6 Easter -- Year A -- May 25, 2014
Text: Acts 17:22-31; Ps 66:8-20; 1 Peter 3:13-22;
John 14:15-21
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Jesus said: "I will not leave you orphaned;
I am coming to you."
In the Name of God: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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How will we apply what Jesus said in our lives today?
Are Jesus' words relevant at all
to the questions that we have?
There is virtually nothing that is certain in this life.
The things we cherish can be taken away at any time,
and this earthly journey will eventually come to an end.
The thoughts on the matter can cause anxiety.
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Since last week, in the Vietnamese community,
there has been anxiety over the crisis in Southeast Asia,
where conflicts happened between Vietnam and China.
The disputes over the islands in the South China Sea
brought about the skirmishes on water,
demonstrations and looting of Chinese factories in Vietnam,
and the build up of China military forces at the border.
There is a lot of anxiety among the people who live in Vietnam today,
especially among those who are well off.
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Our first lesson of today is from the Book of Acts.
Paul, in his words to the Athenians,
discerns their anxiety.
He says, "Athenians,
I see how extremely religious you are in every way.
For as I went through the city and look carefully
at the objects of your worship,
I found among them an altar
with the inscription,
'To An Unknown God.'"
Paul found the people of Athens "extremely religious."
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Ancient Greeks worshiped idols.
They worshiped many gods.
Perhaps praying
and offering sacrifices to the gods
helped soothing their anxieties.
Yet there was one question that remained:
"Is there any god that has been missed?"
There must have been a god that was unknown to them,
and they did not want to neglect or displease that god.
No matter how many gods had they worshiped,
they could not get rid of their fears.
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Paul, as missionary, grasps the opportunity
to tell the Athenians that the God whom they do not know,
and about whom he was preaching,
is the only God who could help them
with their fear and anxiety.
He is the God who gives life to all,
and no one can define Him.
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Paul says that in Jesus Christ
those who seek God will find God.
Although unknown to them, God is very near to them.
Paul also says that God commands all people everywhere to repent.
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In our Hymnal there is Hymn 665, which has this line at the end,
"God unknown, he alone calls my heart to be his own."
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As Christians, we read the creed every Sunday,
affirming our faith in God the Father,
the Son and the Holy Spirit,
yet we still sing of a "God Unknown."
God always remains mysterious.
We believe in God,
but we accept that there is no way to explain God fully.
We don't want to be "extremely religious,"
because we know we cannot give explanation to all the questions.
No matter how hard we try to find God,
he remains unknown to us.
However, the God who is unknown to us
is the very God who cares for us.
The God who remains a mystery to us
calls us beloved,
and He loves us unconditionally.
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In this world, where anxiety abounds,
we hear Peter's words to the faithful of the first century,
"Do not fear what they fear,
and do not be intimidated,
but in your heart sanctify Christ as Lord."
Peter himself was among those who heard Jesus saying,
"I will not leave you orphan;
I am coming to you."
The encountering with the risen Lord completely changed Peter.
From being a person of quick temper,
always wanting to win and yet very fearful,
Peter was turned into a person with calmness,
determination and courage.
Peter preached, and 3000 people became Christians in one day.
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The author of Psalm 66 says that God has not rejected his prayer
or removed God's steadfast love from him.
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That is exactly what Peter wanted to say.
He put into practice his faith in God's steadfast love.
God's love never fails.
That is why he said,
"Do not fear what the people in the world fear,
and do not be intimidated,
but in your heart
sanctify Christ as Lord."
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The God whom you are seeking is very near to us.
He is calling us to give ourselves to Him.
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How do we offer ourselves to God?
We keep Jesus' commandment.
Jesus said,
"Those who have my commandments and keep them
are those who love me;
and those who love me will be loved by my Father,
and I will love them and reveal myself to them."
In the Name of God:
The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.