Jesus, when he appeared to the disciples in the locked upper room, gave them “peace.” After he had eaten some fish from the charcoal grill he opened their hearts and showed them how the read the Bible in such a way that they understood how the Hebrew Bible supported the coming of the Messiah. After all they were the first to see and hear him. They were witnesses to the fact that he was a living, breathing, fish eating person with a real body that could be touched and seen. They looked at his hands and his feet and knew that it really was Jesus.
So what, you say! This gospel account was written so long ago, how can we know that it’s really true? Luke wrote it almost 2,000 years ago. How can we trust that what we’ve heard and read in the Bible is the truth? What proof do we have today that Jesus rose from the tomb and is alive and lives in people’s hearts? Who will be a reliable witness to us? Who will provide us with irrefutable evidence that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God? Who or what will open our hearts to the understanding of the Word of God. Who will show us how to read the Bible in such a way that we believe?
Now that we’ve laid it all out on the table that we are nothing but skeptics with maybe just a little bit of cynicism thrown in for good measure where do we go from here? How do we help our unbelief or maybe a better way to put it would be how do we strengthen our faith in what we read in the Word of God? How can our hearts be opened? How can we improve our understanding of God’s Word for us today?
Friends, don’t you think it all boils down to God’s grace? Through God’s good grace we have been adopted into His family as children of God. Through God’s graciousness Jesus died for us and all of our sins have been forgiven. Jesus died for us and our sins have been forgiven. It needed to be repeated because it’s important for us to hear.
Through God’s grace His Word has survived and is read and studied more than any other book ever written. And because we still hope for a better world we come to hear the Word read and proclaimed every Lord’s Day. Through God’s grace when we study God’s Word daily we are given understanding through the Holy Spirit who opens our hearts to God’s goodness. It’s because of this that we are able to be witnesses for Jesus. The more we read, study, and reflect on the Word of God the more capable we become in sharing the meaning of God’s word for us today with our family, friends, and neighbors.
This week there was a letter to the editor in the Walnut Bureau that said in the very last paragraph something that may very well be true. There are more people who don’t know the Word than do. This letter was addressed to the pastors of the churches in Walnut which is where the ultimate responsibility lies. Pastors shouldn’t carry the full burden of this illiteracy by themselves though. I believe we are all responsible. God gave all of us eyes to read, brains with which to reason and question, and tongues to discuss. So let’s ask ourselves, when was the last time we sat down and read the Word? When was the last time we participated in a study group? When was the last time we asked God to help us understand what we just read?
Pastors can teach that’s true. But if there’s no one there to listen how will anyone’s mind be opened to better understand the Word of God?
The Eleven and those gathered around them were the first to see. They were the one who were witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus. They saw and they believed. It all began in Jerusalem and then was spread throughout the world.
Because of their witness others have believed and gone on to give their testimony to others. They have devoted their lives to serving God’s adopted children by sharing what they have unselfishly with the world.
In the Word we read that faith comes by hearing the Word of God. Therefore we are commissioned by Jesus, Matt 28:19-20, to go out into all the world and make disciples of all nations. In the Word, Matthew 22:38-39, we read that the sum of all the commandments is this, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind”…And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
In the Book of Order for the PCUSA “The Great Ends of the Church” states that, “The great ends of the church are the proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of humankind; the shelter, nurture, and spiritual fellowship of the children of God; the maintenance of divine worship; the preservation of the truth; the promotion of social righteousness; and the exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the world.”
By these three statements we are called to live as children of God. We are convicted by these statements that come to us from those who have gone on before us.
Why do we wonder; why do we doubt. All we have to do is look! Look in the Word of God and allow the Holy Spirit to increase our understanding. Just sit back and let the mysterious Being of our Father and His Son, Jesus wash over us. Let it refresh our souls so that we can be witnesses to the wondrous nature of our God.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
Great Plains Presbyterian Pilgrimage
Last Wednesday I packed my bags and headed over to Camp Calvin Crest just south of Fremont, Nebraska to serve as a team member on the Great Plains Presbyterian Pilgrimage #5.
I was a guest at GPPP#2 and sat at the table of Rebecca and this time I was honored to be asked to serve as a table facilitator at, you guessed it, the table of Rebecca. At this table I was the only one of my gender.
Believe me when I say that I was a little uncertain about serving in this position. The reason is that the table group has to create posters and work up a skit that describes what they have heard or felt from the talks they have heard presented. I'm just not a very creative person but the rector, Josh Widman, felt very strongly that I was the person God wanted at this table. So who am I to argue with God. If this is where he wanted me then how could I possibly refuse.
Anyway, let me tell you I was supremely blessed to be at this table with these wonderful ladies. They just stepped right up and just amazed me with their ideas and creativity. And what insightful conversations we had after listening to the talks and meditations. By the way the talks were inspiring. Every time I listen I learn something new, just like when I read something from scripture that I've read many times before. I believe it is the work of the Holy Spirit. What do you think?
Folks, every Pilgrimage that I have attended just keeps getting better and better. I can't wait to see what God has planned for October. Joyce Serenil who worships at the Wheeler Presbyterian Church in South "O" is the rector. Folks she would love to have you praying for her as she begins to organize the next event.
And by the way if you haven't ever been to Camp Calvin Crest and enjoyed the wonderful food their chefs put out you have really missed some excellent food. We really have to be careful because it's easy to overdo it. But there are some really good trails to walk so that you can burn off some of those calories.
The day began with the ringing of a bell at 6:15 a.m. waking people so that they could be at the 7 a.m. worship and communion service led by either Darin, Al, or Sally. The worship space was created by Linda and Bruce as they were guided by the Holy Spirit. It was awesome.
When Darin gets up to talk about remembering our baptism you should be warned, you might get wet. Really, you will probably get wet, at the very least you will leave with water spots on your glasses. Just ask the people who worship at Faithful Shepherd.
Friends, it was the most amazing week and I can't wait to see where God wants me to work now. If you haven't attended a Presbyterian Pilgrimage, Walk to Emmaus, Via de Christo, or Cursillo, then I invite you to fill out a registration and send it in. Talk to me, email me, or give me a call. It is the best investment you could ever make in your spiritual life.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, God loves you and so do I,
David
I was a guest at GPPP#2 and sat at the table of Rebecca and this time I was honored to be asked to serve as a table facilitator at, you guessed it, the table of Rebecca. At this table I was the only one of my gender.
Believe me when I say that I was a little uncertain about serving in this position. The reason is that the table group has to create posters and work up a skit that describes what they have heard or felt from the talks they have heard presented. I'm just not a very creative person but the rector, Josh Widman, felt very strongly that I was the person God wanted at this table. So who am I to argue with God. If this is where he wanted me then how could I possibly refuse.
Anyway, let me tell you I was supremely blessed to be at this table with these wonderful ladies. They just stepped right up and just amazed me with their ideas and creativity. And what insightful conversations we had after listening to the talks and meditations. By the way the talks were inspiring. Every time I listen I learn something new, just like when I read something from scripture that I've read many times before. I believe it is the work of the Holy Spirit. What do you think?
Folks, every Pilgrimage that I have attended just keeps getting better and better. I can't wait to see what God has planned for October. Joyce Serenil who worships at the Wheeler Presbyterian Church in South "O" is the rector. Folks she would love to have you praying for her as she begins to organize the next event.
And by the way if you haven't ever been to Camp Calvin Crest and enjoyed the wonderful food their chefs put out you have really missed some excellent food. We really have to be careful because it's easy to overdo it. But there are some really good trails to walk so that you can burn off some of those calories.
The day began with the ringing of a bell at 6:15 a.m. waking people so that they could be at the 7 a.m. worship and communion service led by either Darin, Al, or Sally. The worship space was created by Linda and Bruce as they were guided by the Holy Spirit. It was awesome.
When Darin gets up to talk about remembering our baptism you should be warned, you might get wet. Really, you will probably get wet, at the very least you will leave with water spots on your glasses. Just ask the people who worship at Faithful Shepherd.
Friends, it was the most amazing week and I can't wait to see where God wants me to work now. If you haven't attended a Presbyterian Pilgrimage, Walk to Emmaus, Via de Christo, or Cursillo, then I invite you to fill out a registration and send it in. Talk to me, email me, or give me a call. It is the best investment you could ever make in your spiritual life.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, God loves you and so do I,
David
Sunday, April 12, 2009
What Would You Think?
When God came into the world and He really started something. His kingdom came down and the world has never been the same since.
Over 2,000 years ago Jesus was arrested in the Gethsemane, tried before the Sanhedrin, Herod, and Pilate, ridiculed and flogged, nailed to a cross where he died, was buried in a tomb that was intended for someone else, and then when the women or Mary Magdalene, depending on which gospel you read, went there to anoint his body they found the large stone rolled away and the tomb was empty. They were certain that someone, grave robbers probably, had stolen his body and taken it somewhere else.
The first thought that any on them had when they found the tomb empty wasn’t that he had risen from the dead as he said that he would. No, they immediately thought that some unscrupulous scoundrels had over powered the guards or paid them off and then stolen the body from the tomb.
What would you think? If you had been one of Jesus’ disciples and had been there when he told all of them that he would be killed but would rise again in three days would you believe that he had risen from the tomb? If you had been there with the disciples when he told Lazarus to come out of the tomb would you have believed that Jesus would be alive? What would you think?
What would you think if you’d been with the other disciples when Mary came back and told everyone that she’d found the stone rolled away and the tomb completely empty, not one sign of Jesus’ body anywhere, other than the strips of linen cloths Joseph and Nicodemus had used to wrap his body with the spices? What would you think? Would you believe that God could actually raise him from the dead?
Friends, that’s really not the point today is it? The point is what do you think today? What does you faith believe? Do you believe that Jesus defeated death and rose from the tomb, and if you do, why? What evidence do you have that He did rise from the tomb? How do you convince someone that you believe in a risen Savior of the world?
Peter told Cornelius and his family and friends that he was a witness to everything Jesus had done prior to his crucifixion. He said that he and the others were chosen by God to be witnesses to the fact that Jesus rose from the dead. They ate and drank with him. We know Thomas was skeptical until he saw for himself the nail holes in his hands and the place in his side where the spear had pierced him. Even Thomas believed then. But we haven’t seen the nail holes or anything.
No one here has actually seen the risen Savior. How do you believe? What do you believe? When someone questions you how do you answer? What do you say when someone questions you about going to church to worship a God who sent his Son to be crucified and suffer for the sins of the whole world? How do you explain that it was because God loved his creation so much that he sent his Son to die for us and suffer beyond anything we can imagine so that we could be assured that we could live for eternity in glory?
In all four gospels Jesus first appeared to women and asked them to tell the others where to go to see Him. They were responsible for getting the message out that Jesus was risen. What a huge responsibility. And did they believe them? No, just like most men they had to go check it out for themselves. These women couldn’t possibly have been seeing things as they really were. They must have missed something. After all they were distraught over Jesus’ death. But friends, the facts, as they are recorded in the gospels written by a man’s hand, was that the women were the first to spread the word about the risen Lord.
And they didn’t do any better than you or I could at convincing them that he really was alive. That is until they saw Him with their own eyes.
So back to my original question, “What do you think?” Instead of coming to me for answers today I would ask you to go to one of our confirmation students and ask them that question. They may not have the answer either but they have been thinking about that same thing for quite a few weeks now.
Every one of them has put some words down about what they do believe and it might be insightful to hear them tell why they believe Jesus is alive.
Friends, I serve a risen Savior. I believe he is in the world today. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Over 2,000 years ago Jesus was arrested in the Gethsemane, tried before the Sanhedrin, Herod, and Pilate, ridiculed and flogged, nailed to a cross where he died, was buried in a tomb that was intended for someone else, and then when the women or Mary Magdalene, depending on which gospel you read, went there to anoint his body they found the large stone rolled away and the tomb was empty. They were certain that someone, grave robbers probably, had stolen his body and taken it somewhere else.
The first thought that any on them had when they found the tomb empty wasn’t that he had risen from the dead as he said that he would. No, they immediately thought that some unscrupulous scoundrels had over powered the guards or paid them off and then stolen the body from the tomb.
What would you think? If you had been one of Jesus’ disciples and had been there when he told all of them that he would be killed but would rise again in three days would you believe that he had risen from the tomb? If you had been there with the disciples when he told Lazarus to come out of the tomb would you have believed that Jesus would be alive? What would you think?
What would you think if you’d been with the other disciples when Mary came back and told everyone that she’d found the stone rolled away and the tomb completely empty, not one sign of Jesus’ body anywhere, other than the strips of linen cloths Joseph and Nicodemus had used to wrap his body with the spices? What would you think? Would you believe that God could actually raise him from the dead?
Friends, that’s really not the point today is it? The point is what do you think today? What does you faith believe? Do you believe that Jesus defeated death and rose from the tomb, and if you do, why? What evidence do you have that He did rise from the tomb? How do you convince someone that you believe in a risen Savior of the world?
Peter told Cornelius and his family and friends that he was a witness to everything Jesus had done prior to his crucifixion. He said that he and the others were chosen by God to be witnesses to the fact that Jesus rose from the dead. They ate and drank with him. We know Thomas was skeptical until he saw for himself the nail holes in his hands and the place in his side where the spear had pierced him. Even Thomas believed then. But we haven’t seen the nail holes or anything.
No one here has actually seen the risen Savior. How do you believe? What do you believe? When someone questions you how do you answer? What do you say when someone questions you about going to church to worship a God who sent his Son to be crucified and suffer for the sins of the whole world? How do you explain that it was because God loved his creation so much that he sent his Son to die for us and suffer beyond anything we can imagine so that we could be assured that we could live for eternity in glory?
In all four gospels Jesus first appeared to women and asked them to tell the others where to go to see Him. They were responsible for getting the message out that Jesus was risen. What a huge responsibility. And did they believe them? No, just like most men they had to go check it out for themselves. These women couldn’t possibly have been seeing things as they really were. They must have missed something. After all they were distraught over Jesus’ death. But friends, the facts, as they are recorded in the gospels written by a man’s hand, was that the women were the first to spread the word about the risen Lord.
And they didn’t do any better than you or I could at convincing them that he really was alive. That is until they saw Him with their own eyes.
So back to my original question, “What do you think?” Instead of coming to me for answers today I would ask you to go to one of our confirmation students and ask them that question. They may not have the answer either but they have been thinking about that same thing for quite a few weeks now.
Every one of them has put some words down about what they do believe and it might be insightful to hear them tell why they believe Jesus is alive.
Friends, I serve a risen Savior. I believe he is in the world today. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Remembering
Many of us were here in this sanctuary this afternoon as we celebrated the life of one of the long time members of this congregation. We gathered here and we remembered Isabelle’s life and how her life touched and interacted with ours.
This evening we are gathered again in this place and I would ask you each to remember the One who sat at the table with his disciples and celebrated his last Passover meal. Remember how he became a servant to them as he dropped his robe and picked up the basin of water and towels and began to wash the dust of the streets from their feet. Remember how he picked up the loaf of bread and the cup of wine and after blessing them offered them to his friends.
Every time they would eat bread and drink wine they would remember that last meal with the Rabbi. It would be like he was there with them again. They would hear his words, “Every time you eat this bread and drink from this cup you will remember your Lord, until he comes again.”
God instructed Moses what the people needed to do to protect themselves from the Angel of Death that was going to pass over the land of Egypt. That day was to be a day to be remembered, a festival to God to be remembered down through the generations.
A day to be remembered, that’s what we are doing here this evening, we are remembering what God did for the world in His suffering and sacrifice on the cross for us. We remember and we share our memories with our families, our friends, and those other folks God places on the path we walk through this life.
We remember other meals we have shared here. We remember other friends we have broken bread with here, some who are now gathered with the all the saints in heaven. We remember how two disciples on the road to Emmaus weren’t allowed to recognize Jesus until he took the bread and blessed it and gave it too them. Then their eyes were opened and then they recognized him, then they remembered. They remembered how their hearts burned as he taught them from the scriptures.
As we are served we meet the risen Christ “who becomes the very nourishment and food of our souls.” We remember Jesus sitting at the table and we feel his presence again each time we partake of this feast which he has prepared.
Tonight is a time of remembering Jesus the Christ. It’s a time to celebrate the crucified Jesus who is beside us in all the cross-shaped places. Not only that but we celebrate Christ’s triumph over death, his resurrection and the promise it brings us of eternal life in glory, heaven.
We remember and we celebrate.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
Invitation to the Journey
My friends, God has called all of us here to a particular work, a particular calling. You may have felt his call; you may be feeling his call tonight. You may be wondering what it is that he is asking you to do. You may be even questioning what is this thing he is calling you to do. But friends you and I have definitely been called and we are on a journey. For some of us it may end tonight or we may be on our journey for many more years. But no matter Christ’s Spirit has called each of us; that’s why we’re all here. And even if we are still resisting his call we can’t escape it. God is nothing if not persistent and patient. He knows what he is doing. Friends join me on this journey and remember your dying and rising again to Christ symbolized in your baptism.
Reflect and meditate on how God has spoken to you this evening. Where is he calling you to go? What is he calling you to do? Is he asking you to let him into your heart? Do you know who this man Jesus is who loves us all so much he suffered and died for our sins and rose from the grave with the promise of eternal life? Do you know him?
The good news is our sins have been forgiven and we have received the promise of eternal life.
Answer the call and begin your journey.
This evening we are gathered again in this place and I would ask you each to remember the One who sat at the table with his disciples and celebrated his last Passover meal. Remember how he became a servant to them as he dropped his robe and picked up the basin of water and towels and began to wash the dust of the streets from their feet. Remember how he picked up the loaf of bread and the cup of wine and after blessing them offered them to his friends.
Every time they would eat bread and drink wine they would remember that last meal with the Rabbi. It would be like he was there with them again. They would hear his words, “Every time you eat this bread and drink from this cup you will remember your Lord, until he comes again.”
God instructed Moses what the people needed to do to protect themselves from the Angel of Death that was going to pass over the land of Egypt. That day was to be a day to be remembered, a festival to God to be remembered down through the generations.
A day to be remembered, that’s what we are doing here this evening, we are remembering what God did for the world in His suffering and sacrifice on the cross for us. We remember and we share our memories with our families, our friends, and those other folks God places on the path we walk through this life.
We remember other meals we have shared here. We remember other friends we have broken bread with here, some who are now gathered with the all the saints in heaven. We remember how two disciples on the road to Emmaus weren’t allowed to recognize Jesus until he took the bread and blessed it and gave it too them. Then their eyes were opened and then they recognized him, then they remembered. They remembered how their hearts burned as he taught them from the scriptures.
As we are served we meet the risen Christ “who becomes the very nourishment and food of our souls.” We remember Jesus sitting at the table and we feel his presence again each time we partake of this feast which he has prepared.
Tonight is a time of remembering Jesus the Christ. It’s a time to celebrate the crucified Jesus who is beside us in all the cross-shaped places. Not only that but we celebrate Christ’s triumph over death, his resurrection and the promise it brings us of eternal life in glory, heaven.
We remember and we celebrate.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
Invitation to the Journey
My friends, God has called all of us here to a particular work, a particular calling. You may have felt his call; you may be feeling his call tonight. You may be wondering what it is that he is asking you to do. You may be even questioning what is this thing he is calling you to do. But friends you and I have definitely been called and we are on a journey. For some of us it may end tonight or we may be on our journey for many more years. But no matter Christ’s Spirit has called each of us; that’s why we’re all here. And even if we are still resisting his call we can’t escape it. God is nothing if not persistent and patient. He knows what he is doing. Friends join me on this journey and remember your dying and rising again to Christ symbolized in your baptism.
Reflect and meditate on how God has spoken to you this evening. Where is he calling you to go? What is he calling you to do? Is he asking you to let him into your heart? Do you know who this man Jesus is who loves us all so much he suffered and died for our sins and rose from the grave with the promise of eternal life? Do you know him?
The good news is our sins have been forgiven and we have received the promise of eternal life.
Answer the call and begin your journey.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Passion Palm Sunday Reflection
The worship service this morning began with a reading from Mark’s gospel relating the story of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. We could have stopped there with the scripture readings. But then those who couldn’t make the Thursday and Friday services would have missed hearing the Passion story.
Hearing both the passion and the palms allows us the opportunity to reflect and meditate on the entire narrative. The most important reason for hearing both is to understand the relationship between the death and resurrection of Jesus. To understand the resurrection, we must contemplate the passion of Jesus. We should use each day of this Holy Week to meditate on the mystery of the cross before we hear the glorious Good News on Easter Sunday.
Last week we reflected on what we would say if someone came to us and told us they wanted to see Jesus. And we thought about how we would respond, what would we say, what is the most important message we could give them.
Today I have something more to say about that. In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians beginning in chapter fifteen, the first important thing everyone should know. It fits right in with what we are to reflect on this week. The Messiah died for our sins, he was buried, he was raised from the dead on the third day, and he presented himself alive to Peter and then to the Twelve. It’s almost too simple don’t you think?
But that’s it. Jesus was killed, buried, and resurrected. And the part that matters the most is the cross. It’s just a piece of wood but oh, what a piece of wood.
It is precious to some and a stumbling block to others. You either believe in the power of the cross or you don’t. But it’s there and people still talk about it.
Some where a reminder of it around their necks and others keep replicas of the cross in their homes or where they work.
As Max Lucado says in his book, “No Wonder they Call Him the Savior,” “No one can ignore it.” He said, “The bottom line of the cross is sobering: if the account is true, it is history’s hinge. Period. If not, it is history’s hoax.”
Friends, that’s why the cross is what matters. That’s why it’s important for all of us to hear what happened in Jesus’ life in those last days. Not only do we need to hear about Peter’s denial of Jesus, we need to hear how Pilate hesitated, and hear of John’s loyalty. We need to hear what happened in Gethsemane when Jesus prayed and when he was arrested.
This week, along with many people all over the world, let’s re-examine this time in history. Read the account again in each of the gospels. Listen to their voices, get a mental image of their faces. And most important of all look at the One, we call our Savior. See if you can find the part that matters most.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
Hearing both the passion and the palms allows us the opportunity to reflect and meditate on the entire narrative. The most important reason for hearing both is to understand the relationship between the death and resurrection of Jesus. To understand the resurrection, we must contemplate the passion of Jesus. We should use each day of this Holy Week to meditate on the mystery of the cross before we hear the glorious Good News on Easter Sunday.
Last week we reflected on what we would say if someone came to us and told us they wanted to see Jesus. And we thought about how we would respond, what would we say, what is the most important message we could give them.
Today I have something more to say about that. In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians beginning in chapter fifteen, the first important thing everyone should know. It fits right in with what we are to reflect on this week. The Messiah died for our sins, he was buried, he was raised from the dead on the third day, and he presented himself alive to Peter and then to the Twelve. It’s almost too simple don’t you think?
But that’s it. Jesus was killed, buried, and resurrected. And the part that matters the most is the cross. It’s just a piece of wood but oh, what a piece of wood.
It is precious to some and a stumbling block to others. You either believe in the power of the cross or you don’t. But it’s there and people still talk about it.
Some where a reminder of it around their necks and others keep replicas of the cross in their homes or where they work.
As Max Lucado says in his book, “No Wonder they Call Him the Savior,” “No one can ignore it.” He said, “The bottom line of the cross is sobering: if the account is true, it is history’s hinge. Period. If not, it is history’s hoax.”
Friends, that’s why the cross is what matters. That’s why it’s important for all of us to hear what happened in Jesus’ life in those last days. Not only do we need to hear about Peter’s denial of Jesus, we need to hear how Pilate hesitated, and hear of John’s loyalty. We need to hear what happened in Gethsemane when Jesus prayed and when he was arrested.
This week, along with many people all over the world, let’s re-examine this time in history. Read the account again in each of the gospels. Listen to their voices, get a mental image of their faces. And most important of all look at the One, we call our Savior. See if you can find the part that matters most.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
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