Fifth Sunday of Easter

Fifth Sunday of Easter
April 17, 2005

"... Select from among you seven... whom we shall appoint to this task..." (Acts 6: 1-7) "... Like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house" (1 Peter 2:4-9) "Do not let your hearts be troubled... In my Father's house there are many dwelling places..." (John 14:1-12)

Stephen and six others are designated to care for the lonely and needy in the growing community of believers. Our tradition says that these were the first "deacons", people publicly dedicated and personally committed to serving the needs of the poor and isolated. Within several centuries these deacons became a powerful force in the church, some of them "pope makers" of their day, jealous of their prerogatives and dedicated more to the furtherance of their own power and prestige than to the needs of anybody else. Deacons eventually were stripped of this power, their roles becoming only ceremonial, their sacred origins forgotten. The revival of this office in the church 40 years ago was intended to restore this forgotten ministry to God's people. We deacons would do well not to forget a second time why we are ordained as "servers".

In the passage from St. John Jesus is talking to his disciples about the reality that he will be leaving them, and "preparing a place" for them to follow him. Thomas and Philip wonder how they are going to manage to find the way there without him. Jesus, somewhat impatiently, explains again that the way to God is through their trust in him. Because of this trust, he says that his followers will do "even greater" things than he himself has done.

Great things are accomplished in the house of the Spirit. Lately my voice has been losing volume as my respiratory functions continue to drop. I am thinking now about how it will be when I can no longer speak at all. (Stephen Hawking is supposed to have said that ALS has set him free to do nothing but think.) People with ALS fear being "locked in and locked out", unable to communicate but entirely in touch with the world. But we can never be locked in or out of the freedom of our spiritual home. Here is an opportunity to master new skills to communicate through my computer. More importantly it is a chance to further embrace diminishment until only loving and being loved remains.

St. Peter says that we are to allow the living stones of ourselves to be built into a spiritual house. Every individual soul has a unique and important place in the building. Jesus says that there are many houses in his kingdom. Perhaps as many as every soul who ever lived, or any group who ever gathered in the Spirit's presence. The house of the Spirit is larger and more inclusive than we have imagined. It is built of living stones of love, preparing us for our permanent home in eternity. In the meantime marvelous things are happening here.