Sharing God's Love and Grace

Meditation on Romans 5:1-5

June 20, 2017

Merritt Island Presbyterian Church

 

Therefore, 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.

 

***

When I accepted the call to minister here at MIPC, I was anxious to communicate with my new congregation on Facebook. And that is how I met Gail, before I met most of the church. She was the creator and administrator of our congregation’s FB page, and she and her daughter had designed the original MIPC website. Communication via social media was just one of her many talents and skills, I would soon find out. In a flurry of emails, back and forth, she welcomed me to Florida and the church and answered many questions. I felt an immediate connection with her, though she was in Maryland and would be for a while. She regretted not being at the church to welcome me in person, she said, or to attend my installation. She told me she was undergoing treatments for cancer. But when I expressed concern and sadness at her news, she assured me that she was “feeling well most of the time.”

She was as wonderful as I expected when I met her in person some months later–an intelligent, strong woman of faith who loved the Lord and loved this church, so much that she suggested we walk around the building and pray for the Spirit to cover this place, to be poured out on God’s people so that we may be changed and the ministry built up and protected from evil.

At our first meeting, Gail seemed to be glowing. People who hugged her in the Narthex after worship exclaimed, “Gail, you look great!” If she hadn’t told me she had cancer, I would never have known it. Her face shone with joy as she greeted longtime friends, fellow laborers for the Lord. She had the peace of Christ that surpasses all understanding!

God had a plan and a purpose for her life. She had endured not only physical illness but the pain of intense grief and loss. I didn’t know until a few weeks ago that she had lost her husband to cancer when he was only 39. Gail, a longtime, active member of our congregation, trusted in God’s love and His promise, as Paul writes in Philippians 1:6, to complete the good work in us that He has begun. She took seriously Christ’s call to follow him, sending out into the world those he equipped to do compassionate ministry. In Matthew 5:16, Christ tells his disciples, “Let you light shine before others so that they may see your good deeds and glorify God in heaven.”

Gail raised her 3 children to know God’s love and encouraged their participation in Kids Klub, Praise Band, Sunday school, and other activities with our congregation. She served as a deacon, on fellowship and outreach committees, and taught children’s church, parenting classes and Life Study Classes. She went on numerous mission trips, including one in 2013 to an orphanage in Haiti. She was an active volunteer in the community, serving on the Board of the Sharing Center, as a member of the Junior League of Central and North Brevard, and as President of the Friends of the Library. She earned the rank of captain in the U.S. Navy and served her country as a coordinator of medical services during Desert Storm. Then, she used her skills and experiences for medical mission work in Haiti and Nicaragua.

Her greatest passion was for helping needy children and families. She earned a bachelor’s in Occupational Therapy and a doctorate in Psychology. She served as a counselor/therapist at Merritt Island Christian School and was instrumental in the founding of an early intervention program, the “Lab School” at Brevard Community College, now Eastern Florida State. She taught parents and their children the great joy of being God’s special creation and fostered self-esteem.

Her one, uncompleted goal was to write a book on Conscious Discipline for the people of Haiti. But in the sharing of her passion with others, another Christian educator/therapist is committed to finishing the work, so that Gail’s dream will come true–and many children will be blessed.

Gail was a rock and inspiration to many. She continued to encourage and serve others while she was very ill, traveling to North Carolina to care for her mother last year. But even as she was a rock and inspiration, she was also supported and sustained by a circle of friends at her special Monday night Prayer Group for more than 3 decades. She believed in the power of prayer and the importance of staying connected to the community of faith.

When I asked Gail how she was feeling that day I met her–when she was glowing in the Narthex, she turned the conversation to the future. She thanked us for our prayers. She was making plans. She anticipated God’s healing. For, as the prophet Jeremiah assures God’s people living in exile, Gail had a future filled with hope.

***

Friends, Romans 5 speaks to those of us who mourn the loss of loved ones and for those who are enduring suffering and struggling to keep the faith. As I studied Paul’s letter, I realized that the apostle is teaching about suffering because he, too, has struggled and is worried for others who will suffer and be persecuted–because of their faith.

Paul in 2 Cor. 11 describes some of what he has endured, beginning at v. 24:  ^“Five times I have received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. ²⁵ Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I received a stoning. Three times I was shipwrecked; for a night and a day I was adrift at sea; ²⁶ on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from bandits, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers and sisters; ²⁷ in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, hungry and thirsty, often without food, cold and naked.”

But Paul concludes in 2 Cor. 12 that he will “boast” of his weakness and sufferings because they have a purpose. In his “weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ” is where Paul finds his strength!

In Romans 5, Paul tells us, again, to boast of our sufferings for they have a purpose; suffering shapes our character and produces, of all things, hope!! HOPE is what gives wings to our faith and carries us through the most difficult and painful times. Hope is what keeps us walking each day, clinging to our faith, loving God and neighbor, as the Lord calls us to do, whatever our situation, in times of health and illness; in times of joy and sorrow.

Remember, hope isn’t something we conjure up with our own willpower. It is a gift from the Lord that we receive by grace in the community of faith. We don’t earn hope, just as we can’t earn our salvation. We can only open our hearts and pray the Lord will fill us up. “For 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.”

 

***

The Spirit poured a variety of gifts into Gail that she sought to develop and share with the world, just as God has given all of us gifts He wants us to use for him. She took advantage of many opportunities to serve and help others, sharing from all that God had made her and all that he had given to her. She listened to her Savior, who tells his beloved in Matthew 10:8, “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.”

When we hear the stories of what Gail did for others–the countless lives she touched –we can easily imagine the Lord’s greeting of, “Well done, faithful one,” in the early morning hours of June 5, the dawning of a new day. That’s when she experienced the answer to all our prayers for her–complete healing, wholeness in Him.

All the faithful have this hope, not because we believe in ourselves and trust in our good deeds, intellect or accomplishments, but because we believe in the one who gave himself for us, who died so that the world may obtain access to God’s grace. We endure suffering and loss, as Gail did, trusting in our loving God and listening for His Word, knowing that suffering will shape us into the people God wants us to be. And that it will produce hope, which gives wings to our faith and “does not disappoint us. For God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.”

 

Genesis 18:1-15 and 21:1-7

June 18, 2017

Merritt Island Presbyterian Church

     18The Lord appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. ²He looked up and saw three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent entrance to meet them, and bowed down to the ground. ³He said, ‘My lord, if I find favor with you, do not pass by your servant.  ⁴Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree.  ⁵Let me bring a little bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.’ So they said, ‘Do as you have said.’ ⁶And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, ‘Make ready quickly three measures of choice flour, knead it, and make cakes.’ ⁷Abraham ran to the herd, and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to the servant, who hastened to prepare it.⁸Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree while they ate.

9 They said to him, ‘Where is your wife Sarah?’ And he said, ‘There, in the tent.’ ¹⁰Then one said, ‘I will surely return to you in due season, and your wife Sarah shall have a son.’ And Sarah was listening at the tent entrance behind him. ¹¹Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. ¹²So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, ‘After I have grown old, and my husband is old, shall I have pleasure?’ ¹³The Lord said to Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh, and say, “Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?”  ¹⁴Is anything too wonderful for the Lord? At the set time I will return to you, in due season, and Sarah shall have a son.’ ¹⁵But Sarah denied, saying, ‘I did not laugh’; for she was afraid. He said, ‘Oh yes, you did laugh.’

21The Lord dealt with Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as he had promised. ²Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the time of which God had spoken to him.  ³Abraham gave the name Isaac to his son whom Sarah bore him. ⁴And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. ⁵Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. ⁶Now Sarah said, ‘God has brought laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me.’ ⁷And she said, ‘Who would ever have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.’

***

Ministers are notoriously bad drivers. Jim told me this on one of our first dates. He said this as he was driving his car with one hand, cleaning his glasses, and looking through a pile of CDs, asking me what music I wanted to hear. I was staring straight ahead, praying we wouldn’t crash or roll into a ditch. I married him, anyway, scary driver that he was. Then, 6 years later, I became a minister and a scary driver, too.

I was thinking about this Wednesday, as I drove to Heavenly Handmade, our needlecraft group. I was running late, so I took a short cut, went North Tropical Trail and discovered the road was closed.

I followed the detour through a housing development that was like a maze; it led me southeast to a congested part of Courtenay Parkway. No light. No left turn.

 

I turned right and went to the first light that permitted U turns. I waited an eternity. Then the light turned green and I was headed north, again. At the barge canal I encountered road construction. More delays!

Finally, I crossed the bridge and drove what felt like a long way. I forget sometimes how far north Pat lives! Just when I thought the Georgia border must be near,

 

I turned into the grassy path that is Pat and Gary’s driveway. I pulled up in front of the house. Got out and rang the bell.

No one was home! I was in the wrong place! Peggy was hosting Heavenly Handmade at her house, south of the church. I was already 30 minutes late, and it would take me another 25 minutes to get there. The group would probably be preparing to leave as I pulled up in her drive!

I started to laugh. What else could I do?

My drive to Peggy’s was very different from my drive to Pat’s. It seemed to take no time at all. I relaxed and enjoyed some precious quiet, taking in my surroundings, thanking God for my blessings. I sensed the presence of Christ that is always with us and the joy that is ours when we know Him and seek to share our hope in Him.

On my way to Peggy’s, my phone went “Ding!” I picked it up and read the text, thinking, once again, how ministers are terrible drivers. Someone should take my keys away!

The message was from Peggy, wondering where I was.

“Your HH awaits you!”

Soon, I reached Peggy’s house.

I looked forward to seeing my friends, whatever time was left with them. We might call ourselves a “needlecraft group,” but that isn’t all. We come together for the fellowship.

We tell stories. We laugh, and we never judge! What happens in HH, well you know the rest… My close friends in the Lord are, at times, like angels in disguise, speaking hope and encouragement into my life.

 

***

Abram is 75 years old when the Lord says, “Go forth from your native land! Leave your father’s house and go to a land that I will show you.” God promises to be with him always and to bless him with a new homeland. God will give him offspring as numerous as the stars that will be a blessing to all the families of the earth.

But Abram doesn’t have any children. Not one. He longs for a son, a desire that God placed inside him but would take many, many years to fulfill. Hearing the Lord’s voice for the first time, Abram believes in God’s promises. He and his wife, Sarai, and nephew, Lot, begin their journey into the unknown, leaving their old life behind, relying on the Lord for their life ahead.

Ten years pass, and Sarai is still childless. Impatient, she persuades Abram to have a child with her Egyptian slave, Hagar. But this isn’t what God meant when he promised Abram numerous offspring. Thirteen more years pass. Abram is 99! The Lord makes a covenant of circumcision with him, and gives him a new name– Abraham. “I will make nations of you,” the Lord says in Gen. 17, “and kings shall come from you.” God gives Sarai a new name, as well–Sarah–and says, “ she shall give rise to nations; kings of people shall come from her.” Abraham falls on his face and laughs, “Can a child be born to a man who is 100 years old? Can Sarah, who is 90 years old, bear a child?” God assures him, “Your wife, Sarah, shall bear you a son and you shall name him Isaac,” or Yitzchaq in Hebrew, meaning “He will laugh; he will rejoice.”

Then we come to today’s reading, beginning in Gen. 18. Abraham is still waiting for the promised child. “The Lord” appears to Abraham by the “oaks” or “terebinths of Mamre”–at “Hebron,” where Abraham pitches his tent and builds an altar to the Lord in Gen. 13:18. Terebinths are a source of turpentine, and Terebinth resin is used as a wine preservative in ancient Israel and the Near East.

 

Hebron, Hebrew for “friend,” is named for Abraham. He is called a “friend of God” in Isaiah, 2 Chronicles, and James ch. 2.

Abraham, though he is waiting on the Lord, doesn’t know in Gen. 18 that the Lord has come. He sees only “three men.” But the humble hospitality he shows to the strangers is remarkable. He runs to meet them, bows and calls them, “my lords,” (small l) a title of respect. He brings them water to bathe their feet, invites them to recline in the shade. He tells Sarah to knead and make fresh bread out of choice flour and chooses a tender calf for a servant to prepare. Abraham isn’t wealthy. And calf is a “rare delicacy and a sign of princely hospitality among pastoralists.” (Sarna) He serves curds (yogurt) and milk, which is “highly esteemed in the ancient Near East and offered to the gods.” (Sarna) It is believed to be a “source of vitality” and to possess “curative powers.” (Sarna) Abraham doesn’t eat with his guests. He generously gives his best, then stands, ready to serve and satisfy their requests.

After they are welcomed, one of the strangers–sometimes called “the Lord,” and sometimes “an angel” or “a man”–tells Abraham that he will return in a year and, “Sarah shall have a son!” Sarah, listening in, laughs to herself. Is it amazement? Unbelief? The “Lord,” reading her mind, asks Abraham why Sarah laughs. Fearfully, she denies it.

To make sure the hearer understands the miracle that will take place, the word “old” is used 3 times in this passage–first by the narrator in vs. 11 to describe Abraham and Sarah, who are also “advanced in years.” Sarah calls herself “withered” and her husband “old” in verse 12. Then the “Lord,” in v. 13, asks Abraham why Sarah thinks she is too old to bear a child. The Lord leaves out the part about her saying Abraham is too old, too.

The divine being asks, “Is anything too wonderful for the Lord?

***

We can learn many things from Abraham. Here are some of them. His life of service to the Lord didn’t start until he turned 75. So those of you who might be feeling old, well, don’t! Keep on serving—doing the things God wants you to do! Don’t be afraid to try new things!

Abraham’s life of service comes from a heart of love. He is known in Scripture–Old Testament and New–to be a “friend of God.”

We can learn from Abraham’s faith–holding on to the hope of the promised child, though both he and his wife were long past childbearing years. Old Father Abraham is 100 when Sarah gives birth to Isaac, named for the joy he will bring!

We can learn from his remarkable hospitality to strangers–giving generously of what is his best, though he is not wealthy–his choice flour, his most tender calf and milk–a feast fit for princes. As the writer of Hebrews 13:2 reminds us, “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”

Another important thing that occurred to me when I read this passage is that God can use each one of us to be “angels” in disguise –speaking hope and encouragement to one another.

And if we begin to doubt that God can make something lovely out of what seems to us to be chaotic, confusing, hectic lives, remember how the Lord answered Sarah’s doubts about the miracles of God:

“Is anything too wonderful for the Lord?”

 

Let us pray.

Holy One, we thank you that nothing is too wonderful for you. We thank you that, as the angel tells the Virgin Mary at the annunciation, that nothing is impossible with you! Give us the faith of Abraham, Lord, so that we serve you with our lives, giving generously from our best. Stir in us the heart of Abraham, whom you called “Friend,” that clings to hope and believes in your promises, despite the long time we may have to wait to see their fulfillment. We thank you for always being with us in Spirit and leading us each day. Thank you for sending angels to dwell among us and bring us words of encouragement. We look forward, Lord, to your Son’s return in glory–and to the fulfillment of the promise of your everlasting Kingdom–a new heaven, a new earth. When we see our loving Savior, face to face! In His name we pray. Amen.

 

 

Meditation on Matthew 28:8-20

Trinity Sunday: June 11, 2017

Merritt Island Presbyterian Church

     ⁸So they (the women) left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.  ⁹Suddenly Jesus met them and said, ‘Greetings!’ And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshipped him. 

¹⁰Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.’

11 While they were going, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests everything that had happened. ¹²After the priests had assembled with the elders, they devised a plan to give a large sum of money to the soldiers, ¹³telling them, ‘You must say, “His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.” ¹⁴If this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.’  ¹⁵So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story is still told among people in Judea to this day.

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

***

My personal trainer persuaded me to go with him to work out at the gym on Monday. Usually, I come up with excuses why I can’t go with my husband to work out– “I don’t have time.” “I’m busy.” “I’m tired.” But I also know how good it is for my physical and mental health, my energy, strength, and state of mind. So Jim and I went to Planet Fitness together.

Now Planet Fitness will tell you that there IS something different about their program; they proclaim a different message than other fitness clubs.

Their logo is, “Planet Fitness, home of the Judgment Free Zone.”

At the entrance to the Rockledge club, a sign commands us to “leave egos here”–meaning outside the building.

The message of welcome, belonging, and acceptance of all people no matter where you are on your physical fitness journey–or how much money you have–is proclaimed in all their advertising and on the inside and outside of their facilities.

You can’t go to a Planet Fitness without getting the message–no matter if your workout is 20 minutes on a treadmill going turtle speed or 2 hours lifting, running and laboring at weight machines.

The Planet Fitness target customer, a Business Insider article says, is someone just getting used to working out–or people who “really, really hate exercising.” Hence, no frills. No classes. No yoga, Pilates or Tai chi. No free weights above 80 pounds. There’s actually a “lunk alarm” when people exert themselves with too much machismo. A “lunk” is defined as one who “grunts, drops weights or judges.”

Planet Fitness understands that even though people want to get healthy and lose weight, they also like eating. And I think they understand that when people eat together, relationships are built. They serve free pizza on the first Monday of every month and bagels on the second Tuesday.

I haven’t made it for the free pizza, yet, or the bagels. But I have visited the Tootsie roll bucket a few times.

I always leave with a smile on my face from this welcoming, accepting, informal and diverse environment. I think to myself, “I want to go back again,” though it is hard to find the time and energy to go very often.

I leave Planet Fitness marveling at the number and diversity of people who will get up early to drive to a fitness club and work out, sometimes before they go to a job or school. And I wonder how we can better communicate the joy, welcome, love and acceptance of Christ so that more people would want to get up early and come to our church for worship and fellowship on Sunday mornings. And our church would GROW!

I know the answer. We need to GO!

We need to go and make disciples!

 

We return to the empty tomb in our gospel reading today and the risen Christ commissioning first Mary and Mary Magdalene and then all of his disciples, when he appears to them on the mountain or “in the hills,” as some translations say, of Galilee. Jesus is back to his home territory, where his own ministry was launched.

This isn’t the first time he has sent his disciples out to minister in his name. He sends them out in Matthew 10:5, with these instructions, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons.”

But before the women reach the other disciples to pass on Christ’s message, we read about a priestly conspiracy that only appears in this gospel. The guards posted at Christ’s tomb return to Jerusalem to report “all that had happened” to the chief priests and scribes. The religious leaders respond to the news by attempting to conceal the truth of Christ’s resurrection from the people –for fear they will lose their powerful positions. They offer the soldiers a “large sum of money” as a bribe and tell them to lie! “Say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep,’” they say. They tell the soldiers not to worry if the governor finds out, for they will “satisfy him.” What does that mean? They will pay him off–another bribe! The confidence they have that the governor won’t be upset by their lies, bribes, and deception, as long as he receives his payment, paints a picture of rampant corruption among political and religious leaders.

What do the guards do? What would you do? Probably, they would be killed if they did not obey their orders. Verse 15 tells us, “So they took the money and did as they had been taught.” Matthew adds, “And this story has been spread among people in Judea to this very day.”

So you get an idea of what the disciples are up against–the lies and bribes of political and religious leaders–and certain persecution if they try to share the truth of Christ’s resurrection.

Then, we are in the hills of Galilee with the disciples, waiting for the risen Christ. Some worship him, when they see him. But others are hesitant to believe. Does it surprise you that even amongst Jesus’ faithful disciples, there are seeds of doubt?

Jesus doesn’t call attention to those who doubt; he seems to expect them to react that way. He proclaims all authority “in heaven and on earth” that has been given to him, presumably by the Father. He commissions all of them–even those who may have doubts– with, “Go!” For their mission will require leaving Galilee and what is familiar and comfortable. The mission extends beyond but also includes “the lost sheep of Israel. ” Jesus says now, “Make disciples of all nations.”

Jesus defines making disciples with 2 participles. “Baptizing” is the first. This is not John’s baptism of repentance, a symbol of new beginning for Israel. This is a baptism of power from above! Baptism will now have a Trinitarian formula. Father, Son and Spirit are one “name,” as we say when we baptize, “In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Curiously, this is the only place we see a Trinitarian formula for baptism. In Acts, the apostles say, “in the name of Jesus.”

“Teaching” is the second part of “making disciples.” This is also new; Jesus has been their teacher up to now. They will share “all” that Jesus has taught them about living as God’s people, loving God, loving neighbor and one another, challenging the arrogant and powerful, speaking up for the oppressed, caring for the sick and needy, feeding the hungry, and bringing “good news to the poor.” Teaching requires a commitment of time and heart, as Jesus loved his disciples and called them his children.

Then, we come to the end of Matthew and Jesus promises his presence, just as God in the OT promises the patriarchs and prophets who feared what God was calling them to do.

“Remember, I am with you always,” Jesus says, “to the end of the age.”

***

 

Friends, Christ’s commission to his first disciples is our commission, too! Let us go and reach out to our neighbors, near and far, as the Lord commands us to do. Don’t wait for people to come to church. Go and find them! Be courageous! Go beyond what is comfortable and familiar. And remember, discipleship takes a commitment of time and heart!

Look for ways you can get more involved in your communities so that you may form new relationships. Share your faith. Tell people what you like about your church and what activities you are involved in. Invite them to come with you and maybe enjoy a meal together afterward. Most people who are members now will say that they came to MIPC because a friend, neighbor or colleague invited them or that when they visited the first time, someone reached out and befriended them. They felt welcomed, loved, and accepted, no matter where they were on their spiritual journey.

We should always feel comfortable being ourselves here, too, and not be afraid to be vulnerable. Transformed and empowered by the Spirit, we are a “lunk-free,” “judgment-free zone.”

We are all sinners, in need of God’s mercy and grace. There’s no place for egos at the foot of the cross as we worship the Lord, grateful for all that He has done.

Go! Make disciples! Don’t be afraid!

For Christ is with you, to the end of the age.

 

Let us pray.

 

Holy One, thank you for sending Jesus to show us the way back to you when we were lost in our sins. Thank you for your sacrifice of your Son for our sakes and your gift of faith that has brought us into right relationship with you. Thank you for Christ’s promise to be with us always and his assurance that we need not fear for the future. Forgive us for our excuses why we don’t need to cultivate new relationships to share our hope with those who don’t know you. Draw us nearer to you and stir our hearts to compassion for people who haven’t yet heard your voice. Lead us to go beyond what is comfortable and familiar. Empower us by your Spirit to go, as you urge us to do, and share all that you have taught us. And keep on teaching us your ways. Grant us wisdom to discern your will for our congregation and courage to obey. Help us to grow in faith, Spirit, and number. In Christ we pray. Amen.

Meditation on Acts 2:1-21

June 4, 2017

Pentecost at Merritt Island Presbyterian Church

     2When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. ²And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.³Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them.  ⁴All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

5 Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. ⁶And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each.⁷Amazed and astonished, they asked, ‘Are not all these who are speaking Galileans?  ⁸And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? ⁹Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, ¹¹Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.’ ¹²All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, ‘What does this mean?’ ¹³But others sneered and said, ‘They are filled with new wine.’

   14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them: ‘Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say.  ¹⁵Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. ¹⁶No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:
¹⁷  “In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,

and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams.  

¹⁸ Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
in those days I will pour out my Spirit;
and they shall prophesy. 

¹⁹ And I will show portents in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and smoky mist.

²⁰ The sun shall be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day.
²¹  Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

***

Dan Bowman, the son of American missionaries, was raised in Japan. I met him while he pastored two small, country churches in southwestern Minnesota. He was a local legend, admired as the man who “played the saw.” How he could make beautiful hymns come out of an ordinary handsaw held between his knees and touched with a violin bow was a mystery to us all.

At one of our ministerium meetings, the Spirit spoke through Dan as he shared with us the ancient Japanese art of kintsugi, repairing broken pottery with a resin or glue mixed with silver or gold, thus highlighting and celebrating the broken places and at the very least, treating them as part of the history of the object, rather than something to disguise. The repaired pottery would then be more valuable than the original, before it was broken and mended with silver or gold.

This is so unlike modern Western or ancient Greek thinking that views perfection as the ideal for human bodies, art objects and material possessions. Our Western ideal, based on ancient, pagan Greek beliefs (not Christian!), sees imperfection–flaws or weaknesses– as taking away from the value of a person or object. Brokenness, therefore, is something that renders the item worthless and if the object were repaired, it would have much less value than the original. Here are more examples of kintsugi.

 

You know where I am going with this, right?

I was feeling broken and thinking that brokenness was a bad thing until I listened to Dan’s devotion about kintsugi. The Presbyterian church I was serving was going through a seemingly endless conflict over the placement of the communion table. I knew Jesus would be grieved over a church fighting about the table that is a reminder of His shed blood and broken body for our sakes and a symbol of our oneness in Him. I later learned that it was a fight they had been having for years before I arrived; it wasn’t really about the table–but over which family had the power and authority to make decisions in the church. Looking back, I think the brokenness I felt was a good thing. It humbled me and made me realize, more and more, my own reliance on the Savior and need for God’s grace and mercy, God’s forgiveness and unconditional love.

The words of Psalm 51 come to mind, when the repentant writer asks the Lord to “create in him a clean heart.” “For you have no delight in sacrifice; if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased. The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”

   The church is not ours to make in our image or to keep as it has always been; it belongs to the Lord, and as Psalm 127:1 says, “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.” Sometimes Christians lose their way; they forget to whom they belong and the reason for their existence. Ephesians 2:10 reminds us, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Pastor Dan understood my feeling of brokenness, for he had weathered conflict in one of his small, rural congregations, Rock Valle in Echo, in 2010.

The church voted 34 to 31 to leave the ELCA when the denomination began permitting gay and lesbian pastors in committed relationships to serve its congregations. While the vote did not reach the required 2/3 majority, those who voted to leave the denomination left the church. Dan remained to pastor the 31 who stayed and comfort the grieving– preaching hope and rebirth. But it was difficult. It led him to pray for the church every day, he said, and rely on his faith to see the way through it. Then, last July 23, Dan encountered another trial in ministry, when the larger church he pastors–Hawk Creek in Sacred Heart–was struck by lightning; the 140-year old building burned to the ground.

But Dan saw God’s providence at work, even as the fire burned. His mother prayed that the altar area would be spared as a witness to the world that God is still in charge. The altar was untouched.

The congregation of 203 voted unanimously in January to rebuild. “How often do you get a unanimous vote with that many people?” he asks, in a Star Tribune article Jan. 29. “What this tells me is that this had to be led by the Holy Spirit.” They have been worshiping with, you guessed it, the little congregation at Rock Valle in Echo since the fire.

 

***

 

On the Day of Pentecost, a Jewish pilgrimage festival 50 days after Passover, Christ’s followers gather for prayer in a house in Jerusalem. Hoping in Christ’s promises, they seek the one who said in John 14:18, “I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you!” They obey his instructions in Luke 24:49, to gather, wait and pray in the city, until they are “clothed with power from on high.” These 120 followers have seen “convincing proofs” of the risen Christ over a period of 40 days, learned about the kingdom of God and heard that they will “receive power when the Holy Spirit” comes upon them for a divine purpose. “You will be my witnesses,” he says in Acts 1:8, “in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

The same Spirit that hovers over the dark waters of Creation in Gen. 1:1

and breathes life into human beings in Gen. 2:7

fills Christ’s followers on Pentecost and stirs them to proclaim the gospel. The Spirit grants them the ability to speak in the native languages of the “devout Jews from every nation” living in Jerusalem, thus beginning the fulfillment of the promise that they would be Christ’s witnesses–“to the ends of the earth.” But all who hear the gospel in their language are not convinced. ⁷Amazed and astonished, they ask, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans?  ⁸And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? And, “What does this mean?” Some sneer, “They are filled with new wine!”

Peter responds to the accusation of drunkenness by preaching his first sermon, beginning, as many modern preachers do, with a joke. “Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose,” he says, “for it is only nine o’clock in the morning.” In other words, come back later. THEN you’ll see us drunk.

Much like Jesus’ sermon in Nazareth, when he reads Isaiah and declares the scripture fulfilled, Peter quotes Joel, and declares prophecy fulfilled with the coming Spirit. He assures everyone that if they call upon the name of the Lord–cry out to him in prayer–they will be saved.

As I read through Peter’s sermon that continues beyond our lectionary reading, I am struck by how confident and eloquent this uneducated fisherman has become. Is this the same Peter who sank into the sea for lack of faith when Christ beckoned him to walk on water with him?

Is this Peter who denied Christ 3 times before the cock crowed, though he promised to lay down his life for him?

This is he! But also the Peter to whom Jesus tells in Matthew 16:18, “You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my church,” confirming to us, yet again, that God uses broken vessels to accomplish His will. He uses flawed, imperfect people, but with hearts to love and serve him.

As the people hear Peter preach, they are “cut to the heart.” They ask Peter and the other apostles what they should do. Peter answers in 2:38, “Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.”

I imagine Peter often experienced brokenness as he struggled to follow Christ, even after Pentecost, when he was empowered by the Spirit to proclaim the gospel–and 3,000 accepted Christ that day. I have come to believe that when we experience feelings of brokenness, it may actually be that the Spirit is at work in us, healing us, making us whole and complete in Him.

     Friends, we all have wounds of the heart and mind that God alone can repair. You are God’s work of art, His kintsugi!

Embrace and celebrate your broken places! For they are filled with something more precious than gold or silver! For you are filled with the Spirit! In your testimony of what the Lord has done for you, God’s healing love will come shining through!

 

Let us pray. Holy One, thank you for your Spirit, which filled 120 followers on Pentecost and fills each one of us now. We ask that your Spirit would refresh and renew us, heal us and make us whole. Grant us peace, confidence and courage to proclaim your gospel right where we live, work and go to school. Empower us to take the Good News of your Son to the ends of the earth to which each of us has been sent. Change our hearts, Lord, so that we humbly obey your commands, repent from our sins of fear and doubt and take risks, giving generously from all the resources you have given us. Lead us to do things we might never have done before to reveal your love to one another and the world. We pray that you would add to the church in this place, Lord, as you did on the day of Pentecost! Use us broken vessels for your glory and to the praise of your holy name! In Christ we pray. Amen.

 

Meditation on Luke 24:36-53

May 28, 2017

Ascension of the Lord

Merritt Island Presbyterian Church

     36 While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ ³⁷They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. ³⁸He said to them, ‘Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?  ³⁹Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.’ ⁴⁰And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. ⁴¹While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, ‘Have you anything here to eat?’ ⁴²They gave him a piece of broiled fish,  ⁴³and he took it and ate in their presence.

   44 Then he said to them, ‘These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you— that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled. ⁴⁵Then he opened their ’  minds to understand the scriptures, ⁴⁶and he said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day,  ⁴⁷and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.  ⁴⁸You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.’ Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them.  ⁵¹While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. ⁵²And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; ⁵³and they were continually in the temple blessing God.

***

Private Desmond Doss, a conscientious objector who enlisted in the army because he felt morally obligated to his country, served in one of the bloodiest battles of World War II–without a rifle.

He had only his faith and his Bible to protect and strengthen him. It was April 1945. Okinawa. Desmond and his battalion had to climb to the top of a sheer 400-foot cliff, fortified with a network of Japanese machine gun nests and deadly booby traps. The treacherously steep cliff and the battle at the plateau on top were key to the Allies winning the battle of Okinawa. The cliff was nicknamed Hacksaw Ridge, the title of a recent movie that tells Desmond’s heroic story.

Desmond, born Feb. 7, 1919, was from Lynchburg, VA. He was raised in the Seventh Day Adventist Church, which emphasized Sabbath keeping, nonviolence and a vegetarian lifestyle. His father was a WWI veteran who suffered from alcoholism and depression. Desmond attended a Seventh Day Adventist school until the 8^th grade, then got a job at a lumberyard to help support his family. On April 1, 1942, he enlisted in the military, in spite of his work at a shipyard in Newport News that qualified him for a deferment. He hoped to be a medic.

At basic training at Fort Jackson, S.C., Desmond encountered hostility from fellow recruits when he refused to carry a rifle. His small size and shy temperament added to his vulnerability to insults and physical abuse. The other soldiers believed he would not just be useless in battle; he would be a major liability. His superiors attempted to have him discharged from the military. He persevered with his convictions. Finally, he was permitted to serve as a medic and was not forced to carry a rifle.

Desmond earned a Bronze Star for aiding wounded soldiers under fire when he served in Guam and the Philippines in 1944. Then in 1945, when his battalion’s mission was thought to be impossible and was ordered to retreat, Desmond refused to leave his wounded comrades behind. He ran alone into the battlefield, facing heavy machine gun and artillery fire, finding and carrying the wounded to the edge of the cliff.

He singlehandedly lowered them down Hacksaw Ridge on a rope to safety. Every time he saved one man’s life, he prayed, “Lord, please help me get one more.” In one night, he rescued an estimated 75 men, including his captain, Jack Glover, who had tried to have him transferred.

“He was one of the bravest persons alive,” Glover says in Hacksaw Ridge. “And then to have him end up saving my life was the irony of the whole thing.”

For his actions above and beyond the call of duty that night, Desmond was awarded the Medal of Honor.

Those in his battalion who witnessed Desmond’s actions that night, including those whose lives he saved, had new respect and appreciation for the man they had ridiculed for praying, reading his Bible, observing the Sabbath and refusing to carry a rifle. Their hearts were opened to see the witness of Desmond’s strong faith that compelled him to put others’ needs and very lives before his own.

 

***

 

Desmond answered the call of the risen and ascending Christ, who charges his followers in Luke 24 to proclaim repentance and forgiveness to all the nations, telling them, “You are witnesses of these things.”

The “things” of which Jesus speaks are the resurrection appearances that the disciples are discussing at the beginning of today’s reading (in 24:36). The 11 are gathered in Jerusalem, along with other followers, including the two who saw the risen Christ as they were leaving Jerusalem and going home to Emmaus. Jesus greets his disciples with, “Peace to you!” This is “Shalom” in Hebrew; “Eirene” in Greek. This is the same way he greets them in two of John’s resurrection appearances (John 20:19). And this is how he teaches them to greet the households they visit in Luke 10:5-6: ^“Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’  And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you.”

The disciples are terrified, despite his greeting and the other resurrection appearances they have witnessed. Jesus knows they are thinking they are seeing a ghost or spirit (pneuma) and he asks them, (literally) “Why do thoughts arise in your hearts?” The word that means “thoughts” and is translated “doubts” has a negative connotation here. But the same word is translated more neutrally in Luke 1:29–when Mary responds to the angel’s announcements: “ ⁹ But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.”

So Jesus offers more proof that he is not just a vision or apparition.

“See that I am myself,” is what Jesus literally says in v. 39. “Touch me and see,” he continues and mentions his “flesh and bones.” Then he shows them his hands and feet. Does this touching and seeing convince them? Not completely. In verse 41, we read of their “joy” and yet how they are “disbelieving and still wondering.”

Here’s my favorite part. “You got anything to eat?” Jesus asks. THIS is the Jesus they know and love. Jesus in Luke 7:34 imitates the Pharisees complaining about him: “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’” When Jesus eats the fish “in their presence,” we hear echoes of Emmaus and Jesus’ revealing himself in the breaking of bread. And then, also like Emmaus, Jesus opens his disciples’ minds to understand the Scriptures–and see how he is the fulfillment of them.

Luke’s book draws near to a close with just a few sentences about the ascension, which might lead some to believe that it isn’t that important. But it is. The ascension is the culmination of the gospel. It is the beginning of the fulfillment of our destiny! This is why we were created –to be the image of God–and we are, when united with Christ, who is, as we read in Col. 1:15 “the image of the invisible God,” and in Hebrews 1:3-4, the “reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being.”

Reformer John Calvin writes in his Institutes of the Christian Religion, “From this (the ascension) our faith receives many benefits. First it understands that the Lord by his ascent opened the way into the Heavenly Kingdom, which had been closed through Adam. Since he entered heaven in our flesh, as if in our name, if follows, as the apostle says, that in a sense we already “sit with God in the heavenly places in him,” so that we do not await heaven with a bare hope, but in our Head already possess it.”

As Luke ends, Jesus ascends while blessing the disciples, like Moses when the Israelites had completed the tabernacle, just as God had commanded, in Exodus 39:42-43. The disciples worship Jesus as he is carried up into heaven from Bethany, hometown of Mary and Martha and younger brother, Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead.

The ascension is the bridge to the rest of the story–Acts. Luke closes with the joy of believers and their obedience to Jesus–returning to praise and bless the Lord in the Temple in Jerusalem–awaiting the Spirit that will enable them to become the community of God the Lord intends them to be. When they will be empowered to be Christ’s witnesses.

 

***

The movie, Hacksaw Ridge, doesn’t go much beyond Desmond Doss’ heroic 12- hour-rescue of 75 men. But the man who was the first conscientious objector to ever earn a Medal of Honor would spend the rest of his life, like many other war veterans, trying to put the past behind him. He didn’t think he was a hero. Wounded 4 times on Okinawa, he had extensive damage to his left arm that prevented him from pursuing a career in carpentry after the war, as he had hoped. And he had contracted tuberculosis while serving in the Philippines. After 5 and a half years of treatment–and losing a lung and 5 ribs–he was discharged from the hospital with 90% disability. An overdose of antibiotics later left him deaf in one ear.

The part of his life that the movie left out is, to me, also heroic–the more than 60 years that he overcame the challenges of his disability to care for his family on a small farm in Rising Fawn, Georgia.

Though his injuries prevented him from working full time, he continued to serve the Lord and his church until he died in 2006 at age 87.

When I think about the people I admire most, I think of courageous, unselfish people of faith like Desmond who put the needs and very lives of others before his own. I am grateful to all our veterans, particularly on Memorial Day, when we remember those who died for our country.

I also admire those who simply, quietly, faithfully serve the Lord every day. I see this–all the time–at our church!! I saw it this week in so many ways and especially on Wednesday–as we prepared for our preschool’s VPK graduation.

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People who don’t do what they do for money. People who lovingly, patiently labor for the peace of knowing that the things they do to help, encourage and bring joy to others–the little acts of kindness in Jesus’ name–is what being Christ’s witnesses is all about.

 

Let us pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for sending your Son, Jesus, to be our Savior, to suffer and die for our sins, but then to be raised and ascended to live with you. Thank you for our hope of being raised with Him and everlasting life with you in a place without tears, suffering, sadness, anger, violence, or war. Thank you for the soldiers who served and those who are serving our country today. Bless them with peace and help them, if they struggle to find their way back into life and work at home in the States, once again. Comfort the families of those who worry about their sons and daughters who serve in dangerous, war-torn places. Empower us by your Spirit to be your faithful, humble witnesses, serving you with loving words and acts of kindness to encourage and help others every day. In Christ we pray. Amen.

 

Meditation on John 14:15-26

May 21, 2017

Merritt Island Presbyterian Church

15 ‘If you love me, you will keep my commandments. ¹⁶And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. ¹⁷This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.

     18 ‘I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. ¹⁹In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. ²⁰On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.  ²¹They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.’

²²Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, ‘Lord, how is it that you will reveal yourself to us, and not to the world?’ ²³Jesus answered him, ‘Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. ²⁴Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me.

25 ‘I have said these things to you while I am still with you. ²⁶But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.

***

I came home from church on Thursday and found that my husband had bought me a present. I was so happy! He bought a Black and Decker 20 volt Hedge Trimmer. He had been hearing me talk about how overgrown our hedges had become, and how we don’t have the right tools.

I couldn’t wait to use my new power tool! I had never used a power hedge trimmer before. On Friday morning, I dressed in my grubby clothes, put on a hat, glasses and yard gloves and slathered on sunscreen. I was ready to conquer the rainforest!

Ok, it wasn’t really as bad as that.

But Jim said, “Wait.” He told me to read the instruction manual. So I did.

I read about the safety switch that you have to push before you can squeeze the trigger and start the blade movement. I read the “Trimming Instructions” that described the “working position,” telling me to “maintain proper footing and balance” and to not “overreach. Hold the unit firmly in both hands and turn the unit ON. Always hold the trimmer, as shown in the illustrations, with one hand on the switch handle and one hand on the bail handle (see figure 4). Never hold the unit by the blade guard!” Well, that seemed straightforward enough.

I read how to trim new growth with “wide, sweeping motions, feeding the blade teeth through the twigs” being the most effective way. “A slight downward tilt of the blade, in the direction of motion gives the best cutting.” I read the cautions against cutting stems greater than ¾ inch and how the blade may coast after turning off.

Then I read, “Danger: Keep hands away from blades.” That sounded like a great idea. I was ready!

But, not yet. Jim walked me out to the hedge with the trimmer and went through all the instructions, again, before turning it on and demonstrating its use.

I was growing impatient. “I can do it!” I said.

He just smiled and told me he wasn’t going to leave the house until I was finished using the new hedge trimmer. The reasons for his staying close by were obvious:

1. I could have a question and need his help OR
2. Something could happen and he might have to make a tourniquet and call 911 (not necessarily in that order) AND
3. He loves me and only wants what is good for me.

***

As I worked outside, I thought about Jesus’ character–His love for us—and how he prayed God’s will would be done, knowing that God’s will is best for all of us. This is what leads him to tell the disciples to keep his commandments in John 14:15 –to do what he tells them to do–that is, if they love him. Love’s proof, Christ is saying, is obedience. The disciples find it much easier to talk about their love and loyalty than to always live it–just as we struggle at times to walk in Christ’s ways.

Jesus will repeat the same instruction to obey his commandments several times in this chapter and the idea will come up again and be expanded upon in the next. After saying, “keep my commandments” in 14:15, he says in 14:21, “They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me.” He substitutes “word” for “commandments” in 14:23, “Those who love me will keep my word.” And the converse is true in v. 24, when he says, “Whoever does not love me does not keep my words.” He goes on to say that the authority for the “commandments” or “words” comes from God. “The word you hear is not mine,” he says, “but is from the Father who sent me.”

OK, I think we get it. We need to live in obedience to Christ. But what are these commandments–or words–that he is talking about? His language evokes the covenantal language of the Hebrew Bible, in which the people of Israel are characterized as those who “love God” and “keep his commands.” When we hear Jesus tell us to “keep his commandments,” we may also think of the Ten Commandments.

But since he says, “my commandments,” we might remember the Greatest Commandment he talks about in the other 3 gospels: (Matthew 22:37-39, Mark 12:29-31 and Luke 10:26-27) ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.’

The best way, perhaps, to understand what Jesus means by “my commandments” in this context is to read what comes directly before and after this passage. You are probably not surprised to discover that in both before and after this passage, Jesus commands his disciples to love, in his example.

In John 13:33-35, after Jesus washes the disciples’ feet and Judas Iscariot leaves to set in motion the act of betrayal, Jesus gives the remaining disciples his “new commandment”–to bear witness of him to the world through the way they treat each other: “Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

In chapter 15, beginning at verse 9, Jesus commands his followers to love, “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you, abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.” Then at verse 12, he says, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” He adds, foreshadowing the cross, “No one has greater love than this –to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” And then we are back to love’s proof–obedience. “You are my friends,” Jesus says in 15:14, “if you do what I command you.” And finally, we learn the purpose for Christ’s commands in 15:11: JOY! For Christ wants what is GOOD for us! “I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.”

Now, there is only one thing left–the most important point of this passage–the gift of the Spirit. Why do you think that would come up immediately after Jesus tells them that if they love him, they will keep his commandments?

Because of God’s grace and mercy for us! God knows we can’t keep His commandments, no matter how hard we try. We can’t love as Christ loves and abide in His love– without His help.

“I will not leave you orphaned,” Jesus assures his followers in 14:18, “I am coming to you.”

This is not the Second Coming, of which He has already spoken in 14:2, with his “preparing a place” for them in His Father’s “house of many dwelling places.” And how he will “come again” and take them to himself in 14:3, “so that where I am, there you may also be.”

He is talking about a living presence that God will send at his request–“another Advocate” or “helper,” the “Spirit of Truth” to guide and empower us to do His will. And to be with us “forever.” For like my husband, who for love was loathe to leave me alone with a dangerous power tool, Jesus, our Friend and Lover of our Souls, will not leave us alone to fend for ourselves in this dark world. While we listen for God’s voice for us today as we read the Bible, we also rely on the Holy Spirit every day to guide and empower us to do the works God has planned for us. Jesus says in 14:25-26, “I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I have said to you.”

***

On Friday morning, after Jim taught me how to use the new power tool and insisted on staying close by, I pushed the safety button, squeezed the handle. The engine roared to life. The blades did the work as I held the power tool, following Jim’s example, and made downward, sweeping motions, as the instruction manual told me to do.

While I trimmed back the overgrown hedge, I thought about the Savior’s love and how he commands us to abide in his love, if we love him. And how His Spirit, a gift from God, enables us to do this.

How he lives in me!

How He lives in you!

 

Let us pray.

 

Holy One, we are so happy that you have not abandoned us to try to follow your Son on our own. Thank you for the gift of your joy and the promise that our joy will be complete when we are obedient to you. Thank you for your gift of the Spirit of Truth that guides and enables us to do the works you have planned for us to do. Forgive us, Lord, when we try to resist the Spirit’s leading in our lives, when we choose not to abide in your love, but simply to do whatever we feel like doing. Transform us, by your Spirit, to be more like Your Son, who was perfectly obedient to you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

Meditation on 1 Peter 2:2-10

May 14, 2017

Merritt Island Presbyterian Church

   Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation— ³if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. 4 Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and ⁵like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶For it stands in scripture: ‘See, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.’  ⁷To you then who believe, he is precious; but for those who do not believe, ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the very head of the corner’, ⁸and ‘A stone that makes them stumble, and a rock that makes them fall.’ They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people,  in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. ¹⁰ Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

***

Isabella Baumfree was born in Ulster County, New York, around 1797, 21 years after Thomas Jefferson presented a document to the Continental Congress that declared our independence from England, saying, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Isabella’s actual birth date is unknown because she was born into slavery. Colonel Hardenbergh owned her family and the house in which Isabella worked in Esopus, a Dutch-speaking community, 95 miles north of New York City.

Isabella was one of 12 children; 10 of whom were sold when they were very young.

Only Isabella or “Belle,” as she was called, and her brother remained with their parents when the colonel died, and then his son, in 1806, and all of the Baumfrees were separated; 9-year-old “Belle” was sold at auction with a flock of sheep for $100. Her new owner was a harsh man named John Neely. She was sold 2 more times in the next 2 years until she became the property of John Dumont at West Park, near Kingston, NY. She began to learn English for the first time. Around 1815, Belle fell in love with a slave named Robert from a neighboring farm.

They had a daughter, but Robert’s owner forbade their relationship. Robert and Belle never saw each other again. Dumont, in 1817, forced Belle to marry an older slave named Thomas, and they had 3 children.

New York emancipated its slaves on July 4, 1827. But Belle left Dumont with her infant daughter, Sophia, in 1826 when he reneged on a promise to free her. She could not bring her other daughter and 5-year-old son, Peter, with her because they were not legally freed in the emancipation order until they had served into their 20s.

She said, “I did not run off, for I thought that wicked, but I walked off, believing that to be all right.” A kindly Christian couple took her and her baby into their New Paltz home, paying her for her services until the state’s emancipation law took effect. Shortly afterward, Belle learned her former owner had sold her son Peter illegally to an Alabama man. She fought Dumont in court and in 1828 became the first black woman to go to court against a white man–and win the case.

She became a devout Christian while living with the Christian couple. Growing in courage–and in spirit and truth–she moved with her children to New York City in 1829 and found work as a housekeeper. But she would have more suffering when her son disappeared after taking a job on a whaling ship. She never saw him again.

While some people’s faith might falter with the grief Belle was made to bear, her faith grew stronger. She became a Methodist in 1843, experiencing another spiritual awakening or rebirth. She took on a new identity. Her new name? Sojourner Truth. “The Spirit calls me,” she told her friends, “and I must go.”

She left to travel and preach of her hope in Jesus Christ and the goodness of God and work toward a more fair and just society–with the abolishment of slavery and equal human rights for all, including women.

***

On this day when we honor and remember our mothers and the mothers of our faith, it is fitting to remember Isabella Baumfree, who, though she endured great suffering, persevered and sought to follow Christ. She felt called to preach the gospel and work to set the oppressed free, despite her having the lowest status of any person in American society in the 19^th century–a freed slave, a black woman in an age when few women spoke in the public square and no women–black or white– possessed the right to vote.

Certainly, there are countless women we could hold up as examples of strong Christians who overcame adversity to become a bold witness for the Lord. But Isabella’s story and her taking on a new identity after coming to know Jesus reveals a sophisticated understanding of the Scripture, in particular 1 Peter, our epistle reading today. This is remarkable considering she was an uneducated, illiterate woman, who spoke English as a Second Language.

Peter writes his first letter to exiles in Asia Minor– Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia.

But this letter is for all Christians, stirring hope amidst trials and suffering. Though we don’t know exactly the situation 1st Century Christians face, Peter is saying, essentially, no matter where they live, even if it is their place of birth, now, because of their faith in Jesus Christ, (1:19) they are citizens of a heavenly kingdom and only sojourners in a pagan culture that is the Roman Empire.

God has given us, 1 Peter 1:3 says, “a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” an “inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you!” (1:4) And because of this living hope, we can “rejoice” for suffering and persecution have a godly purpose–our spiritual growth and maturity.

The main message of 1 Peter is this–that being a Christian means that we are changed AND our relationships with God and human beings are transformed. All of this is a gift from the Lord for those who desire to be changed and to “love one another deeply from the heart,” as Peter says in 1:22.

Our relationships with God and one another are fed by God’s Word and prayer. Peter exhorts us in 2:2 to be “newborn infants,” who are completely reliant on their mothers for nourishment. “Long for the pure, spiritual milk,” he says, meaning God’s Word. He quotes Psalm 34:8– “if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.” This “tasting” is an enjoyment and intimate experience of God, being in the divine presence and not just an intellectual knowledge of Scripture.

Peter draws from the prophet Isaiah with the language of a “living stone,” for Jesus Christ. “Come to him, a living stone,” he says, “though rejected by (human beings) yet chosen and precious in God’s sight!” He continues to quote Scripture in 2:6, with, “See, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.’

In our spiritual rebirth, we have become more like him–and less like our former selves, though we still sin and must seek to be holy in our conduct. We, like the cornerstone of our faith, are also “living stones” — –sometimes rejected by human beings when we go against the culture in which we live yet chosen by God and precious to Him. Holiness is a gift from the God who is holy, the result of obedience to God’s Word AND following in Christ’s loving example. “Do not be conformed to the desires that you formerly had in ignorance,” he says. And, in 2:1, “Rid yourselves of all malice…deceit, insincerity, jealousy, and slander or ‘backbiting,’” as some translations say.

The goal is not simply our personal holiness, but that we become united with one another in Christ, built by God into a “spiritual house.” This is something we must allow the Lord to do; God will not do it without our cooperation and participation. In this day and age, when kindness in the public square is so rare, we can take comfort in the promise of 2:5 that God will make us into a “holy priesthood.” We are a “chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,” called for a purpose, as Sojourner Truth well understood, “To proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness and into his marvelous light.”

 

***

Sojourner Truth, who heard and heeded God’s call, persevering through suffering, became one of the most influential African American women of the 19^th century. Sojourner’s image has been carved, painted, sketched, made into rag dolls, and engraved on a stamp.

In 2009, a bust of Sojourner Truth was unveiled at the U.S. Capitol.

The U.S. Treasury Dept. plans to feature Sojourner on the back of a $10 bill.

In her lifetime, she joined with abolitionist groups, worked for women’s rights, religious tolerance, prison reform, and pacifism. In 1843, she bought her first home in Florence, Mass., for $300

 

and spoke at the first National Women’s Rights Convention. She went on numerous lecture tours, often speaking to hostile crowds.

She dictated her life story in 1850 and it was published as a book called, The Narrative of Sojourner Truth: A Northern Slave.

In May 1851, she attended the Ohio Women’s Rights Convention where she delivered her famous extemporaneous speech, later known as “Ain’t I a Woman.”

She met Abraham Lincoln in 1864 and helped recruit black troops for the Union Army.

She met President Ulysses S. Grant and tried unsuccessfully for 7 years to secure land grants for former slaves.

She rode streetcars in Washington, D.C. in 1865 to help force desegregation.

In 1872, she tried to vote in the presidential election, but was turned away at the polling place.

She had found support in high places, but never saw the just and equal society of which she dreamed–at least, not before she went home to be with the Lord in 1883.

 

***

So, Church, how are you doing with God’s call on your life? Are you, like newborns, longing for the pure spiritual milk from the living stone, the cornerstone, rejected by human beings, but chosen and precious to God? Are you struggling through a dark time, finding it hard to see God’s marvelous light? Remember: You aren’t who you used to be! You don’t have to fall into the same old negative thinking and behaviors. You have a new identity! Don’t fret if the world rejects you. You are chosen and precious to God! You are a holy priesthood! You are living stones!

Let us pray. Holy One, thank you for the gift of Your Son, the Cornerstone of our faith and the Living Stone, who, though rejected by human beings, is chosen and precious in your sight. Thank you for calling us to follow in Christ’s footsteps–to love as he loved– and for remaking us into his image–into living stones, sometimes rejected by human beings, but chosen and always precious to you! Thank you for the great women of faith who have come before us, the mothers who have suffered, yet persevered in their trust for you. Thank you for Sojourner Truth, whom you used to be a bold witness for the gospel and to make our country a more just and fair place. We thank you for your promise to make us into a holy priesthood and to use us for your good purposes. Please bless all the women and girls of our faith community with courage, strength, wisdom, peace and joy as we seek to be transformed by you and to do all that you have ordained for us to do– for you! In your Precious Son’s name we pray. Amen.

 

Meditation on John 10:1-10

May 7, 2017

Merritt Island Presbyterian Church

   Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. ²The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.  ³The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  ⁴When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. ⁵They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.’ ⁶Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. 7 So again Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.  ⁸All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them.  ⁹I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. ¹⁰The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

***

 

While telling jokes about the Gorton fisherman catching fish of a nice, uniform, rectangular shape, David dresses his son, Jack, into a long yellow raincoat and matching yellow hat.

 

Mary Lou, MIPC’s performing arts director, helps David dress Jack, who plays “Peter the Fisherman” in the senior Kids Klub show, Life School Musical.

Junior and Senior Kids Klub shows continue this afternoon at 4. David is part of the Kids Klub family of volunteers, assisting Mary Lou by helping children learn their lines, use bigger voices, speak with expression, and understand theatrical lingo, such as “stage left.” The yellow hat has a wide brim–so wide, that it very nearly conceals Jack’s face.

“That won’t do,” Mary Lou will say later, rushing to the stage to fold back the brim. “Your mother will want to see your face!” she says, and laughs.

It’s easy to see Kids Klub in the biblical context of sheep and shepherds, especially this week, when there were many directions for little lambs to follow, with rehearsals Tuesday and Friday, and shows Saturday and Sunday. Many volunteer shepherds assist Mary Lou, the head shepherd. Every one of them has a role in working to strengthen and equip the children to minister to the community with the hope of the gospel, spoken and sung. One volunteer shepherd–Jennifer–taught the children to sing songs such as “Special in God’s Eyes” and “Heroes in Disguise.” This is Elly, Jennifer’s daughter, with her mom.

Still another volunteer shepherd is Pam, who wears a number of important hats, including choreographer and snack chair. Pam’s seat during rehearsals and shows is on a cushion at Mary Lou’s feet in front of the stage.

 

Pam teaches the children all the moves. She signals every cartwheel and footstep.…

 

She guides every arm lift, head turn, and pom pom shake.

 

She directs every spin, twirl , and dancer’s pose .

 

For the shepherds at Kids Klub, it’s all about the sheep. But the shepherds can only guide the sheep to do what the children are able to do–and what they are willing to do. But motivation isn’t usually a problem. Children who participate in the program, for the most part, want to be there. And if there is too much talking or movement, Mary Lou calls out, “Kids Klub, howdee!” Everyone freezes, gets quiet and listens. They know her voice– and they know her. They trust her and want to please her. Mary Lou knows their names–and which kids belong to which families. She knows their personalities and their abilities, their strengths and weaknesses.

So I was surprised some weeks back when I learned that the senior Kids Klub was having trouble. The older children hadn’t learned their lines. They didn’t know their songs! Some of them have been in the program for years. They are smart and talented and usually cooperative. Were they too comfortable, too confident? They were looking around, watching other kids on stage, instead of keeping their eyes on Mary Lou and Pam. Some were talking to each other and not listening for the voices of their shepherds–and following only them.

***

 

Jesus tells a parable about a shepherd and some sheep in our gospel reading today. But it isn’t the, “I am the good shepherd” passage. Not yet! That doesn’t begin until John 10:11. And though we are tempted to jump ahead, these first 10 verses of the chapter are connected to the preceding chapter. We know this because the verse opens with, “Amen, amen,” translated, “Very truly.” Double “amen’s,” aren’t used to introduce a fresh topic, scholars say. We encounter double amen’s again in verse 7 of this passage! Jesus is really trying to make his point–to explain what the Pharisees have, up to now, not understood.

So, we return to chapter 9 and recall how Jesus heals a man born blind. The man comes to believe in Jesus, but the Pharisees are angry and say Jesus cannot be from God because he healed on the Sabbath. They are angrier, still, when Jesus says that he came into the world “for judgment so that those who do not see may see and those who do see may become blind.” The Pharisees realize Jesus is talking about them–that they who want to exclude the blind man Jesus has healed from their community are the ones who are blind and whose “sin remains.”

Then Jesus tells the Pharisees a story from every day life–the parable of a shepherd and some sheep– to persuade them of their error–and to lead all who will hear this Scripture for generations to come to trust in Him whom God sent for love, as John 3:16 says, and so that they might not perish, but have everlasting life.

Sheep in Jesus’ time are a valuable commodity—and many people own sheep and goats. The wool is used for clothing and blankets; sheepskin has a variety of uses, including holding water or wine; and the people drink sheep’s milk and eat sheep’s milk cheese and lamb. When the Pharisees hear this story, you may be surprised that they are probably not imagining sheep to be dumb–as some of today’s farmers in the U.S. often say. Sheep are dependent on a human caretaker; that is true. They cannot just be allowed to roam free; they are prone to wander, stumble and fall or get eaten by wild animals. They need to be led to pasture–nourishment–and water. But they are also gentle and social animals, preferring to remain in the flock. And they aren’t dumb. The part about the sheep recognizing and obeying the voice of the shepherd, who calls them a by name (or a nickname) is true, even with the average flock containing about 100 sheep.

But although we might have a warm feeling when we think of shepherds, the elite Pharisees and other urban dwellers of Jesus’ time despise shepherds as a group. They are members of the lowest classes and social outcasts. They have a reputation (perhaps unfairly) for being rough, unscrupulous characters that pasture their animals on other people’s land and steal wool, milk and kids from the flock. This is in spite of all the OT shepherd and sheep imagery revealing God’s intimacy with His people, such as Isaiah 40:11, “He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.” And Ezekiel 34:12-16, that begins, “ As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness…”

When Jesus speaks of thieves and bandits, though, the Pharisees are nodding their heads. Sheep stealing is so common back then that to protect the sheep, shepherds sleep with them, often at the entrance to the stone enclosure.

So when Jesus says, “I am the gate for the sheep,” think of his protection and his provision, as we read on, “Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture.” This is in sharp contrast to the thief who comes only to “steal and kill and destroy.”

Jesus has come so that we–His sheep–may have life and have it abundantly.

 

***

And abundantly we do live–when we listen for God’s voice and seek to obey, trusting the one who loves and cares for us like no other. The one who calls us affectionately by name and protects us from the evil one. Let us never become too comfortable or over-confident so that we stop listening–and take our eyes off our loving Shepherd. For we are like sheep, prone to wander, stumble and fall. We need the Lord to lead us on right paths and nourish us by His Word and Spirit.

If we are looking for a lesson in obedience–a modern day parable of sheep and shepherds from our every day life–then we may go no further than Kids Klub. Both the junior and senior Kids Klub shows were wonderful yesterday, thanks to the loving, patient guidance of the shepherds–and sheep that listened for and heard their shepherds’ voices, trusted and obeyed.

And I was given the best job of all. Mary Lou had me sit close to the stage, below a 5-year-old boy performing in his first ever show.

I was to motion him to the microphone–which is taller than he is–when it’s time for him to say his one line that comes up quickly in the first scene. After a girl says, “no more standing in line at the barfeteria” and another says, “Ewwww! Disgusting! Gross!!” Isaac says, “And no more Mystery-meat Monday…”

He waited till the room was quiet before delivering his line perfectly. The audience hung on his every word, before bursting into laughter.

But when I motioned him to the microphone to sing with 3 others, I was so proud I almost cried when his voice soared above them all:

“Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so.”

 

Let us pray.

Holy One, we thank you for leading us in the paths that you want us to go. Thank you for the work you are doing in us–for transforming us, day by day, into people you can use to build your kingdom, here on earth. Thank you for the gift of abundant life through belief on your Son and for the promise that we will not perish, but live eternally with You. Help us to trust you every day, to listen for your voice, and to obey. Strengthen our faith. Bless those who labor for the children and young families. Give them energy, creativity, and joy. And bless the children, Lord, fill them with spiritual gifts as they seek to minister together, reaching out to our community, sharing the hope of our Good Shepherd, through Your Word and songs of praise. In Christ we pray. Amen.

 

 

Meditation on Luke 24: 13-35

April 30, 2017

Merritt Island Presbyterian Church

 

13 Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles^* from Jerusalem, ¹⁴and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. ¹⁵While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, ¹⁶but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. ¹⁷And he said to them, ‘What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?’ They stood still, looking sad.^* 18Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him,  ‘Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?’ ¹⁹He asked them, ‘What things?’ They replied, ‘The things about Jesus of Nazareth,^* who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people ,²⁰

and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him.

²¹But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.^* Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. ²²Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, ²³and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive.

²⁴Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.’ ²⁵Then he said to them,  ‘Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! ²⁶Was it not necessary that the Messiah^* should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?’ ²⁷Then beginning with Moses

and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.

28 As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. ²⁹But they urged him strongly, saying,  ‘Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.’ So he went in to stay with them.

³⁰When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. ³¹Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. ³²They said to each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?’ ³³That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. ³⁴They were saying, ‘The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!’ ³⁵Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

***

 

   The little girl with tussled hair greeted her Daddy with a bright smile, but then saw the woman standing near him at the entrance to her preschool. The smile turned to a puzzled look.

“Where is Grandpa Jim?” our granddaughter, Jessie, asked.

Danny, my stepson, answered, “Give Grandma Karen a hug. Grandpa Jim is in the car waiting for you.”

Jessie stared at me with a blank expression, before dashing out the door, without her coat. Danny trailed behind, holding her jacket and calling her name. The weather was cool and damp in Cambridge, Mass.

And that’s how our visit with our granddaughter began, a couple days after Easter. Though Jim had visited on his own, it had been nearly a year since I had seen Jessie in person. And at only 3 years and 3 months, a year between visits is a long time. She didn’t recognize me.

It wouldn’t be long, though, till we would be comfortable together. At her home, I sat on the floor with Jessie and we talked as she opened the presents we had brought her.

 She wanted me to read to her. So I did.

She said she was hungry. So I shared the graham crackers I had packed in my suitcase, asking her not to tell Daddy and Mommy that I gave her snacks. She smiled at our secret, and we ate.

And that was all it took. She knew I was her Grandma, after that. The relationship was renewed–and grew as we spent time together every day. We shared meals and snacks. She popped Cheerios into my mouth, one by one. We read Peppa Pig Goes Swimming and Peppa’s Easter Egg Hunt until she had memorized the words and finished all my sentences.

 And we played Strawberry Shortcake Bingo and got silly on the couch.

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My hair became as tussled as Jessie’s.

We baked a batch of birthday brownies for her Daddy.

And we took a long walk to the library before Jessie’s parents drove us to the airport on our last day. As they put her into her car seat, she called out, “Grandma Karen! Come sit by me!”

When we tried to say goodbye, she burst into loud sobs and clung to her Mommy. This was not the right end to the story. Grandma and Grandpa were supposed to stay with her forever. She didn’t want my kiss or hug. Sadness mingled with anger and confusion.

She didn’t say goodbye.

***

 

The disciples had some similar feelings, perhaps, after they lost Jesus, their beloved teacher, the one who called them brother, sister and friend. They likely experienced shock, grief, sadness, and confusion, in a greater intensity, of course, than Jessie experienced. For the disciples–not just the 12 but “all his acquaintances who had followed him from Galilee”– in Luke 23:49–had stood on a hill, watching the one the angel had proclaimed in Luke 2:11– “Savior”, “Messiah” and “Lord”–suffer and die.

This is not how the story was supposed to end, they thought, though Jesus had warned his loved ones what was to come. And the risen Christ will soon explain in full to his disciples gathered in Jerusalem the true meaning of the resurrection. In 24:45-46, he will “open their minds to understand the scriptures,” and he will say,  “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.”

But on the evening of the day that a group of women discover Christ’s empty tomb, the disciples don’t know how to feel, what to believe or what to do.

They begin to disperse, some of them, leaving Jerusalem at the end of the Feast of the Passover. Some return home.

And Jesus seeks out those struggling with fear and doubt–and not just the original 12 who answered his call. The disciples he pursues in today’s passage are a man named Cleopas, a name that appears nowhere else in the Bible, and another person we are tempted to overlook because he isn’t named. Jesus joins them as they walk 60 stadia or 7 miles from Jerusalem to Emmaus, a village named only in Luke, a place unknown to us today.

“What are you talking about?” Jesus interrupts them, and they don’t answer right away. They stand still, says 24:17, “looking sad.” The Greek word translated sad (skythropos) can also mean angry, such as in Matthew 6:1 when the word describes the “long face” of the fasting Pharisees. Cleopas seems to be mocking Jesus when he asks in v. 18, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?”

But it isn’t their fault that they don’t “see” Jesus, at first. This is all part of God’s plan! They are “prevented from recognizing them,” says verse 16, a condition that will be reversed in verse 31 after Christ “opens” Scripture to them, teaching them “things concerning himself” says verse 27, “in ALL the Scriptures.” Don’t miss this important nugget. If you want to learn about Jesus and truly know him, you will find him in the study of ALL the Scriptures–not just the New Testament. They are nourished first on God’s Word before the living Christ makes his presence known in the breaking of the bread.

When Jesus asks, “What things?” I hear echoes of his question to his disciples in Matthew 16:13-20,  “Who do you say that I am?” He wants to hear Cleopas’ doubts and fears? His anger and pain! His disbelief! Just as he wants to hear our confessions, too. He wants to know what we think and feel — and to have a relationship with us!

Cleopas doesn’t answer like Peter, who, before Jesus’ betrayal and death, confidently declares, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.” Peter will fearfully deny knowing him later on. Cleopas says that Jesus of Nazareth was, “a prophet, a man powerful in deed and speech before God and all the people.” And he doesn’t accept any responsibility for what happened to Jesus. “The chief priests and leaders handed him over,” he says in v. 20, and “they crucified him.”

Jesus is a disappointment to some of his followers, just as he is to some of us, at times, when he doesn’t do what we want him to do! When he doesn’t make everything the way we want it to be. “We had hoped that he was the very one who was going to liberate Israel,” Cleopas says. With Christ’s death and the empty tomb, their world living under Roman oppression is just the same!

Or is it?

Reclining at table with the disciples, just as he had in the Last Supper with his 12 disciples, Jesus blesses and breaks the bread–and gives it to them. They recognize him and are not discouraged when he disappears from their sight. Running the 7 miles back to Jerusalem, though the sun has surely gone down, they proclaim to the other disciples, “The Lord has risen, indeed!”

***

I have thought of our granddaughter, Jessie, every day since our visit.  

I feel badly for her tears, though I am sure she has forgotten her sadness by now. We should have prepared her better for our leaving. Yet, at the same time, I know that at 3 years and 3 months, she cannot understand the ways of the world. Waiting even a few months to see us will seem like a long, long time.

We aren’t much different than Jessie when it comes to understanding and applying spiritual truths to our lives. We celebrate the empty tomb, the Risen Christ, at Easter, but then we live the next day, as if nothing has changed. If Christ is alive, friends, then everything is changed! We are changed! We have new life! We are risen with Him! But we don’t want the Spirit to interrupt us as we go on with our lives, seeking what is comfortable and pleasant, rather than seeking to do God’s will, which might include some suffering and pain.

I think Luke intentionally leaves out the name of the “other” disciple with Cleopas, who, when Christ wasn’t what he hoped he would be, gave up and went home.

Luke wants us to see that the disciple without the name is you! It’s me!

We need to be reminded, again and again, that we are not alone; we are strengthened and united by Christ’s presence when we gather for Word and Sacrament. Christ continually seeks out those who might wander away from Him in fear, confusion, and doubt.

If that’s you on the road to Emmaus, then come back to the Lord, friend! You will find no condemnation — only love and forgiveness– with Him. Then let us go out, like the earliest disciples, and proclaim the Good News to all the nations! The Lord is risen, indeed!

 

Let us pray…

 

Risen Lord, we thank you for your Spirit that illumines the Scriptures for us — so that we know the truth and the truth liberates us, sets us free from sin and death. Thank you for your presence in the Sacraments of the Lord’s Supper and Baptism. Thank you for seeking out those who have doubts and fears, Lord, revealing yourself to even us, who do not think we are important. Yet we are your children, eternally blessed, loved and forgiven. Strengthen us to do your Will, Lord, and take the paths of righteousness, not comfort and pleasure. Draw us nearer to you. Lead us to proclaim the Good News to all the nations. For Christ is alive! He is risen, indeed! Amen.

 

Meditation on Col. 3:1-4 and John 20:1-18

Easter Sunday 2017

Merritt Island Presbyterian Church

     So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory. (Col. 3:1-4)  

     Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. 

So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.’ Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went towards the tomb. 

The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb.

He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes.

    But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb.

As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet.

 They said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’ She said to them, ‘They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.’ When she had said this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her,  ‘Woman, why are you weeping? For whom are you looking?’ Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, ‘Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.’ Jesus said to her,  ‘Mary!’ She turned and said to him in Hebrew, ‘Rabbouni!’ (which means Teacher). 

 Jesus said to her, ‘Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” ’Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples,  ‘I have seen the Lord’; and she told them that he had said these things to her. (John 20:1-18)

***

Thank you all for your prayers for my mom this week! Mom fell Monday night and was taken by ambulance to a hospital in Orange City. We visited her there on Wednesday after she had surgery to repair a broken hip. Although she dozed on and off for the hours we were with her, when she was awake, she had to be my mother. She told me I needed to rest more and stop doing so much. That I was “pale” and looked tired. It was Holy Week, and I was preparing the service for Maundy Thursday on my laptop in her hospital room. I had to smile at my 78-year-old mom telling me to stop doing so much. It was the pot calling the kettle black! The day she fell, she had been out for hours with friends having lunch at the Daytona State College culinary school cafe, at least a 30-minute drive from her home. I am sure she had already swam laps that morning, made or received 5 to 10 phone calls, and took care of Dad. Did I mention she works part time preparing people’s taxes, sings in her church choir and plays bridge every week?

But she was right. I was tired–hadn’t slept well the night before, thinking about her surgery and the long recovery ahead. I wondered how my dad would do with her at the hospital and then rehab–when he would be on his own. I felt like this great weight was on my shoulders. And then, on the way out of the hospital that evening, we stumbled upon the chapel! We saw a beautiful stained glass window with the tree of life. When, in Genesis, God made human beings in His image and called them “good.”

 People had shared their thoughts and prayers on cards, writing of their own value in God’s eyes and their testimonies of healing.

On the wall was a verse from Revelation 21:1-7. The passage is the vision of the “new heaven and new earth” and the holy city,  the “new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,’ a bride adorned for her husband. When ⁴ Christ will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.”

⁵ …“See, I am making all things new.” And …⁶ …“It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life. ⁷ …and I will be their God and they will be my children.”

I was drawn to the chapel’s large wooden cross, draped with white cloth–symbolizing the Resurrection.

And the weight I had been feeling on my shoulders began to lift. I felt the presence of the Spirit and joy touched my heart. I was reminded, looking up at the cross, that even Easter People, those who believe with all their heart in Jesus’ work on the cross for our sakes, his dying and his rising– can get drawn into the worries, problems and fears of this world. But then–we look up! Our hope is ALWAYS in Him! Answers to all of life’s questions lie at the foot of the cross. Our lives are hidden in Him–and waiting to be revealed–by the one who is ALIVE forever and coming again! Hallelujah! Amen!

***

The message of Paul to the Colossians is this–that we who believe on Christ’s resurrection and have been baptized, have already been raised with him; this happened in our baptism so that we would live new lives in Him. As Paul writes to the Galatians in 2:20,  “It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me.” Paul, in Colossians, says our lives are “hidden in Christ.” Isn’t that beautiful? This intimacy speaks of His love for us and our protection and security. Nothing can harm a soul hidden in Christ! Paul goes on to say that now that we are baptized, “Christ is our life,” sounding very much like when he writes to the Philippians in 1:21, saying,  “For me, to live is Christ.” Paul is saying there’s nothing more important to him than Jesus Christ. Therefore, professing faith in Jesus and being baptized isn’t the “end all” to being a Christian, as some might think. This is just the beginning of something new, something God has planned and God only knows, something good, as Paul says in Philippians 1:6,  “I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.”

Our Colossians reading provides instructions on living the Christian life. “Seek the things that are above,” he says, “where Christ is.” “Don’t fix your thoughts,” he says, on the things of the earth. He repeats for emphasis, “Set your mind on the things that are above.” Reading beyond the lectionary verses, we discover that Paul isn’t arguing for the Christian to withdraw from all activities and responsibilities in this world to simply contemplate God. He is talking about changing our attitudes and behavior so that others can see Christ in us. This doesn’t just happen automatically when we become a Christian. It is something we do with the Spirit.

But before we can live as Christ, we have to “put to death” what is “earthly,” such as “greed,” “idolatry,” “evil desire” and “fornication.” He says, “get rid of anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language.” “Don’t lie to one another,” he says. Then, Paul reminds us who we are, in spite of our sin. Isn’t that amazing? We are, because of God’s love and grace, “God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved.” Therefore, we must “clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience.” “Bear with one another,” he says, “and if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other;  just as the Lord has forgiven you.” And, “above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” Christ’s followers let Christ’s peace “rule in their hearts.” They are “thankful” and allow the word of Christ to dwell in them richly. They “teach and admonish one another with all wisdom”; and they gather to worship and praise the Lord, singing “psalms, hymns and spiritual songs to God”, “with gratitude in (their) hearts.” And whatever we do, “in word or deed” we do in the name of the Lord Jesus, “giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

***

Yesterday, our congregation hosted an “Eggstravaganza” to share the love of Christ with our community. We had many faithful volunteers –leading children to make crafts,

 decorate cookies like Easter eggs,

play games,

 plant seeds, and eat hot dogs and chips. And then we had 2 egg hunts, one for preschoolers and the other for older kids.

 You know, some churches might be critical of our light-hearted, bunny and chick-themed crafts and games. They might say our Eggstravaganza wasn’t religious enough.

But watching the families interact with volunteers and one another, laughing, hugging, 

 meeting new people,

making new friends, and sharing stories, I saw the love and grace of Jesus Christ. I saw Easter People– whose minds were not fixed on earthly things, but were fixed on things above– building God’s Kingdom, loving one another as Christ loves us. I saw God’s “chosen ones, holy and beloved” seeking to draw others closer to Christ and live new lives hidden in the one who is ALIVE forever–and coming again! Hallelujah! Amen!

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Let us pray. Holy One, we praise you and thank you for Your Son, Jesus, and His willingness to be obedient to you to the point of dying on a cross. Thank you for the witness of the disciples and for Mary, especially, who stayed at the empty tomb, meeting the angels and the risen Christ. Help us, Lord, to be faithful Easter People, trusting you during times of struggle, sorrow and pain. Heal our loved ones, who are sick. Comfort and give peace and patience to their caregivers. Keep us coming back to the foot of the cross, when we are weary or discouraged, so that we might find answers to all of our questions. Thank you for raising Jesus from the dead and the promise that we, too, are and shall be raised with and hidden in Him who is ALIVE forever–and coming again! Hallelujah! Amen.