Pascua 6B + Abide with Me/Puente + 5.5.24

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Liz Landgren "Bridge over Troubled Water"

M. Campbell-Langdell

All Santos, Oxnard

(Hechos/Acts 10:44–48; Salmo/Ps. 98; 1 San Juan/ 1 John 5:1–6; San Juan/John 15:9–17)

 

“Abide with me, fast falls the eventide … In life, in death, o Lord, abide with me (Henry Francis Lyte/ Will Henry Monk).” “Habita en mí, Señor vive conmigo. La tarde tristemente se apresura.”[1]

This song came to me as I meditated on this week’s scriptures. Esta canción vino a mi mente mientras meditaba en las escrituras de esta semana. How do we abide in God’s love? ¿Como habitamos en el amor de Dios?

This passage from John is perhaps the passage I have preached on the most – at quinceañeras! Este pasaje de San Juan está en nuestro boletín de quinceañera y es un pasaje interesante. Porque inicialmente parece sencilla, pero hay más complejidad de lo que parece al inicio. At first it seems so simple- abide in love, and you are my friends and not just servants. Parece muy lindo este concepto de ser los amigos de Jesús.

But you know if you have ever been a friend, that it is one of the best experiences one can have in one’s life, but it is also hard. Being the passive servant means always following another’s lead. There are all sorts of other complications, but agency is not required. Cuando somos los siervos, y disculpe porque yo sé que esta palabra no es sin complicaciones, pero en teoría en esta situación solo seguimos a la otra persona sin tener que poner nuestra parte activa.

A servant follows. A friend interacts, challenges, shows up when it is difficult, not unlike the passage a couple of weeks back in which Jesus compared the Good Shepherd to the hired hand. No somos los que trabajan solo para la paga, pero los que seguimos el Buen Pastor son amigos quienes realmente tratemos de estar presente para los demás en el mundo.

Do some of you know the darkly funny show “Good Omens”? Tal vez se han escuchado de “Good Omens,” un programa de la televisión en el que un ángel y un ángel caído que ya es un diablo se hacen amigos. It is a surprisingly touching story of the development of a friendship between an angel and a fallen angel. They are on apparently opposite sides but bond over their love of earth and humanity. Se hacen amigos cuando se den cuenta de que se amen a la tierra y a la humanidad, y también tienen un amor el uno para el otro que es más difícil nombrar. They also love each other, in a way that is hard for them to work out. But they constantly show up for each other. Siempre vienen a la ayuda el uno del otro y así muestran verdadera amistad.

This activity of showing up for each other is increasingly difficult in our world. En nuestro mundo esto es difícil estar presente de esta manera el uno para el otro. Porque tomar un lado a veces parece no tomar el otro lado. When you pick one side, you seem to betray the other side.

I had a conversation this week with a pastor who has a close relative who is Jewish. She said that her Jewish relative was talking all the time last fall about the situation between Israel and Palestine and asked her if she as a pastor saw her pastor friends talking about it. Esta pastora tiene un ser querido que es judío y él le pregunto si ella habla con otros clérigos sobre la situación en Israel y Palestina. She mentioned feeling a sort of pastoral paralysis. How do we as Western, American Christian clergy say anything that will speak to the nuance of this whole situation? ¿Como decimos algo bueno de una situación tan compleja? A veces los pastores sentimos una parálisis porque no queremos decir una cosa incorrecta o lastimar a alguien sin querer.

And yet we know we have Palestinians dying in great numbers, some of whom are our Christian siblings, and others siblings via the Abrahamic faiths. Pero hay gente que está muriendo en Palestina, gente que son relaciones nuestras en la fe, si sea cristianos o a través de las fes de Abraham. And in the paper last Sunday, we read about Jews feeling the burden of antisemitism across the country. Y en el periódico dominical leímos sobre los judíos que sienten antisemitismo. No podemos mostrar amor para Jesús y odio para la gente que son sus antepasados. We cannot emanate the love of Jesus if we show hate to the descendants of his relatives. And perhaps the Palestinians are also relatives of his ancestors. In fact, we are all siblings in Christ.

How about a third way, suggested a friend this week. It sounds very Anglican – a way to love all and remain non-anxious. Como podemos mantener una presencia fuerte, pero con calma en este mundo en que las aguas parecen tan turbulentas. How can we be the calm bridge over troubled water, as the song goes that the Bell Choir rang today?
In a description of that song, I heard that we think of the “bridge over troubled water” message as from one friend to another, but instead the song is about Jesus. Jesús es el puente sobre el agua turbulento, el que nos dará la oportunidad de pasar seguramente por los tiempos difíciles sin hundirnos. He will allow us to get to the other side without sinking and drowning.[2] Thus Jesus also models a non-anxious presence for us. Jesús modela como ser una presencia sin ansiedad o con menos ansiedad.

How can we find that third way? We can look to Jesus. When we are not sure how to move forward, let us trust him to be the bridge. The bridge over troubled water in our lives. Que confiemos en el para ser el puente sobre el agua turbulento de nuestras vidas.

I don’t have it all figured out. No sé todo todavía, pero sé que en Jesús puedo seguir adelante en la fe. I know with Jesus’ help I can move forward. I can express love and care for all my relatives. Puedo expresar apoyo y amor para todas mis relaciones.
If we follow him, we will remember that to be a true friend means showing up when times are tough, when we don’t agree. Si seguimos a él, recordaremos que un buen amigo regresa en los momentos difíciles y aun cuando no está de acuerdo el uno con el otro.

And as I try to walk others across a bridge of differences, I will remember that Jesus is the true bridge over troubled water for us all. Mientras trato de conectar a diferentes personas con diferentes trasfondos, recordare que Jesús es el puente entre todos. If we lean on him, he will bring us safely through turbulent times. Si confiemos en el , nos llevara nuestras almas sanos y salvos al cabo de los tiempos difíciles.

Amen.


[2] Victoria Emily Jones, “Bridge Over Troubled Water: Meaning (Remembering Charleston).”  https://artandtheology.org/tag/bridge-over-troubled-water-meaning/ (June 16, 2016).

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