"A Flowing Oneness;" Sermon for May 8th, 2016 by Rev. Nicole A.M. Collins, FODM

“I have got to leave to find my way.  The ocean is the river’s goal. Strength and courage overrides the privileged and weary eyes…”  It is amazing how the Holy Spirit works each and every week and every day for that matter for those first poetic lines I recited come from that old REM classic, ‘Find the River.’ The moment I began to chew on this week’s texts is when that song got stuck in my head and I had to nearly play it every day either from my phone’s MP3 library or on my cd player at home.

As we know the path of a river is forged over time.  Its path only God knows the final destination.  Its flow, metaphorically speaking, is shaped by our commitment and heart’s acquired knowledge.  Grace is the tool which shapes and forges our faith forward prayerfully and most beautifully.  God’s timing, Kairos time, is something we have a hard time being patient with, in some senses the rocks in the river of our ever flowing forward journey can become those stumbling blocks either the Evil One or our own weakness puts into place.

Keeping that prayerful flow forward is the process of discernment.  The beautiful verse saying that the ocean is the river’s goal, you could say is like how our faith journey’s goal or mission is the Kingdom of God—the oneness of the greater Body! What we have on earth, which we often get confused by, is thinking that the goal of discipleship is the Body, or the physical gathering of “church.”  The church in reality though, is a hollow shell. Yes, it is a building but God calls us to build in another way… We gather truly and most prayerfully to scatter!

Within our veins flows the life Christ Jesus won for us at that Cross, through the Resurrection and now the ascending Jesus—helps us to turn the page of our journeys! The Holy Spirit is now our internal discipling coach encouraging and enabling us to discern God's plans revealed through the eyes of our hearts enlightened. Enlightened to a greater purpose, a new tributary into an unknown landscape… A landscape not marred by blood and death but one that strength and courage combined must override—rise above. Overriding our fears and doubts and taking that huge leap forward, boldly as an ambassador for Christ—is being a missionary of the Gospel, for ALL to come to know and grow from!

This past week, God’s Grace had me see myself in the shoes of those disciples.  I saw myself there as a fisherman in that large and nearly overwhelming river…  It was teaming with life, so much unseen but thought about.  I have many lines in that river flowing around and by me.  Often times, I have felt like the negative verses in that REM song—as we can all identify with at various points on our spiritual formation path: “This life that pass before my eyes, nothing is going my way…” Indeed it is hard to be an optimist, but is optimism for the Christian more or less trusting God and placing your fears and doubts in His hands?

The amazing Book of Acts says so much about our path.  It is not only a wonderful window into seeing the fruits of the mission ahead of the disciples but it gives us an example. You must admit though, that we really have a hard time with wrapping our minds around the faith journeys of those that happened some 2,000 years ago.  They become symbolic paintings about time weaving themselves more or less into a foundation that is a physical one (the church) than a spiritual one (our hearts).

In order for us to grow and go with the Gospel of Christ Jesus boldly in the here and now…  We must take on the task at hand and travel where the Holy Spirit leads us.  The heart’s knowledge shaped by and for Grace gives us directions.  What we discern with prayerful humility is where God needs us to be.  It may not feel right yet or your anxiety makes you doubt and sometimes despair… BUT this is picking up those paddles and chasing the waves which lead towards that greater Body—greater goal. Nothing is ever aimless when Christ is at the center—the center of our lives and our hearts!

Harboring strength for the journey is the cost and pain of being a disciple of Jesus.  It is something we are all called to—a common oneness as we make our way, find our way down that river…  A week or two ago, a beautiful person I only really came to know through “facebook…” lost her battle with cancer. We both shared a love for our cats and for God.  She, from what I came to know, also loved to go fishing.  Pastor Dawson loves fishing too, I confess that I never have had the privilege.

I have never had the privilege of actually standing in a river and becoming one with God’s beautiful creation but I can only imagine.   Taking this into thinking of ourselves once again in the shoes of those disciples in the Book of Acts…  Would we be up to the task of being fishers of people? Do we allow the Holy Spirit to guide our hearts to grab hold and cast those lines, those nets out into those unknown waters?  You have to imagine what the disciples were thinking, Judas just killed himself for what he couldn’t bear having done to Jesus and now they were casting lots who was going to be #12 to replace him.  Mind you, the disciples weren’t coming from thinking in terms of being a business professional on this, “looking at resumes”… they were carpenters, fisherman, tax collectors, etc.

No one ever said it was going to be easy. No one should ever as well, give up!  Satan’s work is to discourage us, to make us feel the pain of doubt and insecurity even when God’s messengers prayerfully tell us in so many ways that He gives us everything we could ever need to find the path down that river… which leads to that great and abundant ocean, fount of life—the Kingdom of God! Francis of Assisi echoes this in saying: “It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching.” Our prayerful discernment, moving forward, does bear fruit.

In my own life’s witness—which never forget, we are ALL called to witness to the power of the Gospel, God’s work in our very lives(!) is that river. It has been a rough ride, an unusual ride that only I can claim.  I am still an artist in many ways except that my work and purpose are for the Lord.  Everything I do, say and be, comes from Grace working in my life naturally—where creating has a whole new function and mission. I am still building upon that foundation within my heart to realize that path’s final destination.

The Words of Jesus meant as a farewell address from the Gospel writer John, completes in some senses who we are as children of Grace and promise: “²⁴Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. ²⁵“Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. ²⁶I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

We have been given so much to be hopeful for and prayerful about.  We need to step back within ourselves to find our way in the world, but not of it. For the love of God and neighbor is to be our strength and binding courage! Nothing is lost, for we have been found and our hearts begin that journey forward…

Let us pray—

Gracious and loving Lord Jesus,

Help us rise to the task

Help us to wade through those challenges

Moving forward upon a prayerful wisdom

Only having You at the center of Our lives reveals

Those lines are cast and we are beginning to reel them in

May our lives find the peace and glory of that unity

The Unity that is, the Kingdom of God

AMEN

May 8th, 2016; Ascension texts (May 5^th) & Seventh Sunday of Easter; Year C; SOLA Lectionary

Sermon by Reverend Nicole A.M. Collins, FODM

Ascension of Our Lord: Acts 1:1-11; & Ephesians 1:15-23 Seventh Sunday of Easter: Acts 1:12-26;  & John 17:20-26

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The link below is to this sermon's delivery at the Grace Hub's house church service at 8am:
https://youtu.be/CpyDtaiM9IA