SEVENTH SUNDAY EASTER
Seventh Sunday of Easter 5:30 PM 2008 John 17:1-11
Keeping A Promise
By Kirby V. Nielsen
Columbus, Ohio USA
My mother-in-law has been in the nursing home for two years. Every day either my father-in-law, my wife, or I go visit her to make sure she is properly fed, dressed, and comfortable. It was there that I met a remarkable woman I’ll call “Alice”. I noticed Alice after my father-in-law mentioned that she was an interesting person. She’s a very well-dressed woman in her 70s with an aura of intelligence and charm, which complements her direct approach to life.
As I talked with her an amazing story began to unfold. Many years ago she made a simple promise to a man who was afraid of getting Alzheimer’s disease: “If you ever get Alzheimer’s, I’ll take care of you until the day you die.”
When Alice made her promise, she didn’t know what keeping it would entail. She now comes to the nursing home each day to visit “Lenny”. She does so even though he doesn’t know Tuesday from October. He is poor, old, and in the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s. He has no family to visit him and no money. He has nothing left but the clothes on his back, an old record album, and Alice.
Lenny doesn’t say more than a few phrases. He can’t walk, feed or dress himself. He doesn’t seem to remember anything. All he does is sit in his wheelchair and repeat one or two phrases over and over, hundreds of times a day.
Alice has come to see Lenny daily for the last four and one-half years, driving 17 miles each way. She stays until she has fed him his evening meal, and made sure he is clean and comfortable. She also buys his clothes. Only the occasional day finds her absent from the nursing home. Perhaps in those few days she takes care of her own life.
Alice is as faithful to Lenny as any person could be to another. When you talk to Alice, with pride in her eyes she tells you about Lenny, who in his prime was a well-known local musician. She will play for you his record album— which Lenny and his band recorded many years ago. Although it was the only record he made, it is in fact a good one.
One might be tempted to think Alice is Lenny’s wife. But she isn’t. She is his friend. When the rest of Lenny’s world disappeared, Alice stayed with him just as she had promised she would.
In our gospel story Jesus entrusts his work to his disciples and prays that his disciples will be faithful to continuing his work. He prays, I have entrusted to them the message you have entrusted to me.”
Jesus the Vine depends on you, the branches, to produce the fruit of good works. Jesus also promises you as he did his disciples that he will be with you always.
Although Jesus isn’t even mentioned in our story of Alice and Lenny, whenever his work is being done, Jesus is present.
Alice was a disciple of Jesus because she continued his work of caring for the least, in this case, Lenny.
How seriously do you take your obligation of being Jesus’ disciple?
Is your discipleship being shown forth by your caring for those who can no longer care for themselves? For example, a lonely neighbor who can’t get out to the store. Or someone like Lenny who is in a nursing home. Or a child who is mentally disabled.
Every time you come here to celebrate Eucharist, you are presented with a choice: for exmple to continue to be a disciple of Jesus by continuing his work of caring for others or just to take care of your own private piety, your own selfish salvation.
When you come forward to receive Jesus in the Eucharist, you are saying, I will continue your work, Jesus, because you are depending on me.
HUMOR There was a group of church goers who established their own church and thought they were so special that they put out a sign, Jesus Only. They never reached out to the community at large but ministered only to themselves. One day a passer by saw that the first three letters in the sign had fallen off. The sign now read Us Only.
The thought I leave with you today is this: Always continue Jesus’ work.
Keeping A Promise
By Kirby V. Nielsen
Columbus, Ohio USA
My mother-in-law has been in the nursing home for two years. Every day either my father-in-law, my wife, or I go visit her to make sure she is properly fed, dressed, and comfortable. It was there that I met a remarkable woman I’ll call “Alice”. I noticed Alice after my father-in-law mentioned that she was an interesting person. She’s a very well-dressed woman in her 70s with an aura of intelligence and charm, which complements her direct approach to life.
As I talked with her an amazing story began to unfold. Many years ago she made a simple promise to a man who was afraid of getting Alzheimer’s disease: “If you ever get Alzheimer’s, I’ll take care of you until the day you die.”
When Alice made her promise, she didn’t know what keeping it would entail. She now comes to the nursing home each day to visit “Lenny”. She does so even though he doesn’t know Tuesday from October. He is poor, old, and in the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s. He has no family to visit him and no money. He has nothing left but the clothes on his back, an old record album, and Alice.
Lenny doesn’t say more than a few phrases. He can’t walk, feed or dress himself. He doesn’t seem to remember anything. All he does is sit in his wheelchair and repeat one or two phrases over and over, hundreds of times a day.
Alice has come to see Lenny daily for the last four and one-half years, driving 17 miles each way. She stays until she has fed him his evening meal, and made sure he is clean and comfortable. She also buys his clothes. Only the occasional day finds her absent from the nursing home. Perhaps in those few days she takes care of her own life.
Alice is as faithful to Lenny as any person could be to another. When you talk to Alice, with pride in her eyes she tells you about Lenny, who in his prime was a well-known local musician. She will play for you his record album— which Lenny and his band recorded many years ago. Although it was the only record he made, it is in fact a good one.
One might be tempted to think Alice is Lenny’s wife. But she isn’t. She is his friend. When the rest of Lenny’s world disappeared, Alice stayed with him just as she had promised she would.
In our gospel story Jesus entrusts his work to his disciples and prays that his disciples will be faithful to continuing his work. He prays, I have entrusted to them the message you have entrusted to me.”
Jesus the Vine depends on you, the branches, to produce the fruit of good works. Jesus also promises you as he did his disciples that he will be with you always.
Although Jesus isn’t even mentioned in our story of Alice and Lenny, whenever his work is being done, Jesus is present.
Alice was a disciple of Jesus because she continued his work of caring for the least, in this case, Lenny.
How seriously do you take your obligation of being Jesus’ disciple?
Is your discipleship being shown forth by your caring for those who can no longer care for themselves? For example, a lonely neighbor who can’t get out to the store. Or someone like Lenny who is in a nursing home. Or a child who is mentally disabled.
Every time you come here to celebrate Eucharist, you are presented with a choice: for exmple to continue to be a disciple of Jesus by continuing his work of caring for others or just to take care of your own private piety, your own selfish salvation.
When you come forward to receive Jesus in the Eucharist, you are saying, I will continue your work, Jesus, because you are depending on me.
HUMOR There was a group of church goers who established their own church and thought they were so special that they put out a sign, Jesus Only. They never reached out to the community at large but ministered only to themselves. One day a passer by saw that the first three letters in the sign had fallen off. The sign now read Us Only.
The thought I leave with you today is this: Always continue Jesus’ work.
posted by The Ronald | 7:12 PM
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