A six year old boy was assisting his mother with some spring gardening. The mother was absorbed in her work while the little boy explored the miracle of growing things appearing everywhere. All at once the boy picked up a daffodil bud, and sat down on the ground, and studied it. Then with his two little hands, he tried to force it open into a full blossom. The result, of course, was disappointment and a mess: limp petals and a dead flower.
Frustrated, he cried out, "Mommy, why is it that when I try to open the buds, it just falls to pieces and dies. How does God open it into a beautiful flower?" Even before his mother could answer, a broad smile broke across the child's face, and he exclaimed,
"Oh! I know! God always works from the inside."
(Source: sermons.com)
God does work from the inside.
God’s kingdom is alive & it is growing.
Love comes from the inside. God’s decision to establish a renewed covenant was recorded by Jeremiah (31:31-34) I will place my law within them, and write it on their hearts….All from least to greatest, shall know me, says the Lord, for I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sin no more.
This was a call to go beyond feeling good … by just obeying the rules.
Covenants are not contracts. A contract is legally binding set of duties & expectations; a covenant is personal, a covenant is a relationship.
The heart of the covenant is the spirit of love that directs our lives.
Jesus lived this new covenant relationship. What exactly is this new way of living?
Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.
What did Jesus mean by this ….
Jesus, fully human, both dreaded the death that awaited him & accepted it. His words indicate that he saw it precisely as something he became incarnate to do. We become so accustomed to seeing a cross or a crucifix (explain difference) that we don’t think about the horrendous, indescribable pain a crucifixion inflicted on the one crucified. In nations terrorized by ruthless military, those who speak out for justice know that death, often preceded by unspeakable torture, is likely. Like Jesus, they feel called to accept this.
It’s unlikely that our life’s purpose is to die literally for others sake. But our lives are filled with opportunities for self-sacrifice (a “little death”) to benefit others. It takes an inner strength & courage to live like Jesus….
Andrew Young said during the Civil Rights struggle, “It is a blessing to die for a cause, because you can so easily die for nothing”.
2 Albert Einstein once said, “Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile”. (Source; Celebration, 3/12)
And perhaps the most eloquent statement of the covenant was spoken in today’s gospel, And when I am lifted up (crucified) from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself. Jesus found Glory on a Cross….
We all need to grow into this likeness of Christ.
Love is that likeness. Love keeps the Covenant.
How are we doing?
A person must be loved before that person can be loveable.
Loved persons are able to love, they put others first.
We are loved even now. God is already at work within us.
If we doubt that we have the Crucifix in front of us.
Have we loved God, our neighbor and ourselves as Jesus would?
Go from the beginning of the Bible to the end, and you will see over & over again the story of men & women who had servant - hearts, minds & spirits. And the world is a better place, because: Moses didn't say, "I don't do rivers."
Jeremiah didn't say, "I don't do weeping."
Amos didn't say, "I don't do speeches."
Rahab didn't say, "I don't do carpets."
Ruth didn't say, "I don't do mothers-in-law."
David didn't say, "I don't do giants."
Mary didn't say, "I don't do unknown births."
Mary Magdalene didn't say, "I don't do feet."
John didn't say, "I don't do deserts."
Peter didn't say, "I don't do Gentiles."
Paul didn't say, "I don't do letters." Jesus didn't say, "I don't do crosses." (Adapted:Homiletics Annual CD, 1999 Edition)
We are challenged to accept the cross-this symbol of ignominy & hate, as an expression of the most profound love humanity will ever experience.
We are challenged to keep this covenant with God & each other.
What do we say in response to such a love? It calls from us more than just words. Through the sacred remembrance of this Eucharistic gathering, we celebrate the Eternal Covenant. Jesus is present: in word, in spirit, in sacrifice, in communion & in the assembly who has come together in his Name. All of us present recall his hour, his reason to be here; all of us are graced by his fidelity to God & to God’s purpose.
Look into your heart this covenant is already there … will you live it?