A, Last Sunday of the Church Year Proper 29 - Matthew 25:31-46 "To Be Confessional"

“Jesus is coming!  Look busy!”  These are far from the most theologically sound words to have come from someone’s lips or be written down!

Apparently, these are the words written on the buttocks of the phony conspirator, disguised as the Archbishop of Canterbury, who’s a part of the plot to remove the British monarchy and anoint an imposter to the royal throne.

Does this sound a little farfetched and comical?  That’s because it’s the plot of the comical spoof movie, “Johnny English”.  Rowan Atkinson plays Johnny English, a bumbling idiotic English secret agent, seeking to save Great Britian and the Commonwealth from the evil French megalomaniac, Pascal Sauvage.   Johnny English is no James Bond!

“Jesus is coming!  Look busy!”  As hilarious and as silly as it sounds that an archbishop would have this inked on his backside, the idea of being busy when Jesus returns, is buried and hidden deep within every person’s psyche.

From where does this come?  Every child, every employee, in fact, every person knows, what this is about.  “Quick, quick, mum is coming!  Dad is coming!  The boss is coming!  Stop doing what you’re doing and look busy!”  We’ve all done it; we’ve all caught someone else out, doing it!

This sense of guilt and shame does not have to be taught to anyone!  From the moment we become aware in infancy, we seek to hide what we’re doing from those who are responsible for us and our upbring.  Be it parents or any other authority! 

In the Garden of Eden, the same thing happened.  We hear, “And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.”  (Genesis 3:8 ESV) You can almost hear what Adam and Eve were thinking when God came looking!  “Quick, quick, God is coming, look busy!”

Busy doing what?  Every parent knows the sound of silence, then scampering feet and excited expressions of children trying not to get caught out!  None of us seem to learn that looking busy, makes you look guilty, and trying not to look guilty, just makes you look even more guilty.  I can hear mum saying, “I wasn’t born yesterday!  I didn’t come down in the last shower!”

“Jesus is coming, look busy!”

It’s actually comical we think this way, when like our parents, Jesus already knows who you are and what you’re doing! 

However, the silliness and the hilarity of who we are and what we do has a serious consequence if we continue believing in these foolish and faithless ways!  Jesus will judge the sheep from the goats.  Neither the sheep nor the goats say to Jesus, the King, “When were we busy?” Or “When were we not busy?” Rather the sheep and the goats both say, “When did we see you?”

Jesus has been here the whole time!  What is it he sees?

What is Jesus looking for in us?  What is he seeing buried in the depths of your being?  A sheep or a goat!

The picture of sheep and goats Jesus wants us to see is a picture of passivity verses a picture of  roguish deviousness.  Sheep by nature if left to their own devices will spread out over a field to feed, but when led by a shepherd they flock behind him. 

Goats, like sheep will follow a shepherd.   However, unlike sheep goats are opportunist.  They don’t need a shepherd.   Unlike sheep, goats travel together, they feed together, and they get into trouble together. 

This opportunistic herding instinct in goats, however, works in one’s advantage when yarding young goats.  They all want to be first!   They all race to see what’s in the yard; to beat everyone else to the unknown.  Sheep don’t herd as well, especially lambs!  They need a good dog to keep them together!

But regardless of the passivity of a sheep or the devious desire of a goat, neither knows what the shepherd knows, nor sees what the shepherd sees!

To the surprise of this son of a goat farmer, these days a goat has embedded itself into the modern vernacular in a new way.  To most people when you ask, “What is a goat?”, they will tell you, “It’s an animal that bleats and eats!”  Once, if a person was referred to as being “a goat”, it was not a compliment!  But to teens and young adults a G.O.A.T., is an acronym meaning, “Greatest Of All Time”.

Nevertheless, this new meaning for a two-legged goat, still fits nicely with the opportunistic desire of the four-legged animal to which Jesus refers.

Goats don’t need a shepherd.  Those who strive to be the greatest of all time, usually don’t flock behind a shepherd!   No, rather, one usually sees them out in the lead, herding the desires of those longing to be like the goat to whom they’ve flocked.

But the goat who thinks it is the greatest of all time, is seen by the God Of All Time who “is” the greatest of all time.  He sees, and he will sort the sheep from the goats! 

So, what is the desirable quality Jesus seeks in the sheep?  The sheep know Jesus is coming, but there is neither the need to look busy, nor the need to look bored.  No!  The sheep are not interested in looking anywhere but to Jesus.  They are not interested in a knowledge of goodness, nor a knowledge of evil.  They are concerned about gaining a knowledge of Jesus Christ, the King coming to his kingdom, who has busied himself for all, and won the battle.

His sheep know, knowing him is greater than a knowledge of goodness.  His sheep know he is so good, he bore all evil knowledge, and its deeds on the cross.

When you think “Jesus is coming”, and you act like a goat looking busy, you’ve already missed the mark.  When you think “Jesus is coming”, and you think you have to act like a sheep, you are a goat disguised as a sheep.  You will end up being like a fat sheep who acts like a goat!

When you think “Jesus is coming”, confess to your heart, “I am Jesus’ little lamb!”  

Rather than think, don’t do, but be!  If you think, and you do, then you’re dead!    But you’re already dead to sin, and now you’re alive in Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit!  So don’t do!  Be!

Let the Holy Spirit, lead you, in the Word of God, to the Lamb of God, to be with the King of creation!  You are standing under the cross with Jesus, like Jesus, being led like Jesus by the Holy Spirit.

Jesus is coming, he is the greatest of all time.  Therefore be!  Because you are!

See Jesus in your enemies, the weak, criminals, the poor, the rejected, all those with whom you do not want to associate!  Then you will see why Jesus has come to you! 

Jesus is coming, he is the greatest of all time, therefore be because you are!

Know you are a redeemed sinner, a sinner being redeemed, and a sinner who will be redeemed! 

The Redeemer is coming, be redeemed!  Because you are redeemed, and he is your Redeemer!

Be a confessor of Christ, a seer of sin, within, without!  Therefore, be a faithful forgiver!  Be a servant of salvation!  You can!  Because Jesus is your Saviour!

St James tells us, “The prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up.  And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.  Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.  The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”(James 5:15–16 ESV)

On this last Sunday of the Church year, it’s a reminder to us to “come out”, as sinners.  To be what God sees!   But also, to see with the eyes of faith, Jesus in those he wills you to serve!   Let the Holy Spirit lead you, to confess the reality of your full being, as a forgiven sinner, forgiven of true tangible confessable sins, that have lost their deadly power and received lifegiving power at the cross.

In your confession of Christ forgiving you, and your confession of the deeds he has forgiven you, you will stand under those in whom you see Jesus Christ.  And therefore, you will be serving them with Jesus Christ, under whom you stand!

Then, through your being in Christ, the Holy Spirit can lift up, the poor, the lonely, the destitute, and the undesirables to the Lord.  Therefore, confessing your “full” being in Christ!  They will hear what you have received, what you are receiving, and desire to share in what you will receive.  Forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation!

This is the fullness of Jesus Christ who fills all in all.  Amen.

C, Pentecost - Romans 8:14-17, John 14:12-18 "The Holy Adoption of Orphans"

Romans 8:14–17 (ESV) For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.  For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”  The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,  and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

John 14:12–18 (ESV) “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.  Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.  If you love me, you will keep my commandments.  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,  even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.  I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” 

What is the function of the Holy Spirit? 

Or put another way, why do we need the Holy Spirit to be Christian; one who is a confessor of sins, a believer of our Heavenly Father’s forgiveness, a confessor of our Father’s forgiveness, and a forgiver of those who sin against us?

In the Nicene Creed we say we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. 

The Holy Spirit gives us life as God’s children.  What is that?  Jesus says without the Holy Spirit we would be orphans, we would not receive him when he comes to us in his Word, nor would we receive him at his second coming. 

Without the Holy Spirit we would have no faith in God, without the Holy Spirit we would only have faith in ourselves, our fallen human spirit.  You and I wouldn’t know God the Father or God the Son, nor would you want honest truthful fellowship with them or anyone else.

The Holy Spirit gives us faith and with faith filled hearts, he walks with us as the Spirit of truth.  On receiving the Holy Spirit, he enlightens us to the reality of our human self.  You and I know that without the Holy Spirit we have no understanding, like the disciples did until Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit on them and opened their minds to the Word of God.

It’s the Holy Spirit’s job to continually gather you and me, feed us with faith when we receive God’s gifts, and makes us holy in Jesus Christ so we don’t gravitate back to the untruths of the narrowness of ourselves.

In Romans eight Paul tells us we have received the Spirit of adoption as sons.  You and I are orphans until the Holy Spirit gives us the hearts of faith, so we call on God with holy fear rather than a fear that leads us back into slavery.

A fear that leads back into slavery is a fear that hinders us from freely confessing our sins.  A fear of slavery hinders us from believing Jesus’ word when he tells us we will do greater works than the works he did, now that he is with his Father in heaven.  Where does this fear come from?

Before we were Sons of God, we were sons and daughters of men.  This meant at our very best we may have lived morally decent lives.  But this very best, this knowledge of good, made us self-righteous, and it hinders us from trusting in God. 

Why would we need to trust in God if our good is good enough?  But it’s not good enough for God because it treats him with contempt as we desire to climb up to God through our effort of greater good, just as the builders of Babel were attempting to do.

Desire is also at the heart of our very worst as we live as sons and daughters of men.  Burning desire for pleasure can usually be found at the root of criminal activity, tribulations, and the fracturing of communities.  In fact, desire never seems all that bad until the deed is done and the guilt kicks in.  It’s been the same ever since Adam and Eve desired the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

However, the Holy Spirit was sent from the Father and Jesus Christ, the Son of God, just ten days after he, ascended into heaven.  This fulfilled what God’s Son promised.   This is the promise of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit works to place faith in us, which welcomes all that God does for us in our day to day lives, and also allows the deposit of eternal life to be placed in us.

This is the seal of God’s adoption that makes us, God’s own, and God, our Father.  The Holy Spirit continually testifies to our human spirit that you and I are Sons of God.  Our Sonship is a gift to us from the Son of God.  Jesus Christ, came as one of us, he came as the Son of Man, giving up his privilege as the Son of God, doing what all other sons and daughters of man could not do.

The Holy Spirit continues to reveal this to you and me in God’s Word.  The Son of Man lived the life you and I could not live.  He died in your place.  He literally gave his life for your life.  Now we, who were sons and daughters of men, are Sons of God.  This is God’s holy adoption of orphans. 

Sons and daughters of men are orphaned through sin, through birth and deed.  Sons of God are adopted because of the Son of Man, through his birth to Mary, his deeds, and his death on the cross.  We now do greater works than Jesus by confessing our sin to God the Father.

We now have more to fear if we do not confess our sins to God and forgive others their sins. 

When we reject confessing our sins and forgiving others, we resist the Holy Spirit. 

When we refuse to confess and forgive, we hinder the greater works Jesus said we would do, now that he is with the Father.  We impede his crucifixion and resurrection for us. 

When we put a stop to confessing our sin and forgiving others, we orphan ourselves, and return once again to not trust God as our Heavenly Father. 

When we don’t confess and forgive, our inability to love becomes real. 

We move dangerously close to sinning against the Holy Spirit.

But, as sons of God the Father, we can love others as God has loved us, as we live and move and have our being in Jesus Christ, the love of God. 

The work of God’s love is done in us by the Holy Spirit.  Yes!  It does cause us pain and suffering. 

Confessing sin and forgiving others causes death of the old Adam in us.  The human spirit is exposed in all its weakness.  This is not an easy thing to do.

This is why we need the Holy Spirit to work these things within us, and as he does, he bears witness in us, and through us, that we are heir of salvation with Jesus Christ.

One last thing the Holy Spirit does in each of us.  He allows us to cry out “Abba Father” to our Heavenly Father. 

Practically speaking doing this testifies to our children a number of things. 

We teach our kids about our weakness.  We teach then to grow up trusting is him and not us as mothers and fathers. 

So, they do not become despondent because they cannot live up to our expectations.  Or so, they don’t become conceited and reject God because of our fallen hypocrisy.

As Sons of God, we teach our children to allow the Holy Spirit to make them Sons of God.  Sons and daughters of men can never be grandchildren of God. 

Rather, as the Holy Spirit leads us as Sons of God, confessing and forgiving, he makes an example of us to our sons and daughters, so they too allow the Holy Spirit to seal them in their adoption as Sons of God, and as our brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.