Delivered Nov. 25, 2007
by Pastor Marilyn Henderson
He was only 25, but had already captured the hearts of Russians with his novel Poor Folks. Tragically, fame went to his head and he partied and drank - and talked. He talked about the horrific conditions caused by the social system of serfdom in Russia, and, in so doing, also thoughtlessly criticized the Tsar. He was finally arrested in St. Petersburg along with some other dissidents.
On a cold December dawn at the young age of 25, Fyodor Dostoevsky found himself shivering in only a white execution gown, standing against a wall blindfolded and facing a firing squad. He waited for the final crack of the rifle - what would it feel like, death? Would he feel something? Would there be anything? Death - he was too young to die!
As Dostoevsky agonized over his approaching death, he heard quick footsteps approaching; then he heard the officer in charge announce that his sentence of death had been changed to 10 years of hard labour. A number of his fellow prisoners went insane; others died soon after because of the emotional intensity of the moment. Dostoevsky himself suffered an epileptic seizure, the first sign of a condition with which he would suffer the rest of his life.
The Last MealHe was only 33, yet He had inspired the devotion and love of thousands through his healing and teaching ministry to people of all social classes. To know Jesus was either to love Him or hate him, for Jesus measured all human systems against the standard of His Father's kingdom and found them all wanting. And Jesus talked about it. After numerous confrontations with Jewish "church" executives, Jesus knew he was going to die the next day.
Jesus looked around the room at his friends whose feet He had just washed; men who had given up their families and their work to travel with him for the last three years throughout Galilee and Judea. They were a rough bunch who had tried hard to give up their profanities of life and speech, to learn about the ways of this new Kingdom of God, but they were definitely still works in progress. Ah well. He had done all He could do for them. Soon their education in the things of God would begin with another Teacher.
He reminded them again of the example he had just set them - a servant washing their feet. "So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you."
Then Jesus sensed all was not well with one of his friends and said, "One of you will betray me tonight to the church executives." It was then that Judas rushed out of the room. Suddenly the second floor room where they had shared the Passover feast meal was terribly stuffy.
"Come on," Jesus said to His twelve students. "Let's take a walk."
As they walked toward the Mount of Olives, Jesus reviewed all the lessons he had tried to instil in these men - lessons of justice, mercy, peace, patience, joy, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. All of those attributes were impossible, really for any one person to fully learn. But even learned imperfectly, they are all expressions of one's love for God, for other people and love for themselves.
Jesus talked about his approaching death and home-going, assuring them that some day they would join Him and His Father.
Throughout these final moments together, Jesus reminded his beloved students a number of times that loving God privately is not enough in God's Kingdom. They must prove their love by obeying God's commandment to love God, to love others and to love oneself.
Jesus reassured them that they will not be alone when He is gone. His Father would send them another Supporter and Advocate who would guide and encourage and empower them to obey God's commandments. This Holy Spirit would continue to teach them and remind them of all He had said, especially in the difficult days immediately before them.
And then Jesus began to tell them how they needed to prepare themselves for this change. "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower."
ReprieveOn Christmas Eve, 1849, Dostoevsky began his journey to Siberia where he would remain for 10 years "like a man buried alive, nailed down in his coffin." When he arrived at the prison camp, 2 women slipped him a New Testament, the only book he was allowed to have during his imprisonment. They told him he should read it very carefully, and as he did, he discovered treasure beyond the 25 rubles they had hidden in its pages. Through his time in Siberia, he read it's pages over and over, committing large portions of it to memory. Dostoevsky was then able to think about the truths he had memorized during the difficult days of his slavery, gaining strength and encouragement through the words and Spirit of God.
He wrote to a friend who discipled him during this difficult time. "To believe that there is nothing more beautiful, more profound, more sympathetic, more reasonable, more manly and more perfect than Christ. And not only is there nothing but I tell myself with jealous love that there can be nothing. Besides, if anyone proved to me that Christ was outside the truth and it really was so that the truth was outside Christ, then I would prefer to remain with Christ, than with the truth."
Fyodor Dostoevsky passion for socialist ideals died as he discovered and experienced the truths of God's Love. I will quote from Fan the Flame by J. Stowell:
Dostoevsky returned to civilian life. He wrote feverishly and produced his prison memories, The House of the Dead, and then Crime and Punishment, followed by many other major works. Yet his church attendance was sporadic, and he never grew as a Christian. He neglected Bible study and the fellowship of other believers. No Christian took him under his wing to disciple him. He began to drink. He gambled. Excessive drinking and compulsive gambling unravelled his life so that he died penniless and wasted. He felt prison with his flame lit for Christ and died with nothing more than smouldering embers. The tragedy of Fyodor Dostoevsky is not so much what he became but what he could have become for Christ. In the words of the poet, "of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: 'It might have been.'"
In her book about her father's life, Fyodor Dostoevsky: A Study, Aimee Dostoevsky said:
"Many of his admirers have said to me that it was a strange chance that ordained that my father should have only the gospels to read during the most important and formative years of his life. But was it a chance? Is there such a thing as chance in our lives? The work of Jesus is not finished; in each generation he chooses his disciples, beckons to them to follow Him, and gives them the same power over the human heart that He gave to the poor fishermen of Galilee."
Preparing for the FutureOn the night we now celebrate as Maundy Thursday, the Thursday before Easter Sunday, Jesus told the disciples how to prepare themselves for their new Teacher. He talked about something very familiar to them, the culture of the grape vine. Perhaps he thought of the vine as they walked past the temple, on which was a gorgeously elaborate golden grape vine, the emblem of Israel.
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine-grower."
The 11 disciples knew exactly what Jesus was saying. Israel was replaced as the vine of God, for she had not been faithful to God's call to be a light to the nations. Jesus was now the vine, the Life-Giver to the nations. To all people.
"God removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit."
Growing wine grapes is no small task. It takes vigilance, perseverance and a lot of work. Initially, the soil must be well-prepared. The best kind of plant slips must be obtained. And during the first three years, the plants must not be allowed to produce fruit so that the vines themselves receive all the water and nutrients and are well established and healthy.
There are two kinds of branches on grape vines. One bears only leaves. The other bears leaves and fruit. So vine-growers prune off all the branches that bear only leaves so that the nutrients and energy of the plant all go into producing grapes. The clippings are gathered up and burned as the vineyard must be kept clean to avoid disease and pests.
"You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing."
It's pretty much a no-brainer. If a branch is somehow separated from the main stem of the plant, it's going to die. It isn't getting the nutrients and water it needs. Unless the connection can somehow be re-established - and I don't know if that's even possible with grape vines - the branch will wither and die.
"Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. But, if you live in me, if you stay connected with Me, firmly and completely bonded with Super Glue, and my words live in you and produce fruit, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified and blessed by this, that you produce much fruit and become my disciples. So, just as the Father loves me, I love you; live in my love."
"If you keep my commandments, you will live your life in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and live in His love. I am telling you this so that how you live from here on out will bring both you and me true joy."
So What?The words with which Jesus left his disciples are for us. His instructions to live as closely and vitally connected to Him as branches are connected to the vine are for us. Jesus says to us that we cannot continue to exist as followers of Jesus unless we are firmly bonded and closely connected to Him. We will not be able to maintain this close connection unless we pay attention to this relationship. We must always be on guard that other things don't steal our attention away from Jesus, who gives us life and love and purpose.
How are you paying attention to your relationship to Jesus?
As new followers of Jesus we are taught to read the Bible daily and pray. Do you? Do you think about what you've read? What it means? Do you apply it to how you live your life? Have you perhaps slacked off recently?
Yesterday Eric decided it was time to tune up the truck because it had been running a bit rough lately. So he looked up a website that explained their version of what that meant, found a garage where he and the truck could be out of the wind and changed spark plugs, among other things.
Sometimes we need to spend some time checking out our spiritual state - a spiritual tune-up, if you will. In Rebuilding Your Broken World, Gordon MacDonald suggests twenty-six questions to help develop accountability and invite feedback. Eric included a shortened the list in the bulletin and I offer it as one way to do a spiritual tune-up. If we desire to grow and remain firmly bonded to Jesus we should submit ourselves to some kind of a spiritual tune-up - perhaps you meet with a spiritual friend. Perhaps you meet with a spiritual mentor or small group whom you trust. Perhaps you'd like to set up a time with Eric and/or myself.
The key here is that it is important that you allow yourself to be accountable to someone else - with skin! From personal experience, I know it is too easy to be flaky about my relationship with Jesus if I'm accountable only to myself and God. So I meet with a spiritual director once a month and talk to a mentor once a month. Let me read the questions out loud:
As pastors we often suggest practicing spiritual disciplines as ways to tend one's relationship with Jesus - things like prayer, Bible reading, meditation, meeting regularly with a spiritual mentor and/or small group and so on. There is so much freedom in the "how" of staying firmly bonded to Jesus that each of us here can find a way to do so. But the main point is that we do it. Jesus believed it was vital for his disciples - and we are them. Let's pray.
Lord Jesus, we are honoured and grateful for Your presence with us this morning and always. We are so glad You love us so much. We can never repay You for dying in place of us. But we can choose to live for You.
Sometimes it's hard to remember that you think we're worthy of Your love. You even prayed for us, who are living now, when You asked Your Father, "Protect them in your name ... so that they may be one, as we are one. Protect them from the evil one. Purify them in the truth. I ask these things ... on behalf of those who will believe in me ... that they may all be one."
SOURCES CONSULTED
Petitcodiac Mennonite Church