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Alleluia - Christ is Risen
Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, 'Where I am going, you cannot come.' I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. ( John 13: 33-34) Read Sunday's Lessons here.
agapaō (to welcome, to entertain, to be fond of, to love dearly persons) allēlōn (one (each) another, reciprocally, mutually).
Jesus' "new" commandment to his disciples is to fondly and dearly love themselves as a community of people who believe in him. His examples of such love are demonstrated in his willingness to wash his disciples' feet at the Last Supper as well as to offer up his own mortal life as a sacrifice for many other lives. Tough standards to live up to but those guidelines assuredly exist in John's Gospel. Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. (John 14:12)
This Sunday nine members of St. James' community will reaffirm their mature Christian faith. They'll renounce evil and renew their commitments to Jesus Christ. Those of us who are there (and I'm hopeful that we will be more than plentiful in number) will vow our support to support them in their lives in Christ. These rituals are outward expressions of our shared love toward and for one another. They demonstrate that we will in thought and deed heed Jesus' commandments regarding love.
About three years ago, Bishop Breidenthal offered these words to the Diocese of Southern Ohio Conventions delegates. He said: "To be related to one another in a new way - and to acknowledge our relationship with people we would never 
have felt related to before - is to begin to be a new kind of community. Paul often describes this as the discovery that we are all part of one body, which is Christ. Here it may be appropriate to say that light radiates from us directly - as the Body of Christ. But what does this really mean? My answer: light is energy. Congregations release energy whenever they see themselves as Christ sees them and yield themselves to the Holy Spirit to become whatever God intends them to be." (Breidenthal, Nov. 2009, paras. 5 &6) The rite of confirmation reminds us that Jesus calls us into loving relationships with each other within our shared Christian community. Such love is more than words. It is simple yes complicated. Agape love means figuring out how all of us can grow more fully into who Christ calls us to be. Such compassion provokes us to tell the truth to one another in confrontational yet consoling ways. Seemingly we are not yet ready to travel to where Jesus is; therefore, he has sent the Holy Spirit to dwell with us.
This Sunday is a special day. It's a day to welcome Bishop Breidenthal who hasn't been here for a formal Episcopal visitation since 2008. There haven't been confirmations here since 2010. St. James has traveled many faithful miles in those years. God's Grace has been sufficient. People have shared Christ-like love. The church has looked faithfully to call new ordained and lay leaders. We've been extremely busy since the first of the year raising up new music and outreach programs. We've got plenty to share with our bishop even as we congratulate Brandon, Brooks, Bryan, Deborah, Jason, Jenna, Jennifer, Kelsee, and Tim into deeper relationships with Christ and us. Let's celebrate the day with anticipation and joy even as we continue to look for the Risen Christ among us who beckons us into deeper, more loving relationships with one another, God, and our neighbors.
Blessings Along The Way, Jim+
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