Sermon Delivered at Church of the Good Shepherd
Fort Lee, New Jersey,
Easter VII, May 29, 2022, at 8:00 and 10:00 a.m.
By The Rev. Stephen Galleher
ARE WE ONE…OR NOT?
“As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us…. The glory
that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one,
I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one.” (John 17:20-26)
“There we shall with you remain,
partners of your endless reign!
see you with unclouded view,
find our heaven of heavens in you.”
(Opening Hymn, #214, v 5)
Today in our liturgical year, we note the conclusion of Jesus’s
earthly ministry. Ascension Day was noted this past Thursday. 50 days
after the supposed bodily Resurrection, Jesus takes his leave and ascends
into heaven. A rather spectacular affair if we choose to see it as actually
having happened. But surely the point is that this man, this man who
walked among us, was one with his God—in complete union with God.
In fact, in the beautiful gospel reading, he proclaims his unity with his
father. Christ sits down at the right hand of God. This is the highest
position of prominence beside a king. But the wonder and glory of
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Ascensciontide is not just the high position of our Lord Jesus Christ, but
of us, because we, too, are included in this party, not just as guests, but
elevated to sit right there at God’s right hand. Jesus says in the gospel
that everything that God has given Christ, Christ has given us. The point
is not that we might just be together, but that we might be one. “I in
them and you in me, that they [meaning we] may become completely
one.”
The Beatles get this right in their cute little nonsense ditty, “I Am
the Walrus.”
I am he as you are he as you are me
And we are all together
I am the egg man
They are the egg men
I am the walrus
Goo goo g’joob.
Ok, the Beatles may not be sophisticated theologians but they get
the point. I am you and you are me and we are all, every single one of
us, in this together as brothers and sisters. Together, wherever we go.
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This is so critically important in today’s world, and I wonder if we
do not sense the exhilarating, explosive nature of this reality. For it is
either reality or a fairy tale, and I think we know, intuitively and from
our own life experiences, that it is reality. We are one.
So why don’t we see this lived out? Instead we see division, strife,
conflict and war. And it has been going on as long as human beings have
walked on this planet, and it shows very little sign of slowing down.
The reality of our oneness stands in stark contrast the nonsense of
our not getting along.
What gives? And especially as Christians, we should be saddened,
angry, almost despondent over the slow pace at which we make love.
And I hope we grieve for our country, this country, which is in
moral decline. We allow 18-year-old, disturbed young men to purchase
assault rifles and we watch as they gun down second and third graders
and we do nothing legislatively to stem the violence.
Where is our soul? Do we have no soul?
After all, our planet is on fire. Instead of pitching in and joining
forces around the planet to solve the pressing human problems that face
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every single living being, we fortify our borders, hunker down with our
points of view, feed and fuel the culture wars and just do not see our
neighbors in ourselves. And we do not see the plank in our own eyes we
are so busy pointing to the speck in our neighbors’ eyes.
I am truly saddened, and yes, baffled by this. So much in common.
We have the same needs and loves and we share the same acres and the
same forests and plains; and yet we just don’t seem to give a damn about
that neighbor across the way who has the same needs and loves.
Several people have remarked that Christianity is the answer, that
love is the answer if it were only practiced.
My reply to this is that Christianity is practiced; we do love our
families and friends. But the line is drawn somewhere. Somewhere in
the neighborhood a line is drawn in the sand. But the gospel two weeks
ago said clearly, Jesus said, “A new commandment I give you: that you
love one another.”
“But, we reply, don’t we already know about this? What is new
about it?”
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Jesus said “new” because he was calling his Jewish brothers and
sisters to love outside the circumcised community. Jew and Gentile.
Male and female. Israelite and Roman and Greek.
In today’s world, the call is clear. We are called to love every
citizen of this country and every citizen of every country. When we pray
for peace in Ukraine, we must pray for both the Ukrainian soldiers and
people but also the Russian soldiers and people.
But then we go back to our factionalism. We go back to talking
about the pros and cons of every situation.
But somebody has to make the first move.
Am I not right, that we need a spiritual awakening? Must we not
wake up and make the first move? I do not see this happening at the
national or international levels. We make our cases, call together our
allies and yell across the battlelines. Where will all this lead us and who
is going to make the first move to make peace? Of course, we do not
trust the “other.” And, of course, they do not trust us. So, then: who is
going to make the first move? Here’s an alert: there is no “other.” The
“other” is a creation we make out of fear and distrust.
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1 In Christ there is no east or west,
in him no south or north,
but one great fellowship of love
throughout the whole wide earth.
2 In Christ shall true hearts ev’rywhere
their high communion find.
His service is the golden cord
close binding humankind.
3 Join hands, then, people of the faith,
whate’er your race may be.
All children of the living God
are surely kin to me.
4 In Christ now meet both east and west,
in him meet south and north.
All Christly souls are joined as one
throughout the whole wide earth.
Amen.