Conquering Our Schools

6 Easter, Year B

May 10, 2015
Saint Mark's Episcopal Church, Bay City, TX
1 John 5:1-6
John 15:9-17

Last year I spent some time teaching a leadership class in the middle school and a couple of elementary schools here, and one of the biggest challenges I found was that the kids had no idea how to show respect for their teachers.  Sit up straight, look at the teacher when there’re talking to you, wait to speak until you’re called on…some of these basic things, they just didn’t know. 

Some didn’t care, but many didn’t want to be disrespecting their teachers, they just had no idea that’s what they were doing.  They needed to be taught how to show respect.

Jesus said to his disciples, “I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.”   We need to be taught how to love others, just like the students needed to be taught how to show respect.  If we are faithful to Jesus, we end up loving one another.

Did you notice, however, that John said that through our faith, we get to conquer the world?  “And this is the victory that conquers the world, our faith.”

John was talking about a struggle between the faith of Jesus’ disciples, and “the world’s hatred.”  Jesus warned his disciples that the world would hate them because they were Jesus’ disciples.  John was exhorting his community to remain faithful despite any hatred they might encounter. 

Despite opposition you may encounter:

Love God by obeying his commandments, and if you do, you’ll conquer the world.

Well, the first part of that makes sense.  Kids, if you want to give your moms a great Mothers’ Day present, do what they say immediately and without complaint.  That’s how you can show your moms that you love them.

“Abide in my love,” Jesus says, along with, “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love.”  That could sound rather Machiavellian.  “Obey me to show that you love me.”  But obedience to Jesus is what, that we love one another. 

Jesus gave other teachings, all to the end that we would love one another and by doing so, love God. 

Remain faithful, Jesus is saying.  Remain faithful to Jesus’ teachings.  Remain faithful to his way.  Remain faithful to him, and if we do, Jesus says we’ll be loving one another and loving God. 

John tells us, on the other hand, that if we’re faithful, we’ll conquer the world. 

Some see this as promise of military-like subjugation of all non-Christians under a throne of Christianity.  Well, unlike ISIS, we don’t conquer through subjugation.  Jesus conquered by letting the world kill him.  It was the most loving thing he could do.  He loved the world and gave his life in order to care for and protect the world.

That was God’s command to humanity through Adam an d Eve.  Have dominion over the earth and subdue it, God said.  Care for all of the earth and pacify it.  You are caretakers over all the earth.  Have dominion or conquer the world by loving the world and taking good care of it.

That is how we conquer the world, by lovingly caring for the world.  Doing so fulfills God’s first commandment to the man and woman he created in his image.  “Be fruitful.” 

Galatians 5:22-23 tells us, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” 

That is how we obey God’s very first commandment, by being loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled.  That is how we love God by obeying him.  As Jesus told his disciples, he gave us these commands so that we may love one another. 

For the students I was teaching in the schools last year, I told them that they could control if their school year went well or badly.  If they showed respect to their teachers from day one, they’d find their teachers not to be nearly so grumpy as they often were.  If they showed respect, worked well in class, and brought that way to others, they could change the whole school.  I didn’t say they’d conquer their school, but that’s what they’d be doing. 

The gifts of the spirit, faithfulness to God’s commandments, loving, honoring, respecting one another…that is how we conquer the world.  Our faithfulness to Jesus and his teachings and command to love, that is how we are faithful to God’s command to be fruitful, to care for the world, each other.  That is how we conquer the world.  That is how we are faithful.

Amen.