St. Andrew’s, Pictou, June 6, 2004

60^th Anniversary of D-Day, Holy Communion, Cancer Survivors Day

 

Companion God

Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31

Psalm 8

Romans 5:1-5

John 16:12-15

 

This very day, is one where we bring a massive list of contradictions to the table where we share the bread and wine of life:

-the scriptures challenge our ongoing discernment and discovery of the mystery of the presence of God in our lives,

-events of war and horror from Iraq and the Middle East daily confound our notions of common sense and how they will eventually affect our lives,

-this is the anniversary of D-Day, the day when thousands upon thousands of soldiers, airmen and navy allied personnel amassed an armada (a coalition of the willing) the likes of which the world has never, and 60 years later, still has never seen, united in one purpose: to steal the world back from the jaws of evil,

-the day set aside where those who have survived an ordeal from cancer, may pause to give thanks for life reclaimed from the jaws of disease,

-and then we each bring our own issues, concerns, celebrations and grief to the table.

 

With all of the things that seek to destroy life, the evils that seek to destroy our experience of communion, we come to this table seeking God; seeking Communion with God and the humanity with which we share our world.

 

I don’t think that there is any problem for us to admit that much of all of this reality is a spiritual mystery.

 

Maybe if we can accept that it is a mystery, we free ourselves up with the conclusion that we don’t have all of the answers. This is not a cop-out; I say this so that we might be able to obtain personal perspective. In accepting that it is a mystery, we also give ourselves the freedom and power to pursue our journey in solving the mystery, each in our own way, in our own time.

 

Today’s scriptures attempt the impossible!

 

“They try to tell us about the nature of the mystery we call God. In doing so, they conceive of a single reality that is not only unimaginably alive and varied, but is also the source of the unimaginable variety of all that exists.”   O’Driscoll p. 107

 

The reading from the book of Proverbs portrays to us a beautiful woman who we encounter everywhere and at all times and places and in every aspect of Creation. Her name is wisdom.

 

She was with God in the beginning, like “a master worker.” As we know the job of the master worker is to carry out the wishes of the designer: the Creator. Wisdom is the means then, by which Creation takes place.

 

What is the purpose?

“… then I was beside him, like a master worker;

and I was daily his delight,

rejoicing before him always,

rejoicing in his inhabited world

and delighting in the human race.”

 

“We are being told that the awe and wonder of the created universe emerges out of a relationship of mutual delight. This is extremely important because it brings us to a relationship, and relationship lies at the heart of what we believe about the mystery we call God.”              O’Driscoll p. 108

 

When we partake of the bread and the wine, we both celebrate and partake of the relationship. When we eat and drink together, in the coffee hour or with someone in their home, we are in relationship with that person in the same way: we are in communion with that person.

 

So many people feel that they are not good enough. They are not good enough to marry the one they love. They are not good enough for their in-laws. They are not good enough to join the church. They are not good enough for their neighbours.

 

In the face of all of our feelings of not being good enough, the Apostle Paul says that we are justified to God by our faith, alone.

 

In short, God make us an offer: God offers us peace by the One, (Jesus) who has been there, done that, even got the video; through our Lord Jesus Christ we are given that offer of peace, and in our relationship we might even have flashes of Glory in our human experience.

 

Following Jesus is a down to earth religion. There are no false political promises and it all flows together realistically. For example: there is no promise that we are to be exempted from suffering. In fact he says that:

 

“…we also boast in our suffering, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.”

 

Please note that it doesn’t say that the Spirit “might be given to us,” or “if we are good enough.” It simply says that it will be “given to us.”

 

We might like to know it all at any given moment. In this short passage in the Gospel of John from the Upper Room, even Jesus tells them he can’t give them all of the news that he would like to:

“.I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.”

 

But Jesus did not leave his disciples hanging without the goods, he promised them as he promises us, that they, and we will continue to get what we need through another provider: the Holy Spirit; the Spirit of truth.

 

“When the Spirit of Truth comes, he will guide you into all truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”

 

So, we are never to be alone. We always have access to the Spirit of truth.

 

Whatever you vision of God is, Jesus is giving us the basis of God as our constant companion: a Companion God.

 

But this is a Companion with a difference. Jesus’ vision is a companion with a direct line to the Creator.

 

Jesus said, “… he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”

 

Jesus is telling us that with faith in our Companion God we have a direct line to the Creator; to the truth.

 

This is not a secret personal privilege, the Holy Spirit works in consort with each of us personally, in community, and with God.

 

The work of the Spirit with each person, in consort with the community (the church) and with God is the very reason why we even have a church. We need to be in dialogue with ourselves, each other, and God, to have communion.

 

This issue is not that one of us has the truth, but in each sharing our personal truth and our love with each other in Communion, the truth is revealed.

 

Amen                       Rev. Alan Stewart