Here is the information for our worship on May 2
Hymns
807 When Morning Gilds the Skies
533 Jesus Has Come and Brings Pleasure Eternal
633 At the Lamb's High Feast We Sing vv1,2,5-8
563 Jesus, Thy Blood and Righteousness
680 Thine the Amen, Thine the Praise
980 Jesu, Jesu, Fill Us With Your Love (words and music printed in bulletin)
474 Alleluia! Jesus Is Risen
Scripture Lessons
Acts 11:1-18
Psalm 148 (chanted together)
Rev. 21:1-7
John 6:12-22
Prayer of the Day
O God, You make the minds of Your faithful to be of one will. Grant that we may love what You have commanded and desire what You promise, that among the many changes of this world our hearts may be fixed where true joys are found; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen
Prayer of the Day for the Commemoration of St. Philip and St. James (May 1)
Almighty God, Your Son revealed Himself to Philip and James and gave them the knowledge of everlasting life. Grant us perfectly to know Your Son, Jesus Christ, to be the way, the truth, and the life, and steadfastly to walk in the way that leads to eternal life; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
May the Lord bless our preparation and meditation for worship.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Memories
Yesterday and today are the call services at our seminaries. Without question this is the high point of the seminary students' existence. From the moment you set foot on campus all activities are done with this moment in mind. (Perhaps not all, but at least every moment in the classroom has this goal in mind.)
The chapels on our two seminary campuses are filled with family members. The District Presidents in our church body are there. And there is a level of 'holy anxiety' that is palpable as candidates and their families await their call into the pastoral office.
My placement in 2000 was quite nerve-wracking as I did not have a clue where I would be placed and that my then-girlfriend now wife Amanda was waiting for a phone call that would have had a huge impact on our future.
One thing that is reality is that not all of our candidates will be placed. Some are not quite ready academically and will be placed after taking one more class in summer school. And some may defer their placement to do some institutional work. But some are not placed because there is no place for them to go. This is very upsetting and puzzling after the news has been given for many years that there is a clergy shortfall, even a clergy crisis. If there are vacant congregations, here are pastors for those positions.
But things are seldom what they appear. Perhaps we ought to consider that we do not have a clergy shortage in our church body but a congregation-shortage. Some churches are quite satisfied with being served by a retired pastor on a part-time basis. (And the retired pastor is quite satisfied with the extra income he receives.)
It is reality that having a pastor is an expensive proposition- salary, the health and retirement package, housing allowance- it really adds up and there is no reason we should think that the health benefits will ever decrease in cost. And more and more pastors are carrying tremendous amounts of tuition debt. Now some congregations are not willing to challenge themselves to make the financial commitment needed to have a full-time pastor. And some pastors are not willing to even consider the worker-priest option.
But the reality might actually be that there are not enough viable congregations to place all the candidates who desire to serve.
May the Lord bless all our candidates- placed and yet-to-be-placed!
The chapels on our two seminary campuses are filled with family members. The District Presidents in our church body are there. And there is a level of 'holy anxiety' that is palpable as candidates and their families await their call into the pastoral office.
My placement in 2000 was quite nerve-wracking as I did not have a clue where I would be placed and that my then-girlfriend now wife Amanda was waiting for a phone call that would have had a huge impact on our future.
One thing that is reality is that not all of our candidates will be placed. Some are not quite ready academically and will be placed after taking one more class in summer school. And some may defer their placement to do some institutional work. But some are not placed because there is no place for them to go. This is very upsetting and puzzling after the news has been given for many years that there is a clergy shortfall, even a clergy crisis. If there are vacant congregations, here are pastors for those positions.
But things are seldom what they appear. Perhaps we ought to consider that we do not have a clergy shortage in our church body but a congregation-shortage. Some churches are quite satisfied with being served by a retired pastor on a part-time basis. (And the retired pastor is quite satisfied with the extra income he receives.)
It is reality that having a pastor is an expensive proposition- salary, the health and retirement package, housing allowance- it really adds up and there is no reason we should think that the health benefits will ever decrease in cost. And more and more pastors are carrying tremendous amounts of tuition debt. Now some congregations are not willing to challenge themselves to make the financial commitment needed to have a full-time pastor. And some pastors are not willing to even consider the worker-priest option.
But the reality might actually be that there are not enough viable congregations to place all the candidates who desire to serve.
May the Lord bless all our candidates- placed and yet-to-be-placed!
Sermon for Good Shepherd Sunday
Easter 4 (Good Shepherd Sunday)
April 25, 2010
John 10:22-30
Unsnatchable
In the name of the Great Shepherd of the sheep, Jesus, amen. What a beautiful name for Jesus is given to us this morning. Names are so important. Parents give children a name, and when you have a name, there is the identification that you belong to someone, you are part of a family. When children are made fun of by their peers, even rejected by them, those children know they are accepted and loved by their family. They know they are safe and will find protection from their parents’ loving hands.
The disciples of Jesus were living in a hostile world. So Jesus reminds them that he knows them by name and will keep them safe from all harm. As surely as the disciples were living in a hostile world and needed the sweet consolation of Jesus, so we need to be comforted that our Good Shepherd calls us by name and keeps us safe in the hands of the heavenly Father. That is a protected place and we cannot be snatched from that blessed place.
Jesus’ sheep will always be under attack. The world is hostile to the message of love, forgiveness, mercy, and service. The world does not want to hear the Gospel imperative to serve your neighbor, the world wants to hear when they will be served. Don’t tell me to love others, tell others to love me! The disciples of Jesus will move into the world proclaiming the name of Jesus and in return the disciples will be mocked and martyred.
Strangers, thieves, robbers, and wolves represent the world in John 10 because they seek to draw the disciples away from Jesus and his words. Strangers offer children candy and toys to lure them into danger. Strangers offer Christians unbiblical messages of wealth and glory and power to lure them away from the Gospel message of the Bible. Wolves scare the sheep with their sharp teeth and horrifying howls and the sheep run away in panic. Wolves howl at Christians and in panic, Christians run from the cross rather than to it. Christians are lured away from their Shepherd. They are chased away by false shepherds. They are not tended by the compassionate Shepherd who binds their wounds and anoints them with healing oil.
Living in that world without a shepherd was a terrifying thought. There would be no direction, no safety net. Strangers would deceive them. Thieves would snatch them away. Without a shepherd, the sheep would only wander the way of death. The thief comes to kill and steal and destroy.
This is our world, not merely the world of Jesus’ first disciples.
Every day the Word and will of Christ is demonized- hatemongers, narrow-minded, closed-minded even, backwards, unthinking, homophobic, and many other such characterizations. In our newsletter this morning is a page that highlights the ongoing ministry of A Rose and a Prayer, a Christian pro-life organization. Show that page to some of your acquaintances, family, neighbors, or coworkers and chart the various reactions. Good for you! Shame on you! That’s great! That’s awful!
Every minute we are tempted by the world to follow false Christs- gods of our bellies, prophets of prosperity, theologies devised and crafted by men! How many Christians are deceived by the notion that if they only give enough to the ministry then God will ‘solve’ their woes? Without a shepherd, we’d quickly fall prey to any of these worldly views.
Jesus loved his disciples. He still does. And He promised that He would always keep the disciples under the care of the great Shepherd, himself. Through His Word, the Good Shepherd calls his disciples by name. He knows us, for good or for ill. We know His voice and we follow him. Through His Word, the Good Shepherd saves and gives life abundantly to those whom He calls.
The Good Shepherd calls to us and we follow. The Good Shepherd keeps us safe in this world. This space is cool pasture. We are able to eat and drink, laugh and learn, rest and be energized. In our homes the Good Shepherd provides us with the same things as we pray with our families, as we find moments of rest and energy, as we learn that God’s protection hovers over us.
The Good Shepherd cares for us, so much so that he lays down his life for them in order that he would save his sheep. We are saved from the false prophets. We are saved from eternal death. We are saved in order to proclaim the wonderful deeds of our Good Shepherd.
The Good Shepherd saves us to deliver us into the unsnatchable place. We know the Son, and to know the Son is to know the Father. Jesus is the voice the Father has given us to hear, and we hear Jesus’ voice every time the pastor speaks God’s Word to us. Beloved, those are hard words to say for I know my faults, imperfections, and sins. But the Word of God has such power that in spite of how grievously I fail you, God’s Word is the voice of Jesus for all of us.
In the same way, when we see Jesus loving, healing, caring, speaking kindly, touching gently, we understand what the Father is like. We know the pure love of God the Father, Son, and Spirit for his people, his people that often wander and go astray.
As our Good Shepherd, the Son speaks to us, not in words we cannot understand, not impersonally. Our Shepherd speaks to us, by name. He knows our fears. He knows what scares us and what confuses and He addresses all of those things.
Our sin terrorizes us because of the separation it creates. Sin cuts us off from the people we love because we know how selfishly, greedily, and unlovingly we have acted. Our Shepherd binds up our wounds and applies the salve of his forgiving blood. He cleans us up, strengthening us to follow in the way of the cross, strengthening us to seek forgiveness from the ones we have hurt.
Our Shepherd calls us by name and tells us, often gently, sometimes forcefully, to follow. Jesus leads us in the way of our baptism. In baptism our parents declared what our name was. In baptism, God declares the other name we have- the name of Christian. God knows both our names. He knows our given name. He knows each of us that personally. And even more, he knows our baptismal name. He knows that we are baptized into Christ. God knows that our baptism does not make us perfect. It does not mean that we will do the right thing at the right time all the time. Being baptized and wearing the name of Christian means that we know our sin and that we know our savior.
We have a shepherd, which is great because we have someone who cares us, who seeks us out and protects us in the midst of a dangerous world. We rest secure in the hands of our God, safe in the knowledge that no one can snatch us from that blessed place. SDG
April 25, 2010
John 10:22-30
Unsnatchable
In the name of the Great Shepherd of the sheep, Jesus, amen. What a beautiful name for Jesus is given to us this morning. Names are so important. Parents give children a name, and when you have a name, there is the identification that you belong to someone, you are part of a family. When children are made fun of by their peers, even rejected by them, those children know they are accepted and loved by their family. They know they are safe and will find protection from their parents’ loving hands.
The disciples of Jesus were living in a hostile world. So Jesus reminds them that he knows them by name and will keep them safe from all harm. As surely as the disciples were living in a hostile world and needed the sweet consolation of Jesus, so we need to be comforted that our Good Shepherd calls us by name and keeps us safe in the hands of the heavenly Father. That is a protected place and we cannot be snatched from that blessed place.
Jesus’ sheep will always be under attack. The world is hostile to the message of love, forgiveness, mercy, and service. The world does not want to hear the Gospel imperative to serve your neighbor, the world wants to hear when they will be served. Don’t tell me to love others, tell others to love me! The disciples of Jesus will move into the world proclaiming the name of Jesus and in return the disciples will be mocked and martyred.
Strangers, thieves, robbers, and wolves represent the world in John 10 because they seek to draw the disciples away from Jesus and his words. Strangers offer children candy and toys to lure them into danger. Strangers offer Christians unbiblical messages of wealth and glory and power to lure them away from the Gospel message of the Bible. Wolves scare the sheep with their sharp teeth and horrifying howls and the sheep run away in panic. Wolves howl at Christians and in panic, Christians run from the cross rather than to it. Christians are lured away from their Shepherd. They are chased away by false shepherds. They are not tended by the compassionate Shepherd who binds their wounds and anoints them with healing oil.
Living in that world without a shepherd was a terrifying thought. There would be no direction, no safety net. Strangers would deceive them. Thieves would snatch them away. Without a shepherd, the sheep would only wander the way of death. The thief comes to kill and steal and destroy.
This is our world, not merely the world of Jesus’ first disciples.
Every day the Word and will of Christ is demonized- hatemongers, narrow-minded, closed-minded even, backwards, unthinking, homophobic, and many other such characterizations. In our newsletter this morning is a page that highlights the ongoing ministry of A Rose and a Prayer, a Christian pro-life organization. Show that page to some of your acquaintances, family, neighbors, or coworkers and chart the various reactions. Good for you! Shame on you! That’s great! That’s awful!
Every minute we are tempted by the world to follow false Christs- gods of our bellies, prophets of prosperity, theologies devised and crafted by men! How many Christians are deceived by the notion that if they only give enough to the ministry then God will ‘solve’ their woes? Without a shepherd, we’d quickly fall prey to any of these worldly views.
Jesus loved his disciples. He still does. And He promised that He would always keep the disciples under the care of the great Shepherd, himself. Through His Word, the Good Shepherd calls his disciples by name. He knows us, for good or for ill. We know His voice and we follow him. Through His Word, the Good Shepherd saves and gives life abundantly to those whom He calls.
The Good Shepherd calls to us and we follow. The Good Shepherd keeps us safe in this world. This space is cool pasture. We are able to eat and drink, laugh and learn, rest and be energized. In our homes the Good Shepherd provides us with the same things as we pray with our families, as we find moments of rest and energy, as we learn that God’s protection hovers over us.
The Good Shepherd cares for us, so much so that he lays down his life for them in order that he would save his sheep. We are saved from the false prophets. We are saved from eternal death. We are saved in order to proclaim the wonderful deeds of our Good Shepherd.
The Good Shepherd saves us to deliver us into the unsnatchable place. We know the Son, and to know the Son is to know the Father. Jesus is the voice the Father has given us to hear, and we hear Jesus’ voice every time the pastor speaks God’s Word to us. Beloved, those are hard words to say for I know my faults, imperfections, and sins. But the Word of God has such power that in spite of how grievously I fail you, God’s Word is the voice of Jesus for all of us.
In the same way, when we see Jesus loving, healing, caring, speaking kindly, touching gently, we understand what the Father is like. We know the pure love of God the Father, Son, and Spirit for his people, his people that often wander and go astray.
As our Good Shepherd, the Son speaks to us, not in words we cannot understand, not impersonally. Our Shepherd speaks to us, by name. He knows our fears. He knows what scares us and what confuses and He addresses all of those things.
Our sin terrorizes us because of the separation it creates. Sin cuts us off from the people we love because we know how selfishly, greedily, and unlovingly we have acted. Our Shepherd binds up our wounds and applies the salve of his forgiving blood. He cleans us up, strengthening us to follow in the way of the cross, strengthening us to seek forgiveness from the ones we have hurt.
Our Shepherd calls us by name and tells us, often gently, sometimes forcefully, to follow. Jesus leads us in the way of our baptism. In baptism our parents declared what our name was. In baptism, God declares the other name we have- the name of Christian. God knows both our names. He knows our given name. He knows each of us that personally. And even more, he knows our baptismal name. He knows that we are baptized into Christ. God knows that our baptism does not make us perfect. It does not mean that we will do the right thing at the right time all the time. Being baptized and wearing the name of Christian means that we know our sin and that we know our savior.
We have a shepherd, which is great because we have someone who cares us, who seeks us out and protects us in the midst of a dangerous world. We rest secure in the hands of our God, safe in the knowledge that no one can snatch us from that blessed place. SDG
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Surprise! Surprise!
Wow. It's only April 22nd and the Chicago Cubs appear to be panicking already! They have moved Carlos Zambrano to the bullpen because their bullpen is overmatched. It's not the Cardinals have a lock-down pen, but they would not resort to such a panic-move, as in moving Carpenter or Wainwright to the set up man role.
And I must say that I greatly appreciate what the Chicago Cubs are doing. It makes me smile to see them 'suffer' so greatly and make such curious moves. This will make the Chicago Tribune even more interesting to read. Thanks Cubs!
And I must say that I greatly appreciate what the Chicago Cubs are doing. It makes me smile to see them 'suffer' so greatly and make such curious moves. This will make the Chicago Tribune even more interesting to read. Thanks Cubs!
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Worship info for April 25
This coming Sunday is Good Shepherd Sunday, the fourth Sunday after Easter. Here are the particulars for our upcoming worship.
Hymns
822 Alleluia! Let praises ring
666 O Little Flock, Fear Not the Foe
710 The Lord's My Shepherd, I'll Not Want
711 Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us
Scripture Lessons
Acts 20:17-35
Psalm 23
Revelation 7:9-17
John 10:22-30
Collect of the Day
Almighty God, merciful Father, since You have wakened from death the Shepherd of Your sheep, grant us Your Holy Spirit that when we hear the voice of our Shepherd we may know Him who calls us each by name and follow where He leads; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen
Collect of the Day for the Commemoration of St. Mark, Evangelist (April 25)
Almighty God, You have enriched Your Church with the proclamation of the Gospel through the evangelist Mark. Grant that we may firmly believe these glad tidings and daily walk according to Your Word; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Hymns
822 Alleluia! Let praises ring
666 O Little Flock, Fear Not the Foe
710 The Lord's My Shepherd, I'll Not Want
711 Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us
Scripture Lessons
Acts 20:17-35
Psalm 23
Revelation 7:9-17
John 10:22-30
Collect of the Day
Almighty God, merciful Father, since You have wakened from death the Shepherd of Your sheep, grant us Your Holy Spirit that when we hear the voice of our Shepherd we may know Him who calls us each by name and follow where He leads; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen
Collect of the Day for the Commemoration of St. Mark, Evangelist (April 25)
Almighty God, You have enriched Your Church with the proclamation of the Gospel through the evangelist Mark. Grant that we may firmly believe these glad tidings and daily walk according to Your Word; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Sermon for Easter 3
Easter 3
April 18, 2010
John 21:1-18
Followship
In the name of the risen Lord Jesus, amen. I love the story of Thomas. I love the race that Peter and John engage in to see who will get to the tomb. I’m a morning person and delight in the dew of the grass, the way deep dawn succumbs to the first light of the sun. I love the women who go to the tomb in deep dawn to show their love for their Lord. But I might love this Gospel story more.
It is often brought to our attention that we blow it. We mess up. We fail. We make poor decisions and have lapses in judgment. In short, we make mistakes. That reality makes the second chances all the sweeter, all the more joyful. In this beautiful lesson from the end of John’s gospel we uncover the truth that Jesus loves those whom he calls so much that even when they blow it, when they fail him, when they deny him, he doesn’t deny them, he doesn’t fail them, he doesn’t blow them away. Rather Jesus bids them to come again to his merciful arms. Jesus is the Lord of second chances.
The disciples, seven of them, went fishing in a familiar spot. It was the Sea of Galilee, aka the Sea of Tiberias, aka the Sea of Genessaret. The same body of water with three different names. Peter, the bold denier of Jesus was there. So too was the skeptical Thomas. James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who competed to see who would have the greatest seat in heaven, were also in the boat. Nathanael, the true child of Abraham, who acknowledged Jesus as King of Israel, was there as well. And two others, unknown by name, but known as students of Jesus the rabbi, known as followers of Jesus the way.
These fishermen were having no luck. Perhaps they had forgotten how to fish while they were accompanying Jesus in his ministry. In this story we could call them bad fisherman, just as we could call them weak and lousy as disciples. In the passion narratives of the Gospels, the disciples do not come off as very good.
Yet…YET…the risen Lord is good. He appeared to the disciples and gave them what the disciples couldn’t produce on their own. Jesus gave them peace. Jesus breathed on them and gave them the Holy Spirit. Jesus gave them the power to forgive or retain sins.
The disciples were human beings, people who wrestled with health and wholeness and sickness and brokenness. Peter was broken, and he still needed help. Even when doing something he was supposedly good at, Peter needed help.
Peter was living his life without Jesus. So were the others in the boat. They returned to their old way of life. And that way of life was void of the One who was the way, the truth and the life.
We are familiar of a life lived without Jesus. We’ve seen friends and family members going through life without a clue as to what is really important. We’ve looked in the mirror and have seen our directionless life. We make a lot of money and pretend that we are happy. We pretend life is satisfying because that life is filled with all sorts of gadgets and trinkets. We know how this life will wind up. What we think is satisfying and pleasurable leaves us less than satisfied and our lives are plunged into pain and there is no pleasure.
We choose jobs, dates, and spouses without considering God’s will for our life. We chase after toys, good times, promotions and raises with real eagerness and dedication. Yet when it comes to hearing God’s Word and responding to God’s call, we are indifferent. We worship our work, work at our play, and play at our worship.
But the Lord appears to Peter and his brothers with great mercy. There is some unfinished business for Jesus and he comes to his disciples once again. Jesus eats with them. And that is why this is my favorite Easter story. Jesus eats with his beloved disciples.
When you eat with someone, you accept them. At one point someone asked you out to dinner and you had to choose whether or not you accepted the offer. When you eat with someone, you accept them. Who did our Lord eat with? Zaccheus. Tax collectors. Prostitutes. Sinners. Pharisees. The disciples. Us.
Jesus accepted his disciples. He knew their fear. He knew their failures. He knew their uncertainty, their dejection, and Jesus came to them. He gave them direction on where to cast their net and there was a miraculous catch of fish. And on the seashore and he ate with them. He loved his disciples. He loved them, not because they were disciples, but because they were his. He loved them and put them to use.
We heard this morning in the Acts lesson that God could use even someone like Saul of Tarsus, whom God used to carry the name of the Lord before Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. God could use someone like Peter, who had the chance to speak up on behalf of Jesus yet couldn’t rise to that opportunity.
Jesus had already told the disciples what they could do. He breathed on them and gave them the Holy Spirit and sent them out to preach repentance and the forgiveness of sins. On the seashore, Jesus speaks to Peter in front of the others on how to do this.
Three times Peter had denied Jesus. Today, three times Peter expresses his love for Jesus. And three times Jesus tells Peter, feed my lambs, tend my sheep.
Jesus brought the disciples back. He restored them to their place as he ate with them, as he broke the bread in their midst, as he accepted them and transformed them. He reminded them they were no longer fishers of fish but fishers of men.
Fellowship was restored and it was transformed by what Jesus said next- Follow me. Fellowship becomes followship. For we respond to the call of God by following. We are not leading, pointing to ourselves, reinventing the Christian wheel, but we are following. We are serving. We are pointing to the cross, to the tomb, to the great blessing of God in our lives.
We are given a fresh start, a second chance. Again and again and again and again we fall. We fail. We blow up and we blow it. Jesus restores us. He eats with us as he is the host at the great communion party.
Every Sunday we are blessed with the opportunity to admit just how big a failure we are and every Sunday we receive the word and cling to the truth that for the sake of Jesus Christ we are forgiven and set free from all that enslaves us.
Jesus welcomes us again and again and again to follow him and tend his sheep. We have fellowship with the Lord and we are enlisted to follow him. There is followship.
Even though we at times have been embarrassed, slow, afraid to admit before others that we are followers of Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ is never embarrassed of those he calls his disciples. We are restored through fellowship with him. The risen Lord Jesus calls broken disciples to come and be filled with his Word, to be made whole in order to go into this world and bring that healing Word to others. SDG
April 18, 2010
John 21:1-18
Followship
In the name of the risen Lord Jesus, amen. I love the story of Thomas. I love the race that Peter and John engage in to see who will get to the tomb. I’m a morning person and delight in the dew of the grass, the way deep dawn succumbs to the first light of the sun. I love the women who go to the tomb in deep dawn to show their love for their Lord. But I might love this Gospel story more.
It is often brought to our attention that we blow it. We mess up. We fail. We make poor decisions and have lapses in judgment. In short, we make mistakes. That reality makes the second chances all the sweeter, all the more joyful. In this beautiful lesson from the end of John’s gospel we uncover the truth that Jesus loves those whom he calls so much that even when they blow it, when they fail him, when they deny him, he doesn’t deny them, he doesn’t fail them, he doesn’t blow them away. Rather Jesus bids them to come again to his merciful arms. Jesus is the Lord of second chances.
The disciples, seven of them, went fishing in a familiar spot. It was the Sea of Galilee, aka the Sea of Tiberias, aka the Sea of Genessaret. The same body of water with three different names. Peter, the bold denier of Jesus was there. So too was the skeptical Thomas. James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who competed to see who would have the greatest seat in heaven, were also in the boat. Nathanael, the true child of Abraham, who acknowledged Jesus as King of Israel, was there as well. And two others, unknown by name, but known as students of Jesus the rabbi, known as followers of Jesus the way.
These fishermen were having no luck. Perhaps they had forgotten how to fish while they were accompanying Jesus in his ministry. In this story we could call them bad fisherman, just as we could call them weak and lousy as disciples. In the passion narratives of the Gospels, the disciples do not come off as very good.
Yet…YET…the risen Lord is good. He appeared to the disciples and gave them what the disciples couldn’t produce on their own. Jesus gave them peace. Jesus breathed on them and gave them the Holy Spirit. Jesus gave them the power to forgive or retain sins.
The disciples were human beings, people who wrestled with health and wholeness and sickness and brokenness. Peter was broken, and he still needed help. Even when doing something he was supposedly good at, Peter needed help.
Peter was living his life without Jesus. So were the others in the boat. They returned to their old way of life. And that way of life was void of the One who was the way, the truth and the life.
We are familiar of a life lived without Jesus. We’ve seen friends and family members going through life without a clue as to what is really important. We’ve looked in the mirror and have seen our directionless life. We make a lot of money and pretend that we are happy. We pretend life is satisfying because that life is filled with all sorts of gadgets and trinkets. We know how this life will wind up. What we think is satisfying and pleasurable leaves us less than satisfied and our lives are plunged into pain and there is no pleasure.
We choose jobs, dates, and spouses without considering God’s will for our life. We chase after toys, good times, promotions and raises with real eagerness and dedication. Yet when it comes to hearing God’s Word and responding to God’s call, we are indifferent. We worship our work, work at our play, and play at our worship.
But the Lord appears to Peter and his brothers with great mercy. There is some unfinished business for Jesus and he comes to his disciples once again. Jesus eats with them. And that is why this is my favorite Easter story. Jesus eats with his beloved disciples.
When you eat with someone, you accept them. At one point someone asked you out to dinner and you had to choose whether or not you accepted the offer. When you eat with someone, you accept them. Who did our Lord eat with? Zaccheus. Tax collectors. Prostitutes. Sinners. Pharisees. The disciples. Us.
Jesus accepted his disciples. He knew their fear. He knew their failures. He knew their uncertainty, their dejection, and Jesus came to them. He gave them direction on where to cast their net and there was a miraculous catch of fish. And on the seashore and he ate with them. He loved his disciples. He loved them, not because they were disciples, but because they were his. He loved them and put them to use.
We heard this morning in the Acts lesson that God could use even someone like Saul of Tarsus, whom God used to carry the name of the Lord before Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. God could use someone like Peter, who had the chance to speak up on behalf of Jesus yet couldn’t rise to that opportunity.
Jesus had already told the disciples what they could do. He breathed on them and gave them the Holy Spirit and sent them out to preach repentance and the forgiveness of sins. On the seashore, Jesus speaks to Peter in front of the others on how to do this.
Three times Peter had denied Jesus. Today, three times Peter expresses his love for Jesus. And three times Jesus tells Peter, feed my lambs, tend my sheep.
Jesus brought the disciples back. He restored them to their place as he ate with them, as he broke the bread in their midst, as he accepted them and transformed them. He reminded them they were no longer fishers of fish but fishers of men.
Fellowship was restored and it was transformed by what Jesus said next- Follow me. Fellowship becomes followship. For we respond to the call of God by following. We are not leading, pointing to ourselves, reinventing the Christian wheel, but we are following. We are serving. We are pointing to the cross, to the tomb, to the great blessing of God in our lives.
We are given a fresh start, a second chance. Again and again and again and again we fall. We fail. We blow up and we blow it. Jesus restores us. He eats with us as he is the host at the great communion party.
Every Sunday we are blessed with the opportunity to admit just how big a failure we are and every Sunday we receive the word and cling to the truth that for the sake of Jesus Christ we are forgiven and set free from all that enslaves us.
Jesus welcomes us again and again and again to follow him and tend his sheep. We have fellowship with the Lord and we are enlisted to follow him. There is followship.
Even though we at times have been embarrassed, slow, afraid to admit before others that we are followers of Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ is never embarrassed of those he calls his disciples. We are restored through fellowship with him. The risen Lord Jesus calls broken disciples to come and be filled with his Word, to be made whole in order to go into this world and bring that healing Word to others. SDG
Luther on the Widow of Nain
This was today's writing from Treasury of Daily Prayer. It is from Dr. Luther on the widow of Nain story from the Gospel of Luke (11:11-17). Before I share Luther's words, this story always catches me because this story was read on Sunday before I received word from my friend Matt that his mother had passed away. Matt and I were sophomores in college at that time. Every three years when this lesson is read, I mark time and think back to that occasion. Matt is wonderful man, full of common sense and intelligence, a devoted husband and father. His mother would be so thrilled at how Matt and his two brothers have turned out.
From the Gospel of today and from the son of the widow we should learn to perceive the great power which God, through Christ, will apply to us at the last day, when, by a word, He will recall to life all men and give everlasting salvation to believers. This will be done in the twinkling of an eye, in order that we may not doubt in the least either the power of our Lord Jesus to do this or His will gladly to do it. For here we have the example. The son of the widow is dead; he has lost the gift of hearing and all other senses. But when Christ speaks to him, he hears. This is certainly a strange and wonderful incident. He that does not hear, hears; and he that does not live, lives. Nothing is done but that Christ opens his mouth and bids him arise. The single word is so powerful that death has to vanish and life return.
Before the Lord death is not death at all. For us it is called and is death when we die. But before God it is a light sleep which could not be any lighter.
These very facts our Lord Jesus wishes to impress upon our minds, so that we may not fear when pestilence and death itself draw near, but that we may learn to say: O death, what can you do even in your worst form? You have terrible teeth, which you show to frighten me, for I do not like to die. But I will not merely behold your work when you, like an executioner, draw the sword; but I will remember what our Lord can and will do when you have slain me; namely, that He is not afraid of you and does not care for you raging and destroying, but says, "O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction." If you can kill my Christians, I can destroy you and recall them to life again.
I'll simply add: Alleluia! He is risen indeed!
From the Gospel of today and from the son of the widow we should learn to perceive the great power which God, through Christ, will apply to us at the last day, when, by a word, He will recall to life all men and give everlasting salvation to believers. This will be done in the twinkling of an eye, in order that we may not doubt in the least either the power of our Lord Jesus to do this or His will gladly to do it. For here we have the example. The son of the widow is dead; he has lost the gift of hearing and all other senses. But when Christ speaks to him, he hears. This is certainly a strange and wonderful incident. He that does not hear, hears; and he that does not live, lives. Nothing is done but that Christ opens his mouth and bids him arise. The single word is so powerful that death has to vanish and life return.
Before the Lord death is not death at all. For us it is called and is death when we die. But before God it is a light sleep which could not be any lighter.
These very facts our Lord Jesus wishes to impress upon our minds, so that we may not fear when pestilence and death itself draw near, but that we may learn to say: O death, what can you do even in your worst form? You have terrible teeth, which you show to frighten me, for I do not like to die. But I will not merely behold your work when you, like an executioner, draw the sword; but I will remember what our Lord can and will do when you have slain me; namely, that He is not afraid of you and does not care for you raging and destroying, but says, "O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction." If you can kill my Christians, I can destroy you and recall them to life again.
I'll simply add: Alleluia! He is risen indeed!
Pleasures...
-watching the boys ride their bikes while we take a walk behind them.
-pulling a weed from my flower garden out by the roots and knowing that weed will not come back!
-knowing that the two littlest ones are sleeping and that the biggest one can entertain himself so I can nap on the couch for an hour!
-knowing that the sun is shining, hot dogs and brats are in the fridge, and that the weather will be nice enough to grill 'em up for dinner tonight.
-having a full house in church for the hearing of the Word and the celebration of the Sacrament.
Want to share your pleasures? Please feel free.
-pulling a weed from my flower garden out by the roots and knowing that weed will not come back!
-knowing that the two littlest ones are sleeping and that the biggest one can entertain himself so I can nap on the couch for an hour!
-knowing that the sun is shining, hot dogs and brats are in the fridge, and that the weather will be nice enough to grill 'em up for dinner tonight.
-having a full house in church for the hearing of the Word and the celebration of the Sacrament.
Want to share your pleasures? Please feel free.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Ponderables
"Sometimes when God closes a door, He locks you in the room."
"When life gives you lemons, sometimes they are just lemons."
Overheard on Issues Etc in a conversation on the goodness of God. Great comments, great discussion. No pollyanna-ish theology of glory, just plain Gospel hope and Gospel reality!
"When life gives you lemons, sometimes they are just lemons."
Overheard on Issues Etc in a conversation on the goodness of God. Great comments, great discussion. No pollyanna-ish theology of glory, just plain Gospel hope and Gospel reality!
Monday, April 12, 2010
Returning...
from an absence, I will once again attempt to put the service info for the coming week on the blog. It was one thing that didn't get done during the great days of Lent and Holy Week. So, here is the information for our service on April 18:
hymns
478 The Day of Resurrection
485 Long Before the World is Waking
488 He is Arisen! Glorious Word
688 "Come, Follow Me," the Savior Spake
629 What Is This Bread
949 Heavenly Hosts in Ceaseless Worship
Joy Dawned Again on Easter Day (uses the tune to 344) Text will be printed in the bulletin
Lessons
Acts 9:1-22
Psalm 30
Revelation 5:8-14
John 21:1-14
Prayer of the Day
O God, through the humiliation of Your Son You raised up the fallen world. Grant to Your faithful people, rescued from the peril of everlasting death, perpetual gladness and eternal joy; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen
hymns
478 The Day of Resurrection
485 Long Before the World is Waking
488 He is Arisen! Glorious Word
688 "Come, Follow Me," the Savior Spake
629 What Is This Bread
949 Heavenly Hosts in Ceaseless Worship
Joy Dawned Again on Easter Day (uses the tune to 344) Text will be printed in the bulletin
Lessons
Acts 9:1-22
Psalm 30
Revelation 5:8-14
John 21:1-14
Prayer of the Day
O God, through the humiliation of Your Son You raised up the fallen world. Grant to Your faithful people, rescued from the peril of everlasting death, perpetual gladness and eternal joy; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen
Easter 2
April 11, 2010
Acts 5:32; Rev. 1:17-18; John 20:31
A Living Gospel
In the name of our risen Savior Jesus, amen. It is all over the wonderful lessons for this Sunday. Could you hear with your ears the focus on the eyes? Could you feel how important the sense of sight was, and is? Throughout the Easter season, there will not be an Old Testament lesson, but rather a First Lesson, from the Acts of the Apostles, as we see God’s church in action following the resurrection and ascension of Christ. In the lesson from Revelation, John mentions what he is blessed to see with his two eyes. And that beautiful gospel lesson from John informs us that many other signs were done by Jesus in the presence of the disciples that are not written down, yet were performed. But these things are written, that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.
The resurrection of Christ was no secret thing. For that matter, the crucifixion was done out in the open. Archaeologists believe that Calvary, Golgotha, the Place of the Skull, was located along a well-traveled road. Simon of Cyrene would have been traveling, and would have been pressed into service to carry Jesus’ cross. Citizens of Jerusalem would have seen what was done to criminals, and they would have known that the government doesn’t mess around. So nothing was done clandestinely, in secret, under a shroud. The death and resurrection of Jesus was done in plain sight.
The Good News of humanity’s salvation was lived out in plain sight through the activities of the followers of Jesus. Sent from the Father for the salvation of the world, Jesus then sent out His followers to preach repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The apostles taught. The apostles healed. The apostles were arrested, hauled before the authorities, were jailed, were told to stop, and when they were released from prison, they went on proclaiming the name of Jesus, teaching, praying, healing. “We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”
The followers of Jesus were living out the Good News life of the forgiveness of sins. The followers were meek. They all ran away. Some women watched the crucifixion from a distance because they didn’t want to get too close. Only John the Beloved was at the cross. Doubting Thomas wouldn’t believe until he saw the sacred scars. But yet the followers of Jesus were sent and strengthened to be agents of the Good News for the world. They were doing the very things that Christ Himself had done while He was still present on this earth. With tremendous power the apostles were healing all that were brought to them. People laid the mats that the sick and diseased were laying on down in front of the disciples in the hopes that the shadows of Peter, Andrew, James, John, Thomas, or Bartholomew would fall on them.
By the grace of God the apostles were a living Gospel. By the grace of God, Mary Magdalene was a living Gospel as she obeyed the command of Jesus to go to his brothers and tell them that she had seen the Lord. By the grace of God we are a living Gospel. Freed from our sin by the blood shed on the cross we have been made into a kingdom, priests to our God and Father. The kingdom of heaven is visible on earth as God’s people, redeemed sinners, gather to hear the Word, to receive all that Christ is when we receive the body and blood of Christ in the communion meal. The kingdom of heaven is then dispersed with the blessing of the Triune God to go out into this world to be a living Gospel for people who are hungering and thirsting for some solid food, for some refreshing drink.
God strengthens us and fortifies us to be a living Gospel, agents of grace, bestowers of peace to a world that is dying in a false hope, to a world that treats grace as weakness, that believes that peace can be manufactured by human means.
Even though the doors were locked, and the disciples were huddled together pondering the future, perhaps pondering their own demise, Jesus came and stood among them, bringing His peace. He stretched out his hands, showing his scars. He spoke directly to Thomas, “Put your hands here. Put your hands into my side.”
Did you examine the bulletin cover this morning? The wide eyes, the open mouth, the hand stretching forth.
There is Jesus, calmly looking at Thomas, offering the peace that only God can provide. Jesus was living, risen from the dead just as he told the disciples he would. The cross was real. The blood was red. Jesus was dead. Now in front of his beloved disciples, Jesus was standing, living, breathing on them the Holy Spirit and sending them out to be gospelers, good newsers, forgivers, lovers, teachers, mercyers. The weak apostles of God were sent by God to stretch out their hands and point: to the cross, to the empty tomb, to the Word, to the altar.
Jesus is still living and Jesus is still sending. God calls and gathers us and God dismisses us and sends us with his blessing, with the authority of Christ. In our family, we exercise the authority of Christ to forgive the sins of those who sin against us. We teach our children, we demonstrate in our relationships with neighbors, coworkers, and strangers.
God has made us living Gospels for the sake of the world around us because, and only because Christ is living. The Good News of God is that our sins are forgiven and we are set free because of the cross, because of the empty tomb. We are set free to be a living Gospel that can be seen, heard, felt. Christ is living and we have life in His name. SDG
April 11, 2010
Acts 5:32; Rev. 1:17-18; John 20:31
A Living Gospel
In the name of our risen Savior Jesus, amen. It is all over the wonderful lessons for this Sunday. Could you hear with your ears the focus on the eyes? Could you feel how important the sense of sight was, and is? Throughout the Easter season, there will not be an Old Testament lesson, but rather a First Lesson, from the Acts of the Apostles, as we see God’s church in action following the resurrection and ascension of Christ. In the lesson from Revelation, John mentions what he is blessed to see with his two eyes. And that beautiful gospel lesson from John informs us that many other signs were done by Jesus in the presence of the disciples that are not written down, yet were performed. But these things are written, that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.
The resurrection of Christ was no secret thing. For that matter, the crucifixion was done out in the open. Archaeologists believe that Calvary, Golgotha, the Place of the Skull, was located along a well-traveled road. Simon of Cyrene would have been traveling, and would have been pressed into service to carry Jesus’ cross. Citizens of Jerusalem would have seen what was done to criminals, and they would have known that the government doesn’t mess around. So nothing was done clandestinely, in secret, under a shroud. The death and resurrection of Jesus was done in plain sight.
The Good News of humanity’s salvation was lived out in plain sight through the activities of the followers of Jesus. Sent from the Father for the salvation of the world, Jesus then sent out His followers to preach repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The apostles taught. The apostles healed. The apostles were arrested, hauled before the authorities, were jailed, were told to stop, and when they were released from prison, they went on proclaiming the name of Jesus, teaching, praying, healing. “We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”
The followers of Jesus were living out the Good News life of the forgiveness of sins. The followers were meek. They all ran away. Some women watched the crucifixion from a distance because they didn’t want to get too close. Only John the Beloved was at the cross. Doubting Thomas wouldn’t believe until he saw the sacred scars. But yet the followers of Jesus were sent and strengthened to be agents of the Good News for the world. They were doing the very things that Christ Himself had done while He was still present on this earth. With tremendous power the apostles were healing all that were brought to them. People laid the mats that the sick and diseased were laying on down in front of the disciples in the hopes that the shadows of Peter, Andrew, James, John, Thomas, or Bartholomew would fall on them.
By the grace of God the apostles were a living Gospel. By the grace of God, Mary Magdalene was a living Gospel as she obeyed the command of Jesus to go to his brothers and tell them that she had seen the Lord. By the grace of God we are a living Gospel. Freed from our sin by the blood shed on the cross we have been made into a kingdom, priests to our God and Father. The kingdom of heaven is visible on earth as God’s people, redeemed sinners, gather to hear the Word, to receive all that Christ is when we receive the body and blood of Christ in the communion meal. The kingdom of heaven is then dispersed with the blessing of the Triune God to go out into this world to be a living Gospel for people who are hungering and thirsting for some solid food, for some refreshing drink.
God strengthens us and fortifies us to be a living Gospel, agents of grace, bestowers of peace to a world that is dying in a false hope, to a world that treats grace as weakness, that believes that peace can be manufactured by human means.
Even though the doors were locked, and the disciples were huddled together pondering the future, perhaps pondering their own demise, Jesus came and stood among them, bringing His peace. He stretched out his hands, showing his scars. He spoke directly to Thomas, “Put your hands here. Put your hands into my side.”
Did you examine the bulletin cover this morning? The wide eyes, the open mouth, the hand stretching forth.
There is Jesus, calmly looking at Thomas, offering the peace that only God can provide. Jesus was living, risen from the dead just as he told the disciples he would. The cross was real. The blood was red. Jesus was dead. Now in front of his beloved disciples, Jesus was standing, living, breathing on them the Holy Spirit and sending them out to be gospelers, good newsers, forgivers, lovers, teachers, mercyers. The weak apostles of God were sent by God to stretch out their hands and point: to the cross, to the empty tomb, to the Word, to the altar.
Jesus is still living and Jesus is still sending. God calls and gathers us and God dismisses us and sends us with his blessing, with the authority of Christ. In our family, we exercise the authority of Christ to forgive the sins of those who sin against us. We teach our children, we demonstrate in our relationships with neighbors, coworkers, and strangers.
God has made us living Gospels for the sake of the world around us because, and only because Christ is living. The Good News of God is that our sins are forgiven and we are set free because of the cross, because of the empty tomb. We are set free to be a living Gospel that can be seen, heard, felt. Christ is living and we have life in His name. SDG
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Late Easter Sermon
Easter (Late Service)
April 4, 2010
So What? Now What?
In the name of our risen Lord Jesus, amen. In a similar fashion to Christmas, the Easter holiday is becoming increasingly generic. Easter decorations are all about bunnies and eggs, not crosses or empty tombs. There is no reflection on the resurrection. We come to Easter and many people ask ‘So what’?
There are very few people who deny the historical fact of the crucifixion of Jesus. Yet there are many, many people who deny the resurrection of Jesus. It is not just the Bible that records Jesus’ death, but it is also Jewish history that records the death of a man named the Christ who had lots of fervent followers.
So he died. Big deal? So what? Lots of people die, thousands die everyday. Tens die by suicide bomber. Hundreds die in explosions. Thousands die in natural disasters. So what if Jesus died? He didn’t rise again because resurrection can’t happen.
The followers of Christ stole the body. They overpowered the guards, rolled the stone away and took the dead body of Jesus and then spread the lie that Jesus lives.
The women went to the wrong tomb. It was getting dark when they buried Jesus. It was early in the morning when they went to finish Jesus’ burial. They went to the wrong tomb, to one that was waiting for a dead body, so of course the tomb was empty.
Or perhaps Jesus wasn’t really dead. It was the soldier’s fault. They broke the legs of the thieves to speed up death but they didn’t do that to Jesus. They did stab him with a spear and water and blood came out, but that doesn’t prove that Jesus was dead. He passed out, fainted. They wrapped up his body and laid him in the tomb. The cold air revived him, he regained his strength, and he slipped out of the sepulcher.
Resurrection-deniers have put forth various theories about why the resurrection never happened. The most logical theory is that resurrection is impossible. How many dead people have you talked with recently?
To be entirely honest, I don’t know how Jesus rose from the dead. To continue being honest, I don’t worry about how Jesus rose from the dead. The beautiful mystery of the resurrection is not to be understood as it is to be believed, to be received for the certain hope and the enduring peace that it brings.
There are many things we do not understand and yet we still manage to go about our day. The resurrection of Jesus is given to us to receive and believe. When the angels came and announced to Peter, to John, to Mary Magdalene that Jesus was no longer in the tomb but was living, the angel didn’t explain how it happened. He simply told them. And the disciples of Jesus believed. They took the news and believed. All had happened just as Jesus had said it would.
Jesus had said many times that he would be betrayed, arrested, tried, suffer, and die. And it all happened. Jesus also said that on the third day he would rise. And according to the angel, it happened.
For you, me, believers throughout the world, believers throughout the centuries, it is not whether a resurrection took place or not, it is what we are able to do with this Good News.
Mary Magdalene was one of the disciples who went to the tomb early in the morning. She went with some other women for the purpose of finishing the burial task. They did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. The other women went back to Jerusalem but Mary stayed behind, sad, bewildered. She met a gardener and she asked if he knew what had happened. All Mary wanted to know was where her Lord had been taken. She wanted to care for her Lord in his death since no one had really cared for him those last few days.
The ‘gardener’ revealed himself to Mary. And Mary’s grief was turned completely around. And Jesus gave Mary the answer to ‘Now what’? Go and tell my brothers that I am alive. And Mary returned the other disciples with the news, “I have seen the Lord!” It was a clear message. She didn’t say that someone told her Jesus was living or that a friend’s second cousin’s brother said that Jesus was alive. Mary’s message was that with her own eyes, with her hands even, she had seen and touched the living Jesus.
Now what? We have been given the message to tell, that Jesus is living and loving. We have been set free from the fear of our sin, from the despair of aimless living, from the meaningless chase of things that don’t satisfy. With a living Christ, we are given a tremendous anchor to hold onto in a stormy society. There is indeed a tremendous amount of fear. People wonder how long they will have their job. People wonder if they can retire when they planned to. People wonder about that lump on the back of their neck and whether or not it will just ‘go away’. Our neighbors worry about putting food on the table and while we worry about having enough money to pay for school supplies for our children.
A living Christ gives us a solid anchor. The stability is found in the tremendous knowledge that the love and forgiveness of God belong to us whether we are rich or poor, healthy or sick. When the bad happens, we have the clarity to see that things are not entirely bad, that there are people who stand with us when we stumble, people who extend a hand to help us stand. When the good occurs, we praise God and give Him the glory. We point to God who has blessed us to be a blessing. Our living Christ holds us fast in this life.
Now what? We live the resurrection triumph of Christ. And that does not ask more of us than what we possess. Living the resurrection triumph of Christ means that we give what we have been given. God has forgiven our sins and so we forgive those who sin against us. God the Father has embraced us and we embrace the hurting, the hopeless, and the helpless.
God the Father through Jesus His Son by the guidance of the Holy Spirit makes us and keeps us Easter people. The death of Jesus Christ and His resurrection are real events. Now what? Now sin is powerless. Now we are free. Now we are strengthened to be the hope and the light of Jesus in this beautiful creation. SDG
April 4, 2010
So What? Now What?
In the name of our risen Lord Jesus, amen. In a similar fashion to Christmas, the Easter holiday is becoming increasingly generic. Easter decorations are all about bunnies and eggs, not crosses or empty tombs. There is no reflection on the resurrection. We come to Easter and many people ask ‘So what’?
There are very few people who deny the historical fact of the crucifixion of Jesus. Yet there are many, many people who deny the resurrection of Jesus. It is not just the Bible that records Jesus’ death, but it is also Jewish history that records the death of a man named the Christ who had lots of fervent followers.
So he died. Big deal? So what? Lots of people die, thousands die everyday. Tens die by suicide bomber. Hundreds die in explosions. Thousands die in natural disasters. So what if Jesus died? He didn’t rise again because resurrection can’t happen.
The followers of Christ stole the body. They overpowered the guards, rolled the stone away and took the dead body of Jesus and then spread the lie that Jesus lives.
The women went to the wrong tomb. It was getting dark when they buried Jesus. It was early in the morning when they went to finish Jesus’ burial. They went to the wrong tomb, to one that was waiting for a dead body, so of course the tomb was empty.
Or perhaps Jesus wasn’t really dead. It was the soldier’s fault. They broke the legs of the thieves to speed up death but they didn’t do that to Jesus. They did stab him with a spear and water and blood came out, but that doesn’t prove that Jesus was dead. He passed out, fainted. They wrapped up his body and laid him in the tomb. The cold air revived him, he regained his strength, and he slipped out of the sepulcher.
Resurrection-deniers have put forth various theories about why the resurrection never happened. The most logical theory is that resurrection is impossible. How many dead people have you talked with recently?
To be entirely honest, I don’t know how Jesus rose from the dead. To continue being honest, I don’t worry about how Jesus rose from the dead. The beautiful mystery of the resurrection is not to be understood as it is to be believed, to be received for the certain hope and the enduring peace that it brings.
There are many things we do not understand and yet we still manage to go about our day. The resurrection of Jesus is given to us to receive and believe. When the angels came and announced to Peter, to John, to Mary Magdalene that Jesus was no longer in the tomb but was living, the angel didn’t explain how it happened. He simply told them. And the disciples of Jesus believed. They took the news and believed. All had happened just as Jesus had said it would.
Jesus had said many times that he would be betrayed, arrested, tried, suffer, and die. And it all happened. Jesus also said that on the third day he would rise. And according to the angel, it happened.
For you, me, believers throughout the world, believers throughout the centuries, it is not whether a resurrection took place or not, it is what we are able to do with this Good News.
Mary Magdalene was one of the disciples who went to the tomb early in the morning. She went with some other women for the purpose of finishing the burial task. They did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. The other women went back to Jerusalem but Mary stayed behind, sad, bewildered. She met a gardener and she asked if he knew what had happened. All Mary wanted to know was where her Lord had been taken. She wanted to care for her Lord in his death since no one had really cared for him those last few days.
The ‘gardener’ revealed himself to Mary. And Mary’s grief was turned completely around. And Jesus gave Mary the answer to ‘Now what’? Go and tell my brothers that I am alive. And Mary returned the other disciples with the news, “I have seen the Lord!” It was a clear message. She didn’t say that someone told her Jesus was living or that a friend’s second cousin’s brother said that Jesus was alive. Mary’s message was that with her own eyes, with her hands even, she had seen and touched the living Jesus.
Now what? We have been given the message to tell, that Jesus is living and loving. We have been set free from the fear of our sin, from the despair of aimless living, from the meaningless chase of things that don’t satisfy. With a living Christ, we are given a tremendous anchor to hold onto in a stormy society. There is indeed a tremendous amount of fear. People wonder how long they will have their job. People wonder if they can retire when they planned to. People wonder about that lump on the back of their neck and whether or not it will just ‘go away’. Our neighbors worry about putting food on the table and while we worry about having enough money to pay for school supplies for our children.
A living Christ gives us a solid anchor. The stability is found in the tremendous knowledge that the love and forgiveness of God belong to us whether we are rich or poor, healthy or sick. When the bad happens, we have the clarity to see that things are not entirely bad, that there are people who stand with us when we stumble, people who extend a hand to help us stand. When the good occurs, we praise God and give Him the glory. We point to God who has blessed us to be a blessing. Our living Christ holds us fast in this life.
Now what? We live the resurrection triumph of Christ. And that does not ask more of us than what we possess. Living the resurrection triumph of Christ means that we give what we have been given. God has forgiven our sins and so we forgive those who sin against us. God the Father has embraced us and we embrace the hurting, the hopeless, and the helpless.
God the Father through Jesus His Son by the guidance of the Holy Spirit makes us and keeps us Easter people. The death of Jesus Christ and His resurrection are real events. Now what? Now sin is powerless. Now we are free. Now we are strengthened to be the hope and the light of Jesus in this beautiful creation. SDG
Early Easter Sermon
Easter (Early Service)
April 4, 2010
John 20:1-18
I Have Seen the Lord
In the name of our Risen Lord Jesus, amen. Everybody has a story. According to amazon.com, in the month of February, there were 200 autobiographies published. Not all of these autobiographies are of the celebrity variety. Average Joes and Janes are writing their stories down and putting them on the market. And February is the shortest month! With new and different ways of publishing, everybody can get their story told. Grandparents are writing their stories for their grandchildren, for the following generations. Everybody has a story.
And this is great news for God’s people. Though we are living in the midst of an increasingly unchristian world, it is not becoming harder to tell the Christian story, but easier! Society is shifting, and I think you are aware of the shift. The shift is from the provable sciences to authentic, truthful personal expression. Authentic, truthful, personal, expression. And that is the great news for us. We have a story because we know the story. Christ is risen!
But storytelling is not as easy as it seems. We have a hard time telling others about the faith and the hope that makes us who we are. Does the political correctness of the world have you tongue-tied over the word “Jesus”? Do you think that there is no room for the Redeemer’s name? Then simply tell your story, share yourself. Tell the story of your hope, your faith, your joy!
People are listening. They value an authentic and sincere story from the heart. And there is absolutely no reason for us to be afraid. Mary Magdalene at first didn’t know what to say and the angel gave her the message, gave her the words. So Mary was able to say, “I have seen the Lord!”
You too will be provided with the words. No, you’re not going to be given a script, but you will be given the words. Were you baptized as an infant, an older child, or an adult? There is a story there. When chaos breaks loose in your life, who do you cling to, what is your response? There is a story there. When your day ends, do you simply fall asleep or do you say a prayer for your family, your loved ones, and the situation at hand? The stories of your life are a witness to what God has done for you. God doesn’t ask us to become street preachers. We are not asked to put a sandwich board on and walk down Main Street proclaiming the end of the world. Share your story in the same way that Mary did. I have seen the Lord! Christ is risen!
Apparently the eyes are the windows the soul. You can determine a lot about someone through their corneas, pupils, and lenses. With the Easter message, we tell the story of the Resurrection with our I’s. God has gathered us together this morning to celebrate the story of the triumph of Christ. My story and your story shares something in common, and it is the story of Jesus, the story of forgiveness, love, hope. It is this story of Jesus, crucified, buried, and risen that keeps us going in this life.
And we get to tell this story. It is not a have-to but a get-to. It is a story of life for today that is a life lived together that will be lived eternally.
Telling the Easter story with our I’s does not make the story about you or me. Telling the story with our I’s is not saying that the Christian faith is true because of all the great faith experiences I have had. Our faith is founded upon the Word of God, the living and eternal Word, the living and eternal Lord Jesus. Christ Jesus has destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel. Telling our story with our I’s is a genuine way to witness what God has done. After all, it was the apostle Paul who says to us, how can the world believe in Jesus if they haven’t been told about him?
Tell your story, for you have seen the Lord. You see the Lord in the Word. You see the Lord in the waters of Holy Baptism. You see the Lord in the communion meal. You see the Lord as you study the Word together, as you serve the community together, in your prayers, in the kind deeds that flow from a heart of love. We tell our story of hope and joy that carries us through the difficult days and rough patches. We share the story of our faith that solidifies a shaking world. We believe, for we have been told with certainty that our God is not dead, but is living and is loving.
Mary Magdalene had a story to tell. The other women had a story. Peter and John and the rest of the disciples had a story. And we do too. We tell the story with our I’s because our story is the story of Christ living in you.
Everyday we tell the Easter story. We announce to the world that we have a joyous story of eternal life that energizes our life today. We have been forgiven. We have been saved. We have been given a story to tell, that Christ is no longer dead. Christ is risen! Amen
April 4, 2010
John 20:1-18
I Have Seen the Lord
In the name of our Risen Lord Jesus, amen. Everybody has a story. According to amazon.com, in the month of February, there were 200 autobiographies published. Not all of these autobiographies are of the celebrity variety. Average Joes and Janes are writing their stories down and putting them on the market. And February is the shortest month! With new and different ways of publishing, everybody can get their story told. Grandparents are writing their stories for their grandchildren, for the following generations. Everybody has a story.
And this is great news for God’s people. Though we are living in the midst of an increasingly unchristian world, it is not becoming harder to tell the Christian story, but easier! Society is shifting, and I think you are aware of the shift. The shift is from the provable sciences to authentic, truthful personal expression. Authentic, truthful, personal, expression. And that is the great news for us. We have a story because we know the story. Christ is risen!
But storytelling is not as easy as it seems. We have a hard time telling others about the faith and the hope that makes us who we are. Does the political correctness of the world have you tongue-tied over the word “Jesus”? Do you think that there is no room for the Redeemer’s name? Then simply tell your story, share yourself. Tell the story of your hope, your faith, your joy!
People are listening. They value an authentic and sincere story from the heart. And there is absolutely no reason for us to be afraid. Mary Magdalene at first didn’t know what to say and the angel gave her the message, gave her the words. So Mary was able to say, “I have seen the Lord!”
You too will be provided with the words. No, you’re not going to be given a script, but you will be given the words. Were you baptized as an infant, an older child, or an adult? There is a story there. When chaos breaks loose in your life, who do you cling to, what is your response? There is a story there. When your day ends, do you simply fall asleep or do you say a prayer for your family, your loved ones, and the situation at hand? The stories of your life are a witness to what God has done for you. God doesn’t ask us to become street preachers. We are not asked to put a sandwich board on and walk down Main Street proclaiming the end of the world. Share your story in the same way that Mary did. I have seen the Lord! Christ is risen!
Apparently the eyes are the windows the soul. You can determine a lot about someone through their corneas, pupils, and lenses. With the Easter message, we tell the story of the Resurrection with our I’s. God has gathered us together this morning to celebrate the story of the triumph of Christ. My story and your story shares something in common, and it is the story of Jesus, the story of forgiveness, love, hope. It is this story of Jesus, crucified, buried, and risen that keeps us going in this life.
And we get to tell this story. It is not a have-to but a get-to. It is a story of life for today that is a life lived together that will be lived eternally.
Telling the Easter story with our I’s does not make the story about you or me. Telling the story with our I’s is not saying that the Christian faith is true because of all the great faith experiences I have had. Our faith is founded upon the Word of God, the living and eternal Word, the living and eternal Lord Jesus. Christ Jesus has destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel. Telling our story with our I’s is a genuine way to witness what God has done. After all, it was the apostle Paul who says to us, how can the world believe in Jesus if they haven’t been told about him?
Tell your story, for you have seen the Lord. You see the Lord in the Word. You see the Lord in the waters of Holy Baptism. You see the Lord in the communion meal. You see the Lord as you study the Word together, as you serve the community together, in your prayers, in the kind deeds that flow from a heart of love. We tell our story of hope and joy that carries us through the difficult days and rough patches. We share the story of our faith that solidifies a shaking world. We believe, for we have been told with certainty that our God is not dead, but is living and is loving.
Mary Magdalene had a story to tell. The other women had a story. Peter and John and the rest of the disciples had a story. And we do too. We tell the story with our I’s because our story is the story of Christ living in you.
Everyday we tell the Easter story. We announce to the world that we have a joyous story of eternal life that energizes our life today. We have been forgiven. We have been saved. We have been given a story to tell, that Christ is no longer dead. Christ is risen! Amen
Joy to the Heart!
Hello. Back from a few days away from the office. The services at Holy Week were simply wonderful. Maundy Thursday, the Chief Service on Good Friday, two services on Easter...simply wonderful and a joy to plan and lead.
My parents and my brother's family came to spend the days with us. On Saturday we went to Longwood to take advantage of our membership. The boys got to climb the new treehouses and Mom enjoyed the orchid displays. For some reason, orchids have never done it for me. They're nice but they don't hold any special place. Tulips, daffodils, hyacinths...those are more my thing.
I'll get back to posting various things from Matt Harrison's new book "A Little Book on Joy: Living a Good News Life in a Bad News World" and I'll post my Easter sermons for you.
My parents and my brother's family came to spend the days with us. On Saturday we went to Longwood to take advantage of our membership. The boys got to climb the new treehouses and Mom enjoyed the orchid displays. For some reason, orchids have never done it for me. They're nice but they don't hold any special place. Tulips, daffodils, hyacinths...those are more my thing.
I'll get back to posting various things from Matt Harrison's new book "A Little Book on Joy: Living a Good News Life in a Bad News World" and I'll post my Easter sermons for you.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
