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The Holy Trinity, 06/15/2014
Sermon on Matthew 28:16-20, by Beth A. Schlegel
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
There has been a lot of attention in recent years given to the "Nones" -- those Americans who identify themselves as having no affiliation with any religion.
According to a 2012 study by the Pew Research Center, the number of "nones" has been increasing, so that 20% of Americans overall and 1 in 3 of those under 30 claim no religious affiliation.
The study, which you can read at pewforum.org, is interesting.
But our scriptures today are not so much about the "nones' as about the "alls".
For the original text goes like this: "When they saw Jesus, the disciples fell down on their faces before him in worship, but they doubted.
Not - some doubted, as the translations say. They doubted. They all doubted.
Now let's face it - what these disciples were experiencing was nothing like sitting down and filling out a rational survey.
They had spent three years of their lives in intimate relationship with Jesus.
They had heard him say numerous times that he would be handed over to the authorities, put to death, and rise from the dead.
They had watched him pray in the garden, be kissed by Judas, be publicly beaten and humiliated, and hung on a cross.
They had seen him heave his final breath and watched him be carried off to the tomb and sealed inside.
What were they supposed to do with the news that Mary Magdalene brought that morning - "Jesus is alive and he will meet up with you in Galilee!"
What would we do if we were them?
As a post-Enlightenment gal, if it were up to me, I am not sure I would even go to Galilee.
It's a hoax, I would think. Don't waste my time.
But it is not up to me - I am part of a community of disciples
- and Mary would not let it go
- you have to go, she would say - it's Jesus! I know it is!
So, maybe we decide there's no harm in checking it out.
So we head up to Galilee and there he stands - Jesus.
And since we cannot believe our eyes, we do what we have been trained to do in the presence of God, bow down and worship him.
But we were not convinced - we doubted-we were not sure what we were experiencing.
Were we in Rio? Had there been some funny herbs at the other night's Seder?
What we saw on the mountain in Galilee was not enough for faith.
Seeing might be enough to believe that I saw something that looked like Jesus,
but it was not enough to believe in Jesus, to trust this apparition to be him.
Many people trust their eyes - why not too long ago, Elvis was spotted in an airport in Singapore. . .
But when we want to know the truth of something, we need all of our senses.
So here we are in Galilee - on our knees, our faces to the ground, doubting
- and Jesus comes to where we are.
Jesus comes to us.
Jesus draws near to us - so close that we can smell him, we can feel his breath as he speaks and hear the nuances of his voice.
"to me has been given all authority in heaven and on earth." He says
And with that Word the Father and the Son send out the Spirit upon us
so that what the words say is what happens in us and we believe.
He speaks as one with authority - our doubts are transformed into faith.
Now he is giving a command: "Go!"
Go in the authority of the Most High God and his Son, Jesus - Go and make disciples.
Make followers of Jesus, Son of the Father, who gives the Spirit.
Make students of his teachings
Make doers of his word
Make of your friends and neighbors, coworkers and aquaintances people who find their life in Jesus.
Teach them, instruct them, show them,
And start by immersing them in me.
Start by immersing them in the Holy Name
by which God's name is made holy,
his kingdom comes,
and his will is done.
Teach them to pray to the Father of Jesus the Son in the shared Spirit who unites us with God.
Accompany them in worship and walk beside them as they learn to follow the Way of life.
The disciples in Galilee prostrated themselves before the manifestation of the living God they saw before them.
Prostration is an ancient posture of worship - perhaps the most ancient.
It is a posture used in the presence of great authority by those who depend for their lives on the favor of that one.
In monarchies, for example, it was customary to approach the king or queen with the body bowed at the waist and the eyes on the ground.
To make a request, one knelt and prostrated oneself before the king or queen, signifying the knowledge that the answer to the request lay entirely and absolutely in the decision of the monarch.
Prostration signifies both recognition of the power and authority of the one worshiped and fear of the same.
It is both cowering and submitting and adoring and praising.
It is placing oneself entirely at the mercy of the monarch.
Here in America, we may be citizens of a democractic nation, but as Christians, we belong to a monarchy with the Father seated on the throne, exercising authority with Jesus the Prince of Peace, by the power of the Holy Spirit.
And yes, it is appropriate for us to prostrate ourselves in worship, if not with our bodies, certainly with our heart and soul.
So we sing, for example, the ancient hymn of the saints:
We praise thee, O God: we acknowledge Thee to be the Lord.
All the earth doth worship Thee, the Father everlasting.
To Thee all Angels cry aloud: the Heavens and all the powers therein.
To Thee Cherubim and Seraphim continually do cry, Holy, Holy, Holy: Lord God of Sabaoth;
Heaven and earth are full of the Majesty of Thy Glory.
The glorious company of the Apostles praise Thee.
The godly fellowship of the Prophets praise Thee.
The noble army of Martyrs praise Thee.
The holy Church throughout all the world doth acknowledge Thee;
The Father of an infinite Majesty;
Thine honourable, true, and only Son;
Also the Holy Ghost: the Comforter.
We do on earth as Jesus showed us it is done in heaven as we see in Revelation 4:
9 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to the one who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall before the one who is seated on the throne and worship the one who lives forever and ever; they cast their crowns before the throne, singing,
11 "You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they existed and were created."
It is this God who has called us, chosen us, into whose name we are baptized and by whose authority we live.
It is this God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - who sends us to those who in the world are doubting, unbelieving, looking for that experience of the living God by which they can confidently entrust themselves to the mercy of the One who loves all, and each, person.
It is for this that we are commissioned by Jesus to Go into all nations, to all people with the story of Jesus
We are commanded to baptize, instruct, and accompany new disciples according to the Word of God.
For the Father who raised his Son Jesus from the dead and poured out their Holy Spirit on us is worthy of our best effort, our deepest commitment, our greatest praise for the whole world to see and desire.
To the Holy Trinity be all honor and glory - the honor and glory of our lives, our lips, our hearts - now and forever.
Amen