In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

     At our high schooler's monthly gathering last Sunday, "Dinner and a Movie", the movie we watched was "A Night at the Museum". And at one point, Ben Stiller, the night watchman at the museum has to deal with Attila the Hun: you see, at night, all the figures in the Museum of Natural History come alive. So, each night, Attila and his cohorts rampage through the museum, until finally, Stiller confronts Attilla-trying to break through his angry, violent rage, to get to the hurt, wounded little boy inside who obviously is manifesting himself in this anti-social behavior. Stiller imagines Attila the Hun, as a child, left home alone by a neglectful Hun father-out hunting or pillaging, as needed-but leaving the hurt, abandoned Attilla at home, sad and crying, and feeling lost and lonely-forsaken by his father. And finally, Stiller gets through to Attila the Hun, who breaks into tears, is hugged by Stiller, and becomes then, a gentler, more sociable Attilla.

     In pop-psychology, it's just that easy to deal with violent, rage-full sociopaths. You try to bring up whatever it is in the person's painful past that has left a wounded, hurt child-you touch and heal that child with love, and voila-you have now a healthy, whole person who gets along in society. And often, that painful past has to do with abandonment issues-with rejection by a parent or family-with the failure of a mother or father to care appropriately for the basic needs of a child-whether safety, security, protection from abuse, or love and closeness. And while it's not always as easy as it was for Ben Stiller and Atilla the Hun-while we often make light of the suggestion that much of our adult dis-function comes from neglectful, unloving parents, there is truth, at the core of what has become an unfortunate comic caricature. The truth is many of us, as children, and teens, and then as adults, struggle with fear and anxiety related to abandonment, neglect, and the failure of our parents to care for us with love and warmth. The truth is many of us do mature, and learn to deal in healthy ways with our basic human needs for acceptance and nurture, and how to have those needs met in constructive, positive ways. But many of us, many more of us than we'd probably like to think-struggle through life with fears that grow out of our childhood-fears that we will be left alone; fears that we will be abandoned; fear that we will not be provided for, or protected, or loved, or nurtured. At the core of our being, many of us worry about safety, and security and being all alone in the world. And the fact that many of us worry about such things, when we really have no need to worry about such things-probably grows out of experiences in our past, when we felt threatened and at risk, and alone.

     Today, in our gospel lesson, Jesus deals with our all-too-human propensity for fear and anxiety related to abandonment and loneliness, as he continues to prepare his disciples for the fact that soon, He would not be with them, and they would indeed feel, abandoned, alone, and at risk. The only difference between the experience of the disciples, and ours, was that theirs would not be irrational, unreasonable fears-but all-too-real, based on what they would see happen to Jesus on the morrow! We have been reading in our gospel lessons, from Jesus' farewell discourses at the Last Supper, in John's Gospel. As we've said, this discussion was aimed at the reality of Jesus' impending death, as Jesus was trying to prepare his disciples for what would happen tomorrow, on Good Friday-and how the disciples would struggle to deal with Jesus' death on the cross and burial. That's the presenting, pressing issue that Jesus deals with at the Last Supper in these discourses-the fact that He would be dead and buried within 24 short hours. But more than that, Jesus is preparing them, and us, for the fact that there would be more of a separation, more of a departure, more than three days in the tomb, when he would be apart from us. Repeatedly in the Farewell Discourses, Jesus points to something the disciples didn't yet understand-that after the crucifixion and resurrection, there would be an ascension. An ascension that to us, is Jesus' rising to his seat of power-an ascension that to us, theologically, makes sense and fits perfectly into God's plan of salvation for the world. But Jesus, always the shepherd and friend, knew how it would appear to his closest followers-and Jesus knew how it would be experienced by those disciples who would come later in the Church-Jesus knew that at times, we would feel abandoned and alone. Jesus knew that for us, as for those first disciples, the Ascension would, at times, be perceived as him leaving us all alone, to fend for ourselves in the world. Jesus knew that for us, as for those first disciples, the fact that He ascended into heaven, would leave us feeling, vulnerable, and forsaken and unprotected. For the first disciples, Jesus' crucifixion, itself, left them wondering when the Romans, or the Jewish authorities would come looking for the remaining followers of Jesus-and they fully expected that they would be next to be arrested, tried and executed. No wonder in those first days, the disciples hid behind locked doors. But after the resurrection-after their crucified Lord was raised, and walked with them and talked with them, and ate with them, their hope was renewed, and they were empowered by His risen presence. Which made his departure in the Ascension, all the more difficult to bear, because they were hoping he would stay with them, as with Mary at the garden on Easter morning-they wanted to grab hold of him, and hold on to him, and not let him go, again. Which is why Jesus needed to prepare his disciples, not just for his crucifixion-but also for his Ascension. In last Sunday's section of the Farewell Discourses, Jesus foretold his departure, saying to the eleven, "a little while longer and you will not see me-but where I am going, you cannot come." In this week's reading from the discourses, Jesus seeks to reassure them and us, affirming that He will not be leaving us alone-that He is not abandoning us, but that in several ways, He is providing for us all that we need to continue on, with His strength and His life, and His power, with us, and in us. Yes, Jesus has acknowledged that He is leaving this world, and that there will be certain experience of loss and distance, initially. But then he says, "those who love me will keep my word and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them." And then He says, "I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I have said to you." And finally, Jesus says, "Peace I leave with you-my peace I give to you.you heard me say I am going, and I am coming to the Father-if you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father-but now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe."

     You see, Jesus prepares His disciples by telling them plainly, that there will be a departure-but He also prepares them by telling them plainly, how He will be still with them, and still caring for them, and providing for them, and guiding them. Yes, there will be a crucifixion and an ascension, but through the Word, the Father and the Son will come to them and make a home with them. Yes, there will be a crucifixion and an ascension, but there will also be a Pentecost, when the Father would send the Holy Spirit, in the Son's name and stead-to teach them and guide them and remind them of all that Jesus said to them. And finally, in spite of the crucifixion and Ascension, there would be peace. Jesus gave to His disciples, His peace. Peace, not as the world gives-but the peace that surpasses all human understanding-the peace that keeps hearts and minds, in Him, in Christ Jesus. These are the gifts Jesus gave to His disciples, so that they would not be alone, lonely, forsaken-He gave them the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and peace. And He gives the same, to us. We have been given, the Word, the Holy Spirit, and peace that surpasses human understanding. So that, until we arrive at our heavenly home, described in our reading from Revelation-so that until we are taken to the holy city, new Jerusalem, where the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in our midst, and we will see Him face to face-until we are in God's presence forever-our hearts will not be troubled, neither will they be afraid. God gives us His Word, and the Spirit, and peace, so that we can live our lives, without fear, without anxiety, without feeling abandoned and alone. God gives us His Word and His Spirit, and the peace of Christ, so that when we are lying in a hospital bed by ourselves; when we are attending the casket of our loved one in the funeral home; when we are struggling in our marriage and facing divorce; when we are praying fervently for the safe return of our brother or sister from Iraq; when we are sitting alone late at night wondering where our teenager is-God gives us His Word and His Spirit and His peace, so that when we are in the depths of despair and loneliness and grief and loss and uncertainty and worry-we will not be alone-we will not feel forsaken, but we will know, we will have, we will experience, God's presence with us, and our hearts will not be troubled, or afraid-but full of peace, and courage, and strength, because God is with us-because the Word enlightens us, the Spirit inspires us, the peace of Christ empowers us, to live! To live, and love and serve, keeping our hearts and minds, in Christ Jesus, who is not dead, but alive; who is not distant, but with us still; who as our Risen and Ascended Lord, comes to us, and makes his home with us!

     In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.