"The God in You!"

A sermon preached by Rev. Christopher E. Yopp and based on Acts 17: 22-31 and John 14:15-21.

I read an interesting story behind the great blues master, Jimmy Reed. In listening carefully to his recordings, occasionally you can hear in the background the faint voice of a woman citing in advance the lyrics to the song.
It is said that Jimmy Reed was so absorbed in the bluesy beat and the throbbing guitar riffs of his music that he simply could not remember the words to his own songs. He needed help with the lyrics, and the woman’s voice was his wife, helping him through the recording session by whispering the upcoming stanzas into his ear as he sang.
Now, whether or not this story is true, certainly, as Christians we can see how it beautifully relates to our Gospel Lesson this morning.
Jesus tells his followers that the role of the Holy Spirit is, in effect, to whisper the lyrics of the gospel song in the ears of the faithful. Someone once said that the primary task of the Holy Spirit is reminding the faithful of the truth, jogging the memories of the followers of Christ that they might become Christ-like.
You may recall in our Gospel Lesson last Sunday, Phillip said to Jesus; "Show us the Father." And Jesus said; "He who has seen me has seen the Father." Without a doubt, in Christ we see God. It is in the person of Jesus Christ - the Word made flesh, that God is reveal to us more fully. And certainly, it is in reflecting Christ that you and I reveal God to others.
The Rev. Dr. Barbara Lundblad, who is a professor of preaching at Union Theological Seminary in New York City makes an interesting connection to the last scene of the musical, Camelot and our Gospel Lesson this morning. She writes; "In the last scene of the musical Camelot, King Arthur spins out a song filled with memories of what had been the most idyllic place on earth. Alone on stage, the broken, forgiving king begs us to remember: ‘Ask ev'ry person if they've heard the story, And tell it strong and clear if they have not, That once there was a fleeting wisp of glory Called Camelot? Don't let it be forgotten that once there was a spot For one brief, shining moment That was known as Camelot.’
Keep the story going begs King Arthur. Pass it on to your children and your children’s children; and in the very remembering, you will keep the dream alive. In the midst of the despair around you, recall this time, this special place. And perhaps, who knows, perhaps, this one brief, shining moment will come again.’"
We’re tempted to hear Jesus singing King Arthur’s song as he gathers with his disciples in the upper room. But, you know, friends, Jesus did not sing that song. Jesus didn't call the disciples to hold up his life as a fleeting memory but as a living presence. Jesus says; "I will not leave you orphaned, I am coming to you."
Our Gospel Lesson is a continuation to last week’s Gospel Reading, which is part of Jesus’ "Final" or "Last Discourse." In that dialogue, Jesus is preparing his disciples for the time
when he will no longer be with them in the flesh. We can imagine their sense of broken-heartedness. But Jesus assures them that even though their relationship is changing, it is not ending. Even though he will no longer be with them in the flesh, physically; they will remain connected to him, spiritually. For he is sending the Holy Spirit - the Parakletos - "the one who walks alongside of," a Comforter."
C. Williams Nichols tells the story of a young Chinese Christian student named Lo, who ran home overwhelmed and excited from a Bible study one evening. He declared to his mother, as he came through the front door, that he just learned that his name was in the Bible. When she expressed her doubt, he proudly opened his Bible to the text in which Jesus affirms; "Lo, I am with you always, to the end of the age." Indeed, Lo was right: his name was there, and so is yours and mine. Jesus says to each of us; "I am with you always."
Rosemary Radford Reuther, a church historian, said that there are two things the church must do: first, the church must pass on the tradition from one generation to another. As in King Arthur’s song; "Ask ev’ry person if they've heard the story, and tell it loud and clear if they have not." Tell the story of Jesus to your children and your children’s children. And secondly, the church must be open to the winds, the breath of the Spirit by which the tradition comes alive in each generation. That is where our story is much different than Camelot. The church doesn’t just celebrate the memory of Christ, we celebrate the presence of Christ in the person and power of the Holy Spirit.
And it is the power and presence of the Holy Spirit in us that allows us to do the first - to become a witness to others. You see, just as Jesus was a reflection of God, so we must become a reflection of Jesus to others.
Certainly, this is what Paul did in our First Reading. Here, we find Paul in Athens. Certainly, as Paul walked through the city of Athens he couldn’t help but be impressed and, perhaps, somewhat intimidated by the majestic power of this world center of learning and culture. The Acropolis, with its pagan temples, towered over the city and witnessed to the religious influence and tradition that held this city in its grips. Surely, Paul must have felt threatened.
Nevertheless, Paul went to the marketplace of the city and began to share the gospel with the common people who customarily came there to buy and sell. But we are told that some philosophers heard of Paul’s teaching and invited him to come to the Areopagus to argue his case before the highly educated and philosophical men of the city.
The Areopagus was just southwest of the Arcopolis in Athens and was a hill called the Hill of Ares or in Latin, Mar’s Hill, after the god of war. This was where court was held concerning questions of religion or morals.
Paul, standing before them, said; "Athenians, I see how extremely religious you are in every way. For as I went through the city and looked carefully at the objects of your worship..." And then Paul used a wonderful opportunity given to him to share his faith. He said; "I found among them an altar with the inscription, ‘To an unknown god.’"
Tradition has it, that in the 6th century B.C. a poet from the island of Crete named Epimenides turned aside a horrible plague from the people of Athens by appealing to a god of whom the people had never heard. An altar was built to honor this god, whom the Athenians now called the "Unknown God." Thus Paul began his presentation of the gospel by appealing to the natural revelation and to certain philosophies from the Athenian poets. Then Paul proceeded to tell them about Jesus Christ and the gospel.
Now some scholars argue as to whether or not Paul’s missionary trip to Athens was successful. But nevertheless, it must be conceded that Paul did not leave Athens entirely without converts. But the lesson becomes clear, and this is where the Holy Spirit comes in: we must be ourselves, speaking a language we know, and relating what we have found to be true in our own experience. For it is such a witness that encourages others to listen.
Paul reminds us, as Jesus did, that we are God’s offspring – that we are not orphaned, but we belong to God in and through Christ.
I want to close with one of my favorite stories, that I know I have shared with you before, that is told of a little boy who was staring at a big picture of Jesus on the wall in his Sunday school class. Finally, he turned to his teacher and said to her: "You know, teacher, it seems that if Jesus lives inside of us, he’s going to stick out somewhere." How true that is! Is Jesus "sticking out" in you? Do others know of your faith, and love and good works for Christ? Do others see Jesus in you?