In Jesus’s Name

They were in Jerusalem to celebrate Pentecost, to remember the gift of the Ten Commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai, to celebrate the gift of guidance for life and truth, that formed them into one community as they left Egypt and wandered the desert for 40 years on their way to the land God had promised. It was that celebration that had brought people from all over, all together in Jerusalem. The disciples and the women and Mary the mother of Jesus and his brothers were together in an upper room. Just before the description of the day of Pentecost, Acts tells us that, “There they joined together constantly in prayer.” And a rumble started, like a tornado or an earthquake, and sparks flew, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they received the gift of communication, so that everyone could hear and understand, and they were formed into one community. And after Pentecost, Acts tells us that everyone who heard their message “devoted themselves to the teaching of those who had seen the risen Christ, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.”

They devoted themselves to learning all they could about Jesus. They devoted themselves to living together as brothers and sisters. They devoted themselves to breaking of bread, to remembering Jesus’ last meal with his disciples, and to prayer.

At that last meal together, Jesus told them that he was going to leave them and go ahead of them to prepare a place for them with the Father. Thomas mustered the courage to speak first, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going; how can we know the way?” And Jesus replied, “I have shown you the way, with my very life, my way is the way; there is no other way.”

Then Philip spoke up, “Lord, show us the Father, just give us a glimpse of where we are headed.” And Jesus replied, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father. Here is the truth, ‘If you believe in me, you will do the same kinds of things I do because the same things will fill you with a compassion that forces you to act. Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in my name, I will do it.’”

“What ever you ask in my name, will be granted you.”

For many Christians, it has become a sort of “spell” formula. In Jesus’ name, amen. In “abracadabra” amen. Jesus wasn’t giving us a magic solution to our problems. To do something in the name of someone in Jesus’ time and culture was to do it in the spirit of that person, with their ethos, their attitude, their personality.

Presbyterian pastor and professor, Mark Roberts says:
“If we are to pray in Jesus’ name, then this means our prayers should reflect Jesus’ own values and purposes. Our prayers should be imbued with the kingdom agenda of Jesus.”

Our prayers are answered as they are consistent with the example of Jesus, an example that over and over again was compassion.
When Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

In teaching about forgiveness Jesus asked, “Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, even as I had compassion for you?

When he saw two blind men on the side of the road, “Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him.”

When he cast out the demons from the Gentile Gerasene, “Jesus told him, ‘Go home to your friends, and tell them the huge impact I, the Lord, have had on you, and how the Lord had compassion on you.

Jesus saw a woman, a widow mourning her only son, and he had compassion on her, and said to her, “Weep not.” And he came and touched his casket and said, “Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.”

Jesus told stories about compassion, one about a man who was robbed and beaten and left for dead, and the most unlikely of people, a Samaritan, remember Samaritans claimed to worship God, but they had married people that good Jews knew you shouldn’t marry. But Jesus lifted up one of those Samaritans, to even say “Samaritan” was shocking, anyway, Jesus lifted up one of those people as an example in his story, as he told it when the Samaritan came to the injured man, and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,

In another story, it wasn’t the outcast who had compassion, it was actually the Father! There was a spoiled brat kid who didn’t appreciate anything his father had done for him, entitled, and wild. Wasted all his father gave him, and then he hit rock bottom, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and threw his arms around him and kissed him.
“Whatever you ask in my name, whatever you ask with the same heart of compassion I have, will be granted you.” Not magically, not without effort. Jesus said, “Truly, the person who believes in me will also do the works that I do” that is how prayers flowing out of Christlike compassion are answered. I know you can’t do it on your own, though. So, I will ask the Father and he will give you a new guide, the Spirit of truth, my compassion, to be with you, to dwell in you.

So you will see the world as I do. So your heart will break for the things that break mine, and you will not be able to do nothing. You will be moved to compassion. Your prayer won’t be, “God fix it” but “God, this is breaking my heart, so I know it is breaking yours. Give me the power to communicate your love here.”

Just turn on the news:

Homes are being destroyed today, some by bombs, some by abuse, some by betrayal. “God, this is breaking my heart, so I know it is breaking yours. Give me the power to communicate your love here.”

Children are hungry today, some need formula, some need love, some need clean water, some need soup with vitamin packs. “God, this is breaking my heart, so I know it is breaking yours. Give me the power to communicate your love here.”

Hearts are vulnerable today to whispers of temptation: just once won’t hurt, you deserve it, revenge is sweet, they never cared about you
anyway, it’s my right. “God, this is breaking my heart, so I know it is breaking yours. Give me the power to communicate your love here.”

Parents are waking up this morning and facing another summer day without their little boy to take to coach pitch, without their little girl to challenge to some one-on-one in the driveway, no swim lessons, they still need to cancel the plane ticket…how will they even go on vacation…why, God? How can this not be someone else’s story, God? This is breaking my heart, so I know it is breaking yours. Give me the power to communicate your love here.”

Compassion doesn’t just make us sad, or sorry; the little emoji hugging a heart isn’t enough. Compassion is like a muscle. God created us with brain circuitry that scientists are now studying and finding that as we exercise compassion, it gets stronger. We become less selfish, and more concerned about others, more willing to give and help others. Compassion leads to action. The one who laid down his life for us, told us, “I am telling you the truth, if you believe in me, you will act like me.”

And on Pentecost, we celebrate the gift of God’s Holy Spirit, to dwell in us, so we have the love and the compassion of Jesus. Love and compassion that didn’t allow him and won’t allow us to see injustice or pain or division or brokenness or need and just go on about our lives. In Jesus’ name, may you and I, today, be filled with the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Benediction – Receive this blessing, for it is your birthright, granted to you by your brother Jesus.