If we seek a life in Christ, we will find that as well.

Sixth Sunday of EasterYear A, RCL

Acts 17:22-31Psalm 66:7-181 Peter 3:13-22John 14:15-21

Who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good? This is Peter’s the opening argument about living an upright life, a life of “doing what is right.” Peter put forward that no one would want to harm you if you are following Christ’s ways. Yet, he quickly changes tack, knowing that following in Christ’s footsteps will make others uncomfortable or angry. So, he tells us not to fear what “they,” the people of the world, fear.

All we have to do is turn on the T.V. and look at the advertisements. We are told we live in a world of scarcity, and to fear not having enough. They say you are not good enough. You need a better home, better food, better car, better appearance; more hair for men, less hair for women, perfumes, deodorants. Hair color, colored contact lenses, the list seems almost endless. Advertisers suggest that you should work harder, yet you need to relax on a beach or take a cruise. No matter what the advertisements are, they are trying to offer you things you don’t have and likely want, but don’t need.

Through these schemes, people want to be better than their neighbors. Average is not good enough, even though the vast majority of us are average and will always be average. For even if everyone were to follow the advertisements and purchase a better life, yes, we may look better, smell better, and drive a fancier car, but now the average has moved up to a new level. And we will be told that we are still not good enough.

Beyond the material world, there is another thing most people fear. Dying. We fear our mortality. We fear losing the body we inhabit and all the things we possess. And to all of this, Peter says, “Do not fear what they fear.” Do not be intimidated by them. You do not have to look like, act like, or have as much as they do. All you need to do is sanctify Christ as Lord in your heart.

It’s true, we can become bogged down by worldly desires and bothered by what others think of us, though none of this truly matters. But if someone insists, Peter says, you should gently tell them your defense. Tell them why you keep your moral compass; why you follow the ways of the Lord instead of the ways of the world. Each of us may have a slightly different answer, but for Peter, living an upright life with a good conscience leads to life in Christ, not only in this world but in the next.

Paul, on the other hand, appeals to the Romans in a different way. He compliments them on “how extremely religious [they] are.” The Romans had many gods and were often devout in their worship at various temples and altars. These comments of Paul’s, make me think of people we know who believe in a power greater than themselves, like Mother Nature or karma. Maybe they say that they are spiritual but not religious. Paul does not demean these people. He doesn’t say that they are going to burn in hell. No, he treats them like friends to whom he wants to give guidance.

He says to them, “you know the temple dedicated to an unknown god?” This is the God I’ve been talking about. The God that created everything we know, and is above all we can offer. This unknown God is the God above all other gods, and we are this God’s offspring. Then Paul offers a description of finding God in a way we can likely all relate. He says we have the whole world, so “that we can search for God and perhaps grope for God” and eventually find God. For indeed, no matter where you are, God is not far from each one of us.

Maybe the people I spoke of earlier do feel a greater presence, a spirit, or an entity beyond their grasp. Maybe they are actually feeling God’s presence with them. They are groping for something but just haven’t been able to grasp it. And as such, why would we demean someone who is searching and grasping for God, just because we think we have found God, and they are going about it the wrong way?

This goes back to Peter. We don’t need to fear someone else’s god or their beliefs. We need to look in our hearts and turn to Christ our Lord. If our God, who is unnamed, is above all else, then the only thing we should worry about is following the Lord our God. We should, with gentleness and reverence, guide others toward the truth we know. And in our Gospel account, Jesus offers us such guidance.

Much like a parent, he says, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Like most parents, when our child does what we ask without a fuss or all on their own, our hearts jump, and we are filled with pride. I believe this is similar to God. If we don’t listen; if we don’t obey, God’s love for us doesn’t change, but God can be especially proud when we get it right. Like a mother, her love for her child is endless and bountiful, even when the child is angry or upset.

All God wants for us is for us to live in peace with one another. The Ten Commandments were offered to us for this purpose: to love God and to love neighbor. And when we would not follow these laws, God sent prophets to whom we also did not listen. Then God sent his only Son. And even to this day many still do not listen. Also like the prophets, he was killed. But unlike all others, Christ rose from the dead to show us how much God loves us. To show us that God will raise us from the dead on the last day.

Because God gave us free will, two choices are set before us: life or death. Life in Christ, now and in the future, or death. And each choice comes with responsibilities. To live a life guided by God, the Son, and the Spirit, or to go it alone and hope you stumble into a future life. God is right there, within reach. We may need to blindly grope for God if we haven’t already found the Almighty. Yet we are promised that we will find what we seek. If we seek a life in Christ, we will find that as well. We will find a life of security, one in which we have nothing to fear. We may not become wealthy, we may not have all the worldly desires, but we will have a fulfilling life in which our true desires are fulfilled. This is a life of peace; a life of contentment and freedom, a life of satisfaction with what we have, what is to come, and what will be, beyond death.