“THE FATHER AND THE SPIRIT GIVE YOU JESUS THIS MORNING”
Saint John 16: 16-23
Jubilate: 8 May Anno Domini 2022
Fr Jay Watson, SSP
Time, the passage of events in a linear fashion—one thing after another—is real. Time is a creation of God Who is time-less, i.e., eternal, infinite, always “present” in the metaphysical “NOW!” Your dog can’t really tell if you’ve been gone to the store 1 hour or four; or 15 minutes—it will react with the same unbridled and passionate joy when you return.
So, time isn’t really relative, certainly not to The Lord. Experientially, time seems to drag on when one is experiencing bad, burdensome, and painful events to be sure. Time flies by when one is on vacation or enjoying pleasurable moments with family and friends. Tempus Fugit? Times flies? Well, no faster than God’s will that all men Whom He has given to The Son would be gathered into the Christ’s Sheepfold—Kingdom of Grace—One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.
Jesus is both immediately literal as well as future-projected literal.
“A little while” occurs when He is taken from His Disciples in Gethsemane. They (most of them) did not see Him again until He was crucified. There on the Cross, for a little while (6 hours) they saw Him suffering and dying for your sins—including your impatience, domineering, selfishness, and cowardice. They would not see Him for another “little while” during His Friday evening through Sunday evening rest in the tomb; though the two on the road to Emaus would see Him; along with the Magdalene.
The Resurrected God/Man with His glorified flesh, though still and always, REAL flesh and True Blood, was now back to His pre-Incarnate full Oneness with The Father, and with The Holy Ghost…and yet…still One Jesus, One Savior with Two Perfect Natures, Human & Divine, perfectly united in His Person.
This is your God. This was The God of the “12,” and thus it’s no wonder they said amongst themselves: “what is this that He says…we don’t understand what He’s saying?”
So yes, Christ is telling them that He will suffer and die at Calvary and be buried; and that He will return in a “little while” after His Resurrection. And the joy they felt on Easter evening and during the next 40 days (their own Eastertide) was Holy, Supernal, Beatific, and Hallelujah rich…He is risen! He is risen indeed! Hallelujah! One has a hard time imagining the true Peace and contentment/excitement that the Disciples must have felt. Well, it passes understanding. Their weeping and lamenting of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday and Holy Saturday were over. Their sorrow had been turned into Godly Joy in their God/Man friend. For a “little while.” For Jesus’ words this morning “telescoped” into the future 40 days. He was getting them, and you, ready for His visual Ascension to the right hand of majesty: what you confess every week in The Creed.
Every week. Every day. Every one of you. It’s not just a woman who no longer “feels” the pain and “sorrow” of her late-stage pregnancy and delivery for joy that she has a newborn life nestled to her bosom. Every athlete, worker…everyone…feels a certain exhilaration, satisfaction, and joy, when a burdensome and painful ordeal has been concluded—especially if the reward, the payoff, is truly good; Godly.
Whatever you are going through right now; whatever sadness, disappointment, pain, or hollowness you may be feeling; you are a Christian. You belong to Jesus’ band of Disciples. Where He is you will be one day, yes. But where He is today, this Sunday in May 2022, you are also—He is here for you and He has you here to receive Him!
In a “little while” this sermon will be over. You will “see” Him in His Word attached to elements. You will truly, really “see” Him in The Holy Supper! Here! Here at this altar “your sorrow shall be turned into joy.”
Sin thrust upon you from the world, the devil, and the sinful flesh will continue to cause you to weep and lament. When you chose to trespass and dishonor your Lord and God the world rejoices—temporarily. But The Holy Spirit gives you Jesus—all of Jesus—in The Word. Jesus gives you His Father. Your repentant soul weeps but a “little while.” You will see Him soon when He comes on the clouds with all His angels. And now you will see Him with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven in The Feast which is the foretaste of that final joy. He sees YOU again. He always sees you and is with you. Hear and taste your JOY—Jesus!
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of The Holy Ghost
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