Sixth Sunday of Easter

Sixth Sunday of Easter (B)

May 6, 2018

Text: John 15:9-17

            What a joyous day to meditate on the love of God for us in Christ Jesus.  The Holy Baptism of Saphira Brielle is, in so many ways, the living picture of that love.  Here these parents, and this family, who have opened their hearts and their home to her, to make her their very own, one of them, now bring her forward to the font where our Father in heaven makes her His very own, His own beloved child, a member of this family, Holy Church, and He gives her a spiritual home here in Augustana Congregation.  It is an adoption by grace, a miracle of love that happens right before our very eyes.  Old Adam in Saphira is drowned and dies in the water.  All her sins, past, present, and future, are washed away.  The demons are cast out.  Saphira is plunged into the death and resurrection of Christ.  His death is her death.  His life is her life.  She is raised from the dead, spiritually now, and she will be bodily, on that Day, for she is baptized into Christ.  There is Jesus in the water for Saphira.  There is the Holy Spirit descending upon her and taking possession of her.  There is the voice of the Father saying of her, “You are my beloved daughter by virtue of your Baptism into my beloved Son.  For this reason, and for His sake, with you I am well pleased.  You are perfect in my eyes.”  He puts His Name on her, “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,” the Christian family name, and He marks her with the sign of the holy cross, by which she is redeemed.  God loves her.  And we love her.  Because, as St. John writes in our Epistle, “everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him” (1 John 5:1; ESV).  Saphira has been given new birth from above this morning, born of God, born of water and the Spirit.  She’s one of us, a dear sister in Christ.  The angels rejoice today, more than over 99 righteous persons who need no repentance.  And so do we.  She’s been with us for a while, adding her hearty “Amen” to our prayers.  But now it’s official.  There is a new member of our family.   

            What is particularly beautiful about today and its corresponding Holy Gospel is how Saphira is such a tremendous example of what our Lord says to all of us: “You did not choose me, but I chose you” (John 15:16).  Look at the series of events that brought Saphira to this day.  It is the Lord’s doing, not ours.  From our point of view, it is a succession of remarkable circumstances that have resulted in this day of her Baptism.  But from God’s point of view, it is simply obvious that this would be the case.  This is the natural next step.  Of course He brought her here, to this family, and to this Church.  Of course she is baptized today.  This is no surprise to Him.  Why?  Not just because He knows all things (okay, He does have an unfair advantage there).  But because He chose Saphira to be His own from before the foundation of the world.  That’s why.  That’s grace.  Nothing Saphira did brought her to this place and time.  Nothing we did brought her to this place and time.  No decisions for Jesus.  No acts of our will.  If anything, were it not for God doing constant damage control, our will would just mess everything up.  No, this is all God’s work.  God brought Saphira to this place and time today, as was His plan from all eternity.  He brought her to the font.  He baptized her.  Baptism is not our work for God, it is God’s work for us.  That is why Peter can say that Baptism now saves you (1 Peter 3:21), and he isn’t arguing against salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.  That’s what Baptism is.  Grace.  The place you are given faith in Christ.  The act by which Christ’s sin-atoning, saving work is poured out upon you and made your own.

            You see, what is true for Saphira, is just as true for you.  Whether you were baptized as a little baby, or an older child, or an adult… Even if, from your point of view, you decided to be baptized, don’t suffer any illusions… You didn’t do a work there.  God did.  The Holy Spirit brought you to the font.  Not you.  Not your parents.  You didn’t invite the Father into your heart.  The Father invited you into His.  You didn’t choose Jesus.  He chose you.  That’s what He says.  Because He loves you.  So He does it all.  By grace. 

            What is love?  It’s such a nice-sounding word, isn’t it?  Even the world loves the word “love.”  But don’t be fooled.  When the world talks about love, it doesn’t mean what the Bible means.  The problem is, the word “love” is so flexible in meaning that it’s really ambiguous.  Especially in English.  The Greek has no less than four words to talk about different things that we call “love.”  We pack it all into one.  For example, I can say, “I love my wife and children.”  And in the next breath I can say, “I love peperoni pizza.”  Do these two sentences express the same concept of love?  I hope not.  If that is the case, either I love one too much, or the other not enough.  Context is important in determining the meaning of the word.  For our purposes we need to clarify that the context is God’s love for us, our love for God, and our love for other people.  That’s the kind of love we’re talking about in the Scriptures.  But even that doesn’t help us much when we’re dealing with the world.  Because the world’s concept of love is that we’re all nice to one another and tolerant of whatever each person wants to believe or do… in fact, not just tolerant, but accepting and affirming.  Start calling something a sin or a false doctrine, and suddenly you’re not loving.  And you Christians, start talking about how your God is the only God, Jesus is the only way to heaven, all other religions are idolatry, and that people really can and do go to hell, well… that’s not loving.  That’s hate speech, there.  In fact, we can’t tolerate it. 

            Beloved, it is absolutely vital that you be clear on what love is and is not.  Love is not an emotion.  It is not a feeling.  It is not the warm fuzzies in your heart.  Those things can come along with love, but they are not love.  Love is not tolerance for things that are intolerable to God.  It is not acceptance and affirmation of that which God does not accept and affirm.  And it’s not hate to say so.  Actually, it’s love to say so.  Love says the hard things.  Love sacrifices reciprocation and honor for the good of the beloved.  It endures rejection.  It endures insult.  It endures anger, resentment, and even outright hatred on the part of the beloved.  For when we talk about love as the Scriptures speak of it, as Jesus defines it and personifies it, we are talking about the love that suffers and dies for the sake of the beloved who hate the Lover and are responsible for His suffering and death.  That’s agape love, the self-giving, self-sacrificing, loving unto the death of self, kind of love, the love of which we are incapable in and of ourselves, that only God can actually give, and does give in His Son, Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).  “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).  Friends, Jesus calls us, we who killed Him by our sin, who reject Him constantly by our lovelessness and rebellion and self-idolatry.  He gives His life for us.  To make us His own.  God’s love fashions its own object.  It is not that God loves us because we’re so gosh-darn loveable.  He loves us because that’s what He has decided.  And so He acts.  He sends His Son.  Jesus goes willingly to the cross.  That… that, my friends, is love. 

            Love is a decision put into action for the sake of the beloved, without regard to whether it brings love in return.  By the Spirit’s gracious working in Baptism and the Word, many of us are captivated by this love of God in Christ.  Others are not.  Others will reject it to their dying day, which, for them, means an eternal rejection of God, and therefore eternal death.  But you, like Saphira, have been called out of the number of those who reject Him, who remain in their hatred and rebellion against their Creator and Redeemer.  The Spirit has turned you.  He’s repented you.  He daily repents you.  By His gifts.  The Word.  The Water (Baptism).  The Blood (the Cup).  In His death on the cross, our Lord breathed out His Spirit in His dying breath.  And from His spear-riven side poured blood and water, the after-birth of the New Eve, the Church.  And here it is, that same water, that same blood, in the font and in the chalice, birthing you anew and nourishing you, giving you Jesus’ life, Jesus’ peace, Jesus’ presence, Jesus Himself.  “For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree” (1 John 5:8).  These three are one, the Greek says.  That is to say, the means of grace give you the one Lord Jesus Christ for your forgiveness, life, and salvation.  They pour out the love of God for you in Christ.  His love flows into you.  And you, now, filled to the brim with His love, ever receiving more love from the unfailing fountain of Christ, go and love your neighbor. 

            And that’s why you do what Jesus commands.  Not because you’re going to be saved by your obedience.  Look, you’re not that good at doing them.  If  you’re going to be saved by the Commandments, there’s no hope for you.  You’re saved by Jesus, by His obedience, by His suffering and death and resurrection.  But you do them for your neighbor.  You decide to love your neighbor, because loving your neighbor is loving Jesus.  And you don’t just love your neighbor in feelings and words and intentions, but in action.  Love does things.  You love your spouse.  You may not always feel all that warm and fuzzy about him or her.  But you love your spouse because you’ve decided to love your spouse, and that means you take out the trash and make dinner and do the laundry and fix the car, and you get up and you go to work and bring home the paycheck which you spend, not on yourself, but on your family.  Because that’s how you love them.  And you love your Church, so you make sure you’re here to receive the love of Christ in the means of grace, but also because that is loving your neighbor.  We’re all encouraged when you’re here.  We’re all discouraged when you’re not.  You love other people, too, both those you’re close to, and those you’re not.  You don’t murder your neighbor, because you love your neighbor.  You feed him and clothe him because you love him.  You don’t commit adultery or fornicate because you love your neighbor.  You encourage him to live a chaste and decent life and be faithful to his spouse.  You don’t steal from your neighbor, or tell lies about him, or covet his things, because you love him.  You want him to prosper and you want to defend his reputation and speak well of him.  The Commandments are all about loving Jesus by loving your neighbor.  There’s a shape to this flow of love.  The Father pours out His love on you in Jesus by the Holy Spirit, and that love flows through you toward your neighbor, who, in receiving your love, may just come to faith by the Holy Spirit working in the Word, faith in Jesus, who reconciles your neighbor to the Father.  Isn’t that beautiful?  That’s what Jesus means by “love one another” (John 15:17).  Imitate Jesus’ love.  Love with Jesus’ love.  Love because Jesus loves you.  Love your neighbor, so that your neighbor will love Jesus. 

            Our Lord has chosen us for this very thing, by grace, and this morning He has shown us that He has chosen Saphira.  What great joy!  Yes, joy!  Christians are full of joy.  Even when we’re not very happy.  We’re still full of joy.  Joy is different than walking around smiling all the time or never crying tears of sadness.  Joy is much deeper. It is knowing the outcome of all this.  Heaven.  Resurrection.  The Kingdom.  Jesus’ joy is in this, and in this your joy is full.  The Father loves you.  Jesus loves you.  Therefore, beloved, love one another.  In the Name of the Father, and of the Son (+), and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.