He Prayed for Them; He Prays for Us

In the gospel reading from John that we heard just now Jesus prays for his disciples. It sounds as if when he’s praying, talking with God, his Father, he’s right out in the open, in the middle of the room, where they can all hear him.

Have you had someone pray for you? Have you been there when they prayed for you? Were you able to hear the words they used as they prayed and talked with God about you?

It’s a little like standing by a door that’s just barely cracked open, listening as they pray, as they talk with God about you…or me…or a friend. When someone prays for us when we’re with them we get to hear what they think about us. We hear their concerns for us, what they desire for us. It’s a little like eavesdropping. And yet it makes us feel loved to have someone pray to God for us, pray on our behalf, petitioning God for us, in Jesus’ name.

When we hear someone praying, when we hear their words we know or we think we know, what they’re thinking. We can guess about the state of the world or the community or the church or their family by the words they use as they pray.

As you heard the words Jesus prayed what do you think the condition of the disciples was? How were they feeling? Do you think they knew, really knew, that Jesus was going to die? Do you think they knew that he would be buried but would rise again in 3 days? Do you think they had any idea what Jesus meant when he said he was going away but he would be sending an advocate, a counsellor to them?

I think the disciples were worried by Jesus’ words. I think they couldn’t believe that he was talking about dying and rising again. I don’t think they had a clue what he meant about the Advocate, the Counsellor, the Holy Spirit.

But we can tell from Jesus’ prayer that he knew they were going to be in a struggle, that they were going to be scared, they were going to suffer, and so he prayed for them asking God to protect them because they’d been with him all the time and they truly believed that he’d come from the Father, from God. They believed he was the Christ, the Messiah.

Jesus prayed to God that they’d be one. He knew them. He knew they were all different. He knew there was disagreements and conflicts between them. He knew it wasn’t going to be easy for them to tell their story to the world. And so he prayed that God would protect them and make them one.

Doesn’t that make you wonder how Jesus prays for the Church today? Doesn’t it make you wonder how Jesus is praying for you and your family and your friends and your church?

He knows us. He knows the world. He knows we’re being attacked every day by the evil in the world. How is Jesus praying for us right now?

The disciples heard Jesus praying for them. My friends, Jesus hasn’t quit praying. He’s still praying today, for us, for the Church, for the Kingdom.

Why was Jesus praying for the disciples? Why’s he still praying for us today? My friends, he’s praying because he loves us. He’s praying because he desires that we be filled to overflowing with that same love.

So, Jesus is praying right now, for you and for me, for our friends and our enemies. His prayer hasn’t changed.

He’s prays that God’s glory shines through. Shines through his prayers and through us. He’s praying for the will of God to be done on earth as it is in heaven. He’s praying that we, you and I, will be protected from evil and not tempted by the things of this world. Jesus’ prayer for us today is overflowing with his love for us, his compassion, and concern for us. His prayer is the same today as it was back then; it’s the same as John recorded it for us to read.

He loves us; he’s praying for us so we can be with him in glory, in eternal life. Jesus is interceding for us before the Father that we will be one.

Thanks be to God for his loving and forgiving grace. Amen.

The Mystery on the Other Side of the Door

John 14 - Jesus is talking with the disciples about his imminent departure. He tells them his Father’s house has many rooms and he’s going there to make the rooms ready for them. He tells them if he’s going to do that then that means he’s coming back for them. Then comes the thing that throws them for a loop. He says, “…You know the way to the place where I am going.”

Good old Thomas pops up and says, “No! We don’t know where you’re going or how to get there!”

How is it possible that they didn’t know that Jesus, the Rabbi, their Teacher, their closest friend was the way to get there? It sounds like Jesus thought they should have known.

What do you think? Do you understand what Jesus was saying? If you do would you mind sharing your insights with us? What are these rooms Jesus is talking about? Where are they?  What’s he doing there to prepare them for us? Are you sure there’s enough room for me? When do I get to go there? Do these questions run around your mind like they do mine?

How come it’s still a mystery to us what’s on the other side of the door? Do we really need to know any more than what Jesus said? He’s preparing rooms for us and there’s plenty of rooms for everyone.

That should be enough since in the very first sentence we heard in the gospel lesson this morning said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.”

But we want to know what our rooms are going to be like. Will we have to share a room? Will I have to keep it clean and neat since it’s in the Father’s house?

These are the questions that popped into my head and then I wondered why I thought these were important questions.

After we get past the fact that Jesus himself is getting things ready for us we discover that the only way to get there is through Jesus. He is the way, the truth, and the life. We can’t get there without going through Jesus.

So, how do we get through Jesus? I think we get there by ‘believing.’  Philip wanted Jesus to show him the Father then he’d believe.  Like that would make it easier.

Jesus said that if he knew him then he knew the Father. Jesus is in the Father and the Father is in him. How’s that work?

The Father and Jesus are in such an intimate relationship that they are One, the Holy.  Maybe, and this may be a stretch, they’re like a couple that’s been happily married for 60 years. They’ve been together for so long that they begin to think and talk and act like each other. In fact, they even know what the other one is thinking and that’s kind of scary.

If we have trouble believing that then Jesus said believe what we see, believe the evidence surrounding the miracles we’ve seen. We have seen some miracles haven’t we?

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life and the only way to get to those rooms is by believing in Him, and the Father. Faith, believing, trusting in Jesus, trusting in God is all we need. If we have faith we can do even greater things than Jesus did. If we have faith, and ask, Jesus will answer so He can bring glory to his Father.

That sounds almost too simple doesn’t it? But that’s what John said that Jesus said. John wouldn’t tell us a story, would he?

So, now you want to know, just like Philip and Thomas, “How can I be sure, how can I find the ‘way?’”

I believe we can find peace and the answer to these questions by allowing ourselves time to be with God. We need to be in an intimate relationship with God through Jesus if we’re ever going to learn anything about these rooms and how we’re all going to get there.

That means that we actually have to carve out time for reading, study, prayer, and silent time with God. This takes discipline.

It’s a little like committing to losing weight and beginning to live a healthier life style through exercise and eating healthier. The thought, the desire has to become a passion before it becomes part of our lives.

Trust, faith, and discipline are three things we need to build this relationship with God. Every day we put it off just makes it harder to start.

If we believe Jesus really is the way, the truth, and the life then why do we make it so difficult to begin?

We need the quiet time, so we can hear God’s voice. Isaiah 30:21 says, “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’”  Before we can hear we need to be listening, we need to be tuned in, we need time alone with God. We need it so we can begin to believe.

My friends, God loves you. He desires a relationship with you…and me. There’s a room waiting for us…if we trust…if we believe…if we ask. It’s just over there on the other side of the door.

Thanks be to God for his loving grace. Amen.

Jesus the Shepherd

John’s gospel, the psalm reading, and Peter’s epistle all use the image of the Messiah as a shepherd and us as sheep.

Going with that, what image pops into your mind? Do you see a picture kind of like some we’ve seen before with Jesus dressed in white with a lamb on his shoulders and maybe one or two at his feet? Or maybe you get an image of Jesus sitting on a rock with his disciples all seated around him listening intently to his every word. Everything is peaceful and serene.

Knowing what you do about sheep and shepherds and maybe even thinking back to 1^st century Jerusalem do you think that’s really what shepherds look like? Do you really think everything is all peaceful and quiet around the shepherd and his flock?

Maybe you do but I don’t. The reason being is that I’ve had a flock of sheep and lambs. There was seldom peace and quiet. I certainly didn’t wear white when I was working with lambs and ewes.

Think about a shepherd in Jesus’ time. Think about how much they had to know and what resources they had available to them to care for and protect their flocks.

Roddy Hamilton in his Spill the Beans blog said that Nancy Rockwell suggested that Jesus is more like a cowboy than a shepherd. Think about what a cowboy does with the herd as he takes them up to the mountain pastures, tends and cares for them while they’re there, and then brings them back to the valley for the winter and the spring calving season. Think about all the skills and knowledge a cowboy needs to do all that.

Doesn’t a shepherd do the same thing? Even though the sheep are smaller in stature the shepherd still needs to tend, care for and protect his flock. He is always on the watch for a sick or injured sheep. He has to pay attention to the weather and the signs in the sky and the surrounding environment so he knows when storms are coming and he needs to get them all to shelter. A cowboy does all that too.

Now think about the task Jesus had with the disciples and with us today. The disciples and his flock today certainly require a lot more skill to care for and manage than you or I possess. Don’t you think it’d take more of a cowboy mentality than a kind and gentle shepherd mentality to tend for and care for a flock like us today?

When I think about the things I’ve done in my life I’m convinced that Jesus had his hands full at times. It’s a wonder to me that he never gave up on me. Shoot, it’s a wonder my parents didn’t just toss in the towel sometimes.

Humanity being what it is needs a god with good sense, a tough exterior, a love for humanity that can’t be swayed, and patience beyond anything we can imagine. In other words humanity needs a god like our God, willing to do whatever it takes to bring us back to Him. Our God needs to be able to go out on a limb for us; he needs to be able to love and forgive us when we’ve failed him for the umpteenth time.

We can hardly get our minds around what it must take for God to put up with our shenanigans day after day, year after year. If we were in charge we’d have given up on us a long time ago.

Before we get all puffed up and proud because God has chosen us let’s not forget how many times we’ve tried and failed to live like Jesus. We’re not any better than those Pharisees Jesus called ‘thieves and robbers.’

Take a minute to think about how much we’ve been blessed with the last couple years, our crop yields, our gifts from members who’ve left some of their estates for us to use. Now think about how many are struggling in the world to find enough to eat, let alone find some shelter from the extremes of the environment. What have we done to alleviate their pain and suffering? How much have we given of our time and gifts to make sure they have something to eat, warm clothes to wear, and a roof over their heads?

We’re not very good at being shepherds for those folks who need a shepherd. So, why does God still call us? Doesn’t it make you wonder?

I’ve probably passed more panhandlers than I’ve stopped to help. When I have stopped it’s usually with cash, probably not what they really need. If you’re like me you don’t want to stop and give them any of your precious time. Maybe you have and you just don’t want to hear another hard luck story.

Jesus, did take the time, many times. Imagine how many stories he listened to. Imagine how many dirty bodies he sat beside; imagine how many he touched…and healed.

No, we’re not very good at shepherding. We need God and the forgiveness that comes to us from Jesus. We need the Holy Spirit to continually remind us, to continually convict us of our sin and failure to care for those God places before us every day.

We need to get down on our knees and ask for forgiveness for those times we’ve failed him, let him down, and just plain ignored his voice in our hearts begging us to give to that guy hitchhiking down the Interstate 80 or the traveler who stops and needs gas to get on down the road to wherever it is they’re going.

We need to pray that God forgives us and then ask for the courage to trust him to take a risk and help someone we probably wouldn’t have helped last week.

We need a Good Cowboy Shepherd to lead us, to save us from ourselves and the world. Thanks be to God he loves us unconditionally and grants us his grace again and again. Amen.

Open Hearts, Open Doors

Two disciples walking down the road, talking about the events of the last few days in Jerusalem. Mysteriously, another person joined them and asked, “What is this you’re so intently discussing?”

They couldn’t believe there was anyone who hadn’t heard about the crucifixion of their friend, Jesus. So, they told what they’d witnessed and what their friends had found when they went to the grave where the body had been placed.

In their hearts they knew that Jesus was the Messiah, the Christ, the One all Israel had been waiting for. Then, their dreams were dashed to the ground, broken like a wine goblet tossed into a stone hearth. They were grieving for their friend because they’d hoped beyond all hope that he would be the One who would save them from the oppression of the Romans.

This one who was walking with them began to teach them the lessons from their own Hebrew Bible, stories from Moses clear up through the Prophets. With all that they still didn’t recognize the One they were grieving.

When they arrived at their home they invited Jesus to come in and eat with them, still not recognizing Him for who he was. So, he sat down with them and just like he’d done at the Passover meal a few days ago he took the bread, blessed and broke and gave it to them. When they took the bread a light came on! This is exactly what they’d witnessed in the upper room with the others! This was Jesus! They knew for the first time that he was truly alive!

They ran back to Jerusalem to tell the Eleven what had happened. Can you imagine how excited, how out of breath they must have been when they opened the door and told everyone what had happened…and then they found out that Jesus had also appeared to Peter! That corroborated what they knew. Jesus was alive!

Today we will celebrate the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper and we will remember. Jesus is with us and we may very well feel our hearts burning with his love and peace.

Then, what’s next? Will we have the same excitement to share this good news with others?  Will this good news open any other doors for people who wouldn’t ordinarily come to worship with us?

As we eat this bread and drink the juice and remember Jesus may we, every time we eat and drink this coming week remember…and be filled with God’s love and grace and peace. May every meal we share with family and friends and strangers be a time for us to celebrate the joy of being in the presence of the risen Lord Jesus.

Thanks be to God for his grace and peace. Amen.

Closed Doors

The ‘Door’, what does a door have to do with the resurrection? Last Sunday the ‘door’ to the tomb was rolled back. The stone was rolled away and the angel told Mary Jesus was risen from the tomb and would meet them all in Galilee.

The disciples in today’s gospel lesson are behind a ‘door’ that’s locked for fear the Jews will find them and crucify them.

We can understand their fear. Their leader, the Rabbi, is risen but they haven’t encountered him yet. So, they feel that they’re safer behind the locked door surrounded by friends. Even with that, Jesus appears in their midst offering them peace and the Holy Spirit.

Are ‘closed’ doors always a bad thing? Not always, sometimes, ‘doors’ need to be closed. Sometimes, we need them closed so we can be regenerated, renewed, because the world has drained away all our energy. Sometimes, the door needs to be closed so we can heal. So maybe, we shouldn’t be too critical of the disciples for being behind locked doors. Maybe they too needed to be renewed…and healed.

One good thing about doors is that they made to be closed…and opened. Eventually they would have to open the door and go out for supplies or back home or to Galilee to find Jesus.

As today’s reading tells us not all the disciples were present the first time Jesus appeared in the upper room. Thomas was absent. We don’t know why for sure. We heard Thomas speak to us a couple weeks ago why he wasn’t there.

It could be he was hiding behind another door. Maybe he needed to be with a friend who was able to reassure him. Maybe he decided they needed their food stock replenished. Whatever it was he wasn’t there the first time Jesus came.

He was there the next time. Again, Jesus appeared in the room among the disciples even though the door was closed and locked.

Now that closed door must have been important for John to have pointed out a second time that the disciples were behind a door that was closed and locked.

Don’t you kind of wonder why they were still hiding behind this locked door after Jesus had appeared to them the week before and given them his peace? It may have been that even though they had seen Jesus they still weren’t quite sure they could believe what they’d seen. So, Jesus came back.

This time, though, he focused his attention on Thomas. This must have been the catalyst that the rest of the disciples needed since after this the disciples left the room and went to Galilee in search of Jesus.

So, if we’re honest with ourselves, we’re most likely not much different from the disciples. We fear death enough that we will do just about anything to maintain our good health and be safe. Sometimes, we may even close and lock the door so no one can come in.

But that doesn’t keep Jesus, our Savior, out. Even though our doors are closed and locked he can still come in. 

Sometimes, even when we’re trying to lay low and hide from God because we’ve sinned and we know it and we know God knows it, God finds his way into our hearts past the locked door. He gives us his peace and his Holy Spirit reminds us, again, that we’re forgiven.

No matter how often we go into hiding or how well we hide ourselves God, Emmanuel, is always with us. He never leaves us. He never gives up on us. God’s always there. He was there for the disciples and he’s there for us.

So, this week, every time you encounter a closed door think about why it’s closed, what might be on the other side, and be reminded that even if you lock it Jesus will find a way to come in and give you his peace.

Thanks be to God for his grace. Amen.

Jesus Is Alive!

They’d all seen Jesus arrested, beaten, and carrying his cross. They’d all seen Jesus nailed to the cross. They’d all seen Nicodemus and Joseph take him down from the cross and wrap him in the spices they had and the cloths they’d brought with them. They’d seen him put in the tomb. They’d seen the stone rolled over the entrance. They’d seen the guards posted to keep anyone from stealing Jesus’ body.

On that Sunday morning when Mary went to the tomb and saw the stone rolled away she was sure the Jewish religious leaders had taken Jesus’ body. It wasn’t until she went back to the garden where Jesus was buried that she encountered the risen Christ. Then she knew for the first time that He was alive! She could hardly believe her eyes!

Can you imagine the emotions she must have been experiencing? You know she wanted to touch him, to hold him, to hug him close. Jesus told her not yet.

Knowing that Jesus was human like you and me don’t you wonder what he was experiencing? He had died, literally. His heart had stopped beating. His lungs stopped breathing. He was buried in a cold, dark tomb cut out of stone.

And now, he’s alive! Don’t you think the human part of him was having trouble understanding what had happened? He’s alive and yet he’d been dead.

Even Peter and John didn’t believe it, even when they saw it with their own eyes. They went away from the tomb sure that someone had stolen the body.  They didn’t even believe Mary when she came back and told them she had actually spoken with Jesus.

Is it any wonder when we tell that story today that people have so much trouble believing it? Is it any wonder that we doubt sometimes? How is it possible for someone to die, to be buried, and then be alive again?

Yet, that is what we believe. The cross is empty and so is the tomb. Jesus is alive! For us and the world that is good news because what Jesus said would happen actually did happen. Death was defeated.

Alleluia! Jesus is alive! 

My King Rides a Donkey

My King rides a donkey. Saying these words sounds a little silly. Who would follow a king riding a donkey? There’s nothing kingly about riding a donkey.

It’d be easier and probably there’d be more followers if the King came riding in on a white stallion like Hopalong Cassidy’s. Jesus wasn’t that kind of king.

Jesus had a different agenda. His was a triumphal entry, just not triumphant over another nation. The people didn’t know it yet, Jesus was going against Evil and he was going to win. He was going to defeat sin and death for everyone in the world. It was God’s free gift. That’s why he came riding in on a donkey.

It may have been in response to Zechariah’s prophecy in chapter 9 beginning with verse 9…

“⁹ Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
    Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
    righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey,
    on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
¹⁰ I will take away the chariots from Ephraim
    and the warhorses from Jerusalem,
    and the battle bow will be broken.
He will proclaim peace to the nations.
    His rule will extend from sea to sea
    and from the River to the ends of the earth.”

You see, Zechariah knew many years ago that the Messiah was going to bring peace not war to the world. That’s why Jesus, our King, came riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. Jesus came to bring peace into the world, our world.

So, what’s gone wrong? If there are so many professing Christians in the world and they believe that Jesus came so that we might have eternal life and he was all about love and peace, why is there still war? Doesn’t it make you wonder?

A friend, Steve Plank, posted a cartoon on Facebook this week titled, “What Would Jesus Not Do?” Some of the things listed were harass single moms, beat homosexuals, picket their funerals, join a militia, own a weapon, burn a cross, hate his enemies, attack the poor, or put his name on merchandise.

Quite a few years ago I read a book called “In His Steps” written by Charles Sheldon. That book has sold over 30 million copies. It was about a pastor challenging his congregation to not do anything for one year without asking the question, “What would Jesus do?” 

When we read the gospel stories we soon see that Jesus wasn’t a warrior king. No, he was a king on a donkey, a peace-loving king. He came to Jerusalem with an agenda but it wasn’t to overthrow the powers that were in control of the city as some hoped the Messiah would do.

Jesus came with love for everyone in the world. He came riding on a donkey and because of that he presents some challenges for us not unlike the challenges of the pastor in Charles Sheldon’s book.

Jesus, since he loved the world he’d created so much, through his life challenges us to see humor in even the darkest times of our lives. We receive a diagnosis of cancer, our sister dies, a little girl dies in Omaha. It’s not easy to find the joy or humor in any of these instances.

Yet, Jesus came riding on a donkey with a smile on his face even though he knew he was going to die a gruesome death on a cross in a little more than days’ time. How could he do that? How does God expect us to do that?

I don’t have a really good answer for that other than to tell you because of what Jesus did for you and me Death no longer has any power over your life or my life. Because Jesus died carrying our sins on his shoulders to the cross Death is only a doorway to eternal life.

Knowing that doesn’t make it any easier for us to believe because the Evil One is always putting doubts in our minds. What if it’s not true? What if God’s not real? What if he doesn’t really love us unconditionally? What if?

That’s the challenge we have when we decide to follow our King on a donkey. Even when we don’t know how it’s all going to be in the end, through the power of God’s Holy Spirit we go on in faith because of the promise Jesus made to the disciples that one day he is going to return to take all of us home.

This week as we walk with Jesus through his last hours let’s remember his promise and know in our hearts that God’s love is enough. It will always be enough.

Thanks be to God for his love and grace. Amen.