Incomplete

What happens when things are out of place in your life?

This sermon was preached on the 7th Sunday of Easter at St. John's Church, Decatur, AL and the readings for the day were the following:
Acts 1:15-17, 21-26
1 John 5:9-13
John 17:6-19
Psalm 1

A strand of hair that the barber missed. An out of place tile on an intricately patterned floor. A cabinet door left ajar. A light on with no one in the room. A tall patch of grass overlooked after mowing the lawn. An unlit Christmas light on the 100 bulb strand. I could go on and on, but some of you are squirming—presumably the more obsessive-compulsive among us. These and many other things may leave some of us feeling incomplete or like something is amiss.

To others these little details, these small bits of life out of place, may not even register. It’s odd. We do not all get bothered by the same thing. Not everyone catches the same detail when they walk into a room, watch a TV show, or hear a Bible verse. But, this morning I want to propose something radical—even to the OCD, anal-retentive, type-A people here present. All those things you think are out of place are really not. At least, not compared to something else that may be missing from our common life.

Sure you might get thrown off by an unevenly drawn sideline at the ball field, but what about those things you cannot see that are slightly off? How about when one of us is not here at this service? Or, what about when despite our usual prayers or spiritual practices we do not feel connected to God? What do you do when you feel incomplete? What do we do?

Incompletion is not an option. As my seminary Theology professor was fond of saying, “Nothing is wasted in God’s Kingdom.” Or, put another way, God will bring all things to their perfection. Even if it does not happen in this lifetime, we trust that God fulfills and will fulfill all things. Perhaps that is what our first lesson from the Acts of the Apostles was all about.

Jesus had just left his disciples, as he ascended into heaven. And, some angels implored the disciples to get a move on. They were to start their ministry—even if they were still waiting on the Holy Spirit to come. What’s the first act of the apostles after Jesus had left the building—er, the planet? Peter drew together the followers of Christ to complete something that felt unfinished. Some business that was incomplete. Judas’ betrayal had left open an apostolic position, so someone had to take his place.

From our vantage point, this might not make a lot of sense. Why fill the spot of a traitor? Why not leave it vacant to remind the disciples of the one who abandoned them? Well, Jesus had appointed twelve apostles, which bore a connection with the twelve tribes of Israel. Plus, Jesus had in mind that twelve apostles would begin the spreading of God’s Good News to Israel and beyond, so wasn’t it fitting to replace that empty spot? Yes, of course!

When there is an empty place there is someone, something missing. Not only with the apostles, but also with us! So, we should fill every spot, right? We should always make sure that we have every spot filled in every ministry, Bible study, and service, correct? Well, not so fast. There is an example from my family’s life that might add some nuance. It will hopefully help broaden how we go about helping God to fulfill things in our life.

At the University of Montevallo, homecoming happens not in the fall, but during the spring. It’s odd. Every year instead of getting amped up to pummel some team in a football game, Montevallo’s homecoming contest pits two sides of the student body against one another. The undergrads split in half to create two teams: the purple side and the gold side.

During homecoming week, the sides get points for sporting contests, spirit, sportsmanship, and mostly a self-produced, self-directed, self-performed musical. Why do I know all this? Well, my entire immediate family—save for me—were all purple side leaders. Yes, I am the black sheep. So I know well that each side has many traditions associated with homecoming. And, one such tradition helps me to better understand the balance between completing an incompleteness and leaving something left undone.

This particular tradition at Montevallo has to do with the two sides’ spirit songs. Both sides have a fight song, but they go about them differently. The purple side unites arm-in-arm showing a completely unified side during their song. The gold side on the other hand, unites almost completely, but they leave an open space in their circle. Why? To provide room for including one more.

Now, there may even be purples or golds sitting among us today. And, they will certainly tell you and me which side is right and which one is wrong. However, from my outsider view point, both side’s approach combined together helps to capture an image of how it is that we belong to one another and to God.

We belong to each and to God, and that is what Jesus was saying in this confusing passage from John’s Gospel account. He prayed for his followers belonging to him and to God. We too belong to God through Christ Jesus. But, this belonging calls for both complete, arm-in-arm unity and leaving a space open for someone else to join.

When we are a part of God’s reign, we feel incomplete when we are not altogether. Far worse than any small thing left undone—like a sneeze that never quite materializes—this incompletion, this imperfection will drive us mad. This yearning is God’s desire in us to gather all together—to be united behind one shepherd, to be connected through one vine, and to be the chicks of one hen. To do this uniting, God invites for there always to be another space for another one to join.

God’s vision for us calls us to be both unified and open. So what does that look like? Returning to our story from Acts, that meant finding those who were faithful to Jesus from the start—those united with Christ and his mission all the way back to his Baptism. But once they found the eligible candidates—Barsabbas and Matthias—they were open. They were so open that they let something as outlandish as casting lots make their decision. Peter and the others truly believed that God would speak through drawing straws to see who the next apostle would be. What trust they had!

We would do well to learn from this story ourselves. We may consider ourselves to be the long-time followers of Jesus, who have walked faithfully with Christ. We belong to God through Christ. However, we are challenged not only to be united with Christ, but also to be open to the Spirit drawing in new followers! 

In our daily lives, we can connect with Christ in a multitude of ways: prayer, silent meditation (Centering Prayer), reading the story of God’s love for us in Scripture, studying books, reading the Daily Office, observing God’s Creation, reaching out to others, coming to worship here, and so much more. This unity is so great and I think we are really good at this here! But, there is a second piece.

God calls us deeper into the practice of leaving room for others to belong to God. Where is the opening where we might invite someone new? Is there someone you could invite to a ministry that you love? Are you on Flower Guild—what if you invited someone to put together an arrangement with you? Do you come to the healing service, a Bible study, or the Bridge group—how about inviting someone who doesn’t? We are becoming a friendlier and friendlier place, but God is calling us further.

All belong to God. For newcomers and life-long members alike, to truly feel like we belong to God in this church we must know we all have a place here. Let us be united AND let us leave open a spot for someone new. May we all come and belong here, as we all belong to God through Christ Jesus.