L: We are led by the Holy Spirit.
P: For we are children of God.
L: With a spirit of adoption we cry out, “Abba! Father!”
P: For we are children of God.
L: And if children, then heirs along with Christ.
P: For we are children of God.
L: With Christ we suffer, with Christ we are glorified.
P: For we are children of God.
L: And so we worship God, our loving Parent.
P: For we are children of God.
All: Let all God’s children say: Amen.
Tuesday, May 31, 2022
Sunday, May 29, 2022
"Now What?" a sermon on Acts 1:1-11
Acts 1:1-11
“Now What?”
Preached Sunday, May 29, 2022
Have you ever said to yourself “Now what???”
There are times in our lives we all ask this question. Graduation is a big one - whether it’s high school or college or whatever. The future can seem wide open and we may be filled with excitement and anticipation. I still recall this feeling post high school and college…but I also remember the stress and anxiety of it all too. Where am I going to live? Am I going to have a job? What’s next? The future was supposed to be exciting but it also stressed me out!
And there are other times we ask ourselves “Now what?” I know many of you asked that of yourselves when you retired or even now as you approach retirement. It’s a huge life change and I bet it is also a mix of anticipation and excitement and maybe a little bit of loss and anxiety too. Just all wrapped up together. When your life as you know changes.
There are the “now what’s” Of divorce. Of a diagnosis. Of the death of a loved one. Of tragedies. Of violence - like that at a Supermarket in Buffalo. And an elementary school in Ulveda.
These now what’s - especially after death and tragedy - these now what’s are painful and agonizing. They are not asked because the future is wide open - they are asked because you can’t see a way forward, you can’t see a future, you don’t know how life is supposed to continue after this.
My heart is broken and keeps on breaking open for all those parents and families who are currently asking “now what?” after the senseless murder of their children.
My voice keeps on echoing theirs: Now what? How long, O Lord, how long…
We’ll come back to this.
The disciples asked “Now what?” after Jesus ascended. The Ascension is what we call that event that we read about in Acts today. When, 40 days after his resurrection, Jesus ascended into Heaven. After dying, rising again, and making many appearances among his disciples, it was time for Jesus to pass the baton. To give the gift of the Holy Spirit. And to ascend to his eternal throne. The book of Acts starts with the Ascension. You may have noticed that in the bulletin or when I said our Scripture out loud today. Chapter 1, Verse 1. Because the rest of the book of Acts is the disciples trying to figure out what’s next for them as followers of Jesus. “Now what?” they asked. What do followers do when the one they are following is no longer here? When Jesus was arrested and put on the cross the answer was run away, scatter, deny, hide. But this time was different. Jesus was not here anymore but he was not dead - he was alive - they had seen him with their own eyes, touched him with their own hands - everything had changed. They no longer believed that death had the final say and that changed everything for them. So the “Now what?” could not be to give up and go home. It could not be to continue business as usual. It had to be something new. The followers of Jesus now became leaders of a whole movement. Leaders of the church. They were now the only hands and feet and mouths that Jesus had on this Earth.
The disciples were followers when Jesus was alive, almost more observers than anything.
When Jesus died, they went on the defensive, scared and afraid.
And now, after their Lord’s resurrection, after his ascension, it was finally time to go on the offensive. To do something. And to do it right and to do it big.
And what was that what?
Jesus told them what “the what” was.
Acts 1:8: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” These are Jesus’s final instructions, his parting words to his disciples. A variation of these parting words, what we know as The Great Commission, is in 3 out of the 4 Gospels too.
Matthew 28:19-20: “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.”
Mark 16:15: “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation.”
Luke 24:46-48: “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.”
Every Gospel writer was writing to a slightly different audience - a slightly different “now” but their what’s are all basically the same. So to summarize these 4 Scriptures I am going to morph them together. Our WHAT is: With the help of the Holy Spirit, we are to be witnesses of the Good News of Jesus Christ: of his call to repentance, his forgiveness of sins, his teachings of love, his conquering of death. We are witnesses TO ALL through our proclamations, our actions, all we say and do.
THIS was the disciples' WHAT.
And THIS is our WHAT.
The United Methodist church sums up this “what” in our mission: to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
Grace United Methodist Church sums it up with our mission: to invite all into a joyous and caring Christian community.
They are different turns of phrases that respond to different contexts, different “nows,” but they are all part of The Great Commission that Jesus gave to his disciples at his ascension and has been handed down to us today.
Our Bishop Tracy Smith Malone always says “keep the main thing, the main thing.” THIS is the main thing: to be witnesses for Jesus.
The disciples lived in a unique period in history. That shaped how they lived out the “what” - and we can read all about it in the rest of the book of Acts.
And we too live in a unique time in history - for better and for worse. And I know that a lot of us today are asking, “Now what?”
Now what - for our lives. Whatever stage of life and whatever situation you find yourself in.
Now what - for the Church. Maybe it’s the ongoing separation of some churches in the United Methodist Church. For the record, Grace isn’t going anywhere. Or maybe it’s just the decline of churches and religiosity in this country that’s worrying you.
Now what - for our world. Especially in light of the war in Ukraine. Or possibly how to deal with the ongoing Covid pandemic.
And I know today, a deep and heavy “now what” for our country. And this country's children as we all reel from the senseless violence that was the murder of elementary school students at the hands of a man, barely a man, 18 years old, and filled with hate and rage - almost still a kid himself - armed with AR-style rifles.
Now what?
The “what” hasn’t changed.
The “now” has.
And we need to adapt and live out the “what” according to our “now.” Now more than ever.
I would like to read an excerpt from a letter written by Bishop Bickerson, the President of the Council of Bishops, on behalf of The United Methodist Council of Bishops. The excerpt is a little long, a small part of his words to us. And I believe they are important for us to hear today:
“My outrage and anger demand a statement, but my love of people demands action.
I spend my life thinking about people. I am a person of prayer. But this cycle of violence has reached a point where there are no words good enough, no statement that meets the need, no thought that will salve the wound and heal the hurt.
I believe that we must, with conviction, determine how we are going to move from words to actions. We have to find a way to keep these stories on the front page of our consciousness and let nothing detract from our commitment to curb violence, fight for justice, end systemic racism, elect politicians with courage, deeply listen to those who have been harmed, and genuinely seek the power of the Holy Spirit to lift us from this posture of paralysis into a mode of action that does not deny the need for thoughts and prayers but realizes that there is a need for more, so much more.
We have to come to terms with how we are going to fix this. We absolutely have done nothing different and, as a result, the cycle of violence and the denial of human life just continues. We are paralyzed into a posture of inactivity that only allows the same story and the same response to happen over and over again. And as a result, we live our lives on the defense, always reacting to something that has already taken place around us.
My “statement” today is quite simple: Let’s go on the offense. If you are a pastor, weave our theology of a lived-out faith into sermons that challenge people to convert their fears, angers, racist tendencies, and complicit behaviors into a mobilized witness of the power of God to do far more than we could ever dream of or imagine. If you are a lay person, determine today how you will take the faith you nurture each week in a pew to the streets, the places where you work, and the homes where you live. If you are a church body, don’t settle for just active shooter training.
Determine that you will actively work to transform lives from violence to peace, elect officials that will not settle for inaction, and inject communities with the grace and love of Christ that will alter the course of our current behaviors.
Amen.
“Now What?”
Preached Sunday, May 29, 2022
Have you ever said to yourself “Now what???”
There are times in our lives we all ask this question. Graduation is a big one - whether it’s high school or college or whatever. The future can seem wide open and we may be filled with excitement and anticipation. I still recall this feeling post high school and college…but I also remember the stress and anxiety of it all too. Where am I going to live? Am I going to have a job? What’s next? The future was supposed to be exciting but it also stressed me out!
And there are other times we ask ourselves “Now what?” I know many of you asked that of yourselves when you retired or even now as you approach retirement. It’s a huge life change and I bet it is also a mix of anticipation and excitement and maybe a little bit of loss and anxiety too. Just all wrapped up together. When your life as you know changes.
There are the “now what’s” Of divorce. Of a diagnosis. Of the death of a loved one. Of tragedies. Of violence - like that at a Supermarket in Buffalo. And an elementary school in Ulveda.
These now what’s - especially after death and tragedy - these now what’s are painful and agonizing. They are not asked because the future is wide open - they are asked because you can’t see a way forward, you can’t see a future, you don’t know how life is supposed to continue after this.
My heart is broken and keeps on breaking open for all those parents and families who are currently asking “now what?” after the senseless murder of their children.
My voice keeps on echoing theirs: Now what? How long, O Lord, how long…
We’ll come back to this.
The disciples asked “Now what?” after Jesus ascended. The Ascension is what we call that event that we read about in Acts today. When, 40 days after his resurrection, Jesus ascended into Heaven. After dying, rising again, and making many appearances among his disciples, it was time for Jesus to pass the baton. To give the gift of the Holy Spirit. And to ascend to his eternal throne. The book of Acts starts with the Ascension. You may have noticed that in the bulletin or when I said our Scripture out loud today. Chapter 1, Verse 1. Because the rest of the book of Acts is the disciples trying to figure out what’s next for them as followers of Jesus. “Now what?” they asked. What do followers do when the one they are following is no longer here? When Jesus was arrested and put on the cross the answer was run away, scatter, deny, hide. But this time was different. Jesus was not here anymore but he was not dead - he was alive - they had seen him with their own eyes, touched him with their own hands - everything had changed. They no longer believed that death had the final say and that changed everything for them. So the “Now what?” could not be to give up and go home. It could not be to continue business as usual. It had to be something new. The followers of Jesus now became leaders of a whole movement. Leaders of the church. They were now the only hands and feet and mouths that Jesus had on this Earth.
The disciples were followers when Jesus was alive, almost more observers than anything.
When Jesus died, they went on the defensive, scared and afraid.
And now, after their Lord’s resurrection, after his ascension, it was finally time to go on the offensive. To do something. And to do it right and to do it big.
And what was that what?
Jesus told them what “the what” was.
Acts 1:8: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” These are Jesus’s final instructions, his parting words to his disciples. A variation of these parting words, what we know as The Great Commission, is in 3 out of the 4 Gospels too.
Matthew 28:19-20: “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.”
Mark 16:15: “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation.”
Luke 24:46-48: “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.”
Every Gospel writer was writing to a slightly different audience - a slightly different “now” but their what’s are all basically the same. So to summarize these 4 Scriptures I am going to morph them together. Our WHAT is: With the help of the Holy Spirit, we are to be witnesses of the Good News of Jesus Christ: of his call to repentance, his forgiveness of sins, his teachings of love, his conquering of death. We are witnesses TO ALL through our proclamations, our actions, all we say and do.
THIS was the disciples' WHAT.
And THIS is our WHAT.
The United Methodist church sums up this “what” in our mission: to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
Grace United Methodist Church sums it up with our mission: to invite all into a joyous and caring Christian community.
They are different turns of phrases that respond to different contexts, different “nows,” but they are all part of The Great Commission that Jesus gave to his disciples at his ascension and has been handed down to us today.
Our Bishop Tracy Smith Malone always says “keep the main thing, the main thing.” THIS is the main thing: to be witnesses for Jesus.
The disciples lived in a unique period in history. That shaped how they lived out the “what” - and we can read all about it in the rest of the book of Acts.
And we too live in a unique time in history - for better and for worse. And I know that a lot of us today are asking, “Now what?”
Now what - for our lives. Whatever stage of life and whatever situation you find yourself in.
Now what - for the Church. Maybe it’s the ongoing separation of some churches in the United Methodist Church. For the record, Grace isn’t going anywhere. Or maybe it’s just the decline of churches and religiosity in this country that’s worrying you.
Now what - for our world. Especially in light of the war in Ukraine. Or possibly how to deal with the ongoing Covid pandemic.
And I know today, a deep and heavy “now what” for our country. And this country's children as we all reel from the senseless violence that was the murder of elementary school students at the hands of a man, barely a man, 18 years old, and filled with hate and rage - almost still a kid himself - armed with AR-style rifles.
Now what?
The “what” hasn’t changed.
The “now” has.
And we need to adapt and live out the “what” according to our “now.” Now more than ever.
I would like to read an excerpt from a letter written by Bishop Bickerson, the President of the Council of Bishops, on behalf of The United Methodist Council of Bishops. The excerpt is a little long, a small part of his words to us. And I believe they are important for us to hear today:
“My outrage and anger demand a statement, but my love of people demands action.
I spend my life thinking about people. I am a person of prayer. But this cycle of violence has reached a point where there are no words good enough, no statement that meets the need, no thought that will salve the wound and heal the hurt.
I believe that we must, with conviction, determine how we are going to move from words to actions. We have to find a way to keep these stories on the front page of our consciousness and let nothing detract from our commitment to curb violence, fight for justice, end systemic racism, elect politicians with courage, deeply listen to those who have been harmed, and genuinely seek the power of the Holy Spirit to lift us from this posture of paralysis into a mode of action that does not deny the need for thoughts and prayers but realizes that there is a need for more, so much more.
We have to come to terms with how we are going to fix this. We absolutely have done nothing different and, as a result, the cycle of violence and the denial of human life just continues. We are paralyzed into a posture of inactivity that only allows the same story and the same response to happen over and over again. And as a result, we live our lives on the defense, always reacting to something that has already taken place around us.
My “statement” today is quite simple: Let’s go on the offense. If you are a pastor, weave our theology of a lived-out faith into sermons that challenge people to convert their fears, angers, racist tendencies, and complicit behaviors into a mobilized witness of the power of God to do far more than we could ever dream of or imagine. If you are a lay person, determine today how you will take the faith you nurture each week in a pew to the streets, the places where you work, and the homes where you live. If you are a church body, don’t settle for just active shooter training.
Determine that you will actively work to transform lives from violence to peace, elect officials that will not settle for inaction, and inject communities with the grace and love of Christ that will alter the course of our current behaviors.
Let’s go on the offense today and play whatever role we can to change the cycle of violence, end racism and other behaviors that treat people less than they were created to be, and create a narrative that will compel people to live a life with a heart of peace…
…The call today is for every United Methodist Christian to go on the offense, stating what we believe the power of God can do in our midst, opening ourselves to [the] power of God at work within us, and doing whatever we can to alter the current course of behavior once and for all.”
End quote.
The disciples after Jesus’s ascension were compelled to ACT. They moved from defense, reacting to what was happening, to offense - being leaders in a movement - living out the WHAT of the Great Commission, being witnesses to the Good News of Jesus Christ. They were the ones who, with the help of the Holy Spirit, were witnesses of the Good News of Jesus Christ: of his call to repentance, his forgiveness of sins, his teachings of love, his conquering of death. They were witnesses TO ALL through their proclamations, their actions, all that they said and did. And look at what they said and did. We are here today because of them. The world has been changed because of them.
And today we need to do the same. We need to stop thinking that someone else is going to make this world a better place. That someone else will be moved to act. That someone else is going to make it all right. Friends, WE are the ones who have been called to be witnesses to the Good News. WE are the ones who have received the gift of the Holy Spirit. WE are the ones who are the hands and feet of Christ in this world. WE need to move to the offense: to be witnesses of the Good News, of Jesus - of a radical way of life and peace and repentance and forgiveness - something the likes of which our world has never seen before in our NOW.
Our time is NOW.
Our “what” is to radically be witnesses of the transforming love and life of Jesus in this world - until that day when the “now” is God’s realm of peace - when children will fear bullets no more. When weapons will be beaten into plowshares. When the lion lies down with the lamb. And all the world will be in the Kingdom of the Prince of Peace, whose reign shall have no end.
…The call today is for every United Methodist Christian to go on the offense, stating what we believe the power of God can do in our midst, opening ourselves to [the] power of God at work within us, and doing whatever we can to alter the current course of behavior once and for all.”
End quote.
The disciples after Jesus’s ascension were compelled to ACT. They moved from defense, reacting to what was happening, to offense - being leaders in a movement - living out the WHAT of the Great Commission, being witnesses to the Good News of Jesus Christ. They were the ones who, with the help of the Holy Spirit, were witnesses of the Good News of Jesus Christ: of his call to repentance, his forgiveness of sins, his teachings of love, his conquering of death. They were witnesses TO ALL through their proclamations, their actions, all that they said and did. And look at what they said and did. We are here today because of them. The world has been changed because of them.
And today we need to do the same. We need to stop thinking that someone else is going to make this world a better place. That someone else will be moved to act. That someone else is going to make it all right. Friends, WE are the ones who have been called to be witnesses to the Good News. WE are the ones who have received the gift of the Holy Spirit. WE are the ones who are the hands and feet of Christ in this world. WE need to move to the offense: to be witnesses of the Good News, of Jesus - of a radical way of life and peace and repentance and forgiveness - something the likes of which our world has never seen before in our NOW.
Our time is NOW.
Our “what” is to radically be witnesses of the transforming love and life of Jesus in this world - until that day when the “now” is God’s realm of peace - when children will fear bullets no more. When weapons will be beaten into plowshares. When the lion lies down with the lamb. And all the world will be in the Kingdom of the Prince of Peace, whose reign shall have no end.
Amen.
Thursday, May 19, 2022
Hymn Sing for United Methodist Heritage Sunday/Aldersgate Day
The following is a hymn sing designed for Heritage Sunday/Aldersgate Day in the United Methodist Church.
L: As Methodists, we have been called “A Singing People”
P: We love singing praises to God - it warm our hearts,
L: In his Directions for Singing, found in the United Methodist hymnal, John Wesley encourages us to learn the hymns in the hymnal before all other songs.
P: He says that we should all sing together as frequently as we can! That even for those who find it a cross to bear, singing will be a blessing.
L: He says we should sing lustily and with good courage and to beware of singing as if we were half dead or half asleep.
P: We lift up our voices in strength! We strive to unite our voices together to make one clear melodious sound to God.
L: We sing together: hymns that we love, clearly and melodiously, with strength and modesty, in time and in tune - an act of fellowship and worship.
P: But above all we sing spiritually, with an eye to God for every word we sing.
L: Today as we sing and learn, may we worshipfully and continually offer our hearts to God.
P: We sing today and every day until that time when we sing before the throne of God.
All: Let us worship God in song! Amen!
Opening Hymn
O For A Thousand Tongues to Sing, vs. 1, 3, 7, UMH 57
Scripture Lesson
Colossians 3:12-16
Heritage Sunday Explanation & Hearts Strangely Warmed
Today is what The United Methodist Church calls Heritage Sunday. According to The Book of Discipline, "Heritage Sunday shall be observed on Aldersgate Day (May 24), or the Sunday preceding that date. The day provides an opportunity for reflection on heritage, celebration of where the Church has been, how it understands itself as it shapes us today, and the meaning of Christian conferencing. Heritage Sunday calls the Church to remember the past by committing itself to the continuing call of God." And that is what we will do today through hymns from our Wesleyan heritage and small teaching moments about our history, theology, and the United Methodist Church then and today.
Heritage Sunday is held the Sunday preceding Aldersgate Day, May 24th. Aldersgate Day is the anniversary of the day that John Wesley, one of the founders of the Methodist Movement, had a life-changing and heart warming experience on Aldersgate Street. The son of an Anglican minister who was ordained himself and a fellow at Oxford, Wesley had gone to the colonies to be a missionary. To make a long story short, it did not go well. It’s almost like a sordid soap opera: making a bad first impression among his parishioners by throwing liquor overboard of the ship, a scorned lover, skipping bail, and secretly getting on a ship back to England in the middle of the night. His stint as a missionary only lasted two years. And so in May 1738, Wesley’s spirits were low. He was questioning his faith, his calling, his place in life. And he reluctantly went to a Bible Study on Aldersgate Street. That evening after the study he wrote this in his journal: "while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death."
This “strangely warming” heart experience is what we as Methodists call justification - when we realize that God’s grace is active in our lives and accept it for ourselves, making our relationship with God right or justified.
The hymn “And Can It Be” reflects that heart strangely warmed experience and God’s justifying grace. It was written by Charles Wesley, the brother of John and co-founder of the Methodist movement. Charles himself had a heart strangely warmed and justifying moment just 3 days before John, on May 21st. After his experience Charles wrote in his journal, “I have found myself at peace with God, and rejoiced in the hope of loving Christ.”
As we sing the words “Amazing love, how can it be?” let us remember God’s grace and goodness in our lives and allow our hearts to be strangely warmed.
And Can It Be That I Should Gain, vs. 1 & 3, UMH 363
Children’s Moment
(Recommended: Wesleys Take the Web: a Mobile Friendly History of the UMC video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79Zx7xVw14I)
A Hymn for Every Season
Charles Wesley, brother of John Wesley, and co-founder of the Methodist movement was an Anglican minister and above all, a prolific hymn writer. He wrote over 9,000 poems in his lifetime, over 6,000 of which have been hymns. Our hymnal has almost 70 of his hymns and poems in it. His hymns shaped and reflected the theology and life of the Methodist movement. It’s one thing to say that Jesus is the incarnation of God. It’s another to belt out with all your heart and soul, “Veiled in flesh the Godhead see; hail th’ incarnate Deity, pleased with us in flesh to dwell, Jesus our Emmanuel.” His hymns were sung as part of the early Methodist movement and in our churches today, shaping the life of the church and theology just as much as sermons. Charles remained an Anglican minister his whole life, never agreeing with the Methodist split to become their own denomination when John ordained Methodist ministers to go and serve and offer sacraments to Christians in the revolutionary United States of America as most Anglican ministers fled back to England at the start of the American Revolution. Nevertheless, he was a founding member of the Holy Club, a group of Christians doing their best to live out their faith at Oxford, which became the foundation and launching point for the Methodist movement. He also oversaw Methodist groups throughout England, preaching, writing hymns, and shaping the theology of a movement that continues today.
All the hymns we are singing as a congregation today were written by Charles Wesley. He wrote hymns for every season of the church year. Some of his most popular hymns that we are not singing today are Come Thou Long Expected Jesus, Maker in Whom We Live, Jesus, Lover of my Soul, and A Charge I Have to Keep. We will now sing two of his most favorite hymns, a nod to how Charles Wesley shapes the life and theology of our church. A hymn for Christmas and a hymn for Easter. Let us sing, above all spiritually, as we remember the one who helped shape Methodists into “a singing people.”
Hark the Herald Angels Sing, vs. 1, UMH 240
Christ the Lord is Risen Today, vs. 1, UMH 302
Conferences & Connectionalism
Heritage Sunday is held the Sunday preceding Aldersgate Day, May 24th. Aldersgate Day is the anniversary of the day that John Wesley, one of the founders of the Methodist Movement, had a life-changing and heart warming experience on Aldersgate Street. The son of an Anglican minister who was ordained himself and a fellow at Oxford, Wesley had gone to the colonies to be a missionary. To make a long story short, it did not go well. It’s almost like a sordid soap opera: making a bad first impression among his parishioners by throwing liquor overboard of the ship, a scorned lover, skipping bail, and secretly getting on a ship back to England in the middle of the night. His stint as a missionary only lasted two years. And so in May 1738, Wesley’s spirits were low. He was questioning his faith, his calling, his place in life. And he reluctantly went to a Bible Study on Aldersgate Street. That evening after the study he wrote this in his journal: "while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death."
This “strangely warming” heart experience is what we as Methodists call justification - when we realize that God’s grace is active in our lives and accept it for ourselves, making our relationship with God right or justified.
The hymn “And Can It Be” reflects that heart strangely warmed experience and God’s justifying grace. It was written by Charles Wesley, the brother of John and co-founder of the Methodist movement. Charles himself had a heart strangely warmed and justifying moment just 3 days before John, on May 21st. After his experience Charles wrote in his journal, “I have found myself at peace with God, and rejoiced in the hope of loving Christ.”
As we sing the words “Amazing love, how can it be?” let us remember God’s grace and goodness in our lives and allow our hearts to be strangely warmed.
And Can It Be That I Should Gain, vs. 1 & 3, UMH 363
Children’s Moment
(Recommended: Wesleys Take the Web: a Mobile Friendly History of the UMC video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79Zx7xVw14I)
A Hymn for Every Season
Charles Wesley, brother of John Wesley, and co-founder of the Methodist movement was an Anglican minister and above all, a prolific hymn writer. He wrote over 9,000 poems in his lifetime, over 6,000 of which have been hymns. Our hymnal has almost 70 of his hymns and poems in it. His hymns shaped and reflected the theology and life of the Methodist movement. It’s one thing to say that Jesus is the incarnation of God. It’s another to belt out with all your heart and soul, “Veiled in flesh the Godhead see; hail th’ incarnate Deity, pleased with us in flesh to dwell, Jesus our Emmanuel.” His hymns were sung as part of the early Methodist movement and in our churches today, shaping the life of the church and theology just as much as sermons. Charles remained an Anglican minister his whole life, never agreeing with the Methodist split to become their own denomination when John ordained Methodist ministers to go and serve and offer sacraments to Christians in the revolutionary United States of America as most Anglican ministers fled back to England at the start of the American Revolution. Nevertheless, he was a founding member of the Holy Club, a group of Christians doing their best to live out their faith at Oxford, which became the foundation and launching point for the Methodist movement. He also oversaw Methodist groups throughout England, preaching, writing hymns, and shaping the theology of a movement that continues today.
All the hymns we are singing as a congregation today were written by Charles Wesley. He wrote hymns for every season of the church year. Some of his most popular hymns that we are not singing today are Come Thou Long Expected Jesus, Maker in Whom We Live, Jesus, Lover of my Soul, and A Charge I Have to Keep. We will now sing two of his most favorite hymns, a nod to how Charles Wesley shapes the life and theology of our church. A hymn for Christmas and a hymn for Easter. Let us sing, above all spiritually, as we remember the one who helped shape Methodists into “a singing people.”
Hark the Herald Angels Sing, vs. 1, UMH 240
Christ the Lord is Risen Today, vs. 1, UMH 302
Conferences & Connectionalism
In 1784, John Wesley ordained Thomas Coke and others to do ministry in America. With the American Revolution brewing, Anglican ministers, who took vows of allegiance to the Church of England and the King, found themselves in sticky situations by staying in the American colonies. Many left to return to England for their own safety. This created a pressing pastoral need. There were not enough ordained ministers in America to perform the sacraments. To offer Communion and baptize. Many of those living in America considered themselves part of the Methodist movement so Wesley made a pastoral decision: if the Church of England wouldn’t send ministers or couldn’t safely send ministers to meet this need, the Methodists would. The only thing is, as an Anglican minister, he did not have the authority to ordain, only Bishops could do this. So this act is the official start of Methodism as its own separate denomination instead of just a movement within the Church of England.
And still, life in much of the colonies and then the early United States, was more spread out and there weren’t enough clergy for every community to have their own and so the circuit rider - or saddlebags preacher - was born. Circuit riders were ministers who rode their horses from community to community, creating a circuit. They would offer the sacraments and preach in a town then get on their horse and travel to the next, ever riding in a circuit. Lay ministers would preach and organize the church until the circuit rider returned. Circuit Riders were so committed to their charges that the phrase “This weather is only fit for crows and Methodist preachers” was coined. This early structure continues to shape the structure of the church today with United Methodist ministers being appointed to charges and being itinerant while the church belongs to and is shaped by the laity.
Francis Asbury was the most famous circuit rider and Bishop in that first Methodist church. He rode over 270,000 miles on horseback traveling to his charges. That’s enough to travel around the globe nearly 11 times.
On Christmas Eve in 1784, Thomas Coke and Francis Asbury gathered with all the known Methodist preachers in America, about 86 at the time. The call had gone out for all of them to ride to Baltimore, Maryland and meet to officially establish The Methodist Episcopal Church, making its own denomination. This first conference was called The Christmas Conference.
Still to this day, Methodists are organized by conferences. General Conference which happens once every four years is composed of half laity and half clergy and they are the only body who can set polity and officially speak for The United Methodist Church. We also have Jurisdictional, Annual, and District conferences for regional conferencing.
Moreover, the United Methodist Church continues as then: as a connectional system. We believe we are stronger together than apart. Our polity, our ministers, and even outreach, mission, and ministry are done at a level beyond the local church. From itinerant ministers and the seminaries that educate them; to the United Methodist Committee on Relief that is often the first to arrive and the last to leave after disaster strikes; to our general boards which address systemic issues in our world and equip and educate our churches to survive and thrive in our modern world; to the relationships and partnerships our clergy and churches can have together. We are a connectional Church and stronger for it.
Shortly after its publication, John Wesley started using the hymn “And Are We Yet Alive” at the start of every Methodist society meeting, a tradition that continues today at Annual Conferences across the world as they meet. The song reminds us of our connectional system, of being stronger together than apart, and how God’s grace has seen us through the last year apart.
And Are We Yet Alive, vs. 1, 3, 4, UMH 553
And still, life in much of the colonies and then the early United States, was more spread out and there weren’t enough clergy for every community to have their own and so the circuit rider - or saddlebags preacher - was born. Circuit riders were ministers who rode their horses from community to community, creating a circuit. They would offer the sacraments and preach in a town then get on their horse and travel to the next, ever riding in a circuit. Lay ministers would preach and organize the church until the circuit rider returned. Circuit Riders were so committed to their charges that the phrase “This weather is only fit for crows and Methodist preachers” was coined. This early structure continues to shape the structure of the church today with United Methodist ministers being appointed to charges and being itinerant while the church belongs to and is shaped by the laity.
Francis Asbury was the most famous circuit rider and Bishop in that first Methodist church. He rode over 270,000 miles on horseback traveling to his charges. That’s enough to travel around the globe nearly 11 times.
On Christmas Eve in 1784, Thomas Coke and Francis Asbury gathered with all the known Methodist preachers in America, about 86 at the time. The call had gone out for all of them to ride to Baltimore, Maryland and meet to officially establish The Methodist Episcopal Church, making its own denomination. This first conference was called The Christmas Conference.
Still to this day, Methodists are organized by conferences. General Conference which happens once every four years is composed of half laity and half clergy and they are the only body who can set polity and officially speak for The United Methodist Church. We also have Jurisdictional, Annual, and District conferences for regional conferencing.
Moreover, the United Methodist Church continues as then: as a connectional system. We believe we are stronger together than apart. Our polity, our ministers, and even outreach, mission, and ministry are done at a level beyond the local church. From itinerant ministers and the seminaries that educate them; to the United Methodist Committee on Relief that is often the first to arrive and the last to leave after disaster strikes; to our general boards which address systemic issues in our world and equip and educate our churches to survive and thrive in our modern world; to the relationships and partnerships our clergy and churches can have together. We are a connectional Church and stronger for it.
Shortly after its publication, John Wesley started using the hymn “And Are We Yet Alive” at the start of every Methodist society meeting, a tradition that continues today at Annual Conferences across the world as they meet. The song reminds us of our connectional system, of being stronger together than apart, and how God’s grace has seen us through the last year apart.
And Are We Yet Alive, vs. 1, 3, 4, UMH 553
A Theology of Love and Grace
It is not just our unique history and polity that defines us as Methodists but also our theology. When people ask what sets Methodists apart, two of the top answers are Love and Grace. While these are prevalent in the whole Christian Church, they play an especially central theme in Wesleyan theology. John Wesley asserted that Love was God’s Reigning Feature. That means that God’s Love is the crown upon the head of God and the throne on which God sits. God’s sovereignty cannot be separated from God’s love. Therefore, Wesley strongly asserted that we as humans have free-will to respond to God’s grace as we choose. The God who is Love, loves us and all creation above all else and therefore does not force Grace upon us. This was in direct contrast to the Calvinist theology of predestination, something which Wesley adamantly preached against.
And while God does not force Grace upon us, God is always always always offering us grace, even before we know there is Grace to be had. As Methodists this is a defining aspect of our theology. We call it prevenient grace. The grace that comes before. When we accept God’s grace that is always offered to us, we call that Justifying Grace - the experience of strangely warmed hearts that we talked about before. And then there is Sanctifying Grace, the grace of God that is ever with us, our whole lives long, helping shape and guide us to more perfect love of God and neighbor.
God’s Love and Grace are always with us and this is the central theology of Methodism. Let us now sing of that love and grace.
Love Divine, All Loves Excelling, 1, 2, 4 UMH 384
Sharing of Joys and Concerns
It is not just our unique history and polity that defines us as Methodists but also our theology. When people ask what sets Methodists apart, two of the top answers are Love and Grace. While these are prevalent in the whole Christian Church, they play an especially central theme in Wesleyan theology. John Wesley asserted that Love was God’s Reigning Feature. That means that God’s Love is the crown upon the head of God and the throne on which God sits. God’s sovereignty cannot be separated from God’s love. Therefore, Wesley strongly asserted that we as humans have free-will to respond to God’s grace as we choose. The God who is Love, loves us and all creation above all else and therefore does not force Grace upon us. This was in direct contrast to the Calvinist theology of predestination, something which Wesley adamantly preached against.
And while God does not force Grace upon us, God is always always always offering us grace, even before we know there is Grace to be had. As Methodists this is a defining aspect of our theology. We call it prevenient grace. The grace that comes before. When we accept God’s grace that is always offered to us, we call that Justifying Grace - the experience of strangely warmed hearts that we talked about before. And then there is Sanctifying Grace, the grace of God that is ever with us, our whole lives long, helping shape and guide us to more perfect love of God and neighbor.
God’s Love and Grace are always with us and this is the central theology of Methodism. Let us now sing of that love and grace.
Love Divine, All Loves Excelling, 1, 2, 4 UMH 384
Sharing of Joys and Concerns
Prayers of the People
The Lord’s Prayer
Invitation to Generosity
Offertory
The Doxology
The Lord’s Prayer
Invitation to Generosity
Offertory
The Doxology
(If observing Holy Communion, suggested focus on the UMC's Open Table and the hymn "Come Sinners to the Gospel Feast)
The Holy Club & Holiness Today
The Methodist Movement has always been one centered on living out our faith. In their days at Oxford, John and Charles Wesley joined with other friends to form a spiritual support group, if you will. They studied the Bible and prayed together. They shared in Holy Communion at least once a week, They also held each other accountable to living out their faith. They cared for the poor and needy together: visiting the elderly, teaching children, and going to the prison to visit those there weekly. This group had zeal and dedication to their faith and living it out. And other students there didn’t understand it - they gave the group deriding nicknames including Bible-moths, The Holy Club, and Methodists. The last one because of their almost methodical method of living out their faith.
As the movement grew beyond this Holy Club of friends at Oxford, they adopted the name Methodists, proud of the way they encouraged people to fully live out their faith.
In Methodist theology we talk about Means of Grace - the ways we experience God and live out our faith in this world. And it can be divided into four categories. Individual acts of piety: like prayer and reading the Bible. Communal acts of worship: like receiving the sacraments and singing hymns together. Individual acts of charity: like volunteering at the soup kitchen, making a donation, lending a helping hand. And communal acts of justice: like standing up and speaking out for equity and justice in this world. Wesley was a strong anti-slave trade advocate and often got kicked out of churches for speaking against the slave trade. Methodists continue to be advocates for justice today and we are proud that our greater connection includes The Commission on the Status and Role of Women, The General Commission on Religion and Race, and the General Board of Church and Society. Methodists are not silent on issues of injustice.
Indeed, Methodists are encouraged to holistically live out their faith as individuals and in a faith community, to ever strive to more perfect love of God and neighbor. As we sing our closing hymn “Forth in Thy Name I Go” may you be encouraged and embolden to reflect Christ in all you do.
Forth in Thy Name I Go, vs. 1 & 4, UMH 438
Benediction
Today I pray that your hearts were strangely warmed. To sing of God’s love together, to learn of our heritage, to be encouraged to live out our faith. Now go in peace, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Holy Club & Holiness Today
The Methodist Movement has always been one centered on living out our faith. In their days at Oxford, John and Charles Wesley joined with other friends to form a spiritual support group, if you will. They studied the Bible and prayed together. They shared in Holy Communion at least once a week, They also held each other accountable to living out their faith. They cared for the poor and needy together: visiting the elderly, teaching children, and going to the prison to visit those there weekly. This group had zeal and dedication to their faith and living it out. And other students there didn’t understand it - they gave the group deriding nicknames including Bible-moths, The Holy Club, and Methodists. The last one because of their almost methodical method of living out their faith.
As the movement grew beyond this Holy Club of friends at Oxford, they adopted the name Methodists, proud of the way they encouraged people to fully live out their faith.
In Methodist theology we talk about Means of Grace - the ways we experience God and live out our faith in this world. And it can be divided into four categories. Individual acts of piety: like prayer and reading the Bible. Communal acts of worship: like receiving the sacraments and singing hymns together. Individual acts of charity: like volunteering at the soup kitchen, making a donation, lending a helping hand. And communal acts of justice: like standing up and speaking out for equity and justice in this world. Wesley was a strong anti-slave trade advocate and often got kicked out of churches for speaking against the slave trade. Methodists continue to be advocates for justice today and we are proud that our greater connection includes The Commission on the Status and Role of Women, The General Commission on Religion and Race, and the General Board of Church and Society. Methodists are not silent on issues of injustice.
Indeed, Methodists are encouraged to holistically live out their faith as individuals and in a faith community, to ever strive to more perfect love of God and neighbor. As we sing our closing hymn “Forth in Thy Name I Go” may you be encouraged and embolden to reflect Christ in all you do.
Forth in Thy Name I Go, vs. 1 & 4, UMH 438
Benediction
Today I pray that your hearts were strangely warmed. To sing of God’s love together, to learn of our heritage, to be encouraged to live out our faith. Now go in peace, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Wednesday, May 18, 2022
Call to Worship Based on Wesley's Directions for Singing
Call to Worship, Methodists as a Singing People (See UMH vii for reference)
L: As Methodists, we have been called “A Singing People”
P: We love singing praises to God - it warm our hearts.
L: In his Directions for Singing, found in the United Methodist hymnal, John Wesley encourages us to learn the hymns in the hymnal before all other songs.
P: He says that we should all sing together as frequently as we can! That even for those who find it a cross to bear, singing will be a blessing.
L: He says we should sing lustily and with good courage and to beware of singing as if we were half dead or half asleep.
P: We lift up our voices in strength! We strive to unite our voices together to make one clear melodious sound to God.
L: We sing together: hymns that we love, clearly and melodiously, with strength and modesty, in time and in tune - an act of fellowship and worship.
P: But above all we sing spiritually, with an eye to God for every word we sing.
L: Today as we sing and learn, may we worshipfully and continually offer our hearts to God.
P: We sing today and every day until that time when we sing before the throne of God.
All: Let us worship God in song! Amen!
L: As Methodists, we have been called “A Singing People”
P: We love singing praises to God - it warm our hearts.
L: In his Directions for Singing, found in the United Methodist hymnal, John Wesley encourages us to learn the hymns in the hymnal before all other songs.
P: He says that we should all sing together as frequently as we can! That even for those who find it a cross to bear, singing will be a blessing.
L: He says we should sing lustily and with good courage and to beware of singing as if we were half dead or half asleep.
P: We lift up our voices in strength! We strive to unite our voices together to make one clear melodious sound to God.
L: We sing together: hymns that we love, clearly and melodiously, with strength and modesty, in time and in tune - an act of fellowship and worship.
P: But above all we sing spiritually, with an eye to God for every word we sing.
L: Today as we sing and learn, may we worshipfully and continually offer our hearts to God.
P: We sing today and every day until that time when we sing before the throne of God.
All: Let us worship God in song! Amen!
Tuesday, May 17, 2022
"The New Creation" a sermon on Revelation 21:1-6 & Psalm 148
Revelation 21:1-6
Psalm 148
“The New Creation”
Preached Sunday, May 15, 2022
One of my favorite things is talking about theology. Now, so often, I think people think talking theology is some way up “here” thing, when really it’s something we do every day. Theology is how ever we think and talk about God. So yeah, I love talking about God! Imagine that… wonder why I became a preacher…
But really, part of my job as a preacher and a pastor is to talk theology with you. To help you understand and discern what you think about God, to understand your theology better. And so, today I want to turn to one of the most theologically pressing questions of our world:
Do all dogs go to heaven?
Okay. So maybe not the MOST theologically pressing question of our world but one that we’re going to unpack together because while the question may seem trivial to some, how we answer this question has bigger and greater theological impacts for us and all of creation.
Which brings us to one of my favorite theological concepts or concepts of our faith and that’s The New Creation. In our current world I feel like as Christians we spend a lot of time talking about heaven. And when we talk about heaven we talk about it as this other removed place in the clouds and us as disembodied spirits in it. And there still may be a heaven like that but Scripture specially talks a lot about what comes AFTER that heaven. We often think of heaven as the final endgame but not according to Scripture. The Bible talks about that day when ALL of creation, including heaven, is re-created and made new and God establishes the Kingdom of Heaven here on the new earth.
One of the most famous of these Scriptures is today’s reading from the book of Revelation:
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.
And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them as their God; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them;
he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.’”
In this New Creation, the world as we know it has passed away and there is a NEW creation. God’s home is among mortals. There will be no tears, no death, no mourning, no crying, no pain. It is at this point when the resurrection of Christ will be shared with us. Christian theology talks about Christ as the first FRUIT of the Resurrection and the Resurrection of the Dead awaits all of us - that means that those who have died will be resurrected along with their bodies - renewed and recreated like Christ’s resurrected body.
And this is all over Scripture. The Old Testament prophets are full of references to God’s Holy Mountain, that day when people from every corner of the earth shall come to God’s Holy Mountain and divisions will cease and there will be never-ending peace.
For me, this theology of the New Creation gives me great hope for our beautiful wonderful planet and all of creation. For when we talk about heaven, it’s always so focused on humanity - but what about the rest of creation? The New Creation helps us look toward that day when every relationship is made right, made whole. Between Creator and created and between all of creation. When Christ reigns again, enemies will lay down weapons that in turn will become instruments of new life, of the harvest. Families restored. Borders erased. People from every corner of the earth become kin on God’s holy mountain.
And we know that humans aren’t all there is to creation. Despite many of us sometimes acting like it.
As much as we can know of the heart of God, I believe that God must truly want to see all of God’s handiwork redeemed. The God who created everything from the depths of the oceans and the creatures therein to the stars and mysteries of the universe. In today’s Psalm we hear a reflection of ALL of creation worshiping and praising God: the sun, moon, and stars! The heavens and the deepest seas and the creatures there within! Fire and hail, snow and frost and wind! Mountains, hills, and trees! Wild and domestic animals, things that crawl and things that fly! And humans! All praising God together! God created ALL of creation to praise God and reflect the Divine’s glory back. And as much as can know the heart of God, God loves all of God’s creation and God will not abandon ANY of God’s creation.
Romans 8 tells us as much: “The whole creation waits breathless with anticipation for the revelation of God’s sons and daughters. … We know that the whole creation is groaning together and suffering labor pains up until now.”
Another Scriptural reference of the New Creation comes from Isaiah 11 - and it’s probably the most famous, one that we hear every Advent:
“The wolf shall live with the lamb;
the leopard shall lie down with the kid;
the calf and the lion will feed together,
and a little child shall lead them.
The cow and the bear shall graze;
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.
They will not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.”
The vision given to us in Isaiah 11 portrays not just humans but wolves and lambs, leopards and goats, calves and lions, cows and bears, snakes and serpents. Given the Biblical evidence, it is not too wild of a speculation to say that one of the wrongs that will be made right at Christ’s return is the hierarchy and status of non-human animals within creation, their relationships with each other, and humankind’s relationship with them.
Indeed, Romans 8 also says: Creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice—it was the choice of the one who subjected it—but in the hope that the creation itself will be set free from slavery to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of God’s children.
We can find evidence for the redemption of all creation not only in scripture but in our Wesleyan theological heritage. In his sermon, “The General Deliverance,” John Wesley affirms that God hears the groans and cries of all creation and that brute creatures will have deliverance, not annihilation. We all await with bated breath for the day of Isaiah 11 when all creatures will live peaceably together and be redeemed. Many Christians have surmised that creatures would be released from their carnal desires, carnivores turned into herbivores, violent wildness turned tame. Wesley, however, speculates that God may take it a step further so that all creation may be made what we are now. Wesley writes with hopeful conjecture in his sermon, and I quote:
“May I be permitted to mention here a conjecture concerning the brute creation? What, if it should then please the all-wise, the all-gracious Creator to raise them higher in the scale of beings? What, if it should please him, when he makes us “equal to angels,” to make them what we are now—creatures capable of God; capable of knowing and loving and enjoying the Author of their being? If it should be so, ought our eye to be evil because he is good? However this be, he will certainly do what will be most for his own glory.”
Psalm 148
“The New Creation”
Preached Sunday, May 15, 2022
One of my favorite things is talking about theology. Now, so often, I think people think talking theology is some way up “here” thing, when really it’s something we do every day. Theology is how ever we think and talk about God. So yeah, I love talking about God! Imagine that… wonder why I became a preacher…
But really, part of my job as a preacher and a pastor is to talk theology with you. To help you understand and discern what you think about God, to understand your theology better. And so, today I want to turn to one of the most theologically pressing questions of our world:
Do all dogs go to heaven?
Okay. So maybe not the MOST theologically pressing question of our world but one that we’re going to unpack together because while the question may seem trivial to some, how we answer this question has bigger and greater theological impacts for us and all of creation.
Which brings us to one of my favorite theological concepts or concepts of our faith and that’s The New Creation. In our current world I feel like as Christians we spend a lot of time talking about heaven. And when we talk about heaven we talk about it as this other removed place in the clouds and us as disembodied spirits in it. And there still may be a heaven like that but Scripture specially talks a lot about what comes AFTER that heaven. We often think of heaven as the final endgame but not according to Scripture. The Bible talks about that day when ALL of creation, including heaven, is re-created and made new and God establishes the Kingdom of Heaven here on the new earth.
One of the most famous of these Scriptures is today’s reading from the book of Revelation:
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.
And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them as their God; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them;
he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.’”
In this New Creation, the world as we know it has passed away and there is a NEW creation. God’s home is among mortals. There will be no tears, no death, no mourning, no crying, no pain. It is at this point when the resurrection of Christ will be shared with us. Christian theology talks about Christ as the first FRUIT of the Resurrection and the Resurrection of the Dead awaits all of us - that means that those who have died will be resurrected along with their bodies - renewed and recreated like Christ’s resurrected body.
And this is all over Scripture. The Old Testament prophets are full of references to God’s Holy Mountain, that day when people from every corner of the earth shall come to God’s Holy Mountain and divisions will cease and there will be never-ending peace.
For me, this theology of the New Creation gives me great hope for our beautiful wonderful planet and all of creation. For when we talk about heaven, it’s always so focused on humanity - but what about the rest of creation? The New Creation helps us look toward that day when every relationship is made right, made whole. Between Creator and created and between all of creation. When Christ reigns again, enemies will lay down weapons that in turn will become instruments of new life, of the harvest. Families restored. Borders erased. People from every corner of the earth become kin on God’s holy mountain.
And we know that humans aren’t all there is to creation. Despite many of us sometimes acting like it.
As much as we can know of the heart of God, I believe that God must truly want to see all of God’s handiwork redeemed. The God who created everything from the depths of the oceans and the creatures therein to the stars and mysteries of the universe. In today’s Psalm we hear a reflection of ALL of creation worshiping and praising God: the sun, moon, and stars! The heavens and the deepest seas and the creatures there within! Fire and hail, snow and frost and wind! Mountains, hills, and trees! Wild and domestic animals, things that crawl and things that fly! And humans! All praising God together! God created ALL of creation to praise God and reflect the Divine’s glory back. And as much as can know the heart of God, God loves all of God’s creation and God will not abandon ANY of God’s creation.
Romans 8 tells us as much: “The whole creation waits breathless with anticipation for the revelation of God’s sons and daughters. … We know that the whole creation is groaning together and suffering labor pains up until now.”
Another Scriptural reference of the New Creation comes from Isaiah 11 - and it’s probably the most famous, one that we hear every Advent:
“The wolf shall live with the lamb;
the leopard shall lie down with the kid;
the calf and the lion will feed together,
and a little child shall lead them.
The cow and the bear shall graze;
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.
They will not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.”
The vision given to us in Isaiah 11 portrays not just humans but wolves and lambs, leopards and goats, calves and lions, cows and bears, snakes and serpents. Given the Biblical evidence, it is not too wild of a speculation to say that one of the wrongs that will be made right at Christ’s return is the hierarchy and status of non-human animals within creation, their relationships with each other, and humankind’s relationship with them.
Indeed, Romans 8 also says: Creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice—it was the choice of the one who subjected it—but in the hope that the creation itself will be set free from slavery to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of God’s children.
We can find evidence for the redemption of all creation not only in scripture but in our Wesleyan theological heritage. In his sermon, “The General Deliverance,” John Wesley affirms that God hears the groans and cries of all creation and that brute creatures will have deliverance, not annihilation. We all await with bated breath for the day of Isaiah 11 when all creatures will live peaceably together and be redeemed. Many Christians have surmised that creatures would be released from their carnal desires, carnivores turned into herbivores, violent wildness turned tame. Wesley, however, speculates that God may take it a step further so that all creation may be made what we are now. Wesley writes with hopeful conjecture in his sermon, and I quote:
“May I be permitted to mention here a conjecture concerning the brute creation? What, if it should then please the all-wise, the all-gracious Creator to raise them higher in the scale of beings? What, if it should please him, when he makes us “equal to angels,” to make them what we are now—creatures capable of God; capable of knowing and loving and enjoying the Author of their being? If it should be so, ought our eye to be evil because he is good? However this be, he will certainly do what will be most for his own glory.”
In summary:, in the New Creation, all animals will be redeemed, and restored, and possibly raised up to the capacity of knowing, worshiping, and loving the One who created them. The answer isn’t just “all dogs go to heaven”—it’s all dogs (and cats and birds and cows and snakes and sharks and pigs and platypuses and horses and squids and, and, and…) will, in the New Creation, not only be there but have the human capacity of reason and be able to consciously love their Creator alongside humans.
To take this one awesome step further: at the day of the general resurrection, in the hopeful knowledge that Christ plans to release all God’s lesser creation from their bonds and elevate them, why would they then be excluded from the resurrection? Indeed on that day it will not just be the beasts of the wild, the farm, and tamed household pets that worship the Lord alongside us, but all that which has become extinct: the mammoth, the megalodon, the tyrannosaurus rex, the black rhinoceros, the dodo, the brachiosaurus, the Rocky Mountain locust, and, and, and… From dinosaurs to beetles, every creature God has EVER created is precious and loved in God’s sight and if it should so please the Divine Creator of the universe, God will resurrect and elevate all creation to know, worship, and love God.
Woah. So how’s that for a theologically and scripturally reasoned answer to do all dogs go to heaven? That in the New Creation, ALL of creation will be redeemed, renewed, restored, elevated. The New Creation is about us as humans, loved and made in the image of God, and it extends so far beyond us as well.
To take this one awesome step further: at the day of the general resurrection, in the hopeful knowledge that Christ plans to release all God’s lesser creation from their bonds and elevate them, why would they then be excluded from the resurrection? Indeed on that day it will not just be the beasts of the wild, the farm, and tamed household pets that worship the Lord alongside us, but all that which has become extinct: the mammoth, the megalodon, the tyrannosaurus rex, the black rhinoceros, the dodo, the brachiosaurus, the Rocky Mountain locust, and, and, and… From dinosaurs to beetles, every creature God has EVER created is precious and loved in God’s sight and if it should so please the Divine Creator of the universe, God will resurrect and elevate all creation to know, worship, and love God.
Woah. So how’s that for a theologically and scripturally reasoned answer to do all dogs go to heaven? That in the New Creation, ALL of creation will be redeemed, renewed, restored, elevated. The New Creation is about us as humans, loved and made in the image of God, and it extends so far beyond us as well.
So what are the implications of holding this theology of The New Creation and ALL of God’s creation being redeemed? How does this affect us here and now in our lives that moves it beyond a theological concept in our minds to a part of our faith that we live out every day?
In high school my home room was in charge of collecting and accumulating the school’s recycling. While I was doing this one day the principal of the school stopped me. He said, “You’re a Christian, right?” I said, “Yes.” So then he said to me, “Why do you bother with recycling when God is going to remake all of creation anyway?” As a teenager I didn’t have an answer for him but I do today:
We are called to care about what God cares about: this includes our neighbors and especially the last, the lost, and the least. And it goes beyond our human neighbors to all of creation. That which God has given us to be stewards over. We are called to help all creation thrive so that it can praise and reflect back the glory of our God.
Moreover, God’s timeline is not our timeline. While we can hope and know that one day God will restore all creation, we don’t know when that will be. When we are called to care for and love our neighbors, that includes the generations yet to come who will live on this planet - to care for our delicate ecosystems in a way that honors God and allows our children and our children’s children to not only survive but thrive and see God’s glory in the created world.
And the last implication for our lives to lift up today is that we are not a people without hope. Believing in the New Creation gives me a deep seated hope and trust in God that one day, in the words of Teresa of Avila, all shall be well, all shall be well, and all manners of things shall be well. And this changes everything, the way I think about and strive to care for this world, the way I interact with my neighbors, the way I share God’s love. I do so from a place of trust and hope that ALL of creation is in the hands of God.
And I have hope that one day, God will restore and redeem us all, wipe every tear from our eyes, abolish death, and live among us.
“Do all dogs go to heaven” sounds trivial but it helps us get to something much deeper: the expansive and renewing and recreating love of God for all.
Wow. Praise God. Amen.
In high school my home room was in charge of collecting and accumulating the school’s recycling. While I was doing this one day the principal of the school stopped me. He said, “You’re a Christian, right?” I said, “Yes.” So then he said to me, “Why do you bother with recycling when God is going to remake all of creation anyway?” As a teenager I didn’t have an answer for him but I do today:
We are called to care about what God cares about: this includes our neighbors and especially the last, the lost, and the least. And it goes beyond our human neighbors to all of creation. That which God has given us to be stewards over. We are called to help all creation thrive so that it can praise and reflect back the glory of our God.
Moreover, God’s timeline is not our timeline. While we can hope and know that one day God will restore all creation, we don’t know when that will be. When we are called to care for and love our neighbors, that includes the generations yet to come who will live on this planet - to care for our delicate ecosystems in a way that honors God and allows our children and our children’s children to not only survive but thrive and see God’s glory in the created world.
And the last implication for our lives to lift up today is that we are not a people without hope. Believing in the New Creation gives me a deep seated hope and trust in God that one day, in the words of Teresa of Avila, all shall be well, all shall be well, and all manners of things shall be well. And this changes everything, the way I think about and strive to care for this world, the way I interact with my neighbors, the way I share God’s love. I do so from a place of trust and hope that ALL of creation is in the hands of God.
And I have hope that one day, God will restore and redeem us all, wipe every tear from our eyes, abolish death, and live among us.
“Do all dogs go to heaven” sounds trivial but it helps us get to something much deeper: the expansive and renewing and recreating love of God for all.
Wow. Praise God. Amen.
Tuesday, May 10, 2022
"You Are With Me" a sermon on Psalm 23 & Revelation 7:9-17
Psalm 23
Revelation 7:9-17
“You Are With Me”
Preached Sunday, May 8, 2022
Since basically the Sunday I got here and probably long before our altar Bible has been opened to the 23rd Psalm. I’ve tried changing what the Bible is open to before but with a Bible this big..it doesn’t work so well. If I wanted to do a Genesis text or even one of the Epistles let alone Revelation - well, we’d be lopsided. The Psalms are right in the middle and I’ve just thought, you know, the 23rd Psalm is a good one to just keep it open to. It’s never not appropriate to have before us. The 23rd Psalm is arguably one of the two most well-known Scriptures, up there with John 3:16.
For me, it’s definitely one of the most comforting Scriptures. I have read it countless times at death beds and funerals. To the point where I’ve joked that you know it’s serious when the minister comes to visit you and she pulls out her Bible and starts reading from the 23rd Psalm. Like, if your soul ain’t right with God at that point, it’s time to pull it together. And one day, when my minister comes to my bedside and starts reading the 23rd Psalm, well, I’ll know they think it’s the end for me. The King’s James Version famously translates the one line as “though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…” And in that time, when a person of faith is dying, the affirmation that God is with them, even now, seems to be a great comfort to many. Other translations take this phrase and call it “the darkest valley.” Truly those who are experiencing a loss, in the midst of grief, perhaps they feel like they are in the darkest valley of their lives - and again, it’s comforting to be told, even now, even in this loss, even in this dark valley with the shadow of death hanging over you, God is with you.
Of course, the comfort and power of this Psalm isn’t just about death and dying - it’s about life and living and God being with you every step of the journey. Every claim this poem makes, every hopeful, promise-filled line - it’s about this life, here on Earth.
“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures.”
Biblical Studies Professor Jin Han says, “Thanks to the good shepherd, the sheep finds rest, sustenance, and confidence in the green pastures next to the water, where everything that the sheep may need or want has been provided.” This struck me cause we often think of wants as, well…stuff, material. But when it boils down to what we all really want - what we need - rest, sustenance, confidence - love…God offers us all that, in this life.
“he leads me beside still waters;”
In Scripture and in other Psalms, water is often depicted as chaos. Like the primordial waters of creation or rapids that threaten to overwhelm you, drowning you under them. But here the Psalm talks about still waters, a place of peace. Our Lord guides us to places of peace and wants peace for our lives and peace for the world.
“he restores my soul.”
God is a healer. He wants healing and wholeness for your soul, in this life.
“He leads me in right paths for his name's sake.”
When we follow the voice of our Good Shepherd, when we follow God’s call in our lives, we will not be led astray. Each of us has a path that God calls us on for this life.
“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff-- they comfort me.”
Look, we know life is hard. There will be dark valleys. There is evil in this world. And it does affect us. And yet the Psalmist says, “I fear no evil.” We too can say this for our lives. Not that we won’t encounter evil but that there is nowhere, nowhere, where you can go where God won’t be with you. Even in the darkest valleys, even as you are dying, we can say along with the Psalmist, “You are with me.” God has a rod to fend off beasts, a staff to guide our steps, and wherever we are, God is right there. Again, this is why “the valley of the shadow of death” is so comforting to those who are on their deathbeds, because it tells us that even in death, the end of life, God is there with you. You are never alone.
My spiritual director would sometimes say to me, “Allison, what are you so afraid of? Why are you acting like the bottom is going to be pulled out from under you?” She has helped me learn that there is no bottom that is ever going to drop out from under me - because I am held in God’s hand. Even in dying and even in death, it is God’s hand that holds me. And God’s hand isn’t going anywhere.
“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”
Even when life is hard, God does not stop taking care of us. And it is not scraps that God is offering us, it’s a feast. It’s not just a sip of water to carry us through, it’s an overflowing cup.
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,”
A different translation for “follow” in this verse could be “pursue” - God pursues us, doesn’t give up, is constantly wooing us with goodness and mercy.
“and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD my whole life long.”
My whole life long. This Psalm offers hope to the dying, yes. And it can offer so much hope and promise and comfort to those living now - that for your whole life, God is with you. You are in God’s care.
And, for just a moment, I do want to take it a step further. We’ve talked about how the 23rd Psalm is a comfort to those who are dying and those in this life. Now I also want to talk about life after death. Our reading from the book of Revelation this morning seems to be talking about just that. It paints this gorgeous image of this multitude worshiping the Lamb on the throne:
“After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands.
They cried out in a loud voice, saying, "Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!"”
It goes on… “They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat; for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
And while I don’t often read this text on deathbeds and at funerals, I do often read from the 21st chapter of Revelation which makes similar promises about the life after death:
“See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them;
they will be his peoples,
and God himself will be with them and be their God;
he will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
for the first things have passed away.”
If from the 23rd Psalm we can take away the promise that in this life, even while dying, God is always with us. From Revelation we can take away that God is with us in the next life too. Which, of course, brings us comfort now. That in the next life there will be no more hunger, no more thirst, no more death, no more tears. God will be with us.
The text today also references in that great multitude a certain group of people.
“Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?"
I said to him, "Sir, you are the one that knows." Then he said to me, "These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”
These are those who have come out of the great ordeal - what I hear there is that those who have suffered, those who have been oppressed, those who have been victims of violence in this life - they are with God for all eternity, the God who is the Lamb who they are worshiping is also the Shepherd who will keep them all their days, not just the days here on earth but in the endless days beyond this life.
Now something we need to understand about the book of Revelation was that it was written for a group of people who were being oppressed under the Roman Empire: imprisoned, marginalized, killed for their beliefs. The letter that we know as the book of Revelation was giving them hope for their current situation in coded language as to fly under the radar of the authorities as well as acting as a prophetic vision for a future time and place.
So to hear these promises of the next life as one suffering greatly in this life to hear that God was their Shepherd who would always care for them, even beyond death…it was a comfort and power that could not be matched.
So as you can see, once again, it’s not all about life after death. These Scriptures they’re about life after death and dying and living life now, all three in one. And so let’s view this text from Revelation through our living lives here today in 2022.
We live in divisive, polarizing times. We are segregated and cut off from one another - someone or other is always trying to tell us that those who are different from us are our enemies.
And that’s why we need to hear of this great multitude worshiping the Lamb on the throne: “a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb…: We are in for a shock if we expect heaven to look like Vermilion or to only have those like us. We might begin to ask ourselves: how are we called to live now in light of the great multitude that we will worship in one day? With people from EVERY nation, ALL tribes, ALL peoples, ALL languages… before the throne of God. And those clothed in white who have been oppressed, marginalized, victims of violence…
There are lots of connotations for us today, lots of things we can glean. How we are called to do the work of anti-racism, to do the work of standing up for minorities, to stand with the oppressed, to build diverse, inclusive, and divine communities now so that we can reflect the Kingdom of God.
This is where the text switches from comforting to confronting. It’s okay for these texts to comfort us - to think about green pastures, still waters, and a life thereafter in the presence of the Lamb, our Shepherd. They should comfort us. And they should confront us. To push us to go behind the individualistic comfort, to the power beyond the text, for our lives, and the lives of our neighbors, here and now.
To go from:
God is with me - in life, in death and in life after death,
To
God is with YOU
To
God with us - all of us, not an us versus them, but an us that is the great multitude.
To go from Christ is my Shepherd to we are called to be Christ for others, especially the marginalized and oppressed.
To go from Christ pursues me with goodness and mercy all the days of my life to I will be Christ for others by pursuing them with goodness and mercy.
To let our cups overflow into the cups of others.
To walk right paths alongside those who need someone to take the journey with them.
To seek still waters, peace not just for ourselves but for the whole world.
To not just feast in the presence of our enemies, but invite all to a seat at the table…
This is the power of Scripture. To comfort and to confront so that all may know the love and power of our Shepherd.
May it be so.
Amen.
Revelation 7:9-17
“You Are With Me”
Preached Sunday, May 8, 2022
Since basically the Sunday I got here and probably long before our altar Bible has been opened to the 23rd Psalm. I’ve tried changing what the Bible is open to before but with a Bible this big..it doesn’t work so well. If I wanted to do a Genesis text or even one of the Epistles let alone Revelation - well, we’d be lopsided. The Psalms are right in the middle and I’ve just thought, you know, the 23rd Psalm is a good one to just keep it open to. It’s never not appropriate to have before us. The 23rd Psalm is arguably one of the two most well-known Scriptures, up there with John 3:16.
For me, it’s definitely one of the most comforting Scriptures. I have read it countless times at death beds and funerals. To the point where I’ve joked that you know it’s serious when the minister comes to visit you and she pulls out her Bible and starts reading from the 23rd Psalm. Like, if your soul ain’t right with God at that point, it’s time to pull it together. And one day, when my minister comes to my bedside and starts reading the 23rd Psalm, well, I’ll know they think it’s the end for me. The King’s James Version famously translates the one line as “though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…” And in that time, when a person of faith is dying, the affirmation that God is with them, even now, seems to be a great comfort to many. Other translations take this phrase and call it “the darkest valley.” Truly those who are experiencing a loss, in the midst of grief, perhaps they feel like they are in the darkest valley of their lives - and again, it’s comforting to be told, even now, even in this loss, even in this dark valley with the shadow of death hanging over you, God is with you.
Of course, the comfort and power of this Psalm isn’t just about death and dying - it’s about life and living and God being with you every step of the journey. Every claim this poem makes, every hopeful, promise-filled line - it’s about this life, here on Earth.
“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures.”
Biblical Studies Professor Jin Han says, “Thanks to the good shepherd, the sheep finds rest, sustenance, and confidence in the green pastures next to the water, where everything that the sheep may need or want has been provided.” This struck me cause we often think of wants as, well…stuff, material. But when it boils down to what we all really want - what we need - rest, sustenance, confidence - love…God offers us all that, in this life.
“he leads me beside still waters;”
In Scripture and in other Psalms, water is often depicted as chaos. Like the primordial waters of creation or rapids that threaten to overwhelm you, drowning you under them. But here the Psalm talks about still waters, a place of peace. Our Lord guides us to places of peace and wants peace for our lives and peace for the world.
“he restores my soul.”
God is a healer. He wants healing and wholeness for your soul, in this life.
“He leads me in right paths for his name's sake.”
When we follow the voice of our Good Shepherd, when we follow God’s call in our lives, we will not be led astray. Each of us has a path that God calls us on for this life.
“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff-- they comfort me.”
Look, we know life is hard. There will be dark valleys. There is evil in this world. And it does affect us. And yet the Psalmist says, “I fear no evil.” We too can say this for our lives. Not that we won’t encounter evil but that there is nowhere, nowhere, where you can go where God won’t be with you. Even in the darkest valleys, even as you are dying, we can say along with the Psalmist, “You are with me.” God has a rod to fend off beasts, a staff to guide our steps, and wherever we are, God is right there. Again, this is why “the valley of the shadow of death” is so comforting to those who are on their deathbeds, because it tells us that even in death, the end of life, God is there with you. You are never alone.
My spiritual director would sometimes say to me, “Allison, what are you so afraid of? Why are you acting like the bottom is going to be pulled out from under you?” She has helped me learn that there is no bottom that is ever going to drop out from under me - because I am held in God’s hand. Even in dying and even in death, it is God’s hand that holds me. And God’s hand isn’t going anywhere.
“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”
Even when life is hard, God does not stop taking care of us. And it is not scraps that God is offering us, it’s a feast. It’s not just a sip of water to carry us through, it’s an overflowing cup.
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,”
A different translation for “follow” in this verse could be “pursue” - God pursues us, doesn’t give up, is constantly wooing us with goodness and mercy.
“and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD my whole life long.”
My whole life long. This Psalm offers hope to the dying, yes. And it can offer so much hope and promise and comfort to those living now - that for your whole life, God is with you. You are in God’s care.
And, for just a moment, I do want to take it a step further. We’ve talked about how the 23rd Psalm is a comfort to those who are dying and those in this life. Now I also want to talk about life after death. Our reading from the book of Revelation this morning seems to be talking about just that. It paints this gorgeous image of this multitude worshiping the Lamb on the throne:
“After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands.
They cried out in a loud voice, saying, "Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!"”
It goes on… “They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat; for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
And while I don’t often read this text on deathbeds and at funerals, I do often read from the 21st chapter of Revelation which makes similar promises about the life after death:
“See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them;
they will be his peoples,
and God himself will be with them and be their God;
he will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
for the first things have passed away.”
If from the 23rd Psalm we can take away the promise that in this life, even while dying, God is always with us. From Revelation we can take away that God is with us in the next life too. Which, of course, brings us comfort now. That in the next life there will be no more hunger, no more thirst, no more death, no more tears. God will be with us.
The text today also references in that great multitude a certain group of people.
“Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?"
I said to him, "Sir, you are the one that knows." Then he said to me, "These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”
These are those who have come out of the great ordeal - what I hear there is that those who have suffered, those who have been oppressed, those who have been victims of violence in this life - they are with God for all eternity, the God who is the Lamb who they are worshiping is also the Shepherd who will keep them all their days, not just the days here on earth but in the endless days beyond this life.
Now something we need to understand about the book of Revelation was that it was written for a group of people who were being oppressed under the Roman Empire: imprisoned, marginalized, killed for their beliefs. The letter that we know as the book of Revelation was giving them hope for their current situation in coded language as to fly under the radar of the authorities as well as acting as a prophetic vision for a future time and place.
So to hear these promises of the next life as one suffering greatly in this life to hear that God was their Shepherd who would always care for them, even beyond death…it was a comfort and power that could not be matched.
So as you can see, once again, it’s not all about life after death. These Scriptures they’re about life after death and dying and living life now, all three in one. And so let’s view this text from Revelation through our living lives here today in 2022.
We live in divisive, polarizing times. We are segregated and cut off from one another - someone or other is always trying to tell us that those who are different from us are our enemies.
And that’s why we need to hear of this great multitude worshiping the Lamb on the throne: “a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb…: We are in for a shock if we expect heaven to look like Vermilion or to only have those like us. We might begin to ask ourselves: how are we called to live now in light of the great multitude that we will worship in one day? With people from EVERY nation, ALL tribes, ALL peoples, ALL languages… before the throne of God. And those clothed in white who have been oppressed, marginalized, victims of violence…
There are lots of connotations for us today, lots of things we can glean. How we are called to do the work of anti-racism, to do the work of standing up for minorities, to stand with the oppressed, to build diverse, inclusive, and divine communities now so that we can reflect the Kingdom of God.
This is where the text switches from comforting to confronting. It’s okay for these texts to comfort us - to think about green pastures, still waters, and a life thereafter in the presence of the Lamb, our Shepherd. They should comfort us. And they should confront us. To push us to go behind the individualistic comfort, to the power beyond the text, for our lives, and the lives of our neighbors, here and now.
To go from:
God is with me - in life, in death and in life after death,
To
God is with YOU
To
God with us - all of us, not an us versus them, but an us that is the great multitude.
To go from Christ is my Shepherd to we are called to be Christ for others, especially the marginalized and oppressed.
To go from Christ pursues me with goodness and mercy all the days of my life to I will be Christ for others by pursuing them with goodness and mercy.
To let our cups overflow into the cups of others.
To walk right paths alongside those who need someone to take the journey with them.
To seek still waters, peace not just for ourselves but for the whole world.
To not just feast in the presence of our enemies, but invite all to a seat at the table…
This is the power of Scripture. To comfort and to confront so that all may know the love and power of our Shepherd.
May it be so.
Amen.
Call to Worship for Easter 5C based on Revelation 21:1-6
L: Sunday is the day of Christ’s resurrection.
P: The day that Jesus broke the chains of sin and death.
L: The day where everything changed.
P: And so today, we pray for God to change us.
L: To renew, restore, and redeem us.
P: That we may share in the resurrection of our Lord.
L: Friends, take heart. For God is making all things new.
P: A new heaven and a new earth.
L: A whole new creation where we all will be with God.
P: May we feel God’s Holy Spirit with us now.
L: Sunday is the day of Christ’s resurrection.
P: Let us worship our risen Lord.
All: Hallelujah! Amen.
P: The day that Jesus broke the chains of sin and death.
L: The day where everything changed.
P: And so today, we pray for God to change us.
L: To renew, restore, and redeem us.
P: That we may share in the resurrection of our Lord.
L: Friends, take heart. For God is making all things new.
P: A new heaven and a new earth.
L: A whole new creation where we all will be with God.
P: May we feel God’s Holy Spirit with us now.
L: Sunday is the day of Christ’s resurrection.
P: Let us worship our risen Lord.
All: Hallelujah! Amen.
Wednesday, May 4, 2022
Prayer for Families and the Economy
Prayer for Families and the Economy
We pray that all of our homes, and the homes of our loved ones, would be
places of love
places of safety,
places of of acceptance
places of joy, of laughter, of flourishing.
We ask this of you, Holy God.
God who is our Divine Parent, Jesus our Brother, Spirit our Breath.
May all our homes be places where your love is freely given and graciously accepted.
Bless these families and these homes. May your blessings overflow.
We pray also and especially for those families and homes where this is not the case:
Where there is animosity instead of love,
Where there is violence instead of safety,
Where there is rejection instead of acceptance,
Where there is sorrow, tears, and family feels more like a cage than a place of flourishing:
God we pray: intervene.
May your Spirit bring resolution, restoration, and healing.
Even more boldly we pray: use us for this task.
May we be the hands of feet of Christ to our neighbors, showing them love and acceptance and what family can and should look like.
And lastly today we also pray for the economy, that undue hardship won’t fall upon our families and our homes.
We pray for a time of peace and a time of prospering.
We pray that each and every member of our community’s needs are met.
And again, we boldly pray, that where help is needed, you use us for that task:
To spur us toward generosity, to spur us toward caring for one another, for sharing the load.
We pray that those who need help may always find a hand reaching out to them.
We pray this is the hand of God and our hands, the very same.
We boldly pray all this in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
National Day of Prayer Community Gathering
May 5, 2022
Holy Loving God who is our Divine Parent,
We pray to you for our families:
For our families of blood,
our families of choice,
and above all, our families of love.
Holy Loving God who is our Divine Parent,
We pray to you for our families:
For our families of blood,
our families of choice,
and above all, our families of love.
We pray that all of our homes, and the homes of our loved ones, would be
places of love
places of safety,
places of of acceptance
places of joy, of laughter, of flourishing.
We ask this of you, Holy God.
God who is our Divine Parent, Jesus our Brother, Spirit our Breath.
May all our homes be places where your love is freely given and graciously accepted.
Bless these families and these homes. May your blessings overflow.
We pray also and especially for those families and homes where this is not the case:
Where there is animosity instead of love,
Where there is violence instead of safety,
Where there is rejection instead of acceptance,
Where there is sorrow, tears, and family feels more like a cage than a place of flourishing:
God we pray: intervene.
May your Spirit bring resolution, restoration, and healing.
Even more boldly we pray: use us for this task.
May we be the hands of feet of Christ to our neighbors, showing them love and acceptance and what family can and should look like.
And lastly today we also pray for the economy, that undue hardship won’t fall upon our families and our homes.
We pray for a time of peace and a time of prospering.
We pray that each and every member of our community’s needs are met.
And again, we boldly pray, that where help is needed, you use us for that task:
To spur us toward generosity, to spur us toward caring for one another, for sharing the load.
We pray that those who need help may always find a hand reaching out to them.
We pray this is the hand of God and our hands, the very same.
We boldly pray all this in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Tuesday, May 3, 2022
"Struck Down, Full of Fish, Redeemed and Forgiven" a sermon on Acts 9:1-20 & John 21:1-19
Acts 9:1-20
John 21:1-19
“Struck Down, Full of Fish, Redeemed and Forgiven”
Preached Sunday, May 1, 2022
Okay - let me go ahead and state the obvious: those were some long Scriptures! And we’re really going to dig into the stories we just heard, so without further ado:
John 21:1-19
“Struck Down, Full of Fish, Redeemed and Forgiven”
Preached Sunday, May 1, 2022
Okay - let me go ahead and state the obvious: those were some long Scriptures! And we’re really going to dig into the stories we just heard, so without further ado:
Story 1 from Acts:
Saul is breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord. In the chapters before this Saul oversaw and approved of the killing of Stephen the first Chritian martyr. The Bible says that Saul was ravaging the church. He was ransacking homes, arresting people, putting them in jail. In the reading from today he continues to look for ways to persecute those who were following the teachings of Jesus.
The Scripture paints the picture of a power-hungry man. He got the taste of power when people laid their cloaks at his feet and a man was killed before him. Here was a man on what he believed as a mission from God, a righteous mission - a crusade, if you will. And he had power and control and access to violence to do it.
He sounds like some people today. People that I’m honestly scared of. Scared of the power they crave, the control they wield, the violence they enact or oversee. Scared that they believe that what they are doing is sacred and they will achieve it by any means - not afraid of who they step over or on, who gets stoned and dies on the way. It’s truly frightening to me how many people think their so-called missions are from God when their end game is hate. White supremacists and nationalists are on the top of my mind - those who spew hatred of those who are different than them: different race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion - they say: I am right and you are wrong so I will hurt you, you don’t deserve to live a full life, or even live at all… and they cloak it in religious language to justify the violence. And so often people hear the religious language and it’s like a wolf in sheep’s clothing and they are fooled, swallowing agendas that are so far removed from the two greatest commandments, love of God and love of neighbor. Saul was a long way off from those two greatest commandments too.
If I was ever going to call someone an enemy, it would be Saul and men like him. If there was ever anyone to avoid, anyone to completely write off, anyone to give up on seeing any glimmer of good in - it would be Saul.
We’ll come back to this story but for now, story 2 from John:
The disciples have a lot on their minds. It’s been about a week since the resurrection of Jesus. They’ve seen Jesus twice since then. I think Peter and the other disciples were still trying to figure out what all this could mean, trying to figure out what their next steps were, trying to figure out how their lives were going to change - were they? What was next? Talk about information overload. And in that moment where the future was unknown and scary Peter says, I’m going fishing. He was a fisherman after all, before he started following the rabbi from Nazareth around. And the other disciples say: I’m going with you. In a time of uncertainty, of an unknown future, they return to what was familiar…only to not catch a single fish. Only to spend the whole night with their nets empty. Talk about a hopeless situation. I bet they were about ready to throw in the towel - not just on fishing but maybe the whole thing, the whole Jesus thing, the whole disciple thing - so many possible paths were before them…I know I can get decision fatigue or overwhelmed when I don’t know what the future holds. I bet the disciples felt that ten fold.
Bear with me here - it reminds me of the current dialogue about talking about climate change with Gen Z. Educators and climate activists are trying to find the line between correctly describing the predicament we are in and not pushing the students into despair or nihilism, instead giving them hope for a better future and equipping them with the tools to help shape that future.
Environmental Studies Professor, Sarah Jaquette Ray said this about teaching climate change to Gen Z students in a 2020 article from Fortune:
“Digging into environmental studies introduces young people to the myriad ways that our world’s interconnectedness threatens the future. Some students become so overwhelmed with despair and grief that they shut down. Many stop coming to lectures and seminars. They send depressed, despairing emails. They lose their bearings, question their relationships and education, and barely pass their classes…They often seem on the brink of nihilism before we even cover the syllabus.”
Saul is breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord. In the chapters before this Saul oversaw and approved of the killing of Stephen the first Chritian martyr. The Bible says that Saul was ravaging the church. He was ransacking homes, arresting people, putting them in jail. In the reading from today he continues to look for ways to persecute those who were following the teachings of Jesus.
The Scripture paints the picture of a power-hungry man. He got the taste of power when people laid their cloaks at his feet and a man was killed before him. Here was a man on what he believed as a mission from God, a righteous mission - a crusade, if you will. And he had power and control and access to violence to do it.
He sounds like some people today. People that I’m honestly scared of. Scared of the power they crave, the control they wield, the violence they enact or oversee. Scared that they believe that what they are doing is sacred and they will achieve it by any means - not afraid of who they step over or on, who gets stoned and dies on the way. It’s truly frightening to me how many people think their so-called missions are from God when their end game is hate. White supremacists and nationalists are on the top of my mind - those who spew hatred of those who are different than them: different race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion - they say: I am right and you are wrong so I will hurt you, you don’t deserve to live a full life, or even live at all… and they cloak it in religious language to justify the violence. And so often people hear the religious language and it’s like a wolf in sheep’s clothing and they are fooled, swallowing agendas that are so far removed from the two greatest commandments, love of God and love of neighbor. Saul was a long way off from those two greatest commandments too.
If I was ever going to call someone an enemy, it would be Saul and men like him. If there was ever anyone to avoid, anyone to completely write off, anyone to give up on seeing any glimmer of good in - it would be Saul.
We’ll come back to this story but for now, story 2 from John:
The disciples have a lot on their minds. It’s been about a week since the resurrection of Jesus. They’ve seen Jesus twice since then. I think Peter and the other disciples were still trying to figure out what all this could mean, trying to figure out what their next steps were, trying to figure out how their lives were going to change - were they? What was next? Talk about information overload. And in that moment where the future was unknown and scary Peter says, I’m going fishing. He was a fisherman after all, before he started following the rabbi from Nazareth around. And the other disciples say: I’m going with you. In a time of uncertainty, of an unknown future, they return to what was familiar…only to not catch a single fish. Only to spend the whole night with their nets empty. Talk about a hopeless situation. I bet they were about ready to throw in the towel - not just on fishing but maybe the whole thing, the whole Jesus thing, the whole disciple thing - so many possible paths were before them…I know I can get decision fatigue or overwhelmed when I don’t know what the future holds. I bet the disciples felt that ten fold.
Bear with me here - it reminds me of the current dialogue about talking about climate change with Gen Z. Educators and climate activists are trying to find the line between correctly describing the predicament we are in and not pushing the students into despair or nihilism, instead giving them hope for a better future and equipping them with the tools to help shape that future.
Environmental Studies Professor, Sarah Jaquette Ray said this about teaching climate change to Gen Z students in a 2020 article from Fortune:
“Digging into environmental studies introduces young people to the myriad ways that our world’s interconnectedness threatens the future. Some students become so overwhelmed with despair and grief that they shut down. Many stop coming to lectures and seminars. They send depressed, despairing emails. They lose their bearings, question their relationships and education, and barely pass their classes…They often seem on the brink of nihilism before we even cover the syllabus.”
(https://fortune.com/2020/08/19/generation-z-climate-change-activism/)
Sometimes the situation just seems hopeless - perhaps something that disciples on that fishing boat and today’s students of the environment would agree upon.
And now our third story - but we have to go back to the story of Holy Week first:
The story of how Peter, who swore he would never deny or betray Jesus, denied knowing him 3 times in order to save his own skin. Denied ever knowing him, following him, having anything to do with him. And Jesus had known he was going to do it. Had told Peter such. And now he was alive again? How could he ever look Jesus in the eye again? He had messed up so royally - he had betrayed Jesus and everything he had ever stood for. Maybe he felt like he barely knew who he was anymore - beating himself up with shame and remorse. On that hopeless fishing boat, maybe he thought it was time to go home with his tail between his legs.
I think all of us can relate to Peter just by being human. We’ve all felt shame. We’ve all felt remorse. We’ve all messed up. We’ve all wanted to walk away, at some point or another.
Okay - wow. This is kind of depressing, isn’t it! Let’s take a deep breath - breathe out despair and breathe in hope - because remember, these stories aren’t over yet.
Back to Saul:
This man who deserves to be written off. This man who wields power and control and violence. Who has stoned a man, ransacked homes, thrown people in prison all for his agenda…he is struck down, struck blind, and hears, clear as day, the voice of Jesus: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”
At this same time a disciple named Ananias had a vision from God to welcome Paul into his home and heal him of his blindness. And Ananias is like, “You’ve GOT to be kidding me!? Saul is the worst! I’d be putting my life at risk!” And yet Jesus tells him again to do it. And he does. Scales fall from Saul’s eyes. Saul is baptized. He stays in the house with Ananias and the other disciples for several days - man, I would have loved to have known what conversations were had in that house between Saul and the disciples in those days - and then Scripture says “and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying ‘He is the Son of God.’”
Saul, who we know as Paul, was completely and utterly redeemed. A man who would have scared any of us. A man hellbent on a misguided mission of hate and violence…he is irrevocably changed, redeemed - because God didn’t give up on him. And Ananias and the disciples in Damascus didn’t give up on him. If they had written Saul off like he deserved to be - how different his fate would have been - and the fate of the Church today - built so much on Paul’s letters.
Saul reminds us that no one is beyond redemption - not even those who seek power and control and wield violence today.
In preparation for this sermon I read stories about white nationalists who have left that life and ideology. I read one story about Derek Black, a young man who was raised by his parents to be at the center of the white nationalist movement. He curated a website alongside his father that actually targeted children and youth to draw them into the white nationalist movement. It’s a very long story, Derek’s is. But it’s a story of widening his world view of learning - it’s a story of a Jewish classmate, Matthew Stevenson, who, knowing who Derek was, invited him to weekly Shabbat dinners - much like Ananias opened his home to Paul. Derek eventually denounced white nationalism, which led to his parents denouncing him. (https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/the-white-flight-of-derek-black/2016/10/15/ed5f906a-8f3b-11e6-a6a3-d50061aa9fae_story.html)
There are actually many stories like Derek’s. Of people leaving cults of hate, often because they came to know those they were supposed to hate as loving, kind people. It’s hard to leave behind everything you’ve ever known - but when it’s leaving behind hate and moving toward love - never say impossible.
And so, back to the hopeless fishing boat with the disciples.
After a long night with empty nets, just as they were about to throw in the towel - a man appears on the beach. He calls out to them and tells them to cast the net on the other side of the boat. And as they do their nets are overflowing - they can hardly pull them in - it turns out to be 153 large fish! To go from ZERO for HOURS to such a large bounty - the man on the beach it had to be Jesus. Who else could take a hopeless situation and turn it into a feast? The disciples had fish in their nets now, yes - and they likely also had hope in their hearts. There was a future for them - a future of purpose and joy - as long as they followed the man on the beach, as long as they didn’t lose sight of Jesus.
And while many Gen Z and others regardless of generation, can so easily sink into nihilism, they’re also springing to action. “According to Pew, 32% of Gen Z respondents have participated in at least one major environmental action of the course of the past year, such as donating, volunteering, attending a rally, or contacting an elected official.” This is a whole 12 percent more than baby boomers. Yes, there is a lot to be done. But is it hopeless? No, not when there are bright young people who make the environment their top priority - of which 76% of Gen Z say it is their number one issue they care about. (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/sep/06/gen-z-climate-change-careers-jobs)
I pray that no situation in my life or this world is ever truly hopeless - I pray that all of us could have hope and act on it for the sake of our planet and each other, for love of God and love of neighbor.
And now, one more story to finish:
When the disciples start pulling the fish up into the boat, Peter abandons ship. Not to run away from Jesus, but to run - or in this case, swim - toward him. He may have been wondering how he could ever look him in the eyes again. He messed up so massively. But now he knows - he NEEDS to look Jesus in the eyes again. He needs to be with him right now - no, he couldn’t even wait for the boat to make it to shore. He puts on clothes and jumps in the water and swims to shore…and Jesus asks him, “Do you love me?” Peter says, “Yes, you know I love you!” A second time Jesus asks him, ‘Do you love me?” Peter says, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” And now a third time Jesus asks him. “Do you love me?” And the text says that Peter is hurt by this. I wonder if Peter was wondering - have I messed up this badly? This badly that you no longer believe what I say? Is it so bad that you no longer believe I love you? Have I messed up to the point I’m irreparable? But this third time, Jesus accepts his answer of “Lord, you know everything. You know I love you.” You know everything - all the times I’ve messed up. All the times I’ve denied you. All the shame and remorse I’ve felt - and now too - my love for you. Denied 3 times, Jesus now has given Peter the ability to walk back every denial with a statement of love. And he gives him forgiveness and purpose - don’t go home like a dog with your tail between your legs - follow me, feed my sheep - go wherever life takes you, follow me until the end. And we know that Peter does just that, faithfully loving and serving Jesus until he dies for him.
Peter reminds us that there is always forgiveness. That no sin, no mess up, no betrayal or denial of love of God or love of neighbor - it is ever beyond forgiveness.
Today we’ve looked at three stories from Scripture - people or situations that seemed utterly hopeless - but through the power of Jesus Christ, violence was struck down and its perpetrator redeemed. Nets were filled with fish and hearts were filled with hope. Statements of love were made and forgiveness found.
And all of this is the case because of the central story of our faith. One more story from Scripture, I promise to make it quick. And that story is:
That God loves us so much that God became human form in Jesus, lived and taught among us, healed and showed the way of love. And when the Good of Love died at a cross at the rejection of the world, not even the grave could hold him. Death was defeated. Christ was resurrected - and better yet, he shares his victory over death with us.
Because of this, because of the central story of our faith - there is no story that is ever a lost cause or hopeless - there is no story, no situation, no person ever beyond the hope and hand of God.
May we live as if this is so.
Amen.
Sometimes the situation just seems hopeless - perhaps something that disciples on that fishing boat and today’s students of the environment would agree upon.
And now our third story - but we have to go back to the story of Holy Week first:
The story of how Peter, who swore he would never deny or betray Jesus, denied knowing him 3 times in order to save his own skin. Denied ever knowing him, following him, having anything to do with him. And Jesus had known he was going to do it. Had told Peter such. And now he was alive again? How could he ever look Jesus in the eye again? He had messed up so royally - he had betrayed Jesus and everything he had ever stood for. Maybe he felt like he barely knew who he was anymore - beating himself up with shame and remorse. On that hopeless fishing boat, maybe he thought it was time to go home with his tail between his legs.
I think all of us can relate to Peter just by being human. We’ve all felt shame. We’ve all felt remorse. We’ve all messed up. We’ve all wanted to walk away, at some point or another.
Okay - wow. This is kind of depressing, isn’t it! Let’s take a deep breath - breathe out despair and breathe in hope - because remember, these stories aren’t over yet.
Back to Saul:
This man who deserves to be written off. This man who wields power and control and violence. Who has stoned a man, ransacked homes, thrown people in prison all for his agenda…he is struck down, struck blind, and hears, clear as day, the voice of Jesus: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”
At this same time a disciple named Ananias had a vision from God to welcome Paul into his home and heal him of his blindness. And Ananias is like, “You’ve GOT to be kidding me!? Saul is the worst! I’d be putting my life at risk!” And yet Jesus tells him again to do it. And he does. Scales fall from Saul’s eyes. Saul is baptized. He stays in the house with Ananias and the other disciples for several days - man, I would have loved to have known what conversations were had in that house between Saul and the disciples in those days - and then Scripture says “and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying ‘He is the Son of God.’”
Saul, who we know as Paul, was completely and utterly redeemed. A man who would have scared any of us. A man hellbent on a misguided mission of hate and violence…he is irrevocably changed, redeemed - because God didn’t give up on him. And Ananias and the disciples in Damascus didn’t give up on him. If they had written Saul off like he deserved to be - how different his fate would have been - and the fate of the Church today - built so much on Paul’s letters.
Saul reminds us that no one is beyond redemption - not even those who seek power and control and wield violence today.
In preparation for this sermon I read stories about white nationalists who have left that life and ideology. I read one story about Derek Black, a young man who was raised by his parents to be at the center of the white nationalist movement. He curated a website alongside his father that actually targeted children and youth to draw them into the white nationalist movement. It’s a very long story, Derek’s is. But it’s a story of widening his world view of learning - it’s a story of a Jewish classmate, Matthew Stevenson, who, knowing who Derek was, invited him to weekly Shabbat dinners - much like Ananias opened his home to Paul. Derek eventually denounced white nationalism, which led to his parents denouncing him. (https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/the-white-flight-of-derek-black/2016/10/15/ed5f906a-8f3b-11e6-a6a3-d50061aa9fae_story.html)
There are actually many stories like Derek’s. Of people leaving cults of hate, often because they came to know those they were supposed to hate as loving, kind people. It’s hard to leave behind everything you’ve ever known - but when it’s leaving behind hate and moving toward love - never say impossible.
And so, back to the hopeless fishing boat with the disciples.
After a long night with empty nets, just as they were about to throw in the towel - a man appears on the beach. He calls out to them and tells them to cast the net on the other side of the boat. And as they do their nets are overflowing - they can hardly pull them in - it turns out to be 153 large fish! To go from ZERO for HOURS to such a large bounty - the man on the beach it had to be Jesus. Who else could take a hopeless situation and turn it into a feast? The disciples had fish in their nets now, yes - and they likely also had hope in their hearts. There was a future for them - a future of purpose and joy - as long as they followed the man on the beach, as long as they didn’t lose sight of Jesus.
And while many Gen Z and others regardless of generation, can so easily sink into nihilism, they’re also springing to action. “According to Pew, 32% of Gen Z respondents have participated in at least one major environmental action of the course of the past year, such as donating, volunteering, attending a rally, or contacting an elected official.” This is a whole 12 percent more than baby boomers. Yes, there is a lot to be done. But is it hopeless? No, not when there are bright young people who make the environment their top priority - of which 76% of Gen Z say it is their number one issue they care about. (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/sep/06/gen-z-climate-change-careers-jobs)
I pray that no situation in my life or this world is ever truly hopeless - I pray that all of us could have hope and act on it for the sake of our planet and each other, for love of God and love of neighbor.
And now, one more story to finish:
When the disciples start pulling the fish up into the boat, Peter abandons ship. Not to run away from Jesus, but to run - or in this case, swim - toward him. He may have been wondering how he could ever look him in the eyes again. He messed up so massively. But now he knows - he NEEDS to look Jesus in the eyes again. He needs to be with him right now - no, he couldn’t even wait for the boat to make it to shore. He puts on clothes and jumps in the water and swims to shore…and Jesus asks him, “Do you love me?” Peter says, “Yes, you know I love you!” A second time Jesus asks him, ‘Do you love me?” Peter says, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” And now a third time Jesus asks him. “Do you love me?” And the text says that Peter is hurt by this. I wonder if Peter was wondering - have I messed up this badly? This badly that you no longer believe what I say? Is it so bad that you no longer believe I love you? Have I messed up to the point I’m irreparable? But this third time, Jesus accepts his answer of “Lord, you know everything. You know I love you.” You know everything - all the times I’ve messed up. All the times I’ve denied you. All the shame and remorse I’ve felt - and now too - my love for you. Denied 3 times, Jesus now has given Peter the ability to walk back every denial with a statement of love. And he gives him forgiveness and purpose - don’t go home like a dog with your tail between your legs - follow me, feed my sheep - go wherever life takes you, follow me until the end. And we know that Peter does just that, faithfully loving and serving Jesus until he dies for him.
Peter reminds us that there is always forgiveness. That no sin, no mess up, no betrayal or denial of love of God or love of neighbor - it is ever beyond forgiveness.
Today we’ve looked at three stories from Scripture - people or situations that seemed utterly hopeless - but through the power of Jesus Christ, violence was struck down and its perpetrator redeemed. Nets were filled with fish and hearts were filled with hope. Statements of love were made and forgiveness found.
And all of this is the case because of the central story of our faith. One more story from Scripture, I promise to make it quick. And that story is:
That God loves us so much that God became human form in Jesus, lived and taught among us, healed and showed the way of love. And when the Good of Love died at a cross at the rejection of the world, not even the grave could hold him. Death was defeated. Christ was resurrected - and better yet, he shares his victory over death with us.
Because of this, because of the central story of our faith - there is no story that is ever a lost cause or hopeless - there is no story, no situation, no person ever beyond the hope and hand of God.
May we live as if this is so.
Amen.
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