First Reading: Isaiah 66:10-14

 ¹⁰Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her,
  all you who love her;
 rejoice with her in joy,
  all you who mourn over her—
 ¹¹that you may nurse and be satisfied
  from her consoling breast;
 that you may drink deeply with delight
  from her glorious bosom.

 ¹²For thus says the Lord:
 I will extend prosperity to her like a river,
  and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing stream;
 and you shall nurse and be carried on her arm,
  and dandled on her knees.
 ¹³As a mother comforts her child,
  so I will comfort you;
  you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.

 ¹⁴You shall see, and your heart shall rejoice;
  your bodies shall flourish like the grass;
 and it shall be known that the hand of the Lord is with his servants,
  and his indignation is against his enemies.

Psalm: Psalm 66:1-9

 ¹Be joyful in God, all you lands; be joyful, all the earth.
 ²Sing the glory of God’s name; sing the glory of God’s praise.
 ³Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!
  Because of your great strength your enemies cringe before you.
 ⁴All the earth bows down before you,
  sings to you, sings out your name.” 
 ⁵Come now and see the works of God,
  how awesome are God’s deeds toward all people.
 ⁶God turned the sea into dry land, so that they went through the water on foot, and there we rejoiced in God.
 ⁷Ruling forever in might, God keeps watch over the nations;
  let no rebels exalt themselves.
 ⁸Bless our God, you peoples; let the sound of praise be heard.
 ⁹Our God has kept us among the living and has not allowed our feet to   slip.

Second Reading: Galatians 6:[1-6] 7-16

 [¹My friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Take care that you yourselves are not tempted. ²Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. ³For if those who are nothing think they are something, they deceive themselves. ⁴All must test their own work; then that work, rather than their neighbor’s work, will become a cause for pride. ⁵For all must carry their own loads.
 ⁶Those who are taught the word must share in all good things with their teacher.]
 ⁷Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. ⁸If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. ⁹So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. ¹⁰So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith.
 ¹¹See what large letters I make when I am writing in my own hand! ¹²It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh that try to compel you to be circumcised—only that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. ¹³Even the circumcised do not themselves obey the law, but they want you to be circumcised so that they may boast about your flesh. ¹⁴May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. ¹⁵For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is anything; but a new creation is everything! ¹⁶As for those who will follow this rule—peace be upon them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.

Gospel: Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

¹After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. ²He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. ³Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. ⁴Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. ⁵Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’ ⁶And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. ⁷Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. ⁸Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; ⁹cure the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ ¹⁰But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, ¹¹‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.’ ”

 ¹⁶“Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”

 ¹⁷The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!” ¹⁸He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. ¹⁹See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. ²⁰Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

CHILDREN’S SERMON

The Old Lion & the Fox

An old Lion, whose teeth and claws were so worn that it was not so easy for him to get food as in his younger days, pretended that he was sick. He took care to let all his neighbors know about it. He lay down in his cave to wait for visitors. And when they came to offer him their sympathy, he ate them up one by one.

         The Fox came too, but he was very cautious about it. Standing at a safe distance from the cave, he inquired politely after the Lion’s health. The Lion replied that he was very ill indeed, and asked the Fox to step in for a moment. But Master Fox very wisely stayed outside, thanking the Lion very kindly for the invitation.

         “I should be glad to do as you ask,” he added, “but I have noticed that there are many footprints leading into your cave and none coming out. Pray tell me, how do your visitors find their way out again?”

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

SERMON – Going in and out of the Lion’s den

We have gone from the mountaintop of Pentecost to the valley of real life where we encounter evil and are challenged to focus on our commitment to follow Jesus.  No if, buts or firsts!  To be a follower of Jesus is to have no place but Christ to rest our head and heart!  Today we visit Luke 10 that has become one of the models for our marching orders as followers of Jesus.  Jesus pictures God as a harvester preparing to collect the harvest.  He compares his group of followers to lambs facing wolves. These lambs, us, are sent out before he comes.  We are sent people.  We help to prepare for his coming.  This is kind of like the fox in Aesop’s fable, arriving at the den of the old Lion.  The Lion was defeated at the crucifixion but he still is alive and inviting us into his den.  How do we understand his welcome?  Is there a back door for escape from his den?

We are sent

Master Fox received an invitation from Mr. Lion.  The followers of Jesus are sent with the invitation from Jesus.  Both invitations are open to all but we notice the Lion’s has strings attached.  His welcome is not genuine.  His aim is death, not life.  Jesus’ intentions were genuine.  Jesus not only wants all to be invited but his goal is life.  Let us notice that he sends us out in community, in pairs to relate in homes.  This passage is not Paul preaching in the Forum or Peter speaking at Pentecost.  This has a certain warmth and communal feeling.  This passage speaks to us. 

         Our second son got a job after his freshman year of college, selling “the Book.”  He was promised $3000 for the summer and coming from the mission field, that sounded fantastic.  He and another guy were teamed up, dropped on a corner in a Midwest town and told to start door knocking to find a house that would take them in to sleep on their floor for the summer.  I had never heard of anything like that.  They found a lady who took them in and they slept on her floor and lived on peanut butter.  I made an emergency trip to the States that summer!!!  That ended any sales career for his future. 

         Those early followers were also sent out to find a home that would take them in.  They were not selling books for some company but sharing about their experience with Jesus who was coming.  Sharing our story is part of growing as disciples.  Most of us will not go door knocking but we do meet people every day and have opportunities to share our faith.  People are not forced to believe in Jesus, they are invited, often through the presence of another.  As sent ones and followers, our lives are not random or meaningless.  We have purpose.   Those early followers were not sent to convert people but to share about Jesus. Jesus is coming.  God gives faith but we often learn about that gift through others who are willing to share their experiences with us.

         We are sent people with a message. We are helpless as sheep before the wolf or an old lion but we are not alone.  We are part of a body and the Holy Spirit goes with us.  Jesus continues to describe the process?

No preparation needed.

         How many times do we hesitate to share our experience of faith because we feel we are not qualified?  This group does not seem to be uniquely qualified.  70 people means more than the apostles.  They were men and women and no special education was shared by all.  They were not seminary graduates.  They were ordinary people like you and me but they were committed to Jesus.

         I also note that these people didn’t need a purse, a bag, or sandals; and were not to be distracted by anyone on the road.  Not only were qualifications not mentioned but preparations didn’t seem to be important.  In Kenya, the people we worked with were nomads living in the desert.  It always amazed me that they started their journey to see someone with only their staff and spear.  They carried no suitcases of goods.  No 4WD cars were driven with spare parts.  A spear for snakes or lions and perhaps a small gourd of water but otherwise they went forth, convinced that they would be received with generosity.  The host would be required to kill a goat!  How different from us Westerners who arrived with shipments of goods to ensure our former lifestyle.  No preparations perhaps implies an assurance that God goes with us and will give us the words and will lead us to the right people who will be receptive. 

         Do we see God’s hand directing and leading us in our daily encounters?  Our news today certainly talks about the fear of the stranger and the potential danger from people who might be a mass murderer or carry a virus or be a foreigner with evil intent.  The ole Lion wants us to enter his cave but like the Fox, we fear danger.  Jesus sends us forth and says to not be afraid.  As we celebrate July 4^th tomorrow, we might ponder those early pilgrims arriving on this continent facing all the unknown challenges and mostly armed with faith.  So what slows us down from sharing today?

         The 70 were not specially educated, not specially equipped, and were also told to carry a message of “peace.”  The animals in the fable visited the Lion to comfort him in his illness.  It makes me think of the angels singing to the shepherds in the Christmas story, “Peace on earth, goodwill to people.”  It is so easy to fall into the “you’re a sinner and need the message of salvation I bring” thinking, judging the other’s lifestyle before we know them and the factors affecting their life.  This Luke passage focuses on sending and bringing “peace” to share with another, not theological debate. When we are at peace with another, we are more willing to open our hearts and be transparent.  When we feel attacked we tend to become defensive and shut down.  The Lion was sly to fake illness.  We are sent with real peace, peace from above that the world does not give.  What are we sharing?

         Jesus tells the 70, if there is not the presence of peace in the encounter, move on.  No one will be argued into heaven.  Don’t waste spiritual energy chasing unreceptive hearts.  Perhaps the time is not right or perhaps you are not the right person.  Just because our heart is ready to share, does not mean the other is ready to receive.  Paul said that some of us plant the seed of faith, some of us water the seed, some of us are the manure, and some of us get to see the harvest.  May we not let rejection bog us down but be fuel for our prayers.  

         Interestingly, Jesus then warns the 70, “Do not move about from house to house.”  I would understand this to mean that we are to be people who bring peace and who build relationships.  We are not just engaging with people to tell them about Jesus but we are developing relationships.  The famous quote from the end of Matthew says, “go and make disciples of all nations, teaching them to obey all I have taught you, and I will be with you.

“…the kingdom of God has come near”

Now this is a heavy statement to end our day.  As believers we are not just saved from the guilt and shame of our sins, to use language of some preachers.  We are sent people bringing the kingdom of God near to others.  Just as we go with no special qualifications necessary and no special preparations needed, each one of you is God’s special representative right where you are.  We are representatives of the kingdom of heaven, an ambassador according to Paul.  So as we end this sermon, the question we might ask ourselves is what type of ambassador are we.  Would someone else recognize us as a representative of Jesus?  Do the words we speak let others know that Jesus is coming and cares about them?

     The Lion’s den did have a back door but no one could find it if someone did not tell them where it was.  Unlike Mr. Fox, we do not have a choice about being in the Lion’s den.  We do have a choice, though, about who we serve in that den.  The lion may look big and intimidating or perhaps large and inviting.  He may roar and look powerful.  But the truth is that he is old, claws are frayed, and strength is limited. We are sent with the truth to tell others that there is a door out of the Lion’s den. They do have a choice about whom they believe in and serve. There is a source of strength better than the lion.  The creator of the lion is coming and is inviting them to meet him and experience life abundant.

Let the people of God say, “AMEN!”

First Reading: 1 Kings 19:15-16, 19-21

¹⁵Then the Lord said to [Elijah,] “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram. ¹⁶Also you shall anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel; and you shall anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place.
 ¹⁹So he set out from there, and found Elisha son of Shaphat, who was plowing. There were twelve yoke of oxen ahead of him, and he was with the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and threw his mantle over him. ²⁰He left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, “Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.” Then Elijah said to him, “Go back again; for what have I done to you?” ²¹He returned from following him, took the yoke of oxen, and slaughtered them; using the equipment from the oxen, he boiled their flesh, and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out and followed Elijah, and became his servant.

Psalm: Psalm 16

 ¹Protect me, O God, for I take refuge in you;
  I have said to the Lord, “You are my Lord, my good above all other.”
 ²All my delight is in the godly that are in the land,
  upon those who are noble among the people.
 ³But those who run after other gods
  shall have their troubles multiplied.
 ⁴I will not pour out drink offerings to such gods,
  never take their names upon my lips. 
 ⁵O Lord, you are my portion and my cup;
  it is you who uphold my lot.
 ⁶My boundaries enclose a pleasant land;
  indeed, I have a rich inheritance.
 ⁷I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
  my heart teaches me night after night.
 ⁸I have set the Lord always before me;
  because God is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. 
 ⁹My heart, therefore, is glad, and my spirit rejoices;
  my body also shall rest in hope.
 ¹⁰For you will not abandon me to the grave,
  nor let your holy one see the pit.
 ¹¹You will show me the path of life;
  in your presence there is fullness of joy, and in your right hand are     pleasures forevermore.

Second Reading: Galatians 5:1, 13-25

¹For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

 ¹³For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another. ¹⁴For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁵If, however, you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.

 ¹⁶Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want. ¹⁸But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law. ¹⁹Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, ²⁰idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, ²¹envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

 ²²By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, ²³gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. ²⁴And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.

Gospel: Luke 9:51-62

⁵¹When the days drew near for [Jesus] to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. ⁵²And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; ⁵³but they did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. ⁵⁴When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” ⁵⁵But he turned and rebuked them. ⁵⁶Then they went on to another village.
 ⁵⁷As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” ⁵⁸And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” ⁵⁹To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” ⁶⁰But Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” ⁶¹Another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” ⁶²Jesus said to him, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

CHILDREN’S SERMON

A common gesture that is popular today is to point two fingers at someone’s eyes, back to our eyes, and back to theirs.  Turn to your neighbor and make the motion.  What are you communicating in this gesture do you think?

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

SERMON

Last week we started to dig in to our journey of Pentecost.  We faced the reality that while we have mountaintop experiences like Pentecost when the Triune God seems so real and powerfully working in our lives even beyond our expectations, the truth is that evil also is working in our world.  Last week we visited the healing of the demoniac who ran to Jesus.  But we also saw the demons who only bargained with Jesus about their demise and the towns people that flat out refused to engage with Jesus.  The journey of faith and transformation into our better selves, the person God created us to be, is just that, a journey and we make choices.  Last week we saw the choices being made about submitting to the authority of Jesus and trusting him for our future. Today we look from a different perspective.  We see the challenges of faith to our priorities.  We are challenged to FOCUS.

          Our text from Luke occurs as Jesus is heading to Jerusalem and his crucifixion.  Jesus passed from Galilee in northern Israel through Samaria to get to Jerusalem.  He was not received well in Samaria and the disciples were furious.  They wanted to call down fire from heaven.  Jesus looked at them and said “FOCUS!” Today we would use the gesture of pointing our two fingers at another’s eyes and then wave them back to ours and then back to theirs.  The implied message is “Focus!”, “Are we on the same page?”, or “Are we agreed on this?”

Where to lay my head?

Back on the road, Jesus is met by three people that present three challenges to following Jesus.  The first person wants to follow Jesus anywhere. Today’s movies would have Jesus pointing his two fingers at the man’s eyes and saying, “Focus.”  To follow Jesus is to be homeless.  His followers have no den like a fox and no nest like a bird.  Are we up for that kind of homelessness? 

         St. Augustine in his book Confessions is famously quoted for writing, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”  To enter the Pentecost journey is to shift our focus from place to person.  As a person who has spent her life moving, much like military people, I often say, “My home is where my suitcase is!”  The question, “Where are you from?” is very difficult because I automatically search my memory banks to evaluate which of the many places I’ve lived, I most identify with.  Now people ask me, “Does you house feel like home yet?”

         Jesus says that foxes have holes, places to hide, and birds have nests, places above danger.  Both my parents died when we were in Kenya.  The next furlough I had a big argument with my husband, probably about a small issue, stomped out, got in the car and suddenly realized I now had no where to go.  I sat in my car in the library lot crying.  Home is a place where we are known, where we are loved hopefully, and where there are people who hold your story, who know you.  I know that is not true for all people because many carry scars of abuse, abandonment, and rejection.  Jesus is saying that “home” is no longer something we strive to find or create here on earth because like the reception in Samaria, the journey of faith often puts us at odds with the world and the values of the world.  Family is no longer biological and even in churches people are forgiven sinners and hurt each other.  “Home” becomes a spiritual definition and not a social definition.

     Similarly birds can fly away.  In the movie  “Forest Gump”, one of the scenes that always comes to mind is when young Forest runs to Jenny’s house and Jenny is evading her father who is abusing her.  They run into the cornfield and she has him kneel and pray with her, “Lord make me a bird so I can fly away.”  Birds can fly away from trouble but Christians are often known for facing into problems.  Bethany Gardens is of course the obvious example.  We do not fly away from the problems whether that is the war in Ukraine where relief is pouring in or whether it is the hunger in our own neighborhood.  Hospitals, social services, orphanages, schools and learning institutions all have sprung up from not flying away.  It is true the efforts are marred with human problems but the truth is that to be a follower of Jesus is to face the dramas of evil and to have restless hearts til our hearts rest in God.

         So where do you rest your head today?  When worry, fears, bad memories plague you, where do you focus?  Jesus says, “Focus.” (do the finger motion).  We are called to look Jesus eye to eye and agree with him.  We do that through Scripture, through music, through prayer, through fellowship and perhaps through a walk.  We are called to look at Jesus eye to eye wherever we go.  Is there an area you need to gaze into his eyes today?

“first let me go and bury my father”

Our first person is challenged to redefine “home.”  Our second person is challenged to redefine “priorities.”  Jesus calls this person to follow and the person replies, “first let me….”   Ooops, the response shows priority issues.  Jesus points his fingers at this person and again says, “FOCUS.”  We know that Jesus is not arguing about the burial of the person’s father for other places in Scripture tell us to care for our families.  Jesus reprimands religious leaders who got around helping parents by saying something was promised to God.  He also says that he who does not care for parents is worse than a heathen.  Jesus must not be opposed to family but to that word “first.”  How often do we prioritize our obedience to God and beg, first let me… fill in the blank?

         We share our money or resources after we pay our bills.  That of course is easy to point to with so many voices begging us to share our resources for the worthy cause they are supporting.  Starving, emaciated people’s faces cover letters and magazine.  So we make decisions on how to share our blessings with these many causes that call to us.  Are we giving to assuage guilt and earn credit with God or friends?  Jesus wants us to put him first.  For others, the challenge is getting to church if they are not too tired from Friday and Saturday activities.  Our world is over run with activities and noise.  Sunday morning is an opportunity for family and self.  Jesus challenges us to make God our “first” choice, however that looks.

         Jesus response is enlightening, “Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”  Perhaps the question is not if we give money or time, but more a question of who we associate with.  Who we associate with says something about our priorities.   Dead people don’t bury dead people but that idiom challenges the man’s request to let him first bury his father.  We might throw back our idiom, “Birds of a feather flock together,” to challenge someone about loyalties and priorities.   The important point is that in whatever we do and with whomever we associate, we be living out our focus on the kingdom of God.  I don’t think Jesus is wanting us to feel guilty about watching a movie with family, going fishing, or socializing.  He wants us to do things that build community, build our souls, and enjoy the creation he made for us but the challenge is to not loose focus on what is our first love, God.  So perhaps we ask ourselves with this follower, Is what I am doing drawing me closer to God or drawing me away from God?  That’s something to think about.

“But let me first say farewell to those at my home”

Jesus challenges the first person to realize the faith journey brings a restlessness and a focus that feels like not having a den or a nest, a place to rest our head.  He challenges the second person about his priorities and what is first.  Are the tasks that come “first” in our life drawing us into relationship with God or distracting us.  The third challenge is similar.  The person requests to bid farewell to family, but notice that the person starts with “but.”  This person’s request is more conditional than a matter of priorities.  It reminds me of our demons last week who when ordered to leave the man but they bargain with Jesus, yes, but..send us into the pigs. 

         The “buts” in life are the fears and doubts that slow down our journey.  I want to be a Christian but…God might ask me to be a missionary and I’m afraid of snakes, but God might ask me to be single and not follow the cultural norms of dating, but God might ask me to give up partying on Saturday and so the excuses go. I can hear that little voice whispering in my ear about the potential hazards and prices I might pay for living life God’s way.

         Can you envision Jesus taking his fingers and pointing them at this person’s eyes, FOCUS, and listen. 

• “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)”   
• Again we read “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)” 

God goes before us to guide us, behind us to protect us and beside us to partner with us.  Those are serious promises.

Jesus ends, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”  Unlike modern evangelists who tell us, “Try Jesus, you’ll like him,” Jesus points his finger at our eyes and calls us to focus on him.  The faith journey is not easy and he does not deceive us.  We will have to do battle with evil in all its guises.  We will have to make choices.

• We will have no place to rest our head except in him. ^“28 ‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)”
• We will have to examine our priorities. “seek first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:33)”
• We will be tempted to fear and doubt the consequences of our choice.  But God is faithful to travel with us.

May we not be guilty of loosing focus this week as we journey with our Savior. 

Let the people of God say, “AMEN!”

First Reading: Isaiah 65:1-9

 ¹I was ready to be sought out by those who did not ask,
  to be found by those who did not seek me.
 I said, “Here I am, here I am,”
  to a nation that did not call on my name.
 ²I held out my hands all day long
  to a rebellious people,
 who walk in a way that is not good,
  following their own devices;
 ³a people who provoke me
  to my face continually,
 sacrificing in gardens
  and offering incense on bricks;
 ⁴who sit inside tombs,
  and spend the night in secret places;
 who eat swine’s flesh,
  with broth of abominable things in their vessels;
 ⁵who say, “Keep to yourself,
  do not come near me, for I am too holy for you.”
 These are a smoke in my nostrils,
  a fire that burns all day long.
 ⁶See, it is written before me:
  I will not keep silent, but I will repay;
 I will indeed repay into their laps
  ⁷their iniquities and their ancestors’ iniquities together,
 says the Lord;
 because they offered incense on the mountains
  and reviled me on the hills,
 I will measure into their laps
  full payment for their actions.
 ⁸Thus says the Lord:
 As the wine is found in the cluster,
  and they say, “Do not destroy it,
  for there is a blessing in it,”
 so I will do for my servants’ sake,
  and not destroy them all.
 ⁹I will bring forth descendants from Jacob,
  and from Judah inheritors of my mountains;
 my chosen shall inherit it,
  and my servants shall settle there.

Psalm: Psalm 22:19-28

 ¹⁹But you, O Lord, be not far away;  O my help, hasten to my aid.
 ²⁰Deliver me from the sword, my life from the power ^| of the dog.
 ²¹Save me from the lion’s mouth!
  From the horns of wild bulls you have ^| rescued me.
 ²²I will declare your name to my people;
  in the midst of the assembly I will praise you.
 ²³You who fear the Lord, give praise! All you of Jacob’s line, give glory.
  Stand in awe of the Lord, all you offspring of Israel.
 ²⁴For the Lord does not despise nor abhor the poor in their poverty;    neither is the Lord’s face hidden from them;
  but when they cry out, the Lord hears them.
 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.

Second Reading: Galatians 3:23-29

²³Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed. ²⁴Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, ²⁶for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. ²⁷As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. ²⁸There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.

Gospel: Luke 8:26-39

²⁶Then [Jesus and his disciples] arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. ²⁷As he stepped out on land, a man of the city who had demons met him. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the tombs. ²⁸When he saw Jesus, he fell down before him and shouted at the top of his voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me”—²⁹for Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many times it had seized him; he was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the wilds.) ³⁰Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” He said, “Legion”; for many demons had entered him. ³¹They begged him not to order them to go back into the abyss.
 ³²Now there on the hillside a large herd of swine was feeding; and the demons begged Jesus to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. ³³Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.
 ³⁴When the swineherds saw what had happened, they ran off and told it in the city and in the country. ³⁵Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. ³⁶Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. ³⁷Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. ³⁸The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him; but Jesus sent him away, saying, ³⁹“Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him.

CHILDREN’S SERMON:  Another look at Aesop’s “Lion and the Mouse” 

A Lion lay asleep in the forest. A timid little Mouse came upon him unexpectedly. In her fright to get away, she ran across the Lion’s nose. The Lion laid his huge paw angrily on the tiny creature to kill her.

“Spare me!” begged the poor Mouse. “Please let me go and some day I will surely repay you.” The Lion was much amused to think that a Mouse could ever help him. But he was generous and let the Mouse go.

Some days later, the Lion was caught in a hunter’s net. Unable to free himself, he filled the forest with his angry roaring. The Mouse knew the voice and quickly found the Lion struggling in the net. Running to one of the great ropes that bound him, she gnawed it until it parted, and soon the Lion was free.

“You laughed when I said I would repay you,” said the Mouse. “Now you see that even a Mouse can help a Lion.”

Turn to your neighbor.  What choice do you think the lion had to make?  What choice did the mouse have to make?

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

SERMON

Moments of Truth and Consequences

         Today we continue into the Pentecost season. Pentecost shifts our attention from who our God is, as seen in the life of Jesus, to challenging us to ponder who we are with Jesus in our lives. At Pentecost the Spirit touched 3,000 lives and the Christian church started to have birthing pains.  Peter stood and preached, people believed and somehow life was different.  We now return to earlier texts with a different perspective. An encounter with the Holy tells us about God but it also changes us.  We come to a fork in the road of our life.  The lion had a choice to make in our Aesop fable.  Would he eat the mouse or spare it’s life?  The mouse had a choice to make also.  Would she try to aide the lion or let him die?  The consequences of choices impacts the trajectory of lives. 

         In our text today we have three sets of people or beings who stand on holy ground and must make a decision about what they are going to do.  The man, the demons, and the towns’ people all encounter Jesus and decide how to respond.  We are here today watching as the disciples did, the unseen audience standing on holy ground, and we must decide if we are going to snooze or apply the truth God brings to our hearts today!

A Man Obsessed or Possessed

         We don’t much like to talk about demon possession today as evil is for cartoons or for those people of the other party or the other country or just plain different from us.  Our text has a man who has been possessed by demons that controls his life.  Before we dismiss this, perhaps we know people who struggle with alcohol, with pornography, with anger, with eating, with shopping and dast we mention gossip!  Uvalde and how many other mass shootings testify that this Biblical story is real today.  To be human is to be susceptible to the influences of evil.

      To be tempted is not the problem.  Jesus was tempted.  The problem comes when we are driven by the tempter.  The man “had worn no clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the tombs.”  Ouch.  When we are out of control, we are no longer able to clothe ourselves socially.  The addiction identifies us and labels us and we loose our unique identity as child of God.  We use words like drunk, addict, gossip, or loose to describe people who are not in control of their lives.  The man lived in the tombs, in hiding, out of touch with those who might help him.  Death is the companion.  We have suicide prevention lines and depression counselors and support groups for people caught in the grips of evil.  Let us not deceive ourselves, we are this person or at least we could be.  This is not a story.  This is real. It is us.

         This man has a choice.  He chooses to draw near to Jesus but please note, Jesus is not afraid of him and is willing to engage.  Jesus orders evil to leave as the man falls down before him. 

         “²⁸When he saw Jesus, he fell down before him and shouted at the    top of his voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me”” 

Our man, as well as the demons, as well as the towns’ people, as well as the swine, and maybe even us, are all gripped with fear at the thought of interacting with Jesus.  Perhaps here we have a big clue for spiritual growth and peace.  When we are in the grips of fear, it probably is not God speaking but evil.  In the presence of that fear the man must decide to approach Jesus or flee to the tombs.  He approaches and Jesus restores him.  Jesus is not afraid of the man or the evil within him.  Jesus is more powerful than evil. And Jesus reaches out to the man in his helplessness.  The man realizes he is in the wrong and is afraid of torment.  I suspect when we know we are in the wrong, we too, become afraid of God and we are afraid of torment or afraid of the cost of repentance. 

         I have quoted Robert Frost’s poem before and do again:

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”

We choose Jesus and he heals.  We choose to run with fear and we suffer.  We all today have choices to make.  Jesus calls us to life!

Demons possessed or possessor

Our second group of beings that deal with Jesus are the demons possessing the man.  They know they are in the presence of the Holy, of the Son of God, and they bargain.  They beg not to be sent back to the abyss but into a herd of pigs.  Jesus grants their request.

         Yup, we know bargaining too.  Have we ever bargained with God and asked him to rescue us from a perceived trauma and promised to ….  At least we promise to be better, to return to church, to not eat sweets again, to not turn on pornography… if only he would deliver us this time.  I think this is the stuff of New Year’s resolutions and we all know we are lucky if we finish January before we slide into old habits again.  I catch myself with mouth in motion and shoot a prayer to heaven for help so I won’t be snarky again, but I am.

         Bargaining post pones the consequences.  The demons are allowed to go into the pigs but the pigs run down the steep bank to the lake and are drown.  The outcome is death so where are the demons now?  Getting the human dreams of our hearts is often not a solution and only leads to more pain.  I think of all those young adult dreams when I was sure I had found the right guy but that ended in pain.  It was only as I started listening to God and seeking his will that my life turned around.  The lion could have eaten the mouse but it would not have satisfied his hunger.  The mouse could have ignored the roars of the lion but she could not quiet her conscience that would remind her of his kindness and her promise.  Bargaining works for a while but it is not a good, long-term solution.

         Take a moment and sweep through your memory.  Are there areas in your life where you are bargaining with God and compromising?  Perhaps it is only avoiding saying “sorry” and healing a relationship.  The fear of humiliation, blocks the joy of restoration.  We need to put down those loads of anger and resentment and jealousy we carry.  Violence does not resolve anger.  Alcohol does not resolve grief.  The demons stand in the presence of Jesus but cannot say that four lettered word, “help.”

Town People Refuse

The demoniac pleads for help.  The demons bargain for compromise.  The town people just plain refuse Jesus and ask him to leave.  God does not force us to believe and be good and choose his way.  Jesus has cured the demoniac and returned him to his right mind.  Living proof of his power.  Jesus has sent the demons into the swine and into the lake.  Living proof of his authority.  God’s power and authority are used to help the demoniac and, I would contend are living demonstrations of Jesus’ loving commitment to help us.  In the presence of God’s love, people do refuse and send Jesus away.  The lion had no guarantee the mouse would ever help and the mouse had no guarantee that she could help the lion.  Both chose mercy. 

         The town’s people were seized with great fear.  Fear can paralyze us.  I think we say that the known enemy is better than the potential problems of the new.  I keep my old clunker because I know it’s quirks rather than buy a new-to-me used car.  Trust is scary.  People walk away and often we blame ourselves.

         The demoniac, now healed, is sent back to work with those people.  I think of those people we deeply love who seem to have hardened their hearts to God.  Like the demoniac, we have been healed and we have a story to tell of how God worked in our lives.  Perhaps we can remember when we felt out of control as if we were running around unclothed.  Perhaps we remember living in the tombs when we were so depressed and death felt like such a real option.  Perhaps we remember those failed bargains with God because our choice was not the best choice and we paid the consequences.  And perhaps we remember times when we hardened our hearts and insisted on doing it our own way and turned our back on God for a while.  So often the problem or challenge facing us is as big as a lion and we see ourselves quivering in fear like a mouse.  But I think that the beauty of the story is that Jesus crossed the lake and found the demoniac, was not afraid of the demoniac and had the power and authority to heal the demoniac.  What crossroad are you standing at today?  The best choice is the Jesus road.  He’s there and will bless.  Don’t be afraid.

The people of God said, “AMEN!”

First Reading: Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31

 ¹Does not wisdom call,   and does not understanding raise her voice?
 ²On the heights, beside the way,
  at the crossroads she takes her stand;
 ³beside the gates in front of the town,
  at the entrance of the portals she cries out:
 ⁴“To you, O people, I call,
  and my cry is to all that live.

 ²²The Lord created me at the beginning of his work,
  the first of his acts of long ago.
 ²³Ages ago I was set up,
  at the first, before the beginning of the earth.
 ²⁴When there were no depths I was brought forth,
  when there were no springs abounding with water.
 ²⁵Before the mountains had been shaped,
  before the hills, I was brought forth—
 ²⁶when he had not yet made earth and fields,
  or the world’s first bits of soil.
 ²⁷When he established the heavens, I was there,
  when he drew a circle on the face of the deep,
 ²⁸when he made firm the skies above,
  when he established the fountains of the deep,
 ²⁹when he assigned to the sea its limit,
  so that the waters might not transgress his command,
 when he marked out the foundations of the earth,
  ³⁰then I was beside him, like a master worker;
 and I was daily his delight,
  rejoicing before him always,
 ³¹rejoicing in his inhabited world
  and delighting in the human race.”

Psalm: Psalm 8

 ¹O Lord our Lord,
  how majestic is your name in all the earth!—
 ²you whose glory is chanted above the heavens out of the   mouths of infants and children;
  you have set up a fortress against your enemies, to silence the foe and avenger.
 ³When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers,
  the moon and the stars you have set in their courses,
 ⁴what are mere mortals that you should be mindful of them,
  human beings that you should  care for them? 
 ⁵Yet you have made them little less than divine;
  with glory and honor you crown them.
 ⁶You have made them rule over the works of your hands;
  you have put all things under their feet:
 ⁷all flocks and cattle,
  even the wild beasts of the field,
 ⁸the birds of the air, the fish of the sea,
  and whatever passes along the paths of the sea.
 ⁹O Lord our Lord,
  how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Second Reading: Romans 5:1-5

¹Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ²through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. ³And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, ⁴and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, ⁵and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

Gospel: John 16:12-15

 [Jesus said,] ¹²“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. ¹³When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. ¹⁴He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. ¹⁵All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”

CHILDREN’S SERMON

One of the dynamics that grabs the imagination of people, young and not so young, are super heroes.  Marvel Comics has created a whole “universe” of these people in recent years and movies to go with them!  Turn to your neighbor and share who was your favorite super hero when you were a child?  Mine was the Lone Ranger.

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

SERMON

Today is the first Sunday after Pentecost and is always dedicated to talking about the mystery of our God, the Triune God, who is three in one.  It’s hard to get our mind and our language around the Trinity.  In fact we are always living into a deeper and deeper understanding of who our God is and who we are to God.  But let’s give it a try.

         Last Sunday we heard about the Holy Spirit who descended like a giant wind, appeared like tongues of fire on heads, enabled people to speak foreign languages and touched hearts of 3,000 people from all over the world who then wanted to become followers of Jesus.  WOW!  I wondered how people today hear this text and internalize its truth.  Is the Holy Spirit added to our list of Super Heroes that we follow or is there something entirely unique that sets the Holy Spirit apart and adds texture to our understanding of the Trinity? 

         We have a whole host of tales about beings we call “super heroes” today and that we have made movies about.  Christians make movies like “The Jesus Film” or “Jesus Christ Superstar” and “The Passion” that competes for attention.  I would claim that the Holy Spirit is not just another super hero to add to our list of tales about the past.  Christians have the Trinity while secular society enjoys the Fantastic Four.  I looked up the definition of “super hero” on the Internet and a super hero is a character that does feats that a normal human cannot, i.e. has super power.  The hero uses that power to help humanity battle with evil.  Actually there are evil beings like Lex Luther or the Joker that oppose them, somewhat like Satan.

         I first thought of the Lone Ranger from my childhood.  He charged across the Wild West rescuing people from evil’s grip, righting wrong.  He wore a mask so his identity was no clearer than the Holy Spirit.  “Who was that masked man?” was always a closing comment to an episode as he rode off on his white horse.  The Lone Ranger was also known by his silver bullet, a symbol of purity.  The Holy Spirit is often identified with speaking in tongues, glossolalia (your own personal worship language for prayer) or foreign languages (as in Pentecost).  The Holy Spirit comes to do good, help the needy, and has a pure heart.  Perhaps the Lone Ranger is known because of his faithful friend Tonto who always comes with him to do the good deed.  The Holy Spirit is not a stand-alone act either.  The Spirit is part of the Godhead.  Where the Spirit goes, God is present.  So far our super heroes are competing well with the Holy Spirit for our affection.

         We love Superman who disguises himself as Clark Kent and then runs in a closet to reappear in his outfit and flies off, jumping buildings in a single bound, to help the needy people of Metropolis.  Is the Holy Spirit just a new expression of Jesus? My sister, who is 73 years old, shared about a new Marvel Comics character in the film Fantastic Four.  The character’s name is Susan Storm.  Susan is a human who was affected by radiation and mutated into a super hero who has the ability to become invisible to come to the aid of helpless humans in the grips of evil.  Susan can become invisible and has super power to help humanity.  Sounds a lot like the Holy Spirit.  OK, so let us now go back to our texts today and try to clarify super heroes whom we dress up like at Halloween or pay to see at the movies, from the Holy Spirit, the third person in the Trinity whom we worship.

First:  “he will guide you into all the truth”

         I note that the Holy Spirit is first described as a “guide,” not as a savior or the creator.  His first role mentioned in the Trinity is guide.  Super Heroes jump into action to rescue endangered people and use their super powers to defeat evil.  Houston we have a problem!  How do we see God?  Is God a being to make my life safe, comfortable, and happy-ever-after or rather do I see myself as partnering with God?  Guide calls us to evaluate how we understand God.  I suspect often “God” by definition has power that I pray, hope, will be mobilized for my serious situation.  When I am not rescued from my plight I may well blame God for not caring or blame myself for being not worth caring about.  Suffering challenges faith in ways that confirmation never did.  Suffering differentiates the Trinity from Super Heroes.  Wayward children, suicide, bankruptcy, health crises, marriage problems all drive us to our knees and the Evil one loves to whisper in our ears that God does not see, does not care, and chooses not to act. Our text tells us that the Spirit is a guide into truth, not health, wealth and prosperity.  He leads and we follow.  Super heroes resolve situations and are applauded and famous.  The Holy Spirit is often like the wind of Pentecost, blowing but unseen, guiding us through the events of our life.

         Unlike the Super Heroes, the Holy Spirit was able to be with 3,000 people at Pentecost, guiding each into truth in his own heart language. 

         So let us sit back for a moment and ponder where we need the Holy Spirit to guide us into truth today.  For certain, when we go out into the parking lot and burn the mortgage, we can claim that the Holy Spirit has not just been active at Pentecost but is also active today guiding Bethany into its future.  We still need the Spirit to guide us.  But perhaps there is a situation or a question you personally need to bow your head and commit to the Holy Spirit to guide you today.  

Second:  “he will declare to you the things that are to come”

The Holy Spirit as part of the Trinity guides us into truth. The text continues to say that the Holy Spirit not only guides but also declares.  The Holy Spirit is not a Super Hero that deals just with the challenges of evil in the present. The Holy Spirit declares what is to come. We often think of ‘future talk” and the Bible as the arena of prophecy, the unfolding of historical events, perhaps end times.  Certainly historical prophecy is Biblical but let me broaden our thinking today to how truth declares our future. 

         If we kill, for sure we are murderers and sinners. and we will face trial if only in the court of our own conscience.  God’s word guides but also declares the benefits and pitfalls of disobedience and how disobedience unfolds and impacts our future lives.  When we choose violence and hate as a solution to disagreement, we take a fork in the road and our life changes forever.  Jealousy is building our house on the sand and when the storms come, our life dissolves. Seeking vengeance, not turning our other cheek or offering forgiveness will spiral into unending conflict.  God’s Word as applied in our hearts by the Spirit does talk to the present but also gives us a window into the future.

         Perhaps this is also the basis for the Holy Spirit interceding for us when we don’t know how to pray.  Certainly we are invited to pray about the problems we see our loved ones facing, prayers of intercession that speak into the future even as God holds our futures.

         The Lone Ranger rides off into the sunset.  The Super Hero is in our life for a time but not forever.  The Holy Spirit appeared at Pentecost, at Christ’s baptism, and at creation. The Holy Spirit did not just appear at Pentecost but as part of the Godhead, has been present in our past, our present, and guides us into our future declaring and revealing the best path.  That journey may involve suffering but the Holy Spirit is with us even as the air we breathe is in our lungs.

         So again let’s take a moment.  We need the Holy Spirit’s guidance but perhaps we need the Holy Spirit to declare, to clarify something for us.  Commit it to him.

Third:  “He will glorify me”

The Holy Spirit guides and walks beside me through the challenges of today.  The Holy Spirit declares things that are to come.  Thirdly, though, the Holy Spirit glorifies the Godhead.  The text now talks about the unity of purpose and identity of the Godhead.  The Spirit glorifies Jesus who is one with the Father – a Trinity.

         Theologians have struggled with this reality and what it means.  In confirmation the pastor talked about a banana peel coming off in three pieces but one piece of fruit.  Perhaps that was a picture that worked for a while.  I have come to think of electricity as an example.  Electricity flows through my house but I cannot see it.  It powers the lights in the room that sometimes I see and sometimes I don’t..  It powers the television that brings pictures and news from afar.  It powers the radio and sound.  It also somehow creates heat in the stove.  All those things are powered by electricity, unique in their expression, but unified also.

As we burn the mortgage today, we will not wave our giving statements to say “Look what we did!”  I have confidence you will bow your heads in prayer and say “Thank you, Lord.”  You guided us through this process.  When we doubted our strength, you declared you were with us leading us to this day and into the future.  We give the Triune God the glory.  The Holy Spirit is somehow like the Super Heroes of the movies but so much more.  The Holy Spirit is God and we bow in worship. 

Thank you for guidance.

Thank you for declaring the outcome of things to come.

May God be glorifies.

The people of God said, “AMEN!”

First Reading: 
Acts 16:16-34


Paul and Silas in Prison

¹⁶ One day, as we were going to the place of prayer, we met a slave-girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners a great deal of money by fortune-telling. ¹⁷ While she followed Paul and us, she would cry out, ‘These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation.’ ¹⁸ She kept doing this for many days. But Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, ‘I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.’ And it came out that very hour.

¹⁹ But when her owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the market-place before the authorities. ²⁰ When they had brought them before the magistrates, they said, ‘These men are disturbing our city; they are Jews ²¹ and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to adopt or observe.’ ²² The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates had them stripped of their clothing and ordered them to be beaten with rods. ²³ After they had given them a severe flogging, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to keep them securely. ²⁴ Following these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

²⁵ About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. ²⁶ Suddenly there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. ²⁷ When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped. ²⁸ But Paul shouted in a loud voice, ‘Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.’ ²⁹ The jailer called for lights, and rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. ³⁰ Then he brought them outside and said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ ³¹ They answered, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.’ ³² They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. ³³ At the same hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptized without delay. ³⁴ He brought them up into the house and set food before them; and he and his entire household rejoiced that he had become a believer in God.

Psalm 97  

The Lord is king! Let the earth rejoice;
    let the many coastlands be glad!
² Clouds and thick darkness are all around him;
    righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
³ Fire goes before him,
    and consumes his adversaries on every side.
⁴ His lightnings light up the world;
    the earth sees and trembles.
⁵ The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,
    before the Lord of all the earth.

⁶ The heavens proclaim his righteousness;
    and all the peoples behold his glory.
⁷ All worshippers of images are put to shame,
    those who make their boast in worthless idols;
    all gods bow down before him.
⁸ Zion hears and is glad,
    and the towns of Judah rejoice,
    because of your judgments, O God.
⁹ For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth;
    you are exalted far above all gods.

¹⁰ The Lord loves those who hate evil;
    he guards the lives of his faithful;
    he rescues them from the hand of the wicked.
¹¹ Light dawns for the righteous,
    and joy for the upright in heart.
¹² Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous,
    and give thanks to his holy name!

Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21

¹² ‘See, I am coming soon; my reward is with me, to repay according to everyone’s work. ¹³ I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.’

¹⁴ Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates.¹⁶ ‘It is I, Jesus, who sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.’

¹⁷ The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’  And let everyone who hears say, ‘Come.’  And let everyone who is thirsty come.  Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift.

²⁰ The one who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.  Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

²¹ The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.

GOSPEL:  John 17:20-26

²⁰ ‘I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, ²¹ that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. ²² The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, ²³ I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. ²⁴ Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

²⁵ ‘Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. ²⁶ I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.’

CHILDREN’S SERMON:  Hold up your pointer finger on your right hand.  What do you think of?  Now hold up your pointer finger on you left hand.  OK.  Bump you hands together and show no fingers on the right hand and two fingers on the left.  One and one is two.  Do you agree?

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

Today is the 7^th Sunday in the Easter season.  Next Sunday is Pentecost.  We are half way through the Church year.  The first half of the church year we focus on who our God is as revealed through the birth, life, teachings, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Next week we switch to the Pentecost season and our focus changes from who our God is to who we are to our God. 

On Easter Sunday we celebrated the resurrection, the empty tomb. We chanted, “The Lord is risen.” We celebrated that Christ is alive. Easter is not the end of God’s work!  Resurrection, though, was not just an event on a day.  Resurrection was an unveiling of the next phase of God’s plan. Our text today challenges us to understand the goal of resurrection.  As we have followed the Easter texts this year it seems to me we have been building an action plan for our lives today.

I want to start by reminding us of the journey we have been on.  On Easter evening Jesus appeared to confused and scared followers gathered behind locked doors.  We saw that Jesus is not just risen and no longer bound by space or place or time but that he still comes to imperfect followers struggling with fear, doubt and misunderstanding.  He did not rise and disappear. Jesus still comes into our lives not because we are perfect but because he loves us and we need him.

Later Jesus appeared at a fishing trip and helped the disciples to begin to cast a new vision. “Feed my sheep.”  He leads even when we don’t see him all the time.

Then we looked at Jesus as the Good Shepherd.  Life is no longer random.  We are guided.  He walks with us even through the valley of the shadow of death and even in the presence of enemies.

Two weeks ago we were reminded that the kingdom of God does not work like the kingdom of this world.  Jesus gave a new command – love one another, even our enemies.  Our rule book is different than the world’s rule book. 

Last week I asked myself what more is there to understand? God makes his home in us!  Now that is a mouth full.  God makes his home in me… and you.  Somehow we are in Jesus and Jesus is in God.  I’m not an orphan.  I’m not invisible.  I’m not forgotten.  I’m not his robot.  I’m his home. Jesus is there in Ukraine, in the hospital with Covid patients and on the street with those so scared of random ethnic violence. Jesus was at Uvalde. He was with the victims this week and all those grieving. 

Today we come to the peak of the church year as we listen to Jesus’ final prayer for us as he walks from the upper room to Gethsemane.

But first I want to repeat the children’s sermon.  I’m going to use it to focus us today.  Hold up one finger from each hand. As I hold my fingers up I might think of the song, “This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine!”  I thought of the song “One is the loneliest number you’ll ever do” 1968 by Harry Nilsson.  Now snap your two fists together and raise a second finger on the left hand and drop the one on the right finger.  What happened?  One and one made two.  Let me repeat that one and one, bump, made two.  Now do it again just to make sure we have this picture in our mind.  But…. Is one and one two?  Elementary school children would know that’s true but as you move through math, we learn there is 1 ½ in-between as well as an infinity of other numbers we generally don’t think about.  Today we look at one plus one in God’s mathematics.  Jesus prayed,

‘I ask not only on behalf of these,

but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word,

²¹ that they may all be one.

Today we touch on the mystery of the Trinity and on the mystery of God’s kingdom.  I am leaning heavily on the book As For Me And My Household by Walter Wangerin, Jr, a professor at Valparaiso when my daughter was there.

Genesis 1 starts,  “In the beginning God created…”  God created humanity in his image.  We are made in the image of God.  Genesis 2 circles back and tells of the creation of Eve. “It is not good for man to be alone.”  To be gender appropriate today, we might rephrase it to “It is not good for people to be alone.”  Aloneness hurts.  Aloneness isolates.  This resonates in the news as we hear references like this:  don’t separate children from parents at the border, don’t separate an unborn child from the mother, don’t kill elementary children, don’t create stand-alone monopolies.  “Global thinking” is an in-word and “glocal” is used for matters near us.  We live in community.  God created Eve!  Do our finger trick!  It is not good for people to be alone.

The Pandemic has been so destructive because it has forced isolation for fear of contagion.  People die and suffer alone.  Children miss school friends.  Elders miss youth.  It is not good that we be alone.  We are made in the image of God who is sociological – a God head, one being but three. Bearing the image of God does not make me powerful, Godlike. it makes me social.

         Jesus prays in our text that we “will be one,” that we will be “united.” I don’t think when he prays for oneness that means that we all fly together on United Airlines to get to a common destination, heaven.  So what does he mean by “united?”  “One” can mean different things to different folks.

• One can mean we are all of the same political party: one in ideals.
• Or it can mean we are agreed because I allow you to lead because…you are smarter, more education, male, whatever
• One can be 50-50.  I do half and you do half.  We agree not to argue about the 50% we hold back on.  I acknowledge the other has gifts but I keep part of me hidden or unspoken to keep peace. My kids would say we are one adjacent.
• Fourthly, according to Wangerin, we acknowledge that one plus one creates something more like three.  I acknowledge the wholeness of the other and my wholeness and that in coming together a third entity is created, the relationship between us.  We are co-laborers, compatible.   Jesus wants us working together, complementing each other with our gifts and ideas, not fighting for leadership, or running over each other. Jesus continues,

As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

Perhaps some of us remember those teenage years when we thought that if we found that special other, the right “one,” we would “become one” and together live happily-ever-after.  There are enough white hairs here today and enough scars among us to know the fallacy of romanticizing “one.” (Finger trick).  One and one can mean two people living in one house, not oneness.  We can be together in one church but not be one. It is not just agreeing “that Jesus is our Savior.” Baptism, conversion, or joining a church is only the beginning of our spiritual journey to oneness.  Easter season shows Jesus trying to teach this truth to his followers.  He is not recruiting followers like his earthly ministry.  He is building a kingdom that is united.  We are his people working together, sent by God.

Let’s be clear. Neither is oneness working together for a practical goal.  We are not employees.  The church embraces many tasks but it is called to unity of purpose.  The church includes diversity, social justice and piety, Catholics and Evangelicals, men and women, Jews and Iranians.  We are a body learning to function together.  Resurrection starts that journey and challenges us to learn to stand together so the world knows we are sent by God.  We are learning to obey God.  We are learning to care for the space between me and thee.  We are learning to complement and not compete or dominate.(Click fingers)

The resurrection is the beginning of the process.  We are sent people.  We are not individual agents.  We are the church.  We are a body.  We work with God, sent by him.  Satan tempted Eve to think she could “be like God.”  She could have the same authority as God. She could decide what is good and what is evil.  Resurrection teaches us that we are sent and God decides what is good and what is evil and he gets the credit.  We are traveling from the ideal, perhaps individualistic idea of “God” and “me” to embracing “Trinity” and “community.” Resurrection points us to “we.”

Let’s click those fingers again and ask ourselves this time what this means for me.  Hold up your fingers and bump them together.  One finger is you and who is the other finger?  Listen for God to speak.  God wants us to remember that we are sent from God to ???. (pause) Jesus continues praying.

²² The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one

Now we run into another big word, “glory”. We are sent but we also create glory.  Somehow by being united we experience “glory” in a way we do not as individuals.  Hmmm, how to get words around this?  I first thought of the Olympics and how the individual athletes get to standup and receive medals.  Then I realized, actually they stand proud with their country’s flag and their country’s national anthem playing.  They are sent and the commentators keep track of how many medals countries are accumulating.  Being sent is not about “me” but about “we.”  Our working together brings glory to our sender, our kingdom, our God.

My second thought was pondering how many times I have stood in awe at the response to Ukraine’s suffering.  We see pictures on the news of the volunteer centers of people working together, of thousands being given refugee status in neighboring countries, of children being incorporated into schools in new languages and maybe of mass graves where people stood together to die.  It touches out hearts. I also think of today, Memorial Day.  People give their lives to defend ours.  We honor them today as people representing the values of our country.  As Christians we stand together as representatives of our God and we bring glory to God.

I have gone on too long today but let me leave you with the picture of us standing on the victor’s stand, waving the flag of faith.  Perhaps the hymn playing will be “Amazing Grace” or one other of your favorite songs.  We represent God who sent us, not because we are the best but because we are his.  He loves and uses us just as we are right now.  The world will know we have been sent and will give glory to God as we follow his leadership.  The resurrection is like the picture of the volunteers in the Ukrainian processing centers, helping those fleeing cruelty and war.  Volunteers are from all over the world to help the wounded. 

         Resurrection is historical truth but it is also a mission statement.  Let us take time today to choose a picture that speaks to us of being sent in a task that gives glory to God.  Jesus concludes,

May (they) be with me where I am, to see my glory,

which you have given me

because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

The people of God said, “Amen!”

First Reading:  Acts 9:36-43  

³⁶ Now in Joppa there was a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas. She was devoted to good works and acts of charity. ³⁷ At that time she became ill and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in a room upstairs. ³⁸ Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, who heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the request, “Please come to us without delay.” ³⁹ So Peter got up and went with them; and when he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs. All the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was with them. ⁴⁰ Peter put all of them outside, and then he knelt down and prayed. He turned to the body and said, “Tabitha, get up.” Then she opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up. ⁴¹ He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then calling the saints and widows, he showed her to be alive. ⁴² This became known throughout Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. ⁴³ Meanwhile he stayed in Joppa for some time with a certain Simon, a tanner.

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
²     He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still     waters;
³     he restores my soul.  He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.

⁴ 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.

⁵ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
         you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
         and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.

Second Reading:  Revelation 7:9-17

⁹ 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. ¹⁰ They cried out in a loud voice, saying,

“Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

¹¹ And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, ¹² singing,

“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom
and thanksgiving and honor
and power and might
be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

¹³ Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?” ¹⁴ 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.

¹⁵ For this reason they are before the throne of God,
    and worship him day and night within his temple,
    and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them.
¹⁶ They will hunger no more, and thirst no more;
    the sun will not strike them,
    nor any scorching heat;
¹⁷ 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.”

GOSPEL:  John 10:22-30

²² At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, ²³ and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. ²⁴ So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” ²⁵ Jesus answered, “I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; ²⁶ but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. ²⁷ My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸ I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. ²⁹ What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand. ³⁰ The Father and I are one.”

CHILDREN’S SERMON:  Share with the person next to you your favorite promise from the 23^rd Psalm.

Lord, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight, my Rock and my Redeemer.

SERMON

I read today’s texts and wondered how people in Ukraine hear Psalm 23.  As I watch my spouse struggle with Parkinson’s Disease, I ponder the implications of resurrection.  My grandson was just diagnosed with Autism and I grieve for the journey his parents are facing.  How do they hear these verses?  What does the Easter season and resurrection mean in our suffering world? It is during this Easter season when we delve into the truth that Jesus is alive. But like the Jews in the Gospel who gathered around Jesus at the Temple before all the events of Easter, a question jumped to their lips and possibly sometimes to ours, “How long will you keep us in suspense?”  If Jesus is the Messiah and if he is risen then how much longer must we suffer with evil?  We long for “happy ever after” but is that what resurrection means?  Some days the suspense is overwhelming!  The burdens are heavy.  The texts today remind us that resurrection is true not just because people at the time encountered Jesus but also because we see Jesus alive today.  We are his sheep!  If he is not alive, we have no shepherd!

“Jesus answered, ‘I have told you and you did not believe.’”

We do not grasp resurrection with our brain and reason but with our heart.  We must believe to understand Jesus is alive and with us today.  Resurrection is not a universal reality that is apparent to all like the sunrise.  We may disagree about the timing of the sunrise but we all look forward to a sunrise, even in the midst of the shortest days of winter in the North.  We know some day the light will creep over the horizon.  As Americans, though, we live in a world that worships diversity and tolerance.  “You drink your kool-aide, and I’ll drink mine.”  For many, being a good person is enough to merit acceptance by a distant God.  Of course, “good enough” is measured by that person’s standards.  It often means being nice to those whom I like or giving to a charity or to the beggar on the off-ramp.  Then for others there is the “circle of life” and the thought of dying, being buried and nourishing the budding of a flower – a fun thought.  How does Jesus speak into this common acceptance of tolerance?

         Jesus answered, “I have told you but you didn’t believe.” We hear his words but the choice to believe is ours.  Not all people believe.  G. K. Chesterton famously said,  “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried.”  So perhaps our first reflection today is to ask ourselves this morning, “Whose voice comes to my ears as I listen to this sermon?”  Do I look out on our world looking for a resurrected savior who is working things out or do I look out asking how much longer God is going to be defeated by evil?  Also, am I familiar enough with Jesus that I recognize his voice speaking to me?  Jesus says, “I have told you.” Are we listening?

          Jesus gives a second criteria for the resurrection.  Not only will we hear the truth of his words, we will see him working.

The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; 

²⁶ but you do not believe,

         If we listen we will hear Jesus speak and if we look, we can see the works of Jesus.  BUT… Events can always be debated.  For sure we hear the debates about reality as we listen to the news dissect January 6.  If we don’t like a diagnosis, we seek a second opinion.  Republicans and Democrats can’t agree and neither could Pharisees and Sadducees, nor the common person.  Jesus spoke the truth but we must believe.  Jesus’ works declared his identity but we have to believe.  He healed, he cast out demons, he calmed the storms, and he spoke life but people still debated and cried for his crucifixion.   The words and works of Jesus spoke truth but still doubts plagued those Jews who debated through the Gospels and doubt plague our world today as we cope with the evil that would defeat us.

Jesus went to the core of problem.  People are sheep.  He says, he has spoken and he has done works but we have not believed

 “…because you do not belong to my sheep.”

Those Jews heard his words and they saw his works but they were not his sheep.  Back in the day, I took a minibus from my town to Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.  We were speeding through a village and I saw three sheep on the side of the road that were headed across the road right in-front of the bus.  I braced myself for a swerve and slam on the brakes.  The driver was going so fast he could not avoid a collision. He aimed the bus so that the sheep went under the bus between the wheels. I heard and felt the thunk, thunk, thunk and smelled their demise all the way to Nairobi.  He did not hesitate nor did he stop!!  I was shocked.  Those sheep did not have a shepherd!  Resurrection may mean we get to go to heaven because Jesus has paid for our sins, has opened the gates of mercy or led the way – however we understand the crucifixion – but it also means we have a shepherd NOW so we are not randomly struck by a speeding bus!  Resurrection is not just a promise about the future. It is a certainty about the present.

²⁷ My sheep hear my voice.

Jesus is with his people in Ukraine, in the Middle East, in Asia and Africa and here in the ole USA.  He is with the doctors, the soldiers and generals.  He is with my husband and my son’s family.  He is active with you.  He knows about the stock market.  He cares about Biden and Trump!  He speaks to you and me and we must listen.  Yes he speaks through churches and radios and podcasts but he also speaks through friends, through nature and so many other ways.  Just like we can tune in to AM or FM, we can tune in to God 24-7.  He does not force us to listen, though.  The choice is ours.  The Holy Spirit does not work only on Sundays!  God does not change reality to make my life wonderful, he speaks to me to make my life bless others.  It is not just about me but also about me listening to him to bless others.

         Our text continues and is our focus today because it speaks to the meaning of the Easter season.

²⁷ My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.

A friend brought over the DVD, “Iron Will,” about the dog sled race from Canada to Minneapolis.  We enjoyed snow vicariously!  The dogs responded to a whistle, the tune, the boy played on his father’s whistle.  He lost the whistle and the dogs wouldn’t move.  Then he puckered up and  whistled the tune himself.  The dogs jump into action.  We are like those dogs.  We are like sheep that have learned to know the voice, the tune, of our master.  Words of hatred, vengeance, and jealousy don’t sound right to us.  We must learn to listen to his voice and not the voice of the evil one on our shoulder or the voice of our own selfish heart.  “My sheep hear my voice.”

         Jesus continues, “I know them.”  We are known, not known about.  We are not a name on a voter’s registration list.  We don’t have to pull out our identity documents before we pray.  He knows us, warts and all.  He knows our past with its failures cause he was there.  He loves us as we are.  Unimaginable.  He did not appear to his followers after the resurrection because the followers had their act together.  They were huddled behind locked doors in fear.  He did not appear to the two on the road to Emmaus because they really understood all that had happened.  They had to have the Scriptures explained to them.  He knew those people at Easter time and knew they needed him and like a good Shepherd, he went to them.  He is our good shepherd today and walks with us in our weaknesses.  The Psalmist writes, “⁴ 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.”

         Jesus further explains, “they (his sheep) follow me.”  Houston we may have a problem.  The first two descriptions point to God’s initiative, he speaks and he knows, but this one challenges us because we know how often we disobey or fail to obey.  Spiritual truth is not like scientific truth. Even in my imperfection, though, Jesus walks with me because I am his sheep and he is my shepherd.

         The kingdom of God does not work like the kingdom of this world.  I suspect that the rubbing point of the resurrection is right here.  People talk the talk but walking the walk is a much more challenging task.  We will sign up for “shall not want,” “green pastures,” “still waters,” and “restoring our soul,” and we even want “tables prepared for us.”  But, the Psalmist says, “⁵ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.”  How did the enemies get into this picture? 

         Resurrection life grows in the presence of enemies, not just because God zaps and eliminates them.  We choose to listen.  We choose to look.  And we choose to believe in the midst of the chaos of evil in this world, not because we are living our happy-ever-after dream but because we trust our Shepherd.  Christianity is not about health, wealth and prosperity.  It is about following a Shepherd that leads us through the tough places of life.  We follow a risen savior who speaks and we learn to hear his voice.  He acts and we learn to recognize his presence.  He knows us and loves us even when we stray and misbehave. We can turn to him and are forgiven.  We use the word “faith” to describe being the sheep of his pasture.      Jesus goes on to say in the Gospel, “ ²⁸ I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.”  The Shepherd leads us to eternal life.  He guards us from the enemies that would destroy us.  “⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.”

         The resurrection means that Jesus is alive and speaking today – are we listening?  The resurrection means that Jesus is acting today – are we watching? The resurrection means that we are known inside and out, past and present – can we embrace that?  The resurrection challenges us to follow a living Shepard.  Why you might still ask.  Because, “³⁰ The Father and I are one.”  Nothing can snatch us out of his hands.

Let the people of God say, “AMEN!”

First Reading:  Acts 9: 1-6(7-20)

9 Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest ² and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. ³ Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. ⁴ He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” ⁵ He asked, “Who are you, Lord?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. ⁶ But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” ⁷ The men who were traveling with him stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one. ⁸ Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. ⁹ For three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

¹⁰ Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” He answered, “Here I am, Lord.” ¹¹ The Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul. At this moment he is praying, ¹² and he has seen in a vision^[a] a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” ¹³ But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem; ¹⁴ and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who invoke your name.” ¹⁵ But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel; ¹⁶ I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” ¹⁷ So Ananias went and entered the house. He laid his hands on Saul^[b] and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” ¹⁸ And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptized, ¹⁹ and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

For several days he was with the disciples in Damascus, ²⁰ and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.”

Psalm 30

1 I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up,
    and did not let my foes rejoice over me.
2 O Lord my God, I cried to you for help,
    and you have healed me.
3 O Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol,
    restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit.

4 Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones,
    and give thanks to his holy name.
5 For his anger is but for a moment;
    his favor is for a lifetime.
   Weeping may linger for the night,
    but joy comes with the morning.

6 As for me, I said in my prosperity,
    “I shall never be moved.”
7 By your favor, O Lord,
    you had established me as a strong mountain;
    you hid your face;
    I was dismayed.

8 To you, O Lord, I cried,
    and to the Lord I made supplication:
9 “What profit is there in my death,
    if I go down to the Pit?
   Will the dust praise you?
    Will it tell of your faithfulness?
10 Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me!
    O Lord, be my helper!”

11 You have turned my mourning into dancing;
    you have taken off my sackcloth
    and clothed me with joy,
12 so that my soul may praise you and not be silent.
    O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever.

Second Reading:  Revelation 5:11-14

11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne and the living creatures and the elders; they numbered myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 singing with full voice,

“Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” 13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing,  “To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

14 And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the elders fell down and worshiped.

GOSPEL READING:  John 21:1-19

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.

         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. 7 That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. 8 But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off.

         9 When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

         15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 A second time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.” 19 (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, “Follow me.”

CHILDREN’S SERMON:  Today we want to talk about “the Twilight Zone” called “liminal space” today.  Those inbetween times.  Turn to your neighbor and share something about an experience in the airport lobby, or perhaps the doctor’s lobby, or some other transitional space where you were waiting to go from one place to another.  What did you do during that time?

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

SERMON

Today is the third Sunday in the Easter Season, and John says it is the third time the disciples saw the risen Christ.  Time has passed and they are still figuring this “resurrection thing” out.  Conversion is a decision that is made that changes the direction of our lives and changes our allegiances and values as our first reading relates about Saul on the road to Damascus when he become Paul.  But resurrection implies a process of growth as we live into the meaning of the empty tomb and having a risen Savior.  It might be compared to a tadpole become a frog or a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. 

         Today’s text shows the disciples returning to Galilee to the Sea of Tiberias also known as the Sea of Galilee and they are “waiting” for Jesus to show them the next step.  He has always been there in their presence before and they have been his “followers” but things have changed.  Sometimes those times in our lives, those liminal times or twilight zones, when we are waiting for Jesus to show us the next step, when he appears silent or distant, are times when we are going through great growth.  They are times when we are being challenged to re-envision our situation, consider new methods and heal old scars.

“I am going fishing.”

Re-envisioning our situation

The term, “Twilight Zone,” became a popular TV series but originally

Was a phrase coined in the early1900s to describe the liminal space between fantasy and reality.  The term ultimately became the title of an award winning TV series.  Today we use the word “liminal” to talk about our times when we feel between events, when we feel somehow undefined, not quite sure what’s happening.  We may not be caught between fact and fantasy but we may be between past and future that somehow leaves us at loose ends, not feeling quite real. The disciples were in a liminal space like this. 

         After the shock of the crucifixion and the empty tomb, Jesus had appeared Easter evening when they were huddled behind locked doors, scared.  He had invited them into his resurrected reality, touch and feel,  and told them to wait for him in Galilee.  They were waiting. What did this all mean?  We have experiences that deeply impact our lives and then we have to figure out how to move forward.  We get married or perhaps have a child or get a new job or we move to a new place but that is just the beginning.  We are the same person but life has changed and actually we are changing too.  Jesus told the disciples to wait for him in Galilee and so they had traveled to northern Israel and are waiting for him to arrive.  Perhaps appear.

         Peter suggests that the group go out fishing.  This is logical as many of them are fishermen and a return to the familiar sounds comforting after all they had been through.  The familiar routines help us reconnect with who we are, help us get in touch with our selves. We stood in the Los Angeles airport, bags packed, first son in arms, saying goodbye to my parents.  I had never been to Kenya and my husband had left 12 years earlier to come to the States for college.  I had no idea that plains were not p-l-a-n-e-s.  I thought I was going to live with Tarzan and be Jane.  Similarly our family came home from our first four years working in a former famine relief camp in the northern dessert of Kenya with starving people at my door all day.  I stood in the supermarket in Pasadena, CA, and looked at the multitude of containers of milk and was totally overwhelmed.  I had changed.  I couldn’t even buy milk.

         The disciples have changed.  Seven of them go fishing but it is just not the same.  AND they catch nothing having fished all night.  Perhaps the weather was not good.  Perhaps their bait was not right.  Perhaps their hearts were just not into fishing anymore.  It was not a good experience.  That which had driven their life before now is not satisfying in the same way, but the future is unclear.

         Churches in transition know this challenge.  Bethany knows this challenge.  The pastor leaves and it is not clear what the future should look like.  Carrying on doing what is known is definitely necessary.  The disciples had to eat.  But during the liminal time until the next event happens, there is an evaluation of goals, values, and context.  This is natural.  The disciples were doing it.  Bethany is doing it.  We all do it when we change to a new phase.  We are figuring out retirement.  Others figure out life after the death of a spouse, after a move, after graduation, after… you name it and it will be a liminal time of learning to live into a new context.  We are looking at life with new eyes and figuring out the next step.

         Peter was not alone, though.  His friends went with him to fish.  AND, though Peter did not realize it, Jesus was on the shore watching and throwing out suggestions that helped the fishermen to move to success.  Jesus is there with Bethany, leading, guiding and throwing out suggestions.  We are in the boat together and that “creative thinker” might be an asset.  New phases of life require re-envisioning who we are.

“Throw your net on the other side”

Re-envisioning methods

In the disciple’s exhaustion, Jesus calls from the shore for them to cast their nets on the other side of the boat.  This sounds very familiar to an earlier encounter with Jesus when he challenged them to throw their nets on the other side of the boat after a night of failed fishing.  This time there was no arguing, no “but”s.  They obeyed.  Twilight zones, liminal times, call us into spaces where we might be challenged to do things a little differently.  We need to be open to casting our net on the “wrong” side of the boat.

         Somehow I thought that if I found Prince Charming, I would live happily ever after.  We can all laugh at that youthful dream because we know it’s not true.  Somehow I thought retirement meant being able to “rest” and savor whatever life and strength I had left.  I did not envision my husband being challenged by hospice to use a wheelchair.  We are struggling to get the net to the other side of the boat.  We can all name a challenge to changing our ways of coping with life.  The pandemic, closing churches, masks, pastors retiring and the reorganizing of church today is challenging all churches to re-envision what being the body of Christ in our context means.  Perhaps we read sermons from Deacon Barbara until God opens the next door.  Church may mean making some major adjustments in the future for Bethany.  We may need to cast our net on the other side of the boat.

         I find it comforting that the suggestion, in our text anyway, comes from a loving Savior standing on the shore watching.  It may feel like a government mandate or a CDC guideline or a financial interest hike but the truth is that there is a loving Savior standing on the shore helping us to be successful. 

         When the disciples obeyed and did the necessary, John recognized Jesus.  Peter put on his clothes to swim to shore.  They experienced a huge catch of fish.  I do not want to sound health, wealth and prosperity gospel.  Many martyrs would agree that obedience to the voice of God led to martyrdom.  I’m sure the people in Ukraine are not feeling blessed right now.  Being between pastors is not a comfortable place but knowing there is a God who sees, who cares, and who is leading and guiding during the uncertainty is comforting.  Trying new methods is counter intuitive but not necessarily “wrong.”

Feed my lambs and sheep

Healing scars

Peter and the disciples were the walking wounded.  Peter had denied Christ at the trial.  The disciples had fled.  All were too aware of their own failures.  They had to get over themselves and hear God’s voice.  We all carry wounds from the failures of our past.  It is the topic the evil ones loves to sit on our shoulder and whisper about into our ears.  Remember when you…, remember your failure….., remember how that person rejected you…..  Satan has such good hindsight and very poor foresight.

         Jesus feeds the disciples first.  Some of us are running on fumes and just need to feed our souls with the Word, with music, with rest, or with fellowship.  Then we can tune in to the conversation with God.  We need to sit around a fire, early in the morning and meet with the Lord.   Jesus does not bring up the past but starts by asking Peter.  “Peter, do you love me more these?”  Jesus does not start with accusation and confrontation asking Peter to sit and “review” a failure to learn from mistakes.  Jesus goes to a core question. Do we love God more than the glitter of this world?  What are our priorities?  The question is not about our deeds, our qualifications, or our accomplishments.  He does not ask how big a church we have generated or how many times we have read through the Bible.  Jesus asked Peter and he asks us today, “Do we love him more than all those things dear to our heart?” 

         Jesus asked a second time.  “Do you love me?” Sit in the question and don’t let your mind wander to the past!   The third time Jesus asked, “Do you love me?”  Peter responds with an open heart.  “Lord, you know all!”  God knows all about us.  God knows all about Bethany.  God knows the past, the present challenges and the future that is a fog.  When we come to church and to communion, we confess our failures we know and the sins we do not even know because God knows all.  We do not come as successes because we have “accepted Jesus as our Savior.”  We come as failures and God knows all.

         God asks and we confess.  The story of the twilight zone, liminal times, is a story of grace.  We face the challenges of reorientation, the fears of the future, the uncertainties of those foggy places in life with the grace of a God.  He calls us into the Galilees of life where we sort through our context and our call.  He stands on the shore urging us into new methods for new times, times of tackling tasks of the future.  He tells us to try something new.  As we trust, we are called to fellowship with him and he heals the wounds that would hold us back.  He renews our call and commissions us to feed others.

         So what does this mean today for us.  Perhaps you are a disciple out fishing but catching nothing.  Perhaps you are the exhausted person needing to get to shore to breakfast.  Perhaps you are the walking wounded who needs healing.  We are somewhere in this story today, the story of resurrection.  There is a future and Jesus is standing on our shores, watching, guiding, and forgiving us as we walk into the future with him.

Let the people of God say, “Amen!”  May it be so!

First Reading:  Acts 5:27-32

²⁷ When they had brought them, they had them stand before the council. The high priest questioned them, ²⁸ saying, “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you are determined to bring this man’s blood on us.” ²⁹ But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than any human authority. ³⁰ The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. ³¹ God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior that he might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. ³² And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.”

Psalm 118:14-29 (8)

¹⁴ The Lord is my strength and my might;
    he has become my salvation.

¹⁵ There are glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous:
“The right hand of the Lord does valiantly;
¹⁶     the right hand of the Lord is exalted;
    the right hand of the Lord does valiantly.”
¹⁷ I shall not die, but I shall live,
    and recount the deeds of the Lord.
¹⁸ The Lord has punished me severely,
    but he did not give me over to death.

¹⁹ Open to me the gates of righteousness,
    that I may enter through them
    and give thanks to the Lord.

²⁰ This is the gate of the Lord;    the righteous shall enter through it.

²¹ I thank you that you have answered me
    and have become my salvation.
²² The stone that the builders rejected
    has become the chief cornerstone.
²³ This is the Lord’s doing;
    it is marvelous in our eyes.
²⁴ This is the day that the Lord has made;
    let us rejoice and be glad in it.
²⁵ Save us, we beseech you, O Lord!
    O Lord, we beseech you, give us success!

²⁶ Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
    We bless you from the house of the Lord.
²⁷ The Lord is God,
    and he has given us light.
Bind the festal procession with branches,
    up to the horns of the altar.

²⁸ You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;
    you are my God, I will extol you.

²⁹ O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
    for his steadfast love endures forever.

Second Reading:  Revelation 1:4-8

⁴ John to the seven churches that are in Asia:

Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, ⁵ and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, ⁶ and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving^\\ his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

⁷ Look! He is coming with the clouds;
    every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him;
    and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail.

So it is to be. Amen.

⁸ “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

GOSPEL:  John 20:19-31

¹⁹ When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” ²⁰ After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. ²¹ Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” ²² When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³ If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

²⁴ But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. ²⁵ So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

²⁶ A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” ²⁷ Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” ²⁸ Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” ²⁹ Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

³⁰ Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. ³¹ But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

CHILDREN’S SERMON  Most of us remember Julie Andrews singing “Do Re Me: in Sound of Music.  We learn to read by learning the alphabet, A-B-C.  Maria says singing starts with Do-Re-Me.  Turn to your neighbor and share where faith started for you.

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

SERMON

The Lord is Risen!  The Lord is Risen indeed!  We are now in the Easter Season.  For six weeks we marinate our souls in the core tenant of the Christian faith:  Jesus Christ is true God and true man.  He is stronger than all forms of death that seek to undermine our lives and divert us from the joy God would have for us. He is NOT far off in the heavens running the universe but he IS right here with us today, involved and active, working for our good and the world’s good.  Whew, that is a mouth full for sure.  Don’t turn on the TV to fact check me because if we look at the world to evaluate spiritual truth, we will despair.  Jesus incarnated, lived, died, rose, and lives.  He is present and is working for good!  Lord, help us to know these truths in a new way today deep in our souls.

         Maria in “Sound of Music,” sings,

“Let’s start from the very beginning

A very good place to start
When you read, you begin with A-B-C
When you sing, you begin with Do-Re-Mi”

Christianity while having deep roots in the Old Testament differentiates and identifies itself with faith in Jesus Christ’s resurrection.  He is not just another prophet.  Today we can ground our faith on over 2000 years of Christian theologians and writers sorting out what really happened that first Easter morning.  The Gospel text takes us to the evening of that first Easter. The disciples and the Jesus’ followers were not shouting, “The Lord is risen.”  Their world had been torn apart as they had just watched the brutal death of their leader, heard that the body was gone but he may have been seen by some.  They were huddled behind locked doors in fear, trying to put together the bits and pieces of the stories and experiences.  No CNN or texting.  They gathered… in fear.  We will ponder that first Easter evening today.

         We do not need to look far to see that this scene of disciples behind locked doors is still true even in our world.  People are huddled in cellars and underground in Ukraine.  Families huddle in hospitals waiting for the surgeon to come with the report on their beloved.  Last Sunday elders sat at the Easter meal and remembered years gone by with family surrounding them, big meals, and the ability to participate.  Age has shattered their abilities and spread families around the world.  It is possible to close the door of our hearts, lock it and hide in fear.  Sometimes we need to put our lives and our faith back together after a “detour” that overwhelms us. Maybe we keep up a good face but in our hearts, we know this story. 

         Jesus comes into that secret space of our hearts and his first word to us and to his followers was, “Peace,” “Peace be with you.”  Take a moment now and hear Jesus whisper to you, “Peace.” 

         That peace is not a feeling that is manufactured from within ourselves but is a result of turning our eyes away from our tumultuous emotions or anxious thoughts and turning towards Jesus.  He is the source of peace.  We come to church today to focus on the truth of the Easter story and to turn away from hiding behind locked doors in fear.  A-B-C, Do-Re-Mi, facts-faith-future. Here are a few of his words for us – the facts, nothing but the facts folks!  Christ is risen and he wants peace for us!

John 16:33     ³³ I have said this to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!”

 

John 14:27      ²⁷ Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.

 

Romans 5:1     Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

 

The peace we have as Christians is not the absence of conflict and pain.  In the midst of the circumstances of life, we turn our eyes to Jesus and he breathes peace into us.  We focus faith on the true facts of the resurrection.  Jesus is alive and with us. Peace is grounded on Jesus’ defeat of evil and our secure relationship with the God who knows all about the challenges we face. Faith starts with accepting the fact, the truth, that Jesus Christ rose on Easter.

         The text goes on to tell us that Thomas was not there that first evening and he was not going to believe until he himself experienced Jesus.  We call him “Doubting Thomas” but doubt demands facts to wipe out fear.  Thomas wanted truth.  He wanted to experience Jesus alive and Jesus honored him.  Jesus appeared again and invited Thomas to touch and feel.  Jesus was not afraid of Thomas’ doubt nor ours.  He is willing to reach out to us when we genuinely seek him.

         I also note that Jesus breathes on the disciples the Holy Spirit.  Perhaps this personal moment was a taste of what was to come on Pentecost.  The Bible does tell us also that peace is a fruit of the Holy Spirit.  As Lutherans we baptize babies and we believe at baptism at any age the gift of the Holy Spirit is given to live within us and guide us in our faith and lives.  The peace from the Holy Spirit helps us see past the confusion of events and the fears that confront us, the doubts that undermine us, to the facts of Easter.  Jesus is alive.

         A-B-C, Do-Re-Mi, facts are the “A,” the “Do,” the foundation of our faith but they only carry us so far.  A song of one note is not a song really.  Once we hear the facts, hear the story, and listen then we must respond.  Whatever way Jesus comes to us whether it is music or nature or testimonies, we must still internalize the facts into personal truth.  We call it faith.  We see it in how Thomas responds.  He was not at that first Sunday evening and even though he heard the others talking about what happened, he wanted to know for himself.  We can come to church, we can listen to music, we can do all sorts of religious activity but until the facts transform into faith, we struggle.

         Jesus honors Thomas and the Gospel writer reports as significant that Jesus appeared another Sunday evening and invited Thomas into relationship.  Jesus invited Thomas to touch and feel.  Thomas was invited to put his finger in the nail wound in Jesus’ hand and in Jesus’ side.  That is a very personal and intimate action.  Touching another’s point of pain is to be invited into deep relationship.  No turning back, folks.  Judas knew the facts and hung himself.  Thomas knew the facts and reached out and touched Jesus.  His response, “My Lord, and my God.” 

         When we hear the words in communion, “This is my body” and “This is my blood”  “given for you for the forgiveness of sin,” we are invited into personal relationship and forgiveness with a risen savior.  We are invited to touch and to feel and not doubt God’s forgiveness and presence with us.  We have been invited like Thomas to bring our doubts, our fears, our joys and praise to a God who is present with us.  If facts are the “Do” to our song of life, faith is the “Re”.  It is “going to the next level.”  It is making the decision to be all in.

         Thomas reaching out to Jesus and us taking communion are spiritual moments of interaction between God and a person that Christians explain differently.  Lutherans focus on a God who invites us into relationship.  We memorized in the Small Catechism Luther’s explanation, “I believe I cannot believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to him but the Holy Spirit calls me through the Gospel.”  God invites.  God initiates and invites through baptism and communion.  We are saved by grace and not by the size of our faith.  God came to Thomas in his doubt.  Other denominations focus more on the profession of faith by Thomas as the beginning of the faith journey.  Whether we focus on grace or testimony, facts demand a response.  Embraced relationship changes our lives as we grow into our understanding of Jesus as our risen Lord and our God.

         While A-B-C are the building blocks of language, Do-Re-Mi are the building blocks of music, facts are the building blocks of our spiritual life and propel us towards faith or rejection, and faith changes our future.  Facts, Faith, Future are the building blocks of Christianity.  John closes our text by saying that he has written because the goal is that we will have “life,” not death.  As we study the life of Jesus during Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent and Easter, we learn more and more about a God who changes our outlook on life and the quality of life we live.  We learn a whole new way of living into a future God has for us. 

         Jesus breathed peace into his followers.  He invited Thomas to touch him and stop doubting but believe.  As we grow in out ability to see and understand how our relationship with God affects our lives, we have new eyes, new understanding of reality.  We have new explanations and new responses.  We try to forgive, to share, to love with God’s love.  Evil impacts our lives but it is not random or all-powerful.  There is a God who mediates the events of our lives and who has our backs.  We are not purposeless and pointless, wandering through life trying to create a happy ever after story.  Our lives have meaning beyond reproduction or partying and happiness.  Our relationships take on new meaning.  We were created for a God who cares, who sees, and is invested in our experiences.  AND we have a future.  God wants to give us life, life abundant.  As discouraging as some days are and as hard as some phases of our life might be, we are on a journey with each other and with the God of the universe.  We can bow with Thomas and say “My Lord and my God.”

         Maria, near the end of the Do-Re-Mi song sings,

Now, children, Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So and so on
Are only the tools we use to build a song
Once you have these notes in your heads
You can sing a million different tunes by mixing them up

         I think we can say that facts, faith and future are the tools we use to build a song, the song of our life.  Once we have these building blocks in our heads, we can face a million different scenarios.  We know Jesus rose and was not terminated by death.  We know we are invited into relationship with Jesus who’s Spirit goes with us through life and intercedes for us.  We can face any challenge because we know God has our back and has answers we could never anticipate.  “We can sing a million different tunes” with a risen, living, empowering Savior!

Let’s start from the very beginning

A very good place to start

When you read, you begin with A-B-C

When you sing, you begin with Do-Re-Mi

When you believe you begin with facts, faith, future?

The people of God said, “AMEN.”

(With this Good Friday liturgy, we continue our worship that began yesterday and will continue on Sunday with a great celebration of Christ’s resurrection.)

All gather in silence.

P: God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. (John 3:16)

C: We have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession.

P: We have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin.

C: Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16)

Prayer of the Day

P: Merciful God, your Son was lifted up on the cross to draw all people to himself. grant that we who have been born out of his wounded side may at all times find mercy in him, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C: Amen

Responsive Reading                                         Isaiah 53:5-8, 10

P: But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities;

C: upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed.

P: All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way,

C: and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

P: He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth;

C: like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.

P: By a perversion of justice he was taken away. Who could have imagined his future?

C: For he was cut off from the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people.

P: Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him with pain. When you make his life an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring, and shall prolong his days;

C: through him the will of the LORD shall prosper.

HYMN                                                                          Jesus, I Will Ponder Now

1. Jesus, I will ponder now
on your holy passion;
let your Spirit now endow
me for meditation.
Grant that I in love and faith may the image cherish
of your suff’ring, pain, and death, that I may not perish.
2. Make me see your great distress, anguish, and affliction, bonds and blows and wretchedness and your crucifixion;
make me see how scourge and rod, spear and nails, did wound you, how you died for those, O God, who with thorns had crowned you.
3. 3 Yet, O Lord, not thus alone make me see your passion, but its cause to me make known and its termination.
For I also and my sin wrought your deep affliction; this the shameful cause has been of your crucifixion.

THE PASSION ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN, PART ONE     John 18:1-11

After Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley to a place where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. 2Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, because Jesus often met there with his disciples. 3So Judas brought a detachment of soldiers together with police from the chief priests and the Pharisees, and they came there with lanterns and torches and weapons. 4Then Jesus, knowing all that was to happen to him, came forward and asked them, “Whom are you looking for?” 5They answered, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus re- plied, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. 6When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they stepped back and fell to the ground. 7Again he asked them, “Whom are you looking for?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” 8Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So if you are looking for me, let these men go.” 9This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken, “I did not lose a single one of those whom you gave me.” 10Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear. The slave’s name was Malchus. 11Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath. Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?”

First candle is extinguished.

HYMN                                                                                  Go to Dark Gethsemane

1 Go to dark Gethsemane,
all who feel the tempter’s pow’r;   your Redeemer’s conflict see. Watch with him one bitter hour; turn not from his griefs away; learn from Jesus Christ to pray.

2.  Follow to the judgment hall, view the Lord of life arraigned; oh, the wormwood and the gall! Oh, the pangs his soul sustained! Shun not suff’ring, shame, or loss; learn from him to bear the cross.

THE PASSION ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN, PART TWO    John 18:12-27

12So the soldiers, their officer, and the Jewish police arrested Jesus and bound him. 13First they took him to Annas, who was the father-in- law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. 14Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was better to have one person die for the people.

15Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, 16but Peter was standing outside at the gate. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out, spoke to the woman who guarded the gate, and brought Peter in. 17The woman said to Peter, “You are not also one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” 18Now the slaves and the police had made a charcoal fire because it was cold, and they were standing around it and warming themselves. Peter also was standing with them and warming himself.

19Then the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching. 20Jesus answered, “I have spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. 21Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard what I said to them; they know what I said.” 22When he had said this, one of the police standing nearby struck Jesus on the face, saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?” 23Jesus answered, “If I have spo- ken wrongly, testify to the wrong. But if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?” 24Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.

25Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They asked him, “You are not also one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” 26One of the slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” 27Again Peter denied it, and at that moment the cock crowed.

Second candle is extinguished.

HYMN                                                    O Sacred Head, Now Wounded  

1. O sacred head, now wounded, with grief and shame weighed down now scornfully surrounded with thorns, thine only crown; O sacred head, what glory, what bliss till now was thine! Yet, though despised and gory, I joy to call thee mine.

2.  How pale thou art with anguish, with sore abuse and scorn; how does thy face now languish, which once was bright as morn! Thy grief and bitter passion were all for sinners’ gain; mine, mine was the transgression, but thine the deadly pain.

THE PASSION ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN, PART THREE John 18:28-40

28Then they took Jesus from Caiaphas to Pilate’s headquarters. It was early in the morning. They themselves did not enter the headquarters, so as to avoid ritual defile- ment and to be able to eat the Passover. 29So Pilate went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” 30They answered, “If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.” 31Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law.” The Jews replied, “We are not per- mitted to put anyone to death.” 32(This was to fulfill what Jesus had said when he indi- cated the kind of death he was to die.)

33Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” 34Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did oth- ers tell you about me?” 35Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?” 36Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my king- dom is not from here.” 37Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” 38Pilate asked him, “What is truth?”

After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, “I find no case against him. 39But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover. Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” 40They shouted in reply, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a bandit.

Third candle is extinguished

HYMN                                           O Sacred Head, Now Wounded

3. What language shall I borrow to thank thee, dearest friend, for this thy dying sorrow, thy pity without end?
Oh, make me thine forever, and should I fainting be, Lord, let me never, never outlive my love to thee.

4.  Lord, be my consolation; shield me when I must die; remind me of thy passion when my last hour draws nigh. These eyes, new faith receiving, from thee shall never move; for all who die believing
die safely in thy love.

THE PASSION ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN, PART FOUR    John 19:1-16a  

19 1Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. 2And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they dressed him in a purple robe. 3They kept com- ing up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and striking him on the face. 4Pilate went out again and said to them, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no case against him.” 5So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!” 6When the chief priests and the police saw him, they shouted, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him; I find no case against him.” 7The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has claimed to be the Son of God.”

8Now when Pilate heard this, he was more afraid than ever. 9He entered his headquar- ters again and asked Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. 10Pi- late therefore said to him, “Do you refuse to speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?” 11Jesus answered him, “You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above; therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.” 12From then on Pilate tried to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are no friend of the emperor. Everyone who claims to be a king sets himself against the emperor.”

13When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside and sat on the judge’s bench at a place called The Stone Pavement, or in Hebrew Gabbatha. 14Now it was the day of Preparation for the Passover; and it was about noon. He said to the Jews, “Here is your King!” 15They cried out, “Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!” Pilate asked them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but the emperor.” 16Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.

Fourth candle is extinguished.

HYMN                                                                                                         Ah, Holy Jesus

1.   Ah, holy Jesus, how hast thou offended that we to judge thee have in hate pretended?  By foes derided, by thine own rejected, O most afflicted.

2.  Who was the guilty? Who brought this upon thee? Alas, my treason, Jesus, hath undone thee. ‘Twas I, Lord Jesus, I it was denied thee;
I crucified thee.

THE PASSION OF ST. JOHN, PART FIVE             John 19:16b-25

16bSo they took Jesus; 17and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. 18There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them. 19Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” 20Many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. 21Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.'” 22Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”

23When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They also took his tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. 24So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see who will get it.” This was to fulfill what the scripture says,

“They divided my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots.”

25And that is what the soldiers did.

Fifth candle is extinguished.

HYMN                                                                           Ah, Holy Jesus

3.  Lo, the Good Shepherd for the sheep is offered; the slave hath sinned, and the Son hath suffered; for our atonement, while we nothing heeded, God interceded.

4 For me, kind Jesus, was thine incarnation, thy mortal sorrow, and thy life’s oblation; thy death of anguish and thy bitter passion, for my salvation.

5. Therefore, kind Jesus, since I cannot pay thee, I do adore thee, and will ever pray thee; think on thy pity and thy love unswerving, not my deserving.

THE PASSION OF ST. JOHN, PART SIX                              John 19:25-30  

25Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” 27Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.

28After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture), “I am thirsty.” 29A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. 30When Jesus had received the wine, he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Sixth candle is extinguished.

HYMN                                              Were You There

1 Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

2 Were you there when they nailed him to the tree? Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?

Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?

3 Were you there when they pierced him in the side? Were you there when they pierced him in the side?

Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. Were you there when they pierced him in the side?

THE PASSION ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN, PART SEVEN John 19:31-42

31Since it was the day of Preparation, the Jews did not want the bodies left on the cross during the sabbath, especially because that sabbath was a day of great solemnity. So they asked Pilate to have the legs of the crucified men broken and the bodies removed. 32Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him. 33But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out. 35(He who saw this has testified so that you al- so may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth.) 36These things occurred so that the scripture might be fulfilled, “None of his bones shall be bro- ken.” 37And again another passage of scripture says, “They will look on the one whom they have pierced.” 38After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body. 39Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. 40They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews. 41Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. 42And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

Seventh candle is extinguished

HYMN                                                                             Were You There

4 Were you there when the sun refused to shine?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. Were you there when the sun refused to shine?

5 Were you there when they laid him in the tomb? Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?

Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?

Prayer of the People for Good Friday

P: We seek your saving grace, God of Christ Jesus, for all those who on this Good Friday are lost among their doubts, sins, griefs or fears. O crucified Christ, have mercy on your sisters and brothers.


C: O God of the Cross, deliver us from all evil.

P: For some who are suffering from disease or accident, and the many who suffer be- cause of terrorism and war. For people who bear their suffering alone and unaided, and others who though surrounded by medical personnel and equipment, still find their pain unbearable. O crucified Christ, have mercy on your sisters and brothers.

C: O God of the Cross, deliver us from all evil.

P: For those who suffer abuse at home or at work, and the many children who suffer from the bullying or rejection of their peers. O crucified Christ, have mercy on your sis- ters and brothers.


C: O God of the Cross, deliver us from all evil.

P: For any who suffer a painful, terminal illness, and those loved one whose spirits are this day torn by raw grief. O crucified Christ, have mercy on your sisters and brothers. C: O God of the Cross, deliver us from all evil.

P: For those who in their suffering have no faith to support them, and any who’s once- vibrant faith seems to be ebbing away under stress. For all who in suffering still trust and praise their God, and those who while suffering themselves still give comfort to their distressed friends and loved one. O crucified Christ, have mercy on your sisters and brothers.

C: O God of the Cross, deliver us from all evil.

P: Loving God, we commit into your hands our lives, that in sickness or in health, in joy or in sorrow, we may carry (without grumbling) whatever cross you give us, and always have time and love for those who are falling down under the weight of their hardship. This we ask through Christ Jesus our redeemer.

C: Amen.


The Lord’s Prayer


Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven.   Give us today our daily bread.  Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil.  For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen.

ADORATION OF THE CROSS

The following dialogue is spoken three times, the congregation echoing the leader.

P:
 Behold, the life-giving cross, on which was hung the Savior of the whole world.

C:  Oh, come, let us worship him.

Hymn                                               What Wondrous Love Is This

1 What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul!  What wondrous love is this, O my soul! What wondrous love is this
that caused the Lord of bliss
to bear the dreadful curse
for my soul, for my soul,
to bear the dreadful curse for my soul?

2 When I was sinking down, sinking down, sinking down, when I was sinking down, sinking down, when I was sinking down beneath God’s righteous frown, Christ laid aside his crown
for my soul, for my soul,
Christ laid aside his crown for my soul.

3 To God and to the Lamb I will sing, I will sing;  to God and to the Lamb I will sing;
to God and to the Lamb,
who is the great I AM,
while millions join the theme,
I will sing, I will sing,
while millions join the theme, I will sing.

After a brief silence, the minister continues.

P: We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.

C: By your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

All depart in silence. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

.

First Reading: Exodus 12:1-4 [5-10] 11-14

¹The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt: ²This month shall mark for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you. ³Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth of this month they are to take a lamb for each family, a lamb for each household. ⁴If a household is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join its closest neighbor in obtaining one; the lamb shall be divided in proportion to the number of people who eat of it. [⁵Your lamb shall be without blemish, a year-old male; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. ⁶You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month; then the whole assembled congregation of Israel shall slaughter it at twilight. ⁷They shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. ⁸They shall eat the lamb that same night; they shall eat it roasted over the fire with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. ⁹Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted over the fire, with its head, legs, and inner organs. ¹⁰You shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. ] ¹¹This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it hurriedly. It is the passover of the Lord. ¹²For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both human beings and animals; on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. ¹³The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live: when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
 ¹⁴This day shall be a day of remembrance for you. You shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord; throughout your generations you shall observe it as a perpetual ordinance.

Psalm: Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19

 ¹I love the Lord, who has heard my voice,
  and listened to my supplication,
 ²for the Lord has given ear to me
  whenever I called.
 ¹²How shall I repay the Lord
  for all the good things God has done for me?
 ¹³I will lift the cup of salvation
  and call on the name of the Lord.
 ¹⁴I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
  in the presence of all God’s people.
 ¹⁵Precious in your sight, O Lord,
  is the death of your servants.
 ¹⁶O Lord, truly I am your servant;
  I am your servant, the child of your handmaid; you have freed me from         my bonds.
 ¹⁷I will offer you the sacrifice of thanksgiving
  and call upon the name of the Lord.
 ¹⁸I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
  in the presence of all God’s people,
 ¹⁹in the courts of the Lord’s house,
  in the midst of you, O Jerusalem.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

²³For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, ²⁴and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁵In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” ²⁶For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

(Place a bowl of water on the altar or your table, a plate with a loaf of bread and a wine glass and a candle, and a serving spoon)

Gospel: John 13:1-17, 31b-35   

¹Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. ²The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper ³Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, ⁴got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. ⁵Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. ⁶He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” ⁷Jesus answered, “You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” ⁸Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.” ⁹Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” ¹⁰Jesus said to him, “One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.” ¹¹For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, “Not all of you are clean.”
 ¹²After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? ¹³You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. ¹⁴So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. ¹⁶Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. ¹⁷If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.”

 ^31b“Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. ³²If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. ³³Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ ³⁴I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. ³⁵By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

SERMON Part 1

WASHING:  a bowl of water

Maundy Thursday has three major parts: foot washing, communion, and the new commandment.  The journey we go through this evening parallels our growth in faith. In this final meal with the disciples, Jesus is physically walking them through truth.  First we must be washed. We can then relax in Jesus’ presence and commune with him.  Then we are prepared to relate to others as channels of God’s love.

          We first focus on the foot washing.  Jesus rises in the middle of the Passover meal and washes the feet of the disciples.  Peter objects.  Jesus responds,  “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.”   Even we were baptized into Christ but daily we return to those baptismal vows and daily we confess our sins.  We continue to sin and need to deal with that.  Without the washing away of sin, our relationships with God and people are dysfunctional.

         Jesus came to the disciples, even Judas whom he knew would betray him, and washed his feet.  He knew they all needed to be washed to start the evening.  We all need to be washed for we have all sinned and fallen sort of the glory of God.  We start our service with confession and forgiveness in this truth.  You may now wish to use your fingers to mark a cross on your forehead to symbolize washing your thoughts, or on your ears to symbolize what you listen to, or on your lips for better speech, or even perhaps on your heart for grudges harbored.  (Silence for reflection.)

Let us pray with the words of king David from Psalm 51:1-4:

         “Have mercy on me, O God; according to your unfailing love, according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.      Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.  For I    know my transgressions and my sin is always before me.        Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in       your sight so that you are proved right when you speak and    justified when you judge.”

Hymn: “Let Us Break Bread Together on Our Knees,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Egk-pX_1nHg

Gospel:  Matthew 26: 26-29

²⁶ While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” ²⁷ Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; ²⁸ for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. ²⁹ I tell you, I will never again drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

SERMON – Part 2

PRESENCE: A Candle

Lighting the Passover candles is one of the two duties for Jewish women.  Having washed through confession and forgiveness, we light a candle that symbolizes that we are in the presence of the Light of the World.

         Jesus assures us that whether we are battling for our lives with Covid-19, overwhelmed by anxiety for the unseen danger that threatens our loved ones, despairing of the war in Ukraine, or just plain bored from sitting in our homes, Jesus has covenanted with us to be present. When we take communion, we are reminded that the bread, Jesus’ body, strengthens us to face the challenges of life.  When we drink the wine, we are reminded that Jesus blood symbolizes that he is as close to us as the blood flowing through our body, saving us.

         “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will   fear no evil for you are with me (Psm. 23:4)”

         “He will not let your foot slip – he who watches over you will not          slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor         sleep. (Psalm 121: 3,4)”

            ¹⁰ do not fear, for I am with you, do not be afraid, for I am your God;  I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my      victorious right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)”

         The Great Commission ends with, “And remember, I am with you       always, to the end of the age. (Mt 28: 20)

Let us prayer:  May we never forget that your body broken for us and your blood shed for us strengthens us for our journey as we remember your sacrifice and presence with us.   We are yours.  Thank you.  Amen.

Hymn: “Amazing Grace.”   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSQCiaG9G8s

Gospel: John 13: 31b-35

  ^31b“Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. ³²If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. ³³Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ ³⁴I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. ³⁵By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

SERMON: Part 3

LOVE: A Spoon

We come to the end of Maundy Thursday and Jesus starts to turn his face to the Garden of Gethsemane, his trial and Calvary.  The meal is finished and he turns to the disciples and gives them a “new commandment.”  Maundy is the Latin word from which mandate or command comes.

We placed the spoon on top of the communion meal because the spoon symbolizes that when we are forgiven and fortified by the presence of God, we then are his spoons, his instruments to share his love with a broken world.  The spoon can be held to reach for and drink the water of forgiveness.  It can also be turned upside down so that the water poured over the spoon flows outward to those around.  Jesus in this mandate is telling us to take that spoon and dip it into the bowl of water to give water of forgiveness to others, to water plants in your house, or to wash hands or feet.  We are to bless others and to live as forgiven people. 

Jesus in this “new” command reframes the Ten Commandments, not to give a different commandment but to give us a new perspective and way of understanding the Ten Commandments.  Have “no other gods before me,” is “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your strength.”  Do not swear is now to use God’s name to express love and blessing.  We go to church to refocus on what is important and eternal.  We honor family and commitments.  We don’t take life, we give life.  We don’t objectify the other for our lusts but honor and respect others’ bodies.  We don’t take but we give to others.  We don’t tear down others but build them up.  We rejoice in other’s accomplishments.  Matthew has Jesus answering the question about the greatest commandment in the Law by saying, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.”

Water, A candle, A spoon

Tonight we bow in the tremendous knowledge that we are forgiven, we are guardians of God’s light, and we are the spoon to feed others God’s love.

Lord, Thank you.