Moss Piglets

Reverend Philip Stringer

John 14:15-21

LET US PRAY: Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Feed us with your Word, and speak to our hearts, that we may be filled with your endless life, now and forever. AMEN

Imagine that it is a few years after the resurrection of Jesus, and you are standing beside Saint Paul. He is standing in front of the supreme court of the Greeks in Athens— this council of judges is named after the Greek god of war, Ares — It is a court created to be intimidating, and they have called Saint Paul to testify before them about the things he has been saying to the people.

The Athenians lived in a fog of uncertainty about the supernatural in which they hoped that they covered their bases . . .shrines and altars in the names of various gods erected not in love, but in fear of those gods — the altars were for the purpose of appeasement. They hoped that they had covered all of their bases . . . but one could never be sure . ... and so, Paul found among those many altars one that was inscribed, “To an unknown god.”

To an unknown god….

Here is a mystery — God, who is the definition of “good,” who exists as a being in a state of perfect love — who created all things as an expression of love— this God has chosen to be known — and to dwell in you — and through you, to bless the tiny corner of God’s creation in which you live — so that what is unknown to the world may become known. It is a wonder and a mystery that you and I carry within us the one who hears and responds to all of the questions of life; and all of the suffering and all of the appeals of those who long for deliverance.

God’s word meets us today — in this world filled with changes and uncertainty — where what is wrong and broken and where evil seems too easily to run unchecked over good — it is in this world that the Word of God meets us today with a message of hope and perseverance — and more than perseverance; The word meets us with a promise to be with us, and to bring healing and deliverance and redemption that overcomes the world.

As Paul stood before the Areopagus he said to them, “what you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you…”

To an unknown god . . .

I have shared with you before a quote from Sigmund Freud — “A man with a toothache cannot fall in love.” As in a similar way, a world that is steeped in fear and insecurity rooted in that fear — cannot make sense of a God who loves.

In our second reading for today, the author points out that no one should be punished for doing the right thing — but in a world that does not comprehend right, it does happen — and even if it does, don’t let that derail you. What is wrong in the world is rooted in fear — don’t let that fear infect you. Rather, he encourages the reader to meditate on the Love of God that dwells in you, and let it be your inspiration.

You are a puzzle to the world. It asks of you: “Why are you hopeful? Why are you not afraid? Why do you keep doing good in response to evil?” In these questions, God presents an opportunity for the love of God to spill from your heart into theirs; an opportunity for them to be delivered from fear. It is a moment in which what has been unknown can become known; What is unseen can be seen.

St. Paul is proclaiming to the Athenians, something they had not previously seen.

The author of 1 Peter encourages Christians to hold fast to faith in God’s love as an example for a world that is blind.

And Jesus promises that he will be with us in this world of blindness so that the Spirit of Truth might be revealed through us.

And all of this reminded me of moss piglets!

This is what happens when you have a biologist for a pastor. I hear the promise of Jesus to be with us in a world of danger and hardship— as our protector and strength— and I think to myself, “Jesus is turning us into moss piglets!

Moss piglets, or Tardigrades are the toughest creatures on earth. At only ½ of one mm, they have 8 legs with 3 claws each on pudgy bodies and are so tough that they are nearly indestructible.

They can survive:

-460°F and have been stored in a freezer for 30 years and survived.

Water boils at 212°F, but moss piglets can survive in boiling water and even up to the temperature of 302°

If you have a rock that weighs 5,800 pounds — that is nearly 3 tons — and one end of that rock formed a point with a 1” surface. If you placed a moss piglet under that point — it would survive.

If you placed them into an unbreakable container and increased the air pressure — they would still survive with 159,000 pounds per square inch of pressure.

Scientists have even shot them into outer space — on the OUTSIDE of the rocket where they survived the absolute vacuum of space with no protection from solar radiation that would kill us instantly.

Moss piglets are referred to as a “pioneer species” — because they are so tough, they can colonize places that are uninhabitable for others. They have survived all 5 of the mass extinction events on earth — and by their activity they gradually convert the environment around them into a place where others can live and thrive. They made the world habitable for us.

So that ultimately means that without them, you and I wouldn’t be here.

And I tell you about these amazing little creatures because in a sense, what Jesus is saying to his disciples in our gospel text — and what he is saying to you and me today — is that the Holy Spirit will make you like moss piglets!

“I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him because he abides with you, and he will be in you.”

These words of Jesus are part of a large section of Jesus speaking to the disciples on the night of his betrayal. In fact, he begins this lesson or speech all the way back in chapter 12, and he keeps talking through chapters 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and into 18 when Jesus concludes his address and John then moves us into the story of Jesus betrayal, arrest and crucifixion.

So, this whole section of John’s gospel is Jesus giving his disciples a summary of his teachings. He commands them to love in the manner of God, with patience and unwavering commitment.

And knowing that this is hard — and knowing that it will be especially hard after they see Jesus beaten down by hatred — knowing that it will be hard for them to not be afraid and hard for them to keep on loving hateful people — he makes a promise to be with them.

The reason the world is hateful is because it is afraid. But you have no reason to be afraid, so don’t let their fear shape you.

He tells them that the Holy Spirit will be at work within them, revealing to them the truth and power of God’s love. The Holy Spirit will create faith within them — and through faith, they will see that Jesus will always be with them as their protector.

Jesus is telling them that the Holy Spirit will turn them into moss piglets — mysteriously indestructible.

Here is another wonder about the mystery of faith— that the faith within you is not only for you — it is the means by which the Holy Spirit is stirring the hearts of those around you. Like tiny, indestructible moss piglets turning a hostile environment into fertile ground — through faith in the Holy Spirit at work in you, your tiny corner of the world becomes a tiny bit less bitter — less hateful — and less dark.

For your fellow Christians who have eyes to see God’s spirit in you, your faith is an encouragement when they are burdened — and they do the same for you when you are weighed down. But your faith is also a means by which the Holy Spirit may bring hope into those who do not see. As they see your hope — and they ask themselves the question — “What makes her tick? — What is it that enables her to be hopeful and kind in the face of such hardship?” As they ponder this mystery of about you, the Holy Spirit is creating fertile ground — knocking on the door of their heart to say, “you can be like this too. You can live without fear. You can live with hope — even in this world. It can be yours through faith in God’s love.”

Jesus tells us that through the power of the Holy Spirit at work within you, that you are able to love others as Jesus loves you; that you are able to love your neighbor as Jesus loves your neighbor — you are MADE able, because the Holy Spirit has come to dwell with you.

Remember who you are. Remember that the Spirit of Truth dwells in you, and is at work within you, creating in you a heart like God’s heart. For us to be in him and him to be in us means that we are made able to love the world in Jesus’ name.

AMEN