Gates Never To Be Shut

Later this week the Easter season moves toward the feast of the Ascension and in two weeks the Day of Pentecost.  Our scripture readings appointed for use on Sundays brings us nearer to the end of Jesus’ Easter appearances to his disciples.  Our New Testament lessons are about visions of the heavenly city, listening to God’s word, knowing his love, and receiving the Advocate, the Holy Spirit whom God will send in Jesus’ name.

In the Book of Revelation, John of Patmos had a vision of heaven.  About his vision he said, “I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb….  Its gates will never be shut.”  God and the Lamb are the temple and the light.  The heavenly city as envisioned by John is a great center of unity for the world under the sovereign authority of God and the Lamb.

Can you imagine what this would be like?  What is your vision of the heavenly city?  Is it a place of unity and peace, a place where there is no violence or war, no discrimination, prejudice or bigotry?  Is it a place where all spiritual souls are loved and where compassion rules?

Jesus said to his disciples, the Father will send the Holy Spirit who “will teach you everything and remind you of all that I have said to you.  Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.”  Given all the tensions around the world, violent acts of terror, the increasing number of refugees, the prevalence of gun violence, and political polarization, it would be a great gift to have a sense of God’s peace in our lives. 

Jesus spoke directly to the fears of his disciples and said they would not be alone after he left them to be with God.  He promised that an Advocate, a "helper" would come.  That helper is the Holy Spirit who would teach and remind them about all he had said.  Jesus then offered them peace, which in its root meaning is the word shalom in Hebrew, or salaam in Arabic.  It is often used as a greeting, and it means "unity" or "wholeness."  God's will is for the world to be whole, to be united, to be one just as Jesus and God are one.

The Spirit is God's gift to us.  The gift of the peace of God is not the same as the world gives.  The world's definition of peace, that on-again off-again pause in hostilities is different.  Jesus' peace arises from the depth of God’s love. 

The New Testament scholar Gail O’Day, writing in The New Interpreter's Bible states, "The peace that Jesus gives is his peace, a peace that derives from the heart of Jesus' life…. The gift of peace rests at the center of Israel's eschatological hopes and is now available in Jesus." (eschatology is about last things, the end of time.  It is like John's vision of the heavenly city).  "The promise of Jesus' peace is not an occasion for complacency …. These are not sentimental imperatives, simply telling the disciples not to worry, but [the gift of peace] calls the disciples to find strength to face the new circumstances in which Jesus' departure places them."

Our need today is to find strength both as people of God to face new circumstances here and around the world.  I am convinced that the church can be a harbinger of the heavenly city “whose gates will never be shut” as long as we have clarity about what we mean to each other.  Who we are is fundamental.  Knowing what it means to be the people of God, the children of God, a Christian family, community, the Body of Christ means having mutual respect, compassionate care, and loving relationships among all people.

Here at All Saints’ we have a newly restored building, rededicated last Sunday for our ministry and mission that in Bishop Knisely’s words “empowers” us to care for those in need.  The time is right for All Saints’ to be a harbinger of the city whose “gates will never be shut” here in Providence.  Recently our Strategic Planning Committee and our Vestry adopted a revised statement of mission: “All Saints’ Memorial Church is a welcoming multicultural Episcopal congregation that strives to grow in the love of God and respond to the spiritual and human needs of our neighboring communities.”

Our vision for our future says, “All Saints’ Memorial Church is a visible and known beacon that engages people in their spiritual journeys and nurtures their minds and souls.”

There are several ways to fulfill our mission and achieve our vision.  They include, but are not limited to, being intentional and sharing stories about our spiritual journeys as we continue to grow in the love of God; celebrating the cultural diversity that is the true hallmark of our congregation; continue providing pastoral care and support to our members and others according to their need; encouraging and nourishing our younger members through programs of spiritual formation; developing sustainable arts and music programs; continuing and increasing our relationships by partnering with groups and organizations like the City Meal Site, La Iglesia Luterana, and others; and maintaining and creating capital improvement projects for our historic church building.

We are all members of the household of God. We have this ministry as disciples and followers of Jesus in this 21^st Century, and each one of us is an active participant in living the command to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.  May God create in all of us a faith that is aflame with the Holy Spirit and with the peace that arises from the depths of God’s love.  Amen.