Completing The Master's Work
Sermon
Sermons on the Gospel Readings
Series I, Cycle A
Classical music provides some significant examples of great musical compositions that were never finished by their creators. A perennial favorite with many, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, never completed his magnificent Requiem Mass. Franz Schubert, who like Mozart, lived only a short life but produced over 600 works of music, wrote only two movements of his Eighth Symphony. Orchestras today still play this great composition, known appropriately as the Unfinished Symphony. Living in the latter nineteenth and early twentieth century, the Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini also left a master creation unfinished, but thanks to his students, Puccini's last and greatest composition, Turandot, is performed many times each year throughout the world, because his disciples completed their master's work.
Giacomo Puccini was one of the greatest composers of opera who ever lived. His great and glorious music, written for and performed in the great opera houses of the world has delighted people for more than a century. It was quite common to hear people along the streets of any great city whistling or humming one of the many popular melodies from such great works as Tosca, La Boheme, Madama Butterfly, Manon Lescaut, and Gianni Schicchi. Toward the end of his life, Puccini took on a significant challenge, the composition of another great opera. Using a libretto written by fellow Italian Renato Simoni, who adapted a work of the eighteenth--century Venetian playwright Carlo Gozzi, Puccini tackled the composition of an opera that related the efforts of a gallant young man, Calaf, to win the hand in marriage of the stern, mysterious, and seemingly cold Chinese Princess Turandot. Puccini was in his sixties when he began the opera's composition. For four years he labored long and hard, but Puccini was a very sick man and he knew he was running out of time. God would soon call him home.
Puccini returned home to God before his master work was completed. Because he was a famous man, Puccini had many friends, including a cadre of loyal students who were known as his disciples. These young men and women would not allow their master's great work, his magnum opus to lie unfinished. Thus, they gathered together, studied the text of the opera, and then, when ready, began the difficult task of finishing their master's work. In 1926, two years after his death, Puccini's greatest work, Turandot, was performed for the first time, appropriately enough, at Milan's La Scala Opera House with Arturo Toscanni, the most famous conductor of the day, at the podium. When the opera reached the middle of the third and final act, the music abruptly stopped. Toscanni paused, set down his baton, and said, "Thus far the master wrote, but he died." After a moment of silence, the great conductor again picked up his baton, turned to the audience, and with tears in his eyes said, "But his disciples finished his work." Thunderous applause was heard as the opera continued; the work of the master had been completed.
Giacomo Puccini was a master composer who created many delightful and significant operas and, in the process, gained many disciples and thrilled millions of music patrons. He, like several other significant composers, left his master creation unfinished, but fortunately for the world, his disciples completed their master's work.
Today we celebrate the Ascension of Jesus to heaven; we celebrate his return home to God. Jesus was sent by God to be with us for a certain amount of time; he was sent on a mission. Like Puccini, who was sent by God to delight our ears with beautiful music, so Jesus was sent to show us how to lead good and holy lives, to show us that God is present today. As we heard in last Sunday's Gospel from John, Jesus was given authority over all people to bring them to salvation. Jesus used his many and significant gifts to do his best to complete the work he was given. Jesus did what the Father asked of him, and he did it well. Still, Jesus knew that there would be much more work to do and that is why he established a group of loyal followers, his apostles and other disciples, who were given the commission to go forward and bring Christ's message to the nations. Jesus' words in Matthew's Gospel are very significant for the mission of the apostles: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19--20).
Jesus certainly commissioned the apostles to go forward but he did not send them out without the requisite tools for the job. Today's gospel, which ends Saint Luke's narrative of Jesus' life, describes the Lord's promise to the apostles: "I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high" (Luke 24:49). Jesus will provide the Holy Spirit, whose arrival we will celebrate next week at Pentecost. The Spirit not only guides and directs our ways, but will provide inspiration and any and all things that might be needed for the commission the apostles have received. Thus, as Jesus ascends to the heavens and a reunion with the Father, the apostles need not be fearful. They can be confident that God will be with them every step of the way as they initiated the construction of God's kingdom in a formal way.
Jesus came to our world with a special mission. He wanted to show by what he did and said that God is not far away, but rather, God is close, imminent; God is present within ourselves and our society. Jesus came to establish the kingdom of God on earth, but he returned to home before the mission was completed. We who gather in Christ's name are his friends, disciples, and students. When Puccini died without his master work completed, his disciples gathered together and finished the work. In a similar way, we who bear the name Christian must do our share to bring Jesus' work to completion in our world.
God has given all of us many talents and we must use them to bring the kingdom to come. Some, like Puccini are gifted musically, others are writers, still others are gifted speakers. Some of us excel in science and others are wonderful teachers. Some people have been given great athletic ability and some of God's people are very fortunate - they have been blessed with multiple talents. Whatever gifts received from God must be returned in our effort to make known to others the imminence of God in our world. We must show others that love conquers hate, faith dispels fear, that community can take us further than personal initiative alone. We must do our share to build the kingdom now.
Jesus ascends to heaven, but we his disciples are still here. As missionaries on the road, God has granted us limited time. For some, the time is 25 years; for others, sixty; and, for a select few, 100. Each and every day of our journey presents the opportunity to show the face of God to others, to complete Jesus' work in building the kingdom of God. The road will seldom if ever be completely free and clear. In fact, there are many days when the road is so cluttered with obstacles and various detours that we might think it is not worth the effort. But, then we can be reminded of the powerful words of Saint Paul: "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him" (1 Corinthians 2:9). Let us, despite the pain and possible problems, do our share as we walk in the footsteps of the master, Jesus, who is our brother, friend, and Lord. Let us do our best to complete the Master's work - the reward will be eternal life.
Giacomo Puccini was one of the greatest composers of opera who ever lived. His great and glorious music, written for and performed in the great opera houses of the world has delighted people for more than a century. It was quite common to hear people along the streets of any great city whistling or humming one of the many popular melodies from such great works as Tosca, La Boheme, Madama Butterfly, Manon Lescaut, and Gianni Schicchi. Toward the end of his life, Puccini took on a significant challenge, the composition of another great opera. Using a libretto written by fellow Italian Renato Simoni, who adapted a work of the eighteenth--century Venetian playwright Carlo Gozzi, Puccini tackled the composition of an opera that related the efforts of a gallant young man, Calaf, to win the hand in marriage of the stern, mysterious, and seemingly cold Chinese Princess Turandot. Puccini was in his sixties when he began the opera's composition. For four years he labored long and hard, but Puccini was a very sick man and he knew he was running out of time. God would soon call him home.
Puccini returned home to God before his master work was completed. Because he was a famous man, Puccini had many friends, including a cadre of loyal students who were known as his disciples. These young men and women would not allow their master's great work, his magnum opus to lie unfinished. Thus, they gathered together, studied the text of the opera, and then, when ready, began the difficult task of finishing their master's work. In 1926, two years after his death, Puccini's greatest work, Turandot, was performed for the first time, appropriately enough, at Milan's La Scala Opera House with Arturo Toscanni, the most famous conductor of the day, at the podium. When the opera reached the middle of the third and final act, the music abruptly stopped. Toscanni paused, set down his baton, and said, "Thus far the master wrote, but he died." After a moment of silence, the great conductor again picked up his baton, turned to the audience, and with tears in his eyes said, "But his disciples finished his work." Thunderous applause was heard as the opera continued; the work of the master had been completed.
Giacomo Puccini was a master composer who created many delightful and significant operas and, in the process, gained many disciples and thrilled millions of music patrons. He, like several other significant composers, left his master creation unfinished, but fortunately for the world, his disciples completed their master's work.
Today we celebrate the Ascension of Jesus to heaven; we celebrate his return home to God. Jesus was sent by God to be with us for a certain amount of time; he was sent on a mission. Like Puccini, who was sent by God to delight our ears with beautiful music, so Jesus was sent to show us how to lead good and holy lives, to show us that God is present today. As we heard in last Sunday's Gospel from John, Jesus was given authority over all people to bring them to salvation. Jesus used his many and significant gifts to do his best to complete the work he was given. Jesus did what the Father asked of him, and he did it well. Still, Jesus knew that there would be much more work to do and that is why he established a group of loyal followers, his apostles and other disciples, who were given the commission to go forward and bring Christ's message to the nations. Jesus' words in Matthew's Gospel are very significant for the mission of the apostles: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19--20).
Jesus certainly commissioned the apostles to go forward but he did not send them out without the requisite tools for the job. Today's gospel, which ends Saint Luke's narrative of Jesus' life, describes the Lord's promise to the apostles: "I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high" (Luke 24:49). Jesus will provide the Holy Spirit, whose arrival we will celebrate next week at Pentecost. The Spirit not only guides and directs our ways, but will provide inspiration and any and all things that might be needed for the commission the apostles have received. Thus, as Jesus ascends to the heavens and a reunion with the Father, the apostles need not be fearful. They can be confident that God will be with them every step of the way as they initiated the construction of God's kingdom in a formal way.
Jesus came to our world with a special mission. He wanted to show by what he did and said that God is not far away, but rather, God is close, imminent; God is present within ourselves and our society. Jesus came to establish the kingdom of God on earth, but he returned to home before the mission was completed. We who gather in Christ's name are his friends, disciples, and students. When Puccini died without his master work completed, his disciples gathered together and finished the work. In a similar way, we who bear the name Christian must do our share to bring Jesus' work to completion in our world.
God has given all of us many talents and we must use them to bring the kingdom to come. Some, like Puccini are gifted musically, others are writers, still others are gifted speakers. Some of us excel in science and others are wonderful teachers. Some people have been given great athletic ability and some of God's people are very fortunate - they have been blessed with multiple talents. Whatever gifts received from God must be returned in our effort to make known to others the imminence of God in our world. We must show others that love conquers hate, faith dispels fear, that community can take us further than personal initiative alone. We must do our share to build the kingdom now.
Jesus ascends to heaven, but we his disciples are still here. As missionaries on the road, God has granted us limited time. For some, the time is 25 years; for others, sixty; and, for a select few, 100. Each and every day of our journey presents the opportunity to show the face of God to others, to complete Jesus' work in building the kingdom of God. The road will seldom if ever be completely free and clear. In fact, there are many days when the road is so cluttered with obstacles and various detours that we might think it is not worth the effort. But, then we can be reminded of the powerful words of Saint Paul: "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him" (1 Corinthians 2:9). Let us, despite the pain and possible problems, do our share as we walk in the footsteps of the master, Jesus, who is our brother, friend, and Lord. Let us do our best to complete the Master's work - the reward will be eternal life.
