May 12, 2024 ☩ Easter VII
Today, we celebrate mothers on this most blessed Mother’s Day. To honor this day and all mothers, I so desire to share these collects by The Rev. Bryan Owens and The Rev. Leslie Nipps with personal edits:
“Most gracious God, from your heart you gave birth to all creation, and the Blessed Mary Ever-Virgin bore our Savior Jesus Christ; and through your Son, Jesus Christ, you gather up all your children under the shadow of your wings: Through maternal love may we obtain a foretaste of your unconditional and eternal love; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.[1]
On this Mother’s Day, we give thanks to God for the divine gift of motherhood in all its diverse forms. Let us pray for all the mothers among us today; for our own mothers, those living and those who have passed away; for the mothers who loved us and the mothers who fell short of loving us fully; for all who hope to be mothers someday and all whose hope to have children has been frustrated; for all mothers who have lost children; for all women and men who have mothered in any way – those who have been our substitute mothers and we who have done so for those in need; and for the earth that bore us and provides us with our sustenance. We pray their maternal care and compassion in the world is blessed, strengthened and multiplied, in the name of God, our great and loving Mother. Amen.”[2]
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[1] The Rev. Bryan Owens, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Baton Rouge. Modifications in italics. Accessed May 10, 2024. https://diocesela.org/the-bishops-blog/daily-prayer_050822_mothers-day/
[2] The Rev. Leslie Nipps. Modifications in italics. Accessed May 10, 2024. https://s3.amazonaws.com/dfc_attachments/public/documents/3277320/EASTER_5_2020.pdf
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Christ calls us into oneness with He and God the Father. A hearer of today’s Gospel reading might initially wonder if God’s desire for us is to escape the world as Christ left the world when He ascended into heaven. The Gospel writer though clearly remarks through Jesus’ prayer, that Jesus prays for protection from the world for His disciples without them being taken out of the world.
This prayer offers us a deeper glimpse into Oneness with God the Father and Christ as well as what it means to live in the world but not of it. Meanwhile, Jesus knows he is on his way to the Father in heaven.
Theologian Thomas Troeger offers us a clear distinction of what it means to remain in the world and not to be of the world. We might even say what it means to live in the world but to be of God – and to be wholly of God is what it means to be ‘sanctified.’ Troeger says that we need not retreat from the world but only from “the pressures of the world.” [Feasting on the Word. Year B, Volume 2. 2008. Pg 547.]
Taking a broader view, we should first understand that the world in which we live is holy ground. Sure, it may not be perfect, peaceful, and without strife, but God made it and therefore it is of great value – especially to God. God even sends His only Son into the world because He loves His people. And though Jesus ends up leaving the world after the Ascension, God sends the Holy Spirit to remain with God’s people to encourage and strengthen the apostles and many other disciples to continue to bear witness to the eternal life in Christ’s life, resurrection, and ascension.
God remains deeply connected to the world at every turn. Our world is not to be shunned or given up on. Our world is but one place where we find God ever present through the Spirit at work in God’s people.
Our world is challenging to live in and not be overcome by the ‘pressures’ as Troeger mentioned. Troeger believes that sanctification, or a life fully devoted toward God, is what should “shape [every Christian’s] essential identity, faith, and values.” [Feasting on the Word. Year B, Volume 2. 2008. Pg 547.]
To belong to any worldly group – such as an athlete on a particular sport’s team, a fan of a sports’ team, a member of an organization for social justice or humanitarian aid, or even one who touts nationalism (not to be confused with patriotism) – means to identify yourself against other groups. Most often this grouping of people in the world leads to conflict because for one group to succeed or be better means the other group or groups need to do worse or diminish or be eliminated. This happens when an individual’s identity is wrapped up in any worldly group.
To be sanctified means to be of God even while we live in the world. When we are entirely of God and our entire being seeks to be One with God and Christ, then our life and existence does something different than the world knows – it strives to bridge community and bring it to wholeness as Jesus strove to do throughout His ministry. It is the holy paradox, to be a part of the Christian faith and to desire unity. Even amidst participation in worldly groups, the heart of the Christian is focused on healing, restoration and forgiveness, so that others are not diminished. Rather, when one is elevated, all are elevated together. In this unity, animosity has no home, but one’s joy is made greater by another’s joy. We have glimpses of this shared joy when spectators of a sports team also find joy in their athlete’s best performance, win or lose – most importantly, in the valiant and vigilant effort.
How is this possible? When we fully appreciate the Spirit’s presence in the world that has been brought to many more people than just the Twelve apostles, we can appreciate and value God in our midst, right in front of us, within another. This is not to say we are each perfect in our earthly living, the same way the entirety of the world is not perfect – yet it is to acknowledge that God deems this world and His children so valuable and cherished so as to remain with them, ever present, for all times.
Just as Matthias was elected to share in bearing witness to the truth, we are called to share in the truth named in the first letter of John: “God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.” [1 John 5:11] In this knowledge and love of God, we are guarded and strengthened against the influences of the world. May we be ever mindful and steadfast to bear witness to God’s persistent presence in the world around us and through one another.
Amen.
