Greetings from Medford on the fifth Sunday of Easter and part of the transition to life after Pentecost.
Our invitation to worship asks God to help us truly know Jesus as the way to eternal life and that we are called to follow in Jesus’ steps because of our faith. Our first lesson from the Acts of the Apostles was Peter’s defense of including and eating with Cornelius after he received the Holy Spirit. The Psalmist’s refrain reminds us to praise God, not just for good things we experience but for the fact that God is God. The New Testament reading from the Revelation to John depicts heaven coming to earth and setting humanity back in their rightful place. Our Gospel from John is Jesus’ reminder to his disciples that they will be known by the love they have for each other, for God, for neighbor, and for all – including our enemy.
We are reminded of a common theme found in scripture, to be what we are called to be as we are called. Each person is created by God and share God’s grace, even when they don’t recognize it. As a function community, we grow by having others who see God from a different perspective yet still as gracious and calling for all to be reconciled to God. Scripture from today highlights that what we experience and how we react are not always what God intends for creation, but we must share that all are within God’s redeeming grace. God encourages us to engage with and search for God in ourselves and in others. Our challenge is to not inflict our constraints on God’s grace. Who do you help and who helps you see God as God is?
I invite your comments,
Les+
Acts 11:1-18; Psalm 148; Revelation 21:1-6; John 13:31-35. Love is not what we think.
Sermon link: https://audiomack.com/fatherles-2/song/easter-5-sermon
