Pastor Cal Lord's Recent Sermons
"Yada, Yada, Yada With God"
John 17:1-11 May 4, 2008
In the 17th chapter of Gospel of John we get a look into the heart of Jesus. He is praying for his
disciples, the men he lived and worked with for the past three years. Sometimes I think we don’t
get a real sense of the relationship Jesus had with these men.
I was thinking about this last week as I was reflecting on our trip to Mexico. Do you know that in
eight days I got to know thirteen other people more intimately than I had in the last five, seven or
ten years. That’s because we spent every waking hour together involved in a mission that was far
bigger than any of us had dreamed. We laughed, we cried, we prayed, we ate, we slept together
and got up each day to a new challenge.
That’s how you develop a closeness that goes beyond description. That’s what Jesus had with the
twelve. That’s also what he wanted for them, and for us, with God. He wanted us to know God in
such an intimate way that we could bear our souls to him and find strength and peace for the
journey.
You see Jesus knows the heart of God. What God wants is for you and me to be satisfied. In 1
Cor 2:9 Paul says, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has
prepared for those who love him.” God knows that the only way we will be satisfied is to be with
him.
ne scholar said, “we all have a God shaped hole that needs to be filled. So we seek out things to fill
this hole. Only when we have come to God can we truly be made complete.”
And the good news is that God has that same love for us. He sees us as a precious treasure and He
longs to be with us. That is why he created us in the beginning.
In an episode of the Seinfeld show the characters develop a fond appreciation of the word Yada.
Elaine, George, Jerry and Kramer all have scenes where they start a sentence and then finish it
with “yada,yada,yada.” It’s funny and it shows just how much of what we say is often presented
in coded language. Of course they used the word to cover for things they didn’t want the other
person to hear. It made for great comedy.
But the truth is that the word yada is a Hebrew word used in the Old Testament and often
translated in English as the word "Know" or "Knowledge". But the word is much broader than our
English word. The Biblical Old Testament word for Knowing God, yada, means - to Perceive - to
Learn - to Understand - to Recognize - to Believe - to Accept His Claims - to Conform -to Be
Willing - to Perform or Live - to Obey - to See or Experience.
To yada God is to know him with all our heart, soul, might and strength. That is what Jesus called
us to do when he was asked what the greatest commandment was. It is funny but so many people
look at the commandments as rules, or obligations. But God never meant that to be the case. The
commandments were given so that we might have a richer, fuller life, with less problems and more
happiness. Commandment has gotten a bad rap. We should be celebrating them instead of trying to
excuse them.
When I tell my girls that I want them home at a certain hour or when I tell them I don’t want them
doing certain things, I am doing it out of love. The same is true when I tell them we have to do
certain things as a family. I say it because I know it is important for their happiness.
The same is true with God. We sing a hymn about God being immortal, invisible only wise… He
knows best because he has the owners manual. He created us and he knows what WE NEED.
That was the point of Jesus’ time on earth. He came to reveal the heart of God. He came to bring
forgiveness, to offer the olive branch, if you will. He was the matchmaker trying to reunite to souls
that were meant to be together.
I’ll never forget the scene in Back to the Future where Martin McFly, played by Michael J. Fox
has to make sure that his mother and father have that first date that leads to their engagement and
marriage. There are all kinds of complications and threats that get in the way. But somehow, by
the grace of God you might say, he helps them make the connection.
That’s Jesus’ whole purpose. Getting back to our text, as Jesus realizes his time is time is drawing
to a close, he begins to pray that God’s will is done. The first thing he prays for is not himself, but
for his disciples. What Jesus is really praying for here is that we would get to yada,yada,yada, with
God. Jesus asked God to enter into the same type of intimate relationship with his followers that he
had with them. He wants God to be with them 24/7. He asks God to get off his throne and enter
the world permanently. That is exactly what happened when he sent the Holy Spirit. He is now our
comforter and guide, companion and friend.
That means that God will be with us whenever we call on his name. This is the fulfillment of
Jesus’ prayer and we know it.
I went to see the movie IRON Man on Friday. It was a good movie. I read a lot of comic books
when I was growing up but I was never a big fan of Iron Man. None-the-less, it was a good
movie and I am glad I went.
One of the most poignant moments in the movie comes when the star, Tony Stark begins to realize
that there is more to life than money and good times. I don’t want to ruin the movie for you so I
won’t go into depth, but Tony almost dies. Miraculously he is spared. He is given a second
chance. It doesn’t hit him then, but later on he realizes that God has given him a new life and new
responsibility.
Now it isn’t a Christian movie so it doesn’t go into the whole theological argument of walking with
and serving and what that means, but he does talk about our responsibility to give back. I like to
imagine that Tony Stark had an encounter with god in that cave and God told him they had work
to do.
You might say that type of thing doesn’t happen in real life though. Do you know Jerry Lowney?
He’s an orthodontist in town and the founder of the Haitian Health foundation.
Well Jerry was an ordinary guy and able to live the good life with what he gleaned from his
vocation. Then one day Jerry got cancer. It forced him to sit down with God and take stock of his
life. I don’t know if he made a deal with God or not, but he did decide that day that if he wanted to
die he wanted to die knowing he had made a difference to someone in this world. So in his yada
with God he vowed that when he came through this his life would be different.
It was about that time that he heard of some mission work taking place in Haiti through the
Diocese. He looked into it and soon got involved. The rest is history. Today there is a town named
after him in Jerewmie Haiti. There are health clinics, schools, extended villages where homes are
being built and small farms, family business and other services are being created.
When asked how he did it, Jerry just smiles and points to heavenward. Its all his doing.
The truth is Jerry isn’t unique. Lots of men and women have had a tremendous influence on the
God. They live and walk with god twenty four hours a day. They begin working together to make
a difference in some small way. Many of us are not even aware of the difference we are making. I
think of Cynthia Strouse working in the library at Stanton and Greenville Schools, loving the kids
and pushing them to excel. I think of Cheryl Dutrumble praying for her kids in Stonington. I think
of Lori Lord taking care of the medical needs of the residents in Greenville. She is a person they
trust… I think of Judy Dupont who for years was a helping hand and friendly face at Maplewood
Cemetery. I think of Karen Barber, Connie Jensen, Lisa Lapointe and others who cut hair and listen
to people tell their life stories while they give them advice and encouragement. I think of Doris
Adams who met with people in a time of crisis with their health and encouraged them that they
could get through. I think of Fred Green who was always praying with people at work and trying
to share his story of how God helped him. I think of Mary Brockway who chose to stay at Bishop
School with her kids, troubles and all, so that they might know someone cares. I think of Bob
walker who volunteers in the classroom week after week and just loves the kids because they are
there. I could go on and on because when you have walked with God, it shows. You can’t hide it.
It has to come out and you do make a difference.
The truth is that Jesus prayer is still being answered. For when we come to the table, we come
into communion with him once again. We know of his love, his sacrifice, his hope for us and it
gives us strength. So let’s come to the table and be with the Lord so that we might be one.
Amen
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