On the Way to Wonder

“When they saw him, they worshiped him;

 but some doubted. (Matthew 28:17)”

Matthew tells us that after the resurrection, the disciples returned to Galilee to a mountain top as they had been instructed.  They were to meet with Jesus there.  According to the text, Jesus appears but the response was a mixed review.  Some worshiped but some doubted.  The post resurrection experiences are watershed experiences.  The resurrection is a watershed experience for us today.  Some believe, we call it faith, and others doubt.

Perhaps to put it a bit crudely, it reminds me of some sort of ralley that people come to. The candidate is convincing but the audience leaves divided. I have seen magicians pull rabbits out of hats but I do not necessarily believe the trick is genuine power.  I have heard the words,  “I love you,” and seen the ardor and know the disappointment of broken promises.  People can see the risen Christ but many did not necessarily immediately believe.

  Most of us have had those experiences in life that impact the direction of our lives.  We say, “I do” to marriage amd our life changes forever. There is no going back, only out.  A baby is born and life changes.  We accept a job and life changes.  I love Robert Frost’s poem, “The Road Less Traveled.”  Two paths in a woods lead in two different directions and the person chooses the one less traveled.  It has made all the difference.   When faced with the resurrected Christ we choose, worship or doubt.

I like this definition from the Internet of what Christians mean by worship:

“Put simply, worship is declaring the greatness of someone or something. … It is the act of giving up your own glory to make sure everyone knows that the thing being worshiped is pretty awesome. To put it even more succinctly, worship is bowing down to lift up.”

So doubt is questioning the greatness, the right to glory, the truth of someone.  Not everyone believes or worships the risen Christ.   Let’s ponder for a moment what we worship, what we think is great and worth lifting up above ourselves.  What are we willing to bow down before?  I can believe Pres. Biden is president of the United States but I may not bow down to that belief.  The disciples believed the reality of the risen Christ and it led to worship, to bowing down to lift him up.

Bowing down is a relinquishing of our rights.  I bow down and worship by going to church on Sunday rather than sleeping in.  I bow down and worship when I sing music that focuses me on eternal values.  If you are discouraged today, think of what makes you forget yourself and leads you to bow down in awe.  The disciples when they saw Jesus, alive, worshiped.  He meets us today.  Let us not be doubters but worshipers.  

Matthew 28:16-20

16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 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, 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’ 

Mountain top experiences are always significant in the Bible.  It may be an idiom for speaking of one of those “liminal spaces” where the divine and the moral meet.  They may be sacred spaces, places that we today might call “thin places” where the spiritual and the ordinary seem to meet.  In Kenya a large tree standing by itself might be recognized as a sacred space and often there would be a leg of goat dangling from the limb, a sacrifice to the gods.  We consider churches, mosques, synagogues as sacred spaces and places of refugee.  They are places of prayer.  They are places of symbolism.  Christian churches often have a cross, a Bible, an altar, a baptismal font, and perhaps instruments of music. Candles set a calm, meditative atmosphere.  We can step out of the distractions of life and meditate or focus on our spiritual journey.

The disciples went to a mountain-top, like Moses and Elijah before them had gone.  They went to meet with Jesus.  I note that Jesus initiated the meeting.  It was not the lost looking to be found but a rondevou of friends.  So where do you go when you want to spend time with God?  Actually, I am not a nature person because of allergies but I do have my recliner chair where I can have a cup of coffee, read and meditate in the morning or retreat to when I come home from work.  I am the sort of person that works best with routines and known places so my soul relaxes. The routine sets a spiritual rhythm in my soul. God can meet us anywhere and often in the unexpected places but having designated places that our bodies know to relax and reflect is also a good spiritual discipline

What places are special or sacred to you?  What characterizes the space?  Do you have routines or traditions that help your soul unwind?  Perhaps take time to reflect on times of spiritual encounter and think of common themes that characterize these encounters.  God invites us to call upon his name, “(Psalm 50:15) Call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”  2 Peter 5:2 tells us to “cast your cares on him for he cares for you.”  Spend some time today in your special place and meet with the one who holds your life in his hands. 

First Reading: Acts 8:26-40

26An angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a wilderness road.) 27So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, queen of the 

Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship 28and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to this chariot and join it.” 30So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31He replied, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him. 32Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this:

 “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter,

  and like a lamb silent before its shearer,

   so he does not open his mouth.

 33In his humiliation justice was denied him.

  Who can describe his generation?

   For his life is taken away from the earth.”

34The eunuch asked Philip, “About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” 35Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. 36As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?” 38He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. 39When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. 40But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he was passing through the region, he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

Psalm: Psalm 22:25-31

 25From you comes my praise in the great assembly;

  I will perform my vows in the sight of those who fear the Lord.

 26The poor shall eat and be satisfied,

  Let those who seek the Lord give praise! May your hearts live forever!

 27All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord;

  all the families of nations shall bow before God.

 28For dominion belongs to the Lord,

  who rules over the nations. 

 29Indeed, all who sleep in the earth shall bow down in worship;

  all who go down to the dust, though they be dead, shall kneel before the Lord.

 30Their descendants shall serve the Lord,

  whom they shall proclaim to generations to come.

 31They shall proclaim God’s deliverance to a people yet unborn,

  saying to them, “The Lord has acted!” 

Second Reading: 1 John 4:7-21.    

7Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. 10In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.

  13By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14And we have seen and do testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world. 15God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God. 16So we have known and believe the love that God has for us.

  God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. 17Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world. 18There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. 19We love because he first loved us. 20Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. 21The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.

Gospel: John 15:1-8

 [Jesus said:] 1“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. 2He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. 3You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. 4Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. 5I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. 6Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.”

CHILDREN’S SERMON

Jesus told us a parable in Matthew 21:35 about a landowner who “planted a vineyard.  He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and went away on a journey.”  Let’s see how well we listened.

Question 1.  Who owned the garden?  (Landowner/God)

Question 2.  How did the landowner prepare his vineyard? (allow congregation to share: wall, winepress, watchtower)

Question 3.  What did the vines have to do to bear fruit?

Let’s apply this to Bethany garden.

Who owns the garden.  I want us to realize the right answer is God.

How do we protect the garden?

Who are the renters?

What must the plants do to grow?

What might be the desire of the owner for his vineyard?

Let us pray:  Lord may the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing in your sight, my Rock and my Redeemer.

SERMON

Today is the fifth of seven Sundays in the 40 days of the Easter season.  On Easter Sunday we remembered those early followers who found the grave empty and Jesus’ crucified body missing.  We who have 2,000 years of witnesses to the resurrection probably have become numb to the shocking events of that first Easter.  The Easter season traces proofs of the resurrection and its implications.  We have looked at personal testimonies of people who saw the risen Christ that day. We looked at how the resurrection was foretold in Scripture and its implication for life following the resurrection.  Jesus did not rise just to let us know he conquered death. There is more to the story and perhaps like Thomas we have doubts.  Easter is not just an event but the start of a relationship. 

Last week we looked at how Jesus is our Good Shepherd and actively cares for us even as he described himself to his followers.  We may not see him but often feel his love, protection, and guidance. He is alive and shepherding us. We recognize his voice in prayer, in music, in friends, and in his word.  He did not leave us to our own ways to meet again in heaven. He walks with us like a good shepherd. Today’s text adds another dimension to our understanding of God.  Resurrection life is like garden life.

A second major imagery that is used in the Bible to describe the relationship between the Creator and his creation is the garden.  God is like a landowner who plants a garden.  That garden is called the Kingdom of Heaven that Jesus talked about,  Resurrection is not just about believing that Jesus rose but it is also about transformed lives, lives that grow and produce. We are part of a garden and a vine planted by the master gardener, with a purpose to bear fruit. 

In our text we have three characters: God the vine grower, Jesus the vine, and we the branches.

  “…my Father is the vine grower.”

“This is My Father’s World,” is a song we love to sing.  We teach our children, “He’s got the whole world in his hands.”   Unlike several of the garden parables that Jesus tells where the owner goes off on a trip to a distant country only to return, Jesus here has the vine grower personally involved with his plants.  He may seem distant, off in heaven, but truthfully he is more like you people tending Bethany Gardens.  Those plants may not be able to understand you, as human is a different part of reality than the plants, but your care and your presence is nurturing them.

God is involved.  God is not sitting off in the heavenlies waiting for messages from angels or waiting for the final judgment.  He is personally involved with his garden today.  He is presented as the “grower.”  I sometimes think we confuse God and Santa Clause.  We think that if we are good and produce lots of grapes that God for sure will reward us and if we are lazy then he will punish us.  The Jews felt the same way.  The man born blind must have sinned.  The Pharisees who fasted must be holier.  The woman caught in adultery must be the guilty party.  We believe if we are good then we should have the good life.  This passage says, though, that God throws away the dead branches but prunes the good branches so they will be more productive. Difficult times may not mean that God is far away but that God is intimately involved in growing our lives.

I would like us to focus in on the word “vine grower” this morning.  1 Corinthians 6:19 says,  “19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.”  For us Americans this is a bit of a mouthful.  We value our independence.  Perhaps seeing God as the Good Shepherd leading us to the green fields, the good life, is an attractive idea.  Many evangelists sell the Gospel as God giving us health, wealth, and prosperity if we only have enough faith.  But many of us people watching the TV know that some days life just plain hurts.  It is not fun to watch our bodies and our loved ones decline.  It hurts to see the wars on the news.  And we grieve for wayward offspring.  Our Gospel today starts by reminding us that we are not independent Americans but dependent plants of the God of the universe and dependent on the vine.  God is the vine grower and we are a branch.  That is a humbling thought.

The text challenges me to scan my spiritual life and ask myself if I am busy looking at the grass in the garden on the other side of the fence and believing the lie that it is greenery over there?  It is so easy to think someone else is more blessed because they have more of the goodies of life, a bigger house, more successful children or are happier.  The evil one loves to tempt us to compare our life with others.  The truth is that God is ultimately in control and not the US Government or medicare or Social Security or the Stock Market.  That’s hard to trust because we can’t see, touch, nor control God.

Our text concludes by reminding us that the purpose of the vineyard is to glorify the Father, not to glorify ourselves.  Trials tempt us to turn our eyes from God to ourselves or others and play the comparison game.  The owner of the garden positions the plants as he sees fit, prunes the plants as he sees fit, gives manure to the plants as he sees fit, and ultimately the vine grower receives the glory even as Bethany Gardens did.  You are not a mistake but a valued plant in God’s garden.

Jesus is the vine. “I am the true vine…”.    

Not only are we not in control because we are not the grower, we are also not unique in our dependence on the vine that God is planting.  Our cultural individualism is challenged.  We would like to think that we can be John Wayne riding in to the rescue and be the hero or heroine of our own life story.  But in fact our text tells us we are not.  We can do nothing that matters without Jesus.  Acts 4:12 tells us that, “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.’ That is counter cultural.   The “next frontier” is not outer space or the Wild West but our own hearts and we need to draw strength from Jesus, the vine.  

We value diversity and tolerance.  We would like to think “all roads lead to Rome…or God.”  My kids tell me, “Drink your kool-aide and I’ll drink mine, Mom.”  Not only do we want to be independent, we like to think of ourselves as individuals, our own bosses.  We would prefer to hear about the Good Shepherd who wants us to help rescue the lost rather than a vine that we must be attached to.

But let us reflect a moment. We see Jesus praising the widow who gave only two mites, all she had in her poverty, and not the rich who may have helped to build the Temple.  We see him praise the faith of the Canaanite woman who begs for crumbs from the master’s table so that her daughter may be healed.  He praises the Centurion who does not feel worthy for Jesus to even enter his home.  God is not in the business of picking on the poor and rewarding the rich. He praises those who understand their dependence on Jesus to be the vine they draw strength from.  

God prunes the good plants so that they bear more fruit.  It is when we are going through what is called “the dark night of the soul”, those times of suffering, that we are tempted to think that God has abandoned us or is punishing us for some sin we did not confess.  Prunings are trials that force us to dig deep from our faith and that drive us to depend on Jesus in deeper ways.  We know bad things happen to good people and not all the troubles we have come from God for we live in a fallen world but trouble feels personal.  It’s hard to remember that ultimately we are promised that all things work together for him who believes and trusts God.  

So our text points us to Jesus as the true vine that we are attached to.  We are not independent branches, able to choose which vine we want to grab on to.  We must attach to Jesus whom we know was just crucified, often misunderstood, had no real home, was betrayed, and who lived a life just like ours.  His divinity did not mean he was rewarded with the “good life” any more than our faith guarantees the “good life” if we would just pray harder.  Jesus too was planted by the “vine grower” with a purpose to produce healthy, productive branches that bore fruit.  He was not sent to just make people happy.  Jesus is the source of power for life.

Again, we are challenged today to ask ourselves who our heroes are and our models.  What is the source of our strength?

The challenge: Abide. “Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. 

The second hymn that comes to mind as I read this text is “Abide with Me”.  Henry Lyte wrote the hymn in the early 1800s as he struggled with illness all his life.  It was first sung at his funeral.  “Abide” is not a common word or even a slang word we use today so let’s ponder it for a moment. Abiding in the vine is the quality the vine grower is looking for in this passage.  It is from this abiding, this dwelling in his truth, that the branch is able to produce fruit.  

As we all know, the garden does not produce fruit or vegetables all year round.  There are seasons for planting, for growing, for harvesting. Abiding does not mean we are always producing fruit.  One of the marvels to me of the Midwest was the change of seasons.  Winter when trees are just sticks and barren does not mean they are dead or not valued.  It is easy as elders, which most of us are, and as we approach retirement to feel like we are the unproductive branches, getting ready to die.  Our culture puts so much value on productivity that when we are sick, unemployed or old, we feel useless. Our text would disagree with Western thinking on this.

I would prefer to think of productivity as not just the size of our activity or our church but the size of our hearts and souls, our healthy connectivity to the vine, the extent to which the fruits of the spirit are displayed in our lives individually and corporately. Galatians 5:22 says “But the fruit of the Spirit is love joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.  Against such things there is no law.”  These spiritual qualities are not dependent on our age, our wealth or our ethnicity.  These fruits are dependent, though, on being connected to the vine, to Christ.  When I am tired, when I am in a difficult situation, I need his energy, his guidance, his power to flow through me.

All plants do not receive the same personalized care as those in the garden.  Also a garden has various kinds of plants even as a vine has lots of branches.  The church around the world is part of the vine and we are challenged to work together by this passage.  I am not prepared to say all roads lead to Rome, that all plants are connected to the vine, but the branches connected to the vine of Jesus and that abide in him will be supervised by God and pruned for growth.  

The reflective question challenging us to think today might be to ponder what interrupts that relationship with the vine, with the power source of our life?  Am I too busy, too tired, too stressed, too what ever to be abiding in Jesus?  Am I tuned in to the right channel?  Is my spiritual Internet working?  Am I in the right spiritual loop?

The benefit of an abiding relationship is that Jesus says we can ask whatever we want. Abiding means there is an open, two way communication with our power source with no interruptions, no brownouts, and no power surges. 

 8My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.”

  We do not get the gold medal in the spiritual Olympics.   God does. God is the vine grower, supervising his vineyard, and we are the branches abiding in his vine.  The vine is Jesus.  He is our source of life and energy.  Without him we can do little of eternal, nor of worldly value.  The Easter season challenges the kingdom of this world’s values. We are not the determiners of our destiny.  We are not independent individuals.  Hard work is not the source of power for success.  The kingdom of heaven looks to God—our owner, Jesus—our source of power, and abiding—our daily challenge.

Let us close by hearing the words of ‘Abide with Me.”

Abide with me, fast falls the eventide

The darkness deepens Lord, with me abide

When other helpers fail and comforts flee

Help of the helpless, oh, abide with me.

Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day

Earth’s joys grow dim, its glories pass away

Change and decay in all around I see

O Thou who changest not, abide with me.

I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless

Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness

Where is death’s sting?

Where, grave, thy victory?

I triumph still, if Thou abide with me…

Let the people of God say “Amen!!”

Tomorrow’s Gospel text will focus on Jesus’ claim that he is the vine and we are the branches in John 15.  The Father is the vine grower.  Jesus tells his followers this as he heads to Gethsemane before his arrest.  Those truths are the broad paint brushes that impact our lives today if Jesus truly resurrected.  Let’s take a moment and dwell in this truth set to music to prepare our hearts for tomorrow.  Jesus’ presence in our lives makes a difference because he is not just a good ideology but a real being journeying with us.  Blessings.

Jesus opens a conversation with the disciple Peter as they eat breakfast by the Sea of Galilee after the resurrection.  He knows Peter carries a load of guilt in his heart.  Guilt is the feeling we have when we fail our own expectations of ourselves. Peter had sworn in front of everyone that he would be faithful to Jesus even if it meant death.  But when the moment came, Peter caved.  He had bravely gone to the trial but watched from a fire pit nearby.  He was asked if he was not indeed one of Jesus’ friends and he denied three times knowing Jesus.  He had failed himself and he was guilty. Shame is when we fail our community.  Peter had not only failed to be the person he wanted to be but he had also failed to stand by Jesus in his hour of need.  There was a roadblock in their relationship.  Guilt and shame do that. 

Most of us have made decisions that lead us down the wrong path.  We have no one to blame but ourselves.  The disciple Peter was guilty and carried a load of shame.  Love drove him to the trial and fear led him to compromise.  Now Jesus is risen and he comes to Peter to heal the relationship.  Jesus helps Peter and gives the gift of presence but how is the air going to get clear to restore healthy relationship?  Our past mistakes corrupt our present relationships. 

We know this scenario and know the awkwardness of having to repair a broken relationship.  Who goes first?  How do we confess and repent?  Jesus, after having breakfast with the disciples, turns to Peter and breaks the ice with a question in John 21: 15.  “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?”  Jesus goes to the core of the issue.  Love of self or love of God?  Three times Jesus asks the question so there can be no mistake what Jesus is talking about.  Peter answers, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you” twice.  The third time Peter breaks and responds, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”  Jesus does not give Peter a lecture but instead gives him a task, “Feed my sheep.”

Guilt is so heavy and forgiveness so hard to believe and receive.  It is as the other puts trust in us that relationship begins to grow again, gets renewed and begins to strengthen.  The skeletons in our closet seem to pop out and upset things at the oddest moments.  One of the greatest gifts that Jesus in the resurrection gives us, is the gift of forgiveness.  We know we have eternal forgiveness with God with whom we are promised to spend eternity – sin has been paid for, but we are also given the power to forgive others and ourselves.

Perhaps there is a weight you have been carrying around deep inside your soul.  Forgiveness is not changing the past but leaving the past in God’s hands to give retribution and to allow him to continue directing our future in new ways because of the bad turns we made.  Jesus does not want us to carry those past burdens but wants us to be good shepherds caring to the best of our ability for others he brings into our lives.  Resurrection means we can have renewed life and relationships now. Blessings as you place your mistakes in the Shepherd’s hands.

“When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Peter (John 21: 15)”

We are pondering the events following the resurrection of Jesus and their possible implications for us, now.  The point of the resurrection seems to be more than the fact that “Jesus conquered death,” or “paid the price for our sin,” as the cliches say.  Jesus did not show up at the Temple showing the religious authorities that he was right and they were wrong.  He appeared personally in lives that first Easter.  Next he meets his followers in Galilee as promised.  They have returned to fishing while waiting for him to appear.  They catch nothing. After the disciples recognize him, come to shore with an abundant catch of fish, and fellowship over breakfast, Jesus turns to Peter.  Jesus does not want to just be recognized as alive but he now starts to bring new life to his followers.  He is now beginning to create a kingdom of people transformed by the reality that he is alive.  Jesus gives hope to the tired, food to the hungry but then goes beyond physical needs to the emotional health of Peter. Peter is carrying a load of guilt.  He denied Jesus at the trial, three times.

Physical health is important but emotional, social, psychological health is necessary to create a healthy community.  Barriers between people as well as barriers within us are as important as physical limitations like exhaustion and hunger.  The resurrection is about eternal life but it is also about a healthier life here and now.  We can all be riding on the same bus to a destination but if we can’t live together, it is a very uncomfortable ride.

So how do we define health?  “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”  Choose three adjectives that describe each dimensions of health for you today.  For example, I might describe physical health as: energy, strength, and good sleep.  Choose three of your own words to describe each dimension: physical, mental, social.  This is a good place to start prayer for yourself…and for the other with whom you are traveling.  God bless you on your journey.

John tells us about the encounter by the Sea of Galilee of some of the disciples and Jesus.  We can look at the account and note all the funny details.  When an unknown man tells the disciples to cast their net on the other side of the boat and their net becomes loaded with fish.  They realize it is Jesus, not by looks but by the unlikeness of the encounter.  Peter is so excited he puts on his clothes and jumps in the water to wade to shore!  They are so excited that they take time to count the fish.  153 fish were caught.  And in the excitement they are afraid to ask who it is because they know it is Jesus.  What a collection of weird opposing facts.  Get dressed to swim?   Count fish in the middle of a celebration?  Fear mixed with excitement? 

John records this as the third encounter between the risen Christ and the disciples (John 21: 7-14).  Interestingly Jesus had a fire prepared with roasted fish on it.  The 153 fish were a bonus, an abundant blessing beyond what was needed.  Abundance.  When Jesus fed the 500 there was abundance left over.  It seems that Jesus does not just want us to survive the night, to break even, to satisfy the minimum expectation but Jesus is in the business of blessing us abundantly.  “I have come that they might have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)” For fishermen, fish roasting on a fire and 153 large fish more would certainly bring a sense of abundance.  

How do we measure abundance today?  Unfortunately for many it is measured by their bank account.  For others it is measured by good grades or good health or famous talents.  Many just want to be loved.  When people can’t sleep, they are told to count sheep.  Perhaps a better challenge today when we feel so confined would be to count the blessings we have.  For a start, name a blessing for each finger on your hand – that’s a hand full.  “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine!”  Try for two hands full of blessing.  You are on your way to abundance! Perhaps you fell asleep feeling blessed.

4 Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Jesus said to them, ‘Children, you have no fish, have you?’ They answered him, ‘No.’ 6 He said to them, ‘Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.’ So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. John 21:4-6

Peter and friends have returned to Galilee, their home area to wait for Jesus who promised to meet them there.  They have decided to go fishing.  That was their profession, their comfort zone.  A night on the Sea of Galilee would feel good after all they had been through.  Right?  In fact, they caught no fish and were tired and probably frustrated.  A stranger on the shore yelled at them to toss their nets on the other side of the boat.  They did and the nets were loaded with fish.  We are seeing growth in the followers.  When Jesus in person told them to cast their nets in a similar situation in Luke 5, they obeyed and were rewarded.  Now they are told by a stranger on the shore and they obey and are rewarded.  John was the first to make the connection that they had gone through this experience before of fishing, catching nothing, and Jesus telling them to try the other side.  He looked at the shore more closely and recognized the risen Christ. God sometimes surprises us and meets us “on the other hand” as we learn to follow his lead in unexpected ways.

The truth is that God’s ways are not our ways.  It does not come natural to forgive, to turn the other cheek, to go the extra mile.  It does not come natural to spend time going to worship on Sunday.  We want to play or get other things done when we are not at our profession.  Jesus calls to us and tells us to throw our nets on the other side of the boat, on the other side of a situation. It is often when we look in unexpected places and act in unexpected ways that we find the Lord going ahead of us.

My kids loved for me to read the story of Balaam and his donkey.  The donkey refused to go forward because the donkey could see the angel with a huge sword blocking the way.  Balaam beat his donkey and God gave the donkey voice.  “Why are you hitting me?  I am trying to stop you from getting in trouble!”  Sometimes when we keep coming to an impasse, we need to try a new approach and to stop and ask where the Lord is in the experience.  

That dawn long ago, Jesus was on the shore with a fish roasted for breakfast because he knew the disciples were weary from work and needed to eat before he could talk to them.  He knew their situation better than they and he knew their needs.  It is still true today.  We find the risen Christ in the unexpected turns of our lives and he feeds our souls – but it may not be what we expected.  He knows!  He cares!

John 21:1-3 

21 After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. 2 Gathered there together.  were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. 3 Simon Peter said to them, ‘I am going fishing.’ They said to him, ‘We will go with you.’ They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

Times were changing for the followers of Jesus after Easter Sunday.  They had built their lives around their “leader” whom they thought was the Messiah and whom they thought would eliminate Roman occupation and set up a new way of life.  But he had been crucified and they were living into what resurrection meant.  We know about transition times like that.  I joke and say, “I forgot to read the fine print under the I-do of marriage vows.”  I was handed my college degree and suddenly I was in an unstructured time frame looking for work.  My husband passed last Fall and I am now learning what it means to be a widow.  Transition times are spiritual growth challenges as we learn new ways of organizing our spiritual disciplines and as we learn to recognize the voice of God in new ways.

 Time has passed and the disciples have gone north to the Sea of Tiberias (the Sea of Galilee) to wait, to meet Jesus as he had instructed.  The disciples are in this transition period from having Jesus present, being the leader, setting the agenda and focus of attention, but now they do not have that daily structure to frame their lives to life not seeing him physically.  They decided to structure their time with the familiar.  Peter suggests they go fishing.  We too can bide time watching TV, job hunting, cruising the Internet for explanations of medical diagnoses, or chatting on the phone.

What helps us structure our time during those liminal times.  It might be focusing on getting our wardrobe organized for the upcoming season.  We might focus on preparing our gardens as we sense spring coming. Holidays provide some structure as we see stores start advertising Christmas earlier and earlier and shopping for that right present occupies our thoughts.  Rituals like weddings, baptisms, and confirmation give celebrate these transitions and give rhythm to life.  The disciples went out fishing because that was what they knew how to do.  It was their comfort zone.

Spiritual disciplines also give structure to our lives.  Journaling in the morning or in the evening is a way to bring closure to yesterday, a way to park events in a book and process a bit.  Daily devotional readings are ways to start the day on a positive note rather than starting with a list of to-dos that can feel overwhelming before the day even starts.  Many find times of prayer or meditation help to focus minds on the presence of God in the midst of the flurry of life.  Exercise is important.

Mountain-top experiences are spiritually exhilarating and are fun but eventually we come down to everyday life.  This week we will look at how the risen Christ reached out to his disciples during this transition time.  Take time to think about ways that help you remember the God who walks with you daily even when you cannot see him. He’s there and he has gone ahead to meet you!  

First Reading: Acts 4:5-12

5The next day [the] rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem, 6with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. 7When they had made the prisoners stand in their midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” 8Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, 9if we are questioned today because of a good deed done to someone who was sick and are asked how this man has been healed, 10let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead. 11This Jesus is

 ‘the stone that was rejected by you, the builders;

  it has become the cornerstone.’

12There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.”

Psalm: Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not be in want. (Ps. 23:1)

 1The Lord is my shepherd;

  I shall not be in want.

 2The Lord makes me lie down in green pastures

  and leads me beside still waters.

 3You restore my soul, O Lord,

  and guide me along right pathways for your name’s sake.

 4Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil;

  for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 

 5You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

  you anoint my head with oil, and my cup is running over.

 6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,

  and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. 

Second Reading: 1 John 3:16-24

16We know love by this, that [Jesus Christ] laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. 17How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?

 18Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. 19And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him 20whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 21Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God; 22and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him.

 23And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 24All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us.

Gospel: John 10:11-18

[Jesus said:] 11“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. 14I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. 16I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 18No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”

CHILDREN’S SERMON

If I were with you, I would start us out by singing the old Gospel song, “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms.” https://youtu.be/DObsJ1PSdnQ?si=-KuzovkNeW85GB3k 

 Leaning on the Everlasting Arms

(Leader)What a blessedness, what a peace is mine leaning on the everlasting arms.

Chorus: (everyone lean to your right and repeat after me:)

Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms

Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms. 

(Leader) What have I to dread, what have I to fear, leaning on the everlasting arms? I have blessed peace with my Lord so near leaning on the everlasting arms.

Chorus:  (repeat after me again only this time lean to your left.)

Let us pray:  May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight, my Rock and my Redeemer.

SERMON

The Easter season starts on Easter Sunday and lasts for the next 40 days until we celebrate Ascension, Christ’s return to heaven, and then Pentecost and the gift of the Holy Spirit on May 12th.  Before the incarnation of Jesus gods lived in the heavens, were distant, and were observing or ruling like a king in his castle.  The Judaic God spoke with Abraham or Moses or through prophets or sometimes to kings.  If the Romans were right, gods  perhaps had children by humans but were distant super heroes with super powers.  We know kings have knights that represent and fight for them and they have concubines and sire children.  Other religions talked about how we can become good enough to reincarnate as a higher form of life or meditate and join Nirvana.  Christianity is different.  It builds on Judaism with the continued revelation of the Advent story of a god coming to earth, taking on humanity within itself, dying and resurrecting.  That was shocking but now at Easter there is no resurrected body and the followers are trying to make sense of the events!  The whole understanding of God is being reformatted and our Easter series takes us through this transformation.  We no longer understand God to be a divine king in the sky but a being, triune, involved intimately with our lives.  Our faith journey also goes from the possibility of believing in a God in the heavens to getting our mind around a God who actually comes to us and is for us.  He is not just accomplishing his goal but is partnering with us to defeat evil.  It is important to know just what kind of god we are leaning on.

So far we have looked at the testimonies of people who saw the risen Christ.  Mary Magdalene saw Jesus at the tomb and recognized him when he called her name on Easter Sunday.  Personal testimonies confirm the resurrection.  Mary responded “Rabboni – Teacher”.  Cleopas and friend who saw Jesus that afternoon, were led through Scripture by Jesus, and recognized him in the breaking of bread.  Fulfilled prophesy confirmed that the resurrection was not a fluke incident but foretold.  Scripture confirms for many of us the reality of an incarnate, resurrected God.  We can commune with him in the sacraments.  Last week we read that Jesus walked through closed doors, was touched and ate food Easter evening.  A resurrected body is somehow like our human bodies but different.  We have no idea how many people saw Jesus then but we know Jesus appeared and was real.  That may not be our experience and like Thomas we may ask questions.  Thomas was not there but Jesus came again a week later and again appeared and proved he was not only risen but had a real body.  Thomas responded, “My Lord and my God.”  We know something is real because it passes the touch test or the taste test.  Our senses confirm reality and we dare to lean on the everlasting arms.

Today’s text is given to us to ask ourselves:  Does the risen Christ meet the description he gave of himself when he was alive and that is recorded in Scripture?  Are we leaning on the Good Shepherd resurrected or have we been deceived?  Psalm 23 is our psalm reading for today from the Old Testament and we read John 10 from the New Testament.  Both claim that Jesus is the “Good Shepherd.”  Are we leaning, leaning on a “Good Shepherd” or is he still a distant being governing the universe?

  We cannot see Jesus now but then we cannot see many things and we know the unseen is real and impacts our Iives.  We prepare for the impact of a hurricane here in Florida even though we cannot see the wind, we know it can devastate our lives.  We commit ourselves to marriage on the promise of love even though we cannot see it and even if the person dies, we still feel love for the person.  We believe the doctor about disease inside our bodies when we only feel symptoms.  We submit to operations praying they will heal us.  In the same way, Jesus claims to be the “Good Shepherd. Our text gives us three ways we can know this reality in our lives today.  A Good Shepherd lays down his life for his sheep.  Jesus says that means that 

1. We are in a RELATIONSHIP:  The good shepherd does not run away in danger. He knows his sheep and they know him.
2. He and we have Voice:  The good shepherd has sheep in many folds that he can unite.  His sheep know his voice and listen to him.
3. He has POWER:  The Good shepherd has the power to lay down his life and take it up again.

Today we ask if Relationship, Voice, and Power are experienced as we lean on the risen Christ?

Leaning on a Relationship

1“I am the good shepherd. 

The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 

The shepherd laying down his life for his sheep is often understood as Christ dying on the cross for our sin.  He did not run away from ransoming us from the penalty of our sin – death. I would understand sin to be our state of separation from God and the sins, the little things we do that separate us from each other and from God.  We have all sinned.  We know that all people die but we believe we do not need to perish eternally.  I have grown to embrace this truth as Jesus walking through death, showing us that nothing can terminate our relationship with God nor separate us from him.  We may walk through the “valley of the shadow of death” but we know that he walks with us.  We know that his kingdom is eternal and not of this world.  We hear those promises and even though they are a bit far off, we accept them in faith.  It is an undeserved gift.

But are there ways that we see Christ laying down his life for us today?  Is it present truth we can lean on or is it just a future promise?  What does leaning on the Good Shepherd mean today?

The first thing I think of is the presence of God in our parents and friends who share resources.  They are willing to “lay down”, give away, part of what is theirs so another might be happy. Good parents love children even when the child is naughty and immature.  They love them when they are tired and grumpy.  They care for their creation and share with that child as it grows.  Even so God does not demand perfection but hangs in with us with our quirks and irregularities as we grow.  

All are invited to “ask, seek, and find.”  We can affirm that the sun shines on the good and the bad, on the obedient and the disobedient.  We can affirm that blessings of flowers and nature are for everyone.  God doesn’t play favorites. If the “climate change” people are right, it is not God who is destroying nature but the greed of people, the hirelings, who were put in charge of “ruling over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground. (Genesis 1:26)  Nature itself affirms that God gives life and does not randomly take life, shoot people and destroy.  When fire races through an area, homes of the good and the bad are destroyed and it will not be long before new life begins to blossom again.  Nature suffers under the condemnation of sin but it is always growing life.

But, you might say, that is all pretty much a passive, perhaps automatic relationship.  Good people and bad people like to grow gardens and water flowers.  Nature does not necessarily speak to a risen Christ.  So my second example of the good shepherd laying down his life and not running away like a hireling is the way parents with wayward children are willing to wait in the sidelines while “youth sow their oats” and mature, praying that someday the child will return home. The parables that comes to mind is the prodigal son.  God, the father, does not force his creation, his son, or us to be good.  We are not programmed like a robot or drone. The father shares his inheritance with his son and welcomes the wayward child even as he is prepared to reward the faithful child.  Just because I do not touch Jesus right now, does not mean that he is not here.  He is interceding.  He is speaking to us through dreams, through the Word, through friends.  He lays down his life by working with us rather than insisting we do it his way and when we stray, he welcomes us and looks for us.  We can lean into that truth.

Direct contact with the risen Lord today is often done through his representatives – the Word, the people, the music, and more.  Does our heart not burn within us like the two on the road to Emmaus when we read the word and a verse speaks exactly to the dilemma we are facing?  Does not our spirit rise within us when we hear the music playing that speaks Christ’s words to our weary souls on Sunday morning?  Does not love enter our barren spirits when we are hugged, embraced and cared for by friends – even when we have blown it?

Jesus is the Good Shepherd that brings life to our world today and does not run away like a hireling.  He is there in Israel and Iran, in Eukraine, in famine relief camps, in hospitals, and all the ugly places of life. He will be there during the elections in November.  He stays in relationship with us.  He speaks daily through his creation, through his partnering with us as we grow and learn his ways, and through his various representatives.  He does not run away like a hireling when we are ugly, sick or grumpy.  He does not go home when his shift is over.  He cares and leads us to green pastures, beside still waters and restores our spirit – for his name’s sake.  He walks with us through the valley of the shadow of death and prepares a banquet for us in his kingdom.  We can turn to him and lean on him when life is hard.  The cross shows us  that he understands and shares our pain.

Leaning on a Voice

4I am the good shepherd. 

I know my own and my own know me, 

15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. 16I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

“They will listen to my voice.”  It is possible to read these words in an authoritative way but also to read them in a partnership way. When I think of Jesus as the God of the universe I might think of God speaking on Mt. Sinai to Moses and giving the Ten Commandments that the Jews built a code of laws around. I might think of Jesus giving the Sermon on the Mount.  Both lay out the guidelines for living the blessed life.  When I think of leaning on the voice of God, I think of choosing to build my life, submitting my will to the wisdom he imparts through his word and his prophets or preachers.  Leaning on a voice implies trusting and obeying a being I know is wiser than I and committed to a good solution for all. 

Perhaps a question worth pondering from our text today is to ask ourselves how much time we spend listening to the voice of Jesus versus how much time we spend catching up on the news daily?  If we believe Jesus is alive, risen and active in our world, do we tune in to hear his broadcast daily or are we content to receive a Sunday vitamin pill that is being regurgitated by the pastor? I find as a retired person, having time to sit and listen is a great blessing.  I love Tevya in Fiddler on the Roof when he sings about being just a little wealthy  and reflects that then he would have time to sit with the holy men by the Eastern wall and reflect on the words of God. “That is the sweetest thing of all.” Jesus is alive, is risen, and does speak today but are we listening?  He is far wiser than I and worth leaning on.

The other aspect of voice is the implied partnership. If I have “voice”, it means I have the right to speak, to offer suggestions, to make my opinion known realizing it will be listened to.  It does not necessarily mean I am the only voice in the room or the determinative voice on a matter.  I am not the commander nor am I a beggar, I am partnering with the community.  So leaning on Jesus’ voice may not necessarily carry the sense of obeying an authority as much as the right to be in conversation with the living Jesus.  As I grow older, I realize partnership with Christ is not the same as the power struggles with my parents.  Jesus partners with his sheep, speaking to them, guiding them.  He is not driving and domineering.  He moves them at their pace, looking for food and directing them but never in a demanding way.  He may sing to them and he knows each one.  We hear his voice in all aspects of life, can trust and lean.

Prayer is the process by which we lean on the everlasting arms.  The Good Shepherd knows our name and is in relationship with us.  He is leading us and walking with us, not just to order but also to converse.  After the crucifixion and resurrection, there was no physical Jesus but followers still needed ways to be in relationship with God, needing guidance, direction and help.  There was no Bible like we have, no radio programs, and no TV evangelists.  They and we need access to God’s authoritative voice but also every believer has access to his partnership voice.  The authoritative voice and the partnership voice are there for Christians today.  We hear his voice through prayer, through Scripture, through music, and through community as he guides us into our better selves.  Leaning is listening.

But so often God seems silent.  To this response, I think of our modern day “active listening” slogan – “hearing someone into voice.”  When God uses his voice through silence, it does not imply absence but focused listening.  As we speak and God listens, we clarify our thoughts, our wishes, our petitions and find our own voice and identity.  God’s silent voice partners with me to draw me into active voice.  I can lean on him even when he is silent and seems distant because I know he is listening.

The voice of Jesus today is worldwide, building a universal church that includes people from every tribe and nation and that speaks every language.  Those early disciples did not imagine that there would be followers of Jesus in the United States, half a globe away, even if they had known the world was round.  One of the proofs that Jesus lives is how the early church quickly evolved into a mission group reaching out to the then known world – England, Rome, India,Egypt, and Ethiopia all had early witness and churches.  Our challenge today is molding the great diversity of a living Christ into a universal Church where all are welcome and hear Christ’s voice. We are part of an a universal body that leans on the one head, the risen Jesus.

Leaning on His Power

17For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 

18No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”

Leaning on Jesus as a power source is the third witness to the reality of the risen Christ present in our world today.  Jesus had the power to lay down his life and the power to take it up, to live again.  Jesus walked through death in order to show us that death does not have the final say. Jesus had power but how do we see that in our lives as we lean on him?

I see this power in hospitals started in his name, hospitals that defeat disease.  I see it in schools that defeat ignorance.  I see it in translation efforts that defeat the barriers of language.  I see it in refugee camps that resettle people running from war and terror.  These efforts are not just generated by Christianity but Christianity does have a long record of reaching out to the needy in powerful, life giving ways.

Personally, faith in the reality of Christ in our world gives us power to do that which we thought was impossible and which the world does not model.  We can forgive our enemies, those who hurt us or abuse us.  That does not mean we keep allowing abuse but we can forgive those who were less than we wanted them to be. We can turn the other cheek more than seventy times seven. We find the courage to speak truth to power. 

Christ alive gives us power to love the difficult to love.  Many parents find deep love for children born with developmental challenges.   Others are able to persevere with children in drugs, children who are wayward and children who are ungrateful.  It is not easy but God gives us the power, the power to take up life again after the death of our dreams.  As we lean on the risen Christ we can dream the impossible dream and run the impossible race, drawing from deep resources he provides.

That first Easter season must have been a very confusing and emotional time.  The early followers did not have centuries of Christians sorting out theology and beliefs.  They met behind closed doors in fear of being killed.  They were the first to live into what resurrection would mean and how it would shape their future.  Relationship with Jesus would not be broken but would take on new dimensions.  Christians could stay connected in the body of Christ through fellowship, through prayer, and through worship.  They would hear his voice in new ways – prayer, music, friends.  And they would find new strength and power to face the trials they would encounter.  Jesus was indeed the Good Shepherd who did not abandon his sheep during times of upheaval. Death could not separate Jesus from his followers.  Resurrected, he would continue to be with them.  They would learn to lean on him in new ways, even as we are learning to lean today.  

The Lord is my Shepherd and I shall not want!

Leader)What a blessedness, what a peace is mine leaning on the everlasting arms.

Chorus: (everyone lean to your right and repeat after me:)

Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms

Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms. 

(Leader) What have I to dread, what have I to fear, leaning on the everlasting arms? I have blessed peace with my Lord so near leaning on the everlasting arms.

Chorus:  (repeat after me again only this time lean to your left.)

Let the people of God say, “Amen, the Lord is risen!”