Sermon for May 3, 2026
Easter 5 A
John 14:1-14; 1 Peter 2:2-10
Rev. Karl-John N. Stone
As many of you know, I will begin my first ever sabbatical this Tuesday, after almost 25 years of ordained ministry. This is not only so I’ll come back with lots of stories to use in my sermons, although I’m sure some of my experiences will find their way into a sermon. But a sabbatical is really inspired by the 3rd Commandment—honor the sabbath day and keep it holy. God designed us so that we would need a day of rest each week; a time to intentionally relax and reconnect with God, and feel refreshed and renewed for the week ahead. A sabbath for Christians doesn’t have to be a Sunday—as Martin Luther pointed out, it’s the presence of God’s Word that makes a sabbath, so we can observe a sabbath on any day of the week, even as Sunday is the tradition because it is the day the crucified Christ rose again from the dead, after resting in the tomb and being renewed in body and soul by the Holy Spirit.
Whether you’re able to take a full 24-hour sabbath, or whether the demands of life limit you to a morning, or an afternoon, or an hour, or even a few minutes to just sit in God’s presence and enjoy the love that Jesus has for you, God knows that each of us needs a sabbath. That’s because the consistent message of society is that we must prove or earn our worth as human beings. But God has a different message: God has already made you worthy, not because of anything you have earned or proven, but because of what Christ has done for you. Through our faith in this good news, the Holy Spirit equips us with spiritual gifts to fulfill the callings God has for each of us.
How is a sabbatical related to the sabbath? A sabbatical is like a sabbath day, but on a larger scale. For me it will be 12 weeks, May 5th until July 27th. It will benefit me as a pastor because, with this gift of time, I can intentionally focus on being re-centered in my vocation, renewed through prayer and spiritual practices, refreshed by time spent with loved ones, and reconnected with people and places that have been significant in my life. The sabbatical will be a time for renewal in heart, mind, and soul, so that when I return, we can continue to grow in our long-term ministry together here at House of Prayer.
The sabbatical is also a time for continuing spiritual renewal for you, the congregation of House of Prayer. During these 12 weeks we will let go of some of our normal ways of doing things (for a time), trusting the Lord to provide what we need. You also have the chance to ask God to provide rest and renewal in Christ for yourselves. Meanwhile, life goes on here at House of Prayer, so you’ll need to pray and seek guidance from the Holy Spirit. You’ll need to rely on congregation leaders and members (as well as neighboring pastoral colleagues from our synod) to respond in Christian love and service to the ministry God has entrusted to us in this place. Perhaps you’ll even discover new gifts that you didn’t realize God has already given you!
There’s not “one right way” for a pastor and congregation to do a time of sabbatical, but whichever way it’s done, theintention is to help us become more centered on God. Finally, after the 12 weeks of sabbatical, we’ll be reunited as we continue to follow Jesus as his disciples. As seminary professor Robert Saler noted in his book Planning Sabbaticals: A Guide for Congregations and Their Pastors (p. 15), “when we are centered in God, the labor we are called to in God’s vineyard moves with greater ease, but also more excellence.”
The ministry God calls us to is not the possession of any one of us—it belongs to Christ alone, and he is the one who sends us into the world of God’s vineyard on his behalf. In that vineyard, the Holy Spirit gives unique callings both to you as God’s people, and to me as a pastor. One way to look at these callings is by turning to the Gospel of John, chapter 14, where Jesus promises “in my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.”
I have turned to this beautiful promise many times, especially when preaching for a funeral. Because of how comforting Jesus’ words are, and how well they fit when a loved one dies, it can be easy to lose sight of how great a promise these words of Jesus are for our daily lives! The “dwelling places” of his “Father’s house”include heaven when we will dwell in the full presence of God forever, and they also include those “dwelling places” where Jesus meets us in our earthly lives; the places we encounter the God who created us and loves us.
Where do we find some of these “dwelling places”? I mentioned the gifts and callings given to us by the Holy Spirit. Maybe you live your calling by being a spouse or sibling, a friend or neighbor, a parent or grandparent, a child or grandchild. Maybe you work to provide for your family, or you fix things around the house. Maybe you are a student in school, or someone who keeps learning lessons from life itself. Maybe you sing, play an instrument, dance, create art, or make crafts. Maybe you play a sport, or promote the health of body and mind through exercise. Maybe you volunteer at church or in the community. Maybe you’re good at catching up with all your friends and making connections between people. Maybe you’re more comfortable being on your own, but will always be there for someone in need. All of these callings, and more, are some of the “dwelling places” where Jesus meets us.
Another “dwelling place” where we find the presence of God is, again, something I talked about earlier—observing a sabbath day, or even a longer sabbatical. Either way, it means that we humbly submit ourselves to resting in God and being renewed. And to paraphrase the first reading today from 1 Peter 2:5, this humbly submitting ourselves to God allows us to “let ourselves by built [by Christ] into a spiritual house”. It means having the humility to admit: Hey, you know, I’d really rather build my own spiritual house. I’d rather be god by myself, even though I would surely make a terrible mess of things. So I’m going to ask God to let that part of my ego die, and instead let Christ be the God of my life. I’m going to ask him to build me, along with my brothers and sisters in Christ, into a “spiritual house” that’s founded on God. Together we’ll seek his help to let go of the daily temptation where I want to build my own life, my own way, without God’s help. As we “let go and let God”—there is another a “dwelling place” where Christ meets us.
And a third kind of “dwelling place” is prayer. Prayer as a “dwelling place” was described so beautifully almost 500 years ago by a Spanish mystic named St. Teresa of Avila. Teresa said: “This Lord of ours deeply wants us to love Him and seek His companionship. And so He calls us again and again, ceaselessly to come closer.” St. Teresa continues with some examples of how we experience God’s love and come closer to him. She says: “through words heard from good people or through sermons, or as we read good books, or through sickness and trials, or through truths God teaches us when we are praying.” [https://www.christiancentury.org/lectionary/may-3-easter-5a-1-peter-2-2-10-john-14-1-14]
So, to finish the sermon today, I’d like to invite you to turn to someone near you, and briefly take turns telling about a time when you felt God was inviting you closer. If you’d rather not share that’s okay, you can just listen to your neighbor. [After a minute for people to share]… May you be blessed to find more of these “dwelling places” to meet the God who created you and loves you. Amen.