7 Easter A June 1, 2014
Luther Memorial Church Seattle, WA
The Rev. Julie G. Hutson
Acts 1: 6-14 + Psalm 68: 1-10, 32-35 + 1 Peter 4: 12-14; 5: 6-11
John 17: 1-11
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Amen.
Are you familiar with the phrase “famous last words?” Usually we utter them when we say something we know we’ll probably contradict later on.
That’s the last dark chocolate m & m I’m eating today.
I’m not getting back on that roller coaster again!
Two kids is enough…we are finished.
Starting today I’m going to the gym every morning.
Famous last words.
Historically, though, there are a number of truly famous last words. Words that were spoken by people as they passed from this life to the next. Some are laced with irony.
Leonardo daVinci’s last words were “I have offended God and mankind because my work did not reach the quality it should have.”
H. G. Wells said with his last breath: “Go away! I’m alright!”
Elvis is reported to have told his companions: “I’m going into the bathroom to read for awhile.”
Others have offered great insight at the time of their death. John Newton, author of the hymn Amazing Grace, exclaimed “I am still in the land of the dying. I shall be in the land of the living soon.”
Thomas Edison noted “It is very beautiful over there.”
Emily Dickinson exclaimed “The fog is lifting.”
And most recently we heard these words from Steve Jobs, as he took his last breaths: “Wow. Wow. Wow.”
Our lessons today offer two sets of famous last words. In the reading from Acts we hear the last words of Jesus before he ascends to heaven. The disciples ask Jesus if this is the time that the kingdom will be restored to Israel. They want some assurance that they are going to experience what had been promised to them. And Jesus responds with his parting words to them: “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Last things and last words happen at times of transition, at times when our lives are moving from one thing to another. The last words of our single-ness are “I Do.” When I was a college student, and would drive back home for the weekends, my mother’s last words for me before I returned to campus were always “Don’t pick up any strangers.” I have no idea why she chose those words, but I got her point.
Audrey, Ryan….you find yourselves in a very interesting place. High school is behind you, or almost behind you, college is yet to be, but you can see it from here. And last words before you go will be spoken. Since you both have younger siblings, as I did, maybe your last words when you leave home will be “Don’t mess with my stuff.” And perhaps your parent’s last words will be some version of “Call when you get there.” And you’ll share last words with your friends, too, before you go. So what we learn from our readings today is good advice for both of you and for your families too.
Last words matter.
And since they do, I’m going to take this opportunity also to say something about the last words of our worship service. The Assisting Minister, after the final hymn, says something like “Go in peace! Serve the Lord!” And we say? (Thanks be to God) Now, here’s the thing. I get that in the Lutheran Church we can be reserved from time to time. But friends, when you are being sent out for service, after just having worshiped and been fed, and shared the peace….the response is not thanks be to God. The response is THANKS BE TO GOD! Those last words of our worship together send us out….with thanksgiving and gratitude. They deserve a bold and generous and loud and joyous response. So, today when we leave…well, let’s practice. The Assisting Minister will say: Go in peace. Serve the Lord. And you will say? THANKS BE TO GOD!
Last words are important.
In today’s Gospel reading from John, we hear Jesus’ last words before his ascension. For John’s Gospel, this prayer of Jesus’, his last words, this is the Lord’s Prayer. In John’s Gospel account Jesus never prays the prayer “Our Father in heaven…” Jesus prays, “Father the hour has come.” This is it. Now is the time. Time for Jesus to return to the Father, to leave the disciples. And Jesus doesn’t offer some big fancy summation of all of his teaching. There’s no slogan that will fit on a bumper sticker. There’s no Arnold Schwarzenegger like “I’ll be back.”
Instead Jesus prays for the unity of the people of God. And not just any sort of unity, but the same kind of unity that Jesus and the Father share. “So that they may be one, as we are one”, Jesus prays.
When we look at the Church today we are keenly aware of those places where we are not unified. We know what divides us. Issues of how we read and understand Scripture, issues around sexuality, even in some cases issues around the rights of women and minorities. And because we follow Jesus’ call to acts of justice, we speak out when we believe injustice is being done. We must. But it would behoove us, as the Body of Christ, to let our last words be words that bind us together, words that call to mind what we share and that is a love for Jesus Christ who was crucified and has risen. When we find very little common ground, when we find ourselves wrestling in our disagreement, may our final words to one another be of Christ. I think this is why Pope Francis has so quickly become a voice of hope in the world. His movement toward reconciliation and peace making is based on the fact that he begins and ends his understanding on what we hold in common, the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
So, Ryan and Audrey’s families, choose your last words to them with care. As they set out to Chicago and California, they don’t really need to hear about remembering to do laundry or eating three square meals a day. What they need to hear is what all of us need to hear when we leave a place, whether it is for a day or a month or forever…. That they and we are beloved by God and by those that we leave behind. That their absence will be felt and their returns eagerly anticipated. And that by their very presence in our lives, we are changed.
Audrey and Ryan, your last words might be “Send Money!” or “See you at Thanksgiving” but in your hearts, hear the words of your family and of this community of faith. That we send you out in the unity that is the body of Christ. That we pray God’s richest blessings in each of your days. We pray for big adventures and for peace in the trying times. Like finals week. In anxious times, as we read in our second reading today, cast your anxiety on God. God is big enough to bear it.
Last words matter. Choose them wisely. Here are the last words for this sermon, for this time. Thanks be to God. Amen.