ultimately work against and destroy faith? Absolutely!
Our love we have as Christians shows itself in a very concrete way—in forgiving our neighbor their sin. But let us not misread the Apostle here. He is not saying like the world today does: I’m ok, you’re ok! So let’s get rid of this notion of sin. Instead, what St. Peter is here saying is: Yes, forgive the sinner his/ her sin. But this does not mean that you do not call the sinner to repentance. If he/she does not recognize their sin but holds to it, calling them to repent of that sin is a work of love and is necessary. You forgive the person that sin; although you do not let it stand between you, in love and gentleness you lead them to recognize that sin and repent of it.
How and why should/ can we live a life of love that covers a multitude of sins? Because God, in Christ, covers our sins. Let each of us just think of our own sins of weakness that we all commit often each day and pray for forgiveness in the Our Father, and daily fight against. He forgives us each one. Here we are strengthened to love which covers a multitude of sins, to overlook the sins of the other as we remember God’s love and forgiveness to us in Christ.
What a beautiful harmony there is in families, congregations, in work places when we above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. It doesn’t depend on the other person, it depends on you first.
That love that is characteristic of us Christians awaiting Jesus’ return is not only toward those near us who regularly sin against us and us against them, but our fervent love is also toward the stranger who is in need of our help/ love: Show hospitality to one another without grumbling; literally it says be ones loving of strangers… The point? When St. Peter is here writing, and as is still true today, Christians were often “on the run” due to persecution. In love, Christians helped and welcomed into their homes these persecuted Christians. For these acts of love and mercy, we hear Jesus’ words in the parable [Mt. 25.46]: Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.
A life lived in light of Jesus’ return is a life of love—a love that forgives the sins of the other and shows mercy to the stranger. And the blessed result is that harmony and unity are preserved.
3. The third characteristic of our lives in the “in between” time is one of service. Here St. Peter says that we Christians are given gifts of grace: As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace… In His grace God has given His Christians gifts to be used in serving others. We are responsible to God how we use these gifts. They are not our own to use as we want; they are from God and to be used for the good of the other—especially our fellow Christian. St. Peter lists two obvious gifts used in the Christian congregation: the first is teaching whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God and the other is serving: whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies. But whatever the gift the Lord has given you, the words of our text apply: in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. In other words, wherever the Lord has placed you to serve Him, serve Him there in word and deed. Your words and your deeds, dear Christian, glorify God, as you serve Him in the work of your calling. You never know through what simple humble word you speak or what simple humble thing you do, the Lord may use to help bring a person to faith or to plant the seed. Look at all you do in the home, at work, in the church, in the community as a way that God is glorified by you.
How blessed we are to be living in this “in between” time of Jesus’ ascension and return. Because the end of all things is at hand, we, in faith in Jesus and in love of Him, live lives marked by prayer, love and service. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.